AB/BtVS FF: Living Underground 99/?
TITLE: Living Underground
AUTHOR: 38gnihsurc
RATING: en.sea.xvii overall
PAIRING: Willow/Asher, Willow/Richard and slight Willow/Asher/Nathaniel... plus, regular Anita pairings
SPOILERS: For the two fandoms... up until Micah for AB; the two series for Buffyverse stuff.
WARNINGS: A little bit of BDSM.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone, except the Master of the City of Lafayette and her entourage.
NOTES: This story is a sequel to "Alive at Last."
PART NINETY-NINE
Willow winced as she stepped inside Guilty Pleasures. The amount of screaming women seemed to be off the charts; Willow wasn't sure how Jean-Claude had not exceeded the fire code limits.
Still, she walked further into the club. She saw that the establishment was filled with university students---tons of university students and all of them female. Stephen was dancing on the stage, very much a man despite the glitter accentuating his bare chest; Gregory was crawling across the stage, very much a wereleopard. The fur did not seem to bother the audience.
She noticed a few regulars in the crowd as well. They did not seem to mind that the club was having a dry---or alcohol-free---night so that it could cater to a new demographic: freshmen.
When Dawn was experiencing the 'joys' of Frosh Week, Jean-Claude had noticed a significant increase in activity at some bars and restaurants. Seeley had trudged into the Circus several times during that week, too tired to go to Anita's house because he had been running around all day at the Lunatic Café. When Jean-Claude was finally able to speak with the younger Summers girl, he had been fascinated to hear about the week of events.
Two weeks later, he had decided that it was time Guilty Pleasures catered to the more adventurous university students by having a dry night, by allowing students over the age of eighteen into the establishment.
Willow wasn't there for Dawn---although she would be glad to see her if their paths crossed.
She was there to watch Nathaniel and Jason. She was there to meet Richard and Asher, so they could go out on a date.
It still made her insides squirm in happiness to think that she was going on a double date, of sorts. Richard had decided that he could stand to spend an evening in Asher's company---after only a little prodding from Willow. Asher decided that he could behave himself for one night. Willow bought tickets to a musical, which was a compromise in a way; Asher could stay in the shadows and no one would focus upon him, while Richard could watch the type of performance that he particularly enjoyed.
But, they had to meet at Guilty Pleasures because each adult had to work. Richard had a staff meeting, Willow had been interviewing for a few new servers for Feral Byte, and Asher had been overseeing some renovations at Danse Macabre. Willow didn't tell Richard that she had promised her familiars she'd watch their performances, but she knew Asher had some idea why she had selected that meeting place.
Richard couldn't spend the night at the Circus---it was a Thursday night and Gwen couldn't stay and babysit Emily all night.
Emily had taken to Richard almost immediately. She wasn't as sure about Willow, but over the past few weeks, they had been spending some time together and Willow didn't feel nearly as uncomfortable as she used to feel when with the newcomer.
At first, she worried Emily was forming some sort of unhealthy attachment to her Ulfric. When Willow had talked to Jason about the new girl, he laughed and said that she was very submissive and it was somewhat like Willow spending time with Jason, Nathaniel, Stephen, and the other submissive wereanimals. They came to her for friendship and protection; Emily was attached to Richard because he was Ulfric and he had offered to take her in so she would not have to deal with the problems associated with being both a teenager and a werewolf at the same time.
Willow got over her hang-ups after their first full moon together. She felt Emily's spirit and saw that she was a good person, underneath the horomones and attitude. Emily had given Willow a break after she saw how Willow wasn't entirely human---apparently she had been holding a grudge because she believed Willow was another human lupa and she did not think it was acceptable for a human to be ranked so highly above other pack members. That had seemed to be some of Emily's problem with her lupa.
Still, Willow was excited that she would get to go out with both of her lovers at the same time. She missed them. She rarely saw Richard since school resumed in the fall, and even though she knew his schedule would become lighter after the first two months, she wished she could see him more often. However, with the upsurge in the young coffee drinker demographic, Willow's schedule was busier because her café was very busy. She hoped that after hiring some more servers, she could have more time to spend with her friends and family. Even Asher was busy, since Jean-Claude had decided that his clubs needed renovations and updates so that they were state-of-the-art in as many ways as possible. But, Willow knew that once those redesigns were finished, he would have more time for her, as well.
It was the time for changes, and once they were completed, Willow hoped they'd be able to reconnect.
A hand on her arm distracted her. She felt Requiem's presence before she turned and saw him.
"Hi," she said quietly, despite the roars and shrieks of approval as Gregory ripped Stephen's already-tattered jeans off of his lithe body.
She and Requiem had never been close. Since learning that he had been a part of the group that contacted Edward, their relationship seemed to have allowed for a canyon of space to divide them.
"Asher called and said he would be here for Nathaniel's performance," he told her, without poetry.
"Thank you, Requiem." She looked into his eyes and she saw a small knot of tension between his brows. She decided that she needed to try to bridge the gap between them. "How are you?"
He smiled a bit. "'Oh, it is good with hand and brain, to gladly till the chosen soil,'" he told her, "'and after honest sweat and strain, to see the harvest of one's toil.'"
Willow couldn't hide her smile. She forgot how much she missed his cryptic and poetic responses. "I don't know that one," she told him.
"'Oh, It Is Good,' by Robert Service."
"Robert Service?"
Requiem nodded. "A Scottish immigrant to... Canada. He wrote poetry during the Klondike Gold Rush," the vampire explained, "such as 'The Cremation of Sam McGee.'"
Willow's face scrunched as she tried to place the name of the poem and its author. She knew it sounded familiar. Requiem smiled a bit more and then he began to recite the second poem he had mentioned: "'There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights But the queerest they ever did see Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGree.'"
Willow grinned. "I remember now. He got tossed in the furnace and then he asked his friend to close the door so he didn't let the heat escape."
Requiem nodded.
"That's a good one. Not what I expected you to read, though..."
"I read all sorts of literature," he informed her, without looking offended. "It is best to have a broad spectrum of material to draw upon."
Again, Willow couldn't fight her smile. She let the grin curve her mouth and she let her nose wrinkle. Requiem's smile stretched, too, as if in reaction to hers.
"Someday, I'd like to look at your collection," she said, deciding to extend the olive branch. "I mean, if you wouldn't mind," she added when his bright blue eyes widened. "Sometimes, I get stuck in a book rut. Maybe you have some good ideas, or---"
"Not at all," he assured her as he cut her off before her nervous rambling could pick up much speed. "It would be a pleasure to share my books with you."
She opened her mouth to respond but a series of disappointed shrieks all but shattered Willow's eardrums. She cringed and turned to see Stephen and Gregory dancing off the stage while waving to the group. She noticed their g-strings and hands were full of bills. She smiled, glad that they had a good night. The music changed, to something by a heavier rock band like Nine Inch Nails or whatever was the popular equivalent to those university students, and Willow recognised the song as one Nathaniel had been listening to a few days ago.
The wereleopard danced onto the stage after Jean-Claude introduced him as 'Brandon.'
He was wearing leather and silver and, despite the pain Willow knew the silver would cause him, he was grinning at the audience. He danced for them; but his eyes kept darting to hers as much as he could allow. She could feel how much he was enjoying the moment, having so many people focused on him. She also sensed an undercurrent of pride. He had designed the routine and costume himself---without any help, even from other dancers. Asher and Jean-Claude had commented that they thought it was one of his best performances when they saw it in an earlier rehearsal. Willow could see the pride in his lilac eyes, even from a distance. She was proud of him, too.
Requiem stepped a few feet away from her and as she turned to ask him where he was going, she saw Asher talking with the other vampire. His eyes remained on the wereleopard's form, though. Nathaniel's face took on a little more colour as he realised they were both there---as it often did. Willow didn't know how Nathaniel could continue dancing; her knees wanted to buckle and her stomach quivered every time Asher looked at her with any sort of intensity in his gaze.
Asher's hand sought hers.
"We will meet Richard by the office. He will come in through the back."
Willow nodded and backed into him so she could lean against his body as they watched the wereleopard perform. The vampires finished talking and from the bits and pieces she overheard between Brandon's fans' screaming, Willow understood that Requiem was going to the back entrance to wait for Richard.
Asher released her hand so he could wrap his arms around her body. She sighed happily and snuggled into his embrace; she kept her eyes on Nathaniel, as he performed for them.
His wide lilac eyes sparkled as he bent low over the stage and crawled towards a few girls at the front of the stage. The university freshmen all but shivered in delight as he came closer. To a casual observer, it looked as if his attention was focused upon the audience. Willow knew better, though. The wereleopard was only completely aware of three people: Jean-Claude, Asher, and Willow. His body language and quick glances told her that.
She watched an exchange between the dancer and the Master of the City; she had to smother a quick laugh.
"I think he likes it when Jean-Claude calls him 'bad kitty,'" she silently told Asher when he asked her what had amused her.
Asher chuckled and kissed Willow's neck. "Most likely," he agreed.
Nathaniel finished his performance to cheers, applause, and a little begging for more. Jean-Claude shooed Brandon off of the stage with playful swings of his flogger, and then Jason stepped out from behind the heavy curtains.
Ripley was introduced and Jean-Claude drifted to the side of the stage, away from the bright lights and Jason's energetic performance.
He was dressed in boots, tight jeans, a belt with a huge and shiny belt buckle, a t-shirt, and a cowboy hat. He was dancing to a Tom Jones song. Willow wasn't sure what the name of the song was, but it had something to do with leaving a hat on while removing every other piece of clothing. He was undressing slowly and using all of his muscles to make his body ripple to the music. Asher was chuckling quietly near WIllow's ear; Willow was trying not to laugh.
Jason was a ham and he lapped up the attention.
He ripped his shirt off and the crowd squealed and clapped. He threw it into the crowd and then started on his belt while looking around the room. He caught Willow's eye and then he winked at her.
Willow clapped and waved at him. He focused on her for a split second but then he was back in his element, grinning at the ladies waving money in his direction.
"Oh, he enjoys this too much sometimes," Asher whispered into Willow's mind.
She nodded and chuckled as Jason wriggled out of his boots and jeans. A girl somewhere in the back yelled out that she could help him out of his clothes. He grinned and saluted her with the brim of his hat. He jumped back into his boots, and then resumed his dancing around the stage.
He made his rounds before he sauntered back to the front of the stage. He bent down and Willow could see him talking to someone. She glanced at Jean-Claude but didn't use their bond to ask what Jason was up to; she waited until Jason pulled someone up to dance with him.
Dawn's face was beet-red as Jason guided her into the moves he had choreographed for that part of his routine. He was a considerate partner, though, and he managed to make it appear as if she knew most of the steps by guiding her in a way that didn't really seem like guiding at all.
"Come, mon colibri," Asher murmured.
She craned her neck to look at him. He motioned towards the hallway with his head. She followed his gesture and saw Richard standing in the shadows. He was wearing a dark green suit and his hair was tied back and he looked good enough to eat.
"You can gossip with notre aube later," he told her with a gentle nudge.
Willow laughed and let him pull her from the side of the room.
They walked down the hall and Requiem left them in a swish of his cape once they reached Richard.
"Hey," Willow said. She walked over to the Ulfric and after putting her hands on his forearms, she leaned up and kissed him. He lengthened the kiss, with his tongue and teeth, and then he kissed his way to her temple. He buried his face into her hair before trailing down to her neck. She shuddered as he inhaled deeply. "Richard, we're supposed to be going out," she quietly reminded him.
He chuckled and the vibrations seemed to travel in and out and all around her body.
When Asher pressed his body against hers from behind, Willow felt her heart leap into her throat. She was torn between leaning forward into Richard's warmth and leaning back into Asher's coolness. But, they made it easier for her by pressing closer to her so she could stand upright and feel both of them against her, both of them nuzzling opposite sides of her neck.
"Not fair," she whispered shakily. "Either of you."
They both chuckled. The sound vibrations traveled through Willow's body and seemed to have a direct unlocking effect on her knees. If she hadn't been sandwiched between her two lovers, she would have fallen to the floor.
"Still not fair," she protested.
Richard's beast seemed to brush Willow's insides. He stirred her beast out of its resting state and she came up to meet him. They circled each other before sharing the lukoi greeting. Willow whimpered, Richard rumbled, and Asher sighed.
"Oh, I could not stand between the two of you and feel much more of that," Asher admitted as he tried to distance himself from Willow. "That was the strangest..."
"Strange in a bad way?" Willow asked.
The vampire smiled. "Non, in a good way," he murmured. Asher rubbed his lips against the back of her neck before he stepped back and let Willow lean against Richard until she could make her legs support the rest of her body. "It is almost time."
"Are you sure you have to bail Gwen out?" Willow asked the werewolf king.
He chuckled. "My night's already spoken for," he told her. He kissed her forehead and then offered her his hand. "We should head out."
"Tu as raison," Asher agreed.
Willow took his hand in her free hand and they walked out of the club.
&&&&
Asher had suggested that they return to the Circus of the Damned for a nightcap. Willow thought Richard would have balked at the idea, but he agreed that a drink before hitting the road sounded like a good idea.
The werewolf took one of her hands while the vampire took the other and together they walked from the limousine to the employees' entrance to the Circus, or the main entrance to the residence. Asher opened the door, and Richard escorted her down the stairs; the vampire brought up the rear.
They talked quietly the whole time---about the musical, about the next few days, about the upcoming full moon---but when Willow was taken into one of the sitting rooms, she fell silent immediately as her brain processed what her eyes were seeing.
Jean-Claude was stretched out, pressed over Anita's body. The petite necromancer was on her back; her arms and one leg were twined around the vampire's body as he kissed from her neck to her lips. His hands kept playing with her hair. Her hands roamed over his back until she realised they had an audience.
Anita saw Asher first. She smiled when she saw him and asked if he was her surprise.
Evidently Jean-Claude had told her she was expecting a surprise.
Willow had been expecting a nightcap, but Anita was not the only one who received a surprise.
When Anita's eyes saw Richard and Willow, her expression darkened. She glared at Jean-Claude, but he was no longer looking at her.
The black-haired vampire craned his neck and looked at the trio. "Ah, bon. I was beginning to wonder if I would be able to keep her distracted much longer," he said quietly.
Willow looked from Asher to Richard, and then to Jean-Claude. They seemed smug and apologetic at the same time, through their body language and facial expressions. Something was up---the men had plotted together, and now Willow and Anita were in the same room together for the first time since their falling out at Feral Byte.
"What's going on?" Anita asked. She had obviously come to the same conclusion. "Jean-Claude?"
The Master of the City rose to his feet, slowly, and then he took Anita's hand in his. She fought him every step of the way, but she eventually was standing at his side and in front of the other three occupants of the room.
"We have decided that you two are going to clear the air," Jean-Claude said, looking from Anita to Willow.
Willow cleared her throat. "You set us up."
"Oui."
"I thought you said you'd---"
"If I were continuing to act as if you were someone needing protection, ma chérie, this confrontation would probably not be happening," Jean-Claude said to the witch as he interrupted her. "You can hold your own against ma petite, although I wish you would discuss matters instead of resorting to violence."
Anita and Willow both snorted at the same time.
"We will be outside the door, Will," Richard told her. "But, you two need to talk this out."
"Like I need a hole in my head," Willow muttered under her breath. She did not want to talk to Anita. After twisting her hand out of Richard's, she turned on her heel and marched towards the open doorway. "I'm out of here. I don't need to talk this out because I---"
She had traveled fifteen feet---twenty at the most---when a very strange sensation swept over her.
Every fibre in her being wanted to turn around and go back to the group of four. Something was luring her back.
"Ma chérie, do not compel me to use more force than that," Jean-Claude said quietly.
The witch craned her neck. She saw a pained expression on Richard's face. Both pain and curiosity were displayed in Asher's face. Anita seemed afraid and angry. Jean-Claude was the only stoic figure in the room.
"What are you doing to me?" she asked. She was surprised that her voice sounded hoarse. "What... did you cast a spell?"
"His animal to call is the wolf," Richard explained.
Willow's eyes widened. She knew she carried the lupine lycanthropy gene. She knew she had almost shifted. She knew she was embracing the lukoi culture. But, she had never considered that Jean-Claude would be able to command her the way he would command any subserviant werewolf.
"So, you're going to make me apologise?"
"Non, that must come from you," he told her. "I regret resorting to such measures, but I am not letting you leave until you and Anita discuss---"
Willow tried to turn around and return to her previous path. The force of Jean-Claude's will bore down on her and it made her heart and mind ache; it was like being forced into her submissive head space when she wanted to be the dominant partner. She felt her wolf being forced to yield to her master, and she hated every minute of it. The only consolation to her in that moment was looking into Jean-Claude's eyes; he did not seem very happy with ordering her around.
Anita tugged on her lover's sleeve. "Can you do this to me?"
"I do not know," Jean-Claude replied honestly. "We were not sure I would be able to exert control over her until now. I suspect your necromancy skills would keep me from overriding your mind."
"Great, so I'm your puppet now," Willow spat. "What's to keep you from... ordering me to do stuff all the time?!"
"My word," the Master of the City said in response.
He sighed in relief when Willow finally ended up with the group again. She was on the floor, though; she had collapsed when the disagreement between her mind and her body and Jean-Claude's mind reached a climax four feet away from the four adults. She stared at the vampire's polished leather boots and she fought the urge to grovel and to rub herself against the soft skins. She wanted to submit and she wanted to rebel---all at the same time.
Willow's instincts surprised herself---and everyone around her. She whined and lowered her head so her face was inches from the toes of his boots.
Richard cursed under his breath. "Stop it, Jean-Claude," he growled. "I didn't agree to watch you break my mate."
Asher was next to speak. "Mon ami, trust him," he advised the Ulfric. "He knows what he is doing."
"Look at her!" Richard exclaimed. "She's in pain! She's practically slobbering over his feet like it was Stephen or Jason! He did this to her!"
"She has a submissive streak," Asher reminded him. "He merely forced her into it... from a dominant position she does not want to relinquish. That is the stronger struggle right now."
The power of Jean-Claude's demand receded slowly. She felt less divided, less afraid, and she lifted her head to glare at the black-haired vampire. He stared back at her without his powers, without any defiance. He seemed calm, but it was a lie. She knew his looks a lot better than she did a year ago; she could see the concern but it didn't temper her anger with him, Anita, and the situation.
"Was Anita going to ask you to break my mind?" Willow asked quietly as she wiped a hand over her mouth as she caught her breath and calmed her system.
"I doubt it," Jean-Claude replied. "But, I would not have allowed it. You would not have allowed it. There was no danger of that happening."
Willow snorted. She rose to her feet slowly. She looked at Richard and Asher; she could feel their anxiety and concern through their bonds. She looked at Anita and wasn't sure what she saw. Anita was closed off; her arms were crossed over her chest and she was looking down at a spot on the floor.
She snapped her attention back to Jean-Claude. "We're both here and I'm apparently not going anywhere. Now what?" she asked.
"Now, ma chérie," he said, "you and Anita will talk. Without violence and magic. We will wait in the corridor, outside the only exit from this room. We will not open this door until you two come to some sort of peaceful truce."
It was Anita's turn to ask a question. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because we cannot afford to indulge your disagreements," he replied. "We are tied together. We cannot continue to be the... the... comment dit-on... the buffer between the two of you. It is exhausting and it is unfair since we care about both of you. Everyone will suffer if this continues."
"Pulling out the greatest hits?" Willow muttered.
"Oui, and I suspect I will have to until the both of you remember what is at stake!" Jean-Claude snapped with an impatient hand gesture. "If the three of us are important to you, if the lives of those under your protection are important to you... this tension will have to be resolved."
He motioned for Richard and Asher to follow him. He departed and the other two men heeded his suggestion and followed him out of the room. Willow heard a key turning in the lock once the door was closed. The finality of the situation made her want to scream. She wanted to use magic to break down the door but she was wary of Jean-Claude for the first time in a very long time. His call to wolves was powerful and she didn't want to feel it again.
Anita sighed. "So..."
"So," Willow echoed.
&&&&
"Are you sure this is right?" Richard asked. He motioned towards the closed door. "They could really hurt each other."
"They will heal," Asher said in reply. He smiled a bit and shrugged. "They both have tempers, but if they are shielding... they will not draw upon too much of each other's fury."
Richard's brow furrowed. "That's a pretty big 'if.'"
Jean-Claude shrugged. "They will either learn, or not, but we must reach some sort of conclusion tonight," he said in a confident voice. "This cannot continue."
"There's one thing we all agree on," Richard joked half-heartedly.
Asher smirked. "They're both beautiful examples of women."
"There is another," Jean-Claude said, smiling as he leaned back against the stone wall.
&&&&
Willow opened her mouth. Then, she closed it.
She blinked a few times and she tried to formulate some sort of reaction to what Anita had shouted.
She couldn't. She was shocked. More shocked than she'd been in a while.
"You think..." she started to talk after a few minutes. Her voice was both slow and quiet. "Hold on. You think I came here on purpose? You think... I nearly passed out in front of Guilty Pleasures... on purpose?"
"Now, wait, that's not what I said---"
"No, you said you think I moved here to take over your life and to put your loved ones in danger, but I'm starting small," Willow interjected as she glared at the black-haired woman.
Anita glared back at the witch. "I didn't mean you picked here, but once you felt better, you just wormed your way into---"
"Oh, because everyone wants to be you!" Willow exclaimed. "Yes, that's exactly it. I saw you with your men and I thought 'oh, hi, me, I want that life. I want all the pretty, pretty boys.'" She snorted. "For someone with good aim, you're really off the mark. Every girl in America doesn't grow up wishing for ten boyfriends!"
"I didn't either!" Anita yelped. She flushed, as if Willow's remark offended her, and started to pace the room. "But, you still just wormed your way in! You stole Asher! You stole Richard! And you're stealing Jason and Nathaniel away, like they're yours!"
Willow sucked in a sharp breath. "I get that Nathaniel's your animal to call. I get that he loves belonging to you and living in your home and I would never take that away from him. But, he's my familiar. And, sometimes, he's my slave. So, sometimes, he is mine." She paused and then added, "Jason's a pomme de sang, but he's my familiar, too! They're both under my protection, too! But, they're not robots or brainless shadows! They can decide who they want to spend time with---so, can't we just share?" She sucked in another breath. "Furthermore! Asher and Richard are alpha males! They're grown-ups! They don't belong to anyone, they don't need permission to do a lot of things. They can make up their own minds, too! I can't help who I love, and if they love me back, I'm not going to run from that!"
Anita growled and it looked for a minute that she would lunge at Willow. But, then, she resumed pacing and muttering under her breath.
&&&&
Jean-Claude smothered his chuckle as gracefully as he could.
Richard glared at the vampire. "What?" When he saw the vampire smiling, he seemed to frown more. "You can't be enjoying this."
The Master of the City laughed.
Asher smirked and turned towards the Ulfric. "Mon ami, why aren't you enjoying this?"
"They could hurt each other!" Richard turned from one vampire to the other. "Honestly! What's with you two?!" he hissed.
"Their love... their jealousy, it is because they both love you and they both love me," Asher explained in a quiet voice. "And because they are both connected to the three of us."
"So, you two are enjoying the little estrogen show in there."
"Oui."
Richard stared at them in disbelief.
"A couple of hours ago, you two were determined to make them grow up and set aside their differences," he said. "And now, you're pleased as punch that it's pretty much our fault they're in there fighting?"
"As lemonade," Asher said.
"Huh?"
"As in, pleased as lemonade. Not punch. For I am taking these lemons and making something more delicious from them," he told the werewolf king. "As should you, mon ami."
Jean-Claude laughed again. Richard remained silent, although the disbelief he had expressed was still showing in his brown eyes.
&&&&
"Are they still fighting?"
Asher watched Jean-Claude turn to look at his pomme de sang. "Oui," he replied. "But, it has become quiet in there."
"Worried?" Jason asked.
The Master of the City shook his head. "Non."
"Richard looks worried."
"Oui," he agreed.
"Asher doesn't."
Asher snorted. "Observant, Jason," he replied.
"Well, you guys don't keep me here solely for my good looks," Jason said as he put a hand on his chest and trailed it to his stomach. His torso was bare; he was wearing a pair of shorts and nothing else. His hand slid against his skin and stopped at the elasticised band at his waist. "I have eyes and ears connected to a brain that works."
"And a mouth that isn't connected to your brain," Richard muttered as he paced.
Jason grinned brightly, undaunted by his Ulfric's comment. "Your life would be a lot more dull if I had... y'know, tact."
Jean-Claude reached for the young man and drew him against his body. "I would not change you for anything," he assured the werewolf, who did not need any assurances. "Your personality, as well as your looks, are some of the reasons I asked for you." He smiled at his pomme. "You offer a fresh outlook on the dreary lives we sometimes lead."
"Some of the reasons?" Jason asked, fishing.
"You are also quite delicious, mon loup."
Jason's ears turned pink. "You want a taste?"
"S'il te plaît."
"What?" Richard asked, stopping to look at the vampire. "You want some popcorn to go with the fight?"
Jean-Claude shrugged. "It is called multitasking," he said. "I need to feed, ma pomme is here, and we are doing nothing but guarding a door for the unforeseeable future. If it will make you squeamish, Asher can listen for sounds of trouble and you can walk through the Circus until I am fed."
"Mon ami, I do not mind... if you wish to take some time," Asher added quietly.
He knew how uncomfortable some things could make the Ulfric, and in a time when they were trying to bring the pentumvirate together, he did not want to be the one to cause another divide. He did not want to be the one locked in a room to settle a dispute, even if it was with the werewolf king.
Richard shook his head. "No... no. It doesn't bother me. Well... sort of. But not the feeding part," he muttered.
"You've been with me and ma petite and you've shared son colibri with mon chardonneret... you've allowed him to roll you in a feeding... and still, you are uncomfortable with a man giving another man pleasure."
The taller werewolf shrugged. "I'm a puzzle, Jean-Claude. The stuff I've done... it isn't the same as..." he trailed off and shrugged again.
"D'accord." Jean-Claude looked down at Jason and smiled. "A small snack, then, mon loup. Would you offer me your wrist?"
Jason smiled and nodded.
&&&&
"And you," Anita ranted, pointing a finger at Willow. She had gotten her second wind a few minutes ago. "You're not blameless in all this---"
"I never said I was!" Willow yelped.
"You forced my shields open! Did you think I'd thank you for that?"
"Well, no---"
"I spent years strengthening my metaphysical defenses and you just knock 'em all down like they're a stack a pebbles!" she exclaimed. "You had no right to go into my personal space and open me up to those sorts of things!"
Willow arched an eyebrow. "What sorts of things? Strength and love?" she challenged. "Oooh, I'm a badass, opening you up to all that!" She took one step towards Anita. "We've talked about it before, but you hold a piece of yourself back from everyone and for those few minutes, you were yourself and you were open to us at the same time! You didn't lose your mind or go 'poof' and it definitely wasn't the end of the world!" She inhaled deeply and continued speaking. "Did you even think about that before you went straight to pissed off?!"
"You invaded my privacy!"
"You practically put a hit out on Xander!"
"That's different!"
"Yeah, it is," Willow said quietly, opting not to shout. "What I did was wrong, because I did that without your consent, but I opened you up to people. I invited you into the sharing. You isolated me from everyone in my life."
"I did no such---"
Willow tilted her head as Anita stopped talking. The necromancer sighed and her shoulders bowed forward.
"Yeah, I did." She sighed again and looked up, but distinctly over Willow's shoulder. "I didn't make the conscious decision to, but I did." Her eyes snapped to Willow's face. "Happy? I apologised."
The witch laughed humourlessly. "If you think that's an apology... well, wow. I'm a little surprised." She crossed her arms. "You admitted you did what you did. That's all."
"It's what you did."
"I didn't claim I apologised, though," Willow insisted. "Why is it so hard to treat me like a decent human being?" she demanded. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Anita, but, geez, this isn't a competition! I'm not the enemy!”
“I don’t like threats to---”
“Have I ever threatened Asher? Have I ever threatened Richard? Do I endanger Jason and Nathaniel by spending time with them?” Willow asked. “Who have I put in harm’s way? Who have I threatened that you haven’t?”
Anita frowned more.
“Is this one of those things we’ll never get over?” Willow asked quietly, into the heavy silence between them. “Because, if it is, it’s gonna be a long forever.”
“It may not be forever.”
“Especially with you fighting every bit of it.”
Anita scowled. “I do not!”
Willow sighed.
&&&&
After Jean-Claude finished licking his lips clean of blood, he cradled Jason close and looked at Asher. “They have stopped yelling,” he said, with a glance to Richard. “Perhaps it is a sign.”
“A sign of what?” Richard asked.
“Peace. That they are ready to move forward.” The Master of the City shrugged gracefully. “Do you remember when ma petite went to New Mexico and left us to fend for ourselves?”
Richard nodded. “Well, yeah, but that was when---“
“What is different?” Jean-Claude inquired, interrupting him. “You are partially open to us, completely open to Willow. Anita is completely open to me. Asher is open to Willow. There are holes, however, that some of us are trying to block ourselves. And there are holes we cannot fill because it is someone else’s aura that must fill them.”
The Ulfric frowned. “You mean... we’re gonna have to... again?” He shuddered---although Asher suspected it was not because the memories were altogether unpleasant---and then he looked at both vampires. “With both of them? With all of us?”
“Oui.”
“But...”
“But, what, mon ami? We need to strengthen our bonds before challengers come for us. What if the Council sends an emissary? What if you find yourself with a rogue wolf believing he should be king? You of all people know our lives are pleasant---but that they are not without cost.”
Richard frowned more. “What if it feels too good?”
“To share such power and love with the women you adore? With libertines like myself and mon chardonneret?”
“I remember how it felt before, with the three of us. I couldn’t move for... a while. It felt... like something I shouldn’t be feeling.”
“Because it was too good?” Jason asked quietly, from the circle of Jean-Claude’s arms. “Ulfric, we all felt the power coming off you guys, and... if I could feel that when I wanted to, I’d never stop.”
Jean-Claude chuckled. “Spoken like a true hedonist,” he murmured affectionately.
“There’s more to life than sex,” Richard protested.
Asher smirked. “You are a science teacher. Isn’t sex basically life?”
Richard rolled his eyes. “Don’t split hairs, Asher. You know what I mean. We can’t just roll around in bed all the time because we like the way it feels. We have jobs and responsibilities and---“
A female scream of frustration, coming from the other side of the door, stopped him. He moved his hand towards the doorknob. Asher stopped him.
“We can’t let them hurt each other!”
“They will not,” Asher said quietly.
Richard grunted.
“Come, let us go back to our debate, mon ami. It is fun to watch you squirm,” the black-haired vampire said with a playful smile.
&&&&
“Do you really think Dawn’s right about that?” Anita asked quietly, after what seemed like hours of arguing in circles. “The pentumvirate, I mean?”
Willow nodded. “Mostly. Asher does, too. It makes sense when you think about it.”
“I don’t like thinking about it.”
The witch suppressed a snort with difficulty. “Yeah, no kidding,” she said when Anita scowled at her.
“I have tried to... to get used to you. But, I’m territorial.”
“You’re acting like I peed on your tree or broke the chain of command or something,” Willow said as she slid her hands into the back pockets of her skirt. “But, Anita, you’re only Bolverk for our pack. You’re not Lupa---I am. You’re Nimir-Ra, and I can respect you for that. You’re a human servant, but so am I. This isn’t a pissing contest or another sort of dominance game. I don’t want to top you in all arenas.”
Willow held her breath as Anita’s scowl melted away slightly.
“Part of me knows that,” Anita admitted. “But part of me hates it.”
“Yeah, I can tell.”
Anita sighed and pushed her hair off of her shoulders with a few impatient hand movements. “So, now what? I promise not to kill Xander and you promise not to push against my shields?”
Willow inhaled slowly. She counted to ten in her mind. She told herself that Anita sometimes missed the big picture and she frequently did not think clearly where Willow was concerned. When the ache in her gut lessened, she spoke.
“No. I will promise not to break your shields again, unless it’s a life or death thing,” she said as calmly as she could. “You will promise not to isolate me from everyone in my life. You don’t need to include me, but you can’t keep deliberately excluding me with promises, rules, and protocol.”
“Fine.” Anita grunted, then said, “Don’t expect us to become best friends anytime soon.”
“Right back atcha,” Willow muttered in agreement.
&&&&
“Uh, guys?”
The vampires and werewolves looked up at the brunette as she walked towards them. Faith was flushed, Asher noted, and she looked more at peace than she had in the past few weeks. It seemed as if she had made a decision---and had embraced it.
“Oui, ma belle?” Jean-Claude inquired.
“What’s going on?”
Jason smiled from his position in Jean-Claude’s arms. “Willow and Anita are resolving their differences,” he said quietly. “We’re just here in case---“
“In case they kill each other?” Faith demanded. “Are you all insane?”
“Non,” Asher said with a slight shake of his head. “But, this has gone on long enough and we tire of their behavior.”
“What if they kill each---“
Jean-Claude interjected. “They will not.” He swept his gaze over Faith’s form. His mouth curved into a smile and Asher knew he had realised Faith had made her decision. “Félicitations, ma belle,” he murmured. “Damian must be thrilled.”
Faith’s face turned a bright pink shade. “Don’t say anything to Will yet, okay? I need to tell her.” She looked at the vampires and pomme de sang; they nodded. Then, she turned to Richard. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to say this... or break it to you... or whatever. If it makes you uncomfortable, hell, because I’m still uncomfortable and---“
“A baby’s a good thing, Faith,” Richard said. Asher was strangely proud of the werewolf. He saw the sad look in his eyes as a smile overshadowed them and he knew that Richard was thinking about his lost child; he did not let that grief dominate the conversation, though. “Damian, huh? How’d... I mean, he’s older than... he’s old.”
Faith chuckled. “It wasn't planned. It may have been slayer’s blood, warm baths and rigorous---“
“Okay, stop---“
“---activity.” Her smile faded a little. “I’m not really comfortable with it yet, but...” she trailed off and shrugged. “I was gonna talk to Willow, but if she’s busy... Jean-Claude, are you sure they’re not killing each other?”
He nodded. “I would feel it. We would feel it.” He smiled again. “Let us know when we are able to celebrate openly,” he continued, referring not only to her impending talk with Willow but also to the test for Vlad’s Syndrome that she would have to undergo before officially continuing with the pregnancy. “I think, after this year, we would all enjoy an excuse to relax and to look forward to the new year.”
The slayer nodded. “Sure, but no fancy-fancy stuff. I’m not into the ball gowns and high heels.”
“Neither is ma petite.”
“Yeah, but you still sucker her into the formal wear, and honestly, I’m fuckin’ tired,” Faith said before a small sigh. “Between the weird dreams and the constant mood swings, I’m wrecked.”
“D’accord.”
She smiled a bit. “Let me know when those crazy kids kiss and make up, okay? I would like to see Willow in the next couple of days.”
“We will,” Asher promised. “Give our congratulations to Damian.”
It wasn’t until they were alone again that Jason cleared his throat and said, “How is a baby going to fit in around here?”
Jean-Claude smiled as he rested his chin against the top of Jason’s blond head. “We have nine months to... how do you say... baby-proof this place. Do not worry about that now, mon loup.” He lifted his head and looked around the stone-walled corridor. “Besides, they may decide that this place is not suitable for their child. They may prefer to build their own nest.”
“Does Anita know?”
Asher shook his head and replied to Richard’s question. “Non, not yet. Damian discussed it with us, to inform us that his needs were changing... to give us time to decide what needs to be done.”
“Done... like if you’re going to let them keep it or not---“
The blond vampire snorted. “Do you really think either of us would be so callous, mon ami?”
“Well, no, but you said---“
“Perhaps, then, we are glad mon colibri had not---“
“Mon chardonneret,” Jean-Claude interjected, “do not take offense. He was not implying any such thing. He did not understand what you meant to say.” He looked at Richard as Asher fell silent. “Simply in terms of security, changes to our daily routines... safety precautions, and so on.” His dark blue gaze roamed from one to the other. “Honestly, must I throw you two together next?”
Jason smothered a little laugh, which was extinguished completely when Richard glared at his pack member.
&&&&
Willow watched as Anita stopped pacing. She flopped onto the sofa and crossed her arms as she looked down at the floor.
They had yelled and argued, but at that moment, they seemed to be talking more than they had in a very long time. Willow wasn’t sure if she was comfortable with all that they were sharing---she really did not want her words to come back and haunt her, or worse, later, but she did know that she and Anita needed to get to know each other and move past their problems.
“You think we need to marry the marks?” Anita asked quietly.
“Probably,” Willow replied.
The necromancer frowned a bit. “It ended up being nearly sex when Jean-Claude and Richard and I did it.” She looked at the witch. “No offense, but I don’t do women.”
“So you’ve said before, and that’s fine, but don’t make it sound like a deadly sin,” Willow muttered.
“I never meant---“
“Yeah, you did.”
Anita sighed. “How am I not supposed to have a problem with you when you seem to defy all of my personal rules?”
“There’s a reason why they’re your personal rules, Anita,” Willow said in as patient a tone of voice as she could muster. “They’re your rules. Not mine. I can respect your space and your rules, but you seem to expect everyone else to live by some code you adhere to. So, because I don’t follow your rules, I’m being punished. It’s hardly fair.”
“But---“
Willow plowed on. “I hate guns. I will never own one. I accept that they’re a part of your world. I don’t insist you find another way to defend yourself or do your job, though.”
Anita’s eyes widened for a moment. Then, her lids lowered as she looked back at the floor. Her frown increased in size. She sighed.
The redhead continued talking. “We all have rules we live by. But, they’re personal. They’re what make us who we are... and if something really makes you uncomfortable, bring it up and we’ll discuss it, but I’m not changing who I am. You wouldn’t change who you are for me, so why should the reverse be any different?”
“It really, really bugs me when you’re right.”
Willow let the comment slide. She was tired and she really wanted to see Asher before the sun rose.
&&&&
It took one more hour of talking before Jean-Claude decided they had settled enough of the disputes piling up between them.
Willow was torn between being angry with her lovers and being thrilled to see them. She could see a similar conundrum playing across Richard’s features, although his was torn between seeing Anita or Willow, and looking apologetic or relieved. Asher’s face did not betray his thoughts or emotions, and everyone was shielding too much for her to gain a sense of what he was thinking and feeling.
“Now what?” Anita asked.
“So poetic.”
Willow looked at Jean-Claude after he spoke. “Hey, it’s what I’m thinking, too,” she told him.
“Mais, oui,” he said with a very slight bow in her direction. “I suppose you are both wondering if there is a contract to sign or an agreement to pound out, something legal and binding to hold us to---”
“Don’t get cute,” Anita interjected.
The vampire smiled and shrugged, raising his hands a bit with his palms exposed. “I cannot help it, ma petite, as you well know,” he said. “I am glad to see neither of you resorted to violence.” He looked from Anita to Willow. “Did you two have a productive conversation?”
“We know we have issues. We know we’ll probably never be bosom buddies. And we both know you want to marry the marks between us,” Anita said, without preliminaries.
“Will you two be working on your differences, or continuing to pretend you are oil and water?” Asher inquired.
“I promised not to break her shields down unless our lives depended on it,” Willow replied. “She promised not to isolate me from my friends with protocol and promises.”
“And that’s where we are right now,” Anita added.
Asher nodded and glanced at Jean-Claude. He nodded, too. They both looked to Richard. He was frowning.
“Qu’est-ce qu’il y a, mon ami?” Asher asked.
“How is this any better? They’re not saying they’re going to try to be friends---they’re just only not trying to kill each other!”
Jean-Claude smiled. “For two people who refused to breathe the same air a few hours ago, I say this is progress.” He smirked. “It is not my wildest fantasies, but, I do not believe I will see those materialise in the near future.”
“Well said, Romeo,” Anita muttered.
“You are two very different women and these rifts cannot be repaired in one night. It must be done slowly to be done properly,” Asher said as he took a few steps towards Willow. “We have plenty of time, but it needed to be initiated.”
Willow arched an eyebrow and put a hand up. Asher stilled. She spoke: “What makes you think it’s safe for you to be so close to me?”
“I am prepared to take my chances,” he replied.
“You must really want something.”
He nodded.
“What?”
“A kiss,” he replied.
Willow smirked. “Assuming I’m not too cranky to kiss you, Asher...”
“Are you?”
“I haven’t decided.”
He tilted his head to one side. His curtain of hair moved away and she could see the scarred flesh, the melted ruin as he saw it, and she could see the reparations her magic had unknowingly constructed. His facial structure was underneath those burns, seemingly molding the skin and cartilage so he looked a little less asymmetrical.
“Will you decide by the time I reach you?”
“Maybe,” she replied.
She had already made her decision. She missed Asher. She wanted him holding her and she wouldn’t hold a grudge because she knew he was acting in their best interests. They all were. Even if she didn’t like their methods, they had acted for the group and those under their protection.
Asher put his hands on her his tentatively. It wasn’t until Willow pressed her body against his that his grip because firmer. She swept his hair off of his face as she leaned up and kissed him. It was too little and too much all at the same time; Willow thought she would experience another aftershock but Asher stepped away before the sensations swelled to an overflow point.
“Thanks,” she whispered with a smile twitching her lips. She was still smiling when she turned and looked at Richard. “Were you worried about us?”
His entire body shuddered before he responded. “I’m sorry,” he said in a soft voice. “I didn’t know he’d do that... I didn’t know he could do that. I didn’t mean for you to be forced to---“
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.”
Willow shrugged. “No, it’s not, but as long as no one mind warps me again, I’ll deal with it.” She looked at Jean-Claude. “I really didn’t give you many options, did I?”
“Non, ma chérie, you did not,” he replied, “but I did not enjoy the power I held over you. I will not abuse the call to your wolf.”
“Well, that’s something, then,” Willow said with the beginning of a smile. “Happy with how it turned out?”
Jean-Claude smirked. “For now,” he replied as diplomatically as he could. “But, you two will have to work on your differences.” His smile faded. “I cannot go on the way I have been. We are in a time of peace, but we all know how quickly that tide can turn. I will not risk my freedom and I will not endanger my kiss.”
The redhead nodded. She felt the same way about her friends and family. The fact that they were in the pentumvirate together was sinking deeper into her psyche. It was becoming more real and less theoretical. She had talked about needing to be closer, but it wasn’t until the rift with Anita had begun to dissolve that she felt how important it was for the five of them to be a more cohesive unit.
“Are we doing it now?” she asked quietly to the group.
Jean-Claude shrugged. “It is not my decision to make.”
“The marks?” Richard asked.
The Master of the City nodded. “It is a group activity and so should be a group decision.”
Anita frowned. “How do we do it? We’re five. It was tricky enough with three.”
Willow looked at the former triumvirate. “How did you do it last time?” she asked.
She listened as they explained the events that had unfolded in the Oba’s club. She tried to picture Jean-Claude pressing his root chakra to Anita’s, while her mouth hovered over Richard’s heart chakra and his mouth hovered over hers. She could picture the mechanics but when she tried to picture it all happening inside of Narcissus in Chains, she had problems clarifying the image.
“Yeah, with five, it’s a little complicated,” Willow agreed with a look towards Anita. “But, if our auras are pierced in those areas… well, I’m sure we can improvise.”
“How?” Anita asked.
“Standing or sitting in a circle,” Willow replied, “and using our hands and mouths instead of our whole bodies.”
“No sex,” Richard stipulated.
“If your definition of sex does not change...” Asher muttered under his breath. Willow nudged her elbow into his ribs and he feigned pain. She smiled and he continued talking. “Are we doing this tonight? Or would some of us like three days’ notice?”
“I say the sooner the better,” the Ulfric said, surprising them all.
Willow turned to look at him again. “You mean that.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I don’t like the way we’ve been going... on autopilot, avoiding people... and I worry about---“ he stopped and sucked in a quick breath. “I worry about us spreading ourselves too thin when we’re alone. Together, it’s fine to fight battles on several fronts or to work too hard or whatever. But, apart, we’re draining our energies and we’re putting our groups in danger.”
“Looks like Richard, but the sound he makes is different,” Willow teased.
The Ulfric rolled his eyes. “You know it’s not too different than what I’ve been saying about pack business... and us and stuff,” he reminded her. He walked towards her, as she stood close to Asher, and when he could reach her he put his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t want to lose Anita and I don’t want to lose you,” he said in a quiet voice. “Asher and Jean-Claude feel the same way, or else we wouldn’t have gotten together and done what we did tonight. We don’t want to waste any more time and we definitely don’t want something awful to happen when it could have been prevented.”
“Oh.”
He slid his hands up to cup her face and he kissed her. His beast sought hers; she reveled in the way they brushed against each other. Asher’s hands didn’t slide away as they did earlier that evening. Instead, he pressed his body against Willow’s and clung to her as their beasts played. He rode their power until the kiss ended. Asher’s eyes bled icy blue and his face was even a little flushed when Willow turned to look at him.
“You okay, Goldilocks?” Richard asked from above Willow’s head.
The vampire laughed, as if he were drunk on the power.
Willow shared a smile with Jean-Claude. It was Anita who spoke next, though.
“How about a fifteen minute break?” she suggested. “I needed to get out of this room, like, three hours ago.”
“Bonne idée, ma petite,” Jean-Claude replied. “We will think on this, decide if we should do it tonight or wait until we are more comfortable, then reconvene... in my suite in twenty minutes?”
“Oui,” Asher managed to say as his laughter died down.
&&&&
Asher was behind her. Richard was in front of her. Anita was in front of Richard and behind Jean-Claude, who was behind Asher.
They were standing in an awkwardly close circle, the two women isolated by the men in their pentumvirate. Asher’s hands were over Willow’s heart and sacral chakras. Hers were in the same places on Richard’s body. His were on Anita’s, and so on, so that they formed a chain of sorts.
She could feel a low level of energy thrumming through her body but she knew it had to do with proximity more than anything else. She felt it sometimes when they were in the same room or when their emotions were heightened. She also knew it would be completely different when everyone lowered their shields and shared their powers---she was both scared and eager.
Jean-Claude counted down from three and before Anita could protest too much, he lowered his shields. Willow felt the cool breeze of his power and dropped hers---at the same time that Asher, Richard, and Anita dropped their metaphysical defenses.
The sensation was indescribable. Energy surged from Asher’s hands into her body, through her arms and into Richard’s body, and she felt as if she was both burning and freezing at the same time. She inched closer to her Ulfric as Asher pressed against her; she realised the circle was becoming smaller. They were drawing themselves together, giving their powers less distance to cover.
The sensations intensified. Willow could see glimpses of memories behind her eyes, both good and bad: Asher pressing Juliana into their bed while Jean-Claude looked on; the human servant’s dress catching fire as she struggled to free herself from the stake; seeing Jean-Claude for the first time in centuries and knowing that their love hadn’t died, despite the grief and jealousy and rage; Richard crying as Raina showered in the next room; standing on the top of a mountain and taking in the panoramic view of the countryside as it surrounded the Ulfric a few years later; Richard the mild-mannered teacher watching their newest pack member trying to make friends with her new classmates; Anita fighting with an icy blonde woman in a teenager-styled bedroom; the necromancer many years later sharing a conversation with a woman Willow knew was a witch; Anita’s beast meeting Micah’s for the first time; Jean-Claude trembling as Narcissus took what he wanted from his pale body; watching Anita work from behind the shadows of a tree in a graveyard and knowing she was the one, before they were ever formally introduced; finally feeling the weight of Asher’s body against his and knowing that he will not be punished for succumbing to a love that had lasted almost as long as he had been a vampire...
The memories continued to flow behind Willow’s eyes but she was barely focusing on them anymore. They were only a part of the experience. She could feel Jean-Claude’s hunger twisting with Asher’s passion; Richard’s strength and Anita’s bravery wormed through her as well. She was no longer a distinct entity, or one of a pair. She was one piece of a cohesive unit and their powers were being shared.
She heard Anita whimpering above the roar of blood and lust in her head. She wondered if it was a reaction to the power or to a memory she had glimpsed. She wondered what memories they were seeing---especially of her life---but she couldn’t select what they would see. It would sever their connections and that was the last thing she wanted.
Their bodies were pressed together, more tightly than before they lowered their shields. Each adult was dressed but wearing clothing that exposed plenty of flesh. Willow was wearing a pair of shorts and a small tank top; she was pressed against Richard’s bare back while Asher’s bare arms encircled her body. The skin-to-skin contact was to make it easier for their auras and powers to flow between them. It definitely helped.
On an impulse, Willow turned her head and pressed her mouth to Richard’s back. Her tongue laved an area of skin that covered his spine; she could feel his heart as if it were beating directly against that flesh and bone and its power flowed back into her body.
He growled into that rush of power. Anita whimpered again.
The marks were filling, the holes in their auras were shrinking, and Willow could never remember ever feeling so safe and strong. It was different than waking up with the pack after a full moon or letting Asher feed from her neck and roll her in the process---and it was completely different from being blessed by the munin. It was of their world, not of ghosts and ancestors. It was alive and it filled Willow up until she didn’t think she could take any more.
When the sharing faded, when Willow was able to open her eyes and take in their surroundings, she was aware of a few things: Asher was trembling behind her, with his face buried in her hair; Anita was sobbing; and her vision was growing dark.
AUTHOR: 38gnihsurc
RATING: en.sea.xvii overall
PAIRING: Willow/Asher, Willow/Richard and slight Willow/Asher/Nathaniel... plus, regular Anita pairings
SPOILERS: For the two fandoms... up until Micah for AB; the two series for Buffyverse stuff.
WARNINGS: A little bit of BDSM.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone, except the Master of the City of Lafayette and her entourage.
NOTES: This story is a sequel to "Alive at Last."
PART NINETY-NINE
Willow winced as she stepped inside Guilty Pleasures. The amount of screaming women seemed to be off the charts; Willow wasn't sure how Jean-Claude had not exceeded the fire code limits.
Still, she walked further into the club. She saw that the establishment was filled with university students---tons of university students and all of them female. Stephen was dancing on the stage, very much a man despite the glitter accentuating his bare chest; Gregory was crawling across the stage, very much a wereleopard. The fur did not seem to bother the audience.
She noticed a few regulars in the crowd as well. They did not seem to mind that the club was having a dry---or alcohol-free---night so that it could cater to a new demographic: freshmen.
When Dawn was experiencing the 'joys' of Frosh Week, Jean-Claude had noticed a significant increase in activity at some bars and restaurants. Seeley had trudged into the Circus several times during that week, too tired to go to Anita's house because he had been running around all day at the Lunatic Café. When Jean-Claude was finally able to speak with the younger Summers girl, he had been fascinated to hear about the week of events.
Two weeks later, he had decided that it was time Guilty Pleasures catered to the more adventurous university students by having a dry night, by allowing students over the age of eighteen into the establishment.
Willow wasn't there for Dawn---although she would be glad to see her if their paths crossed.
She was there to watch Nathaniel and Jason. She was there to meet Richard and Asher, so they could go out on a date.
It still made her insides squirm in happiness to think that she was going on a double date, of sorts. Richard had decided that he could stand to spend an evening in Asher's company---after only a little prodding from Willow. Asher decided that he could behave himself for one night. Willow bought tickets to a musical, which was a compromise in a way; Asher could stay in the shadows and no one would focus upon him, while Richard could watch the type of performance that he particularly enjoyed.
But, they had to meet at Guilty Pleasures because each adult had to work. Richard had a staff meeting, Willow had been interviewing for a few new servers for Feral Byte, and Asher had been overseeing some renovations at Danse Macabre. Willow didn't tell Richard that she had promised her familiars she'd watch their performances, but she knew Asher had some idea why she had selected that meeting place.
Richard couldn't spend the night at the Circus---it was a Thursday night and Gwen couldn't stay and babysit Emily all night.
Emily had taken to Richard almost immediately. She wasn't as sure about Willow, but over the past few weeks, they had been spending some time together and Willow didn't feel nearly as uncomfortable as she used to feel when with the newcomer.
At first, she worried Emily was forming some sort of unhealthy attachment to her Ulfric. When Willow had talked to Jason about the new girl, he laughed and said that she was very submissive and it was somewhat like Willow spending time with Jason, Nathaniel, Stephen, and the other submissive wereanimals. They came to her for friendship and protection; Emily was attached to Richard because he was Ulfric and he had offered to take her in so she would not have to deal with the problems associated with being both a teenager and a werewolf at the same time.
Willow got over her hang-ups after their first full moon together. She felt Emily's spirit and saw that she was a good person, underneath the horomones and attitude. Emily had given Willow a break after she saw how Willow wasn't entirely human---apparently she had been holding a grudge because she believed Willow was another human lupa and she did not think it was acceptable for a human to be ranked so highly above other pack members. That had seemed to be some of Emily's problem with her lupa.
Still, Willow was excited that she would get to go out with both of her lovers at the same time. She missed them. She rarely saw Richard since school resumed in the fall, and even though she knew his schedule would become lighter after the first two months, she wished she could see him more often. However, with the upsurge in the young coffee drinker demographic, Willow's schedule was busier because her café was very busy. She hoped that after hiring some more servers, she could have more time to spend with her friends and family. Even Asher was busy, since Jean-Claude had decided that his clubs needed renovations and updates so that they were state-of-the-art in as many ways as possible. But, Willow knew that once those redesigns were finished, he would have more time for her, as well.
It was the time for changes, and once they were completed, Willow hoped they'd be able to reconnect.
A hand on her arm distracted her. She felt Requiem's presence before she turned and saw him.
"Hi," she said quietly, despite the roars and shrieks of approval as Gregory ripped Stephen's already-tattered jeans off of his lithe body.
She and Requiem had never been close. Since learning that he had been a part of the group that contacted Edward, their relationship seemed to have allowed for a canyon of space to divide them.
"Asher called and said he would be here for Nathaniel's performance," he told her, without poetry.
"Thank you, Requiem." She looked into his eyes and she saw a small knot of tension between his brows. She decided that she needed to try to bridge the gap between them. "How are you?"
He smiled a bit. "'Oh, it is good with hand and brain, to gladly till the chosen soil,'" he told her, "'and after honest sweat and strain, to see the harvest of one's toil.'"
Willow couldn't hide her smile. She forgot how much she missed his cryptic and poetic responses. "I don't know that one," she told him.
"'Oh, It Is Good,' by Robert Service."
"Robert Service?"
Requiem nodded. "A Scottish immigrant to... Canada. He wrote poetry during the Klondike Gold Rush," the vampire explained, "such as 'The Cremation of Sam McGee.'"
Willow's face scrunched as she tried to place the name of the poem and its author. She knew it sounded familiar. Requiem smiled a bit more and then he began to recite the second poem he had mentioned: "'There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights But the queerest they ever did see Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGree.'"
Willow grinned. "I remember now. He got tossed in the furnace and then he asked his friend to close the door so he didn't let the heat escape."
Requiem nodded.
"That's a good one. Not what I expected you to read, though..."
"I read all sorts of literature," he informed her, without looking offended. "It is best to have a broad spectrum of material to draw upon."
Again, Willow couldn't fight her smile. She let the grin curve her mouth and she let her nose wrinkle. Requiem's smile stretched, too, as if in reaction to hers.
"Someday, I'd like to look at your collection," she said, deciding to extend the olive branch. "I mean, if you wouldn't mind," she added when his bright blue eyes widened. "Sometimes, I get stuck in a book rut. Maybe you have some good ideas, or---"
"Not at all," he assured her as he cut her off before her nervous rambling could pick up much speed. "It would be a pleasure to share my books with you."
She opened her mouth to respond but a series of disappointed shrieks all but shattered Willow's eardrums. She cringed and turned to see Stephen and Gregory dancing off the stage while waving to the group. She noticed their g-strings and hands were full of bills. She smiled, glad that they had a good night. The music changed, to something by a heavier rock band like Nine Inch Nails or whatever was the popular equivalent to those university students, and Willow recognised the song as one Nathaniel had been listening to a few days ago.
The wereleopard danced onto the stage after Jean-Claude introduced him as 'Brandon.'
He was wearing leather and silver and, despite the pain Willow knew the silver would cause him, he was grinning at the audience. He danced for them; but his eyes kept darting to hers as much as he could allow. She could feel how much he was enjoying the moment, having so many people focused on him. She also sensed an undercurrent of pride. He had designed the routine and costume himself---without any help, even from other dancers. Asher and Jean-Claude had commented that they thought it was one of his best performances when they saw it in an earlier rehearsal. Willow could see the pride in his lilac eyes, even from a distance. She was proud of him, too.
Requiem stepped a few feet away from her and as she turned to ask him where he was going, she saw Asher talking with the other vampire. His eyes remained on the wereleopard's form, though. Nathaniel's face took on a little more colour as he realised they were both there---as it often did. Willow didn't know how Nathaniel could continue dancing; her knees wanted to buckle and her stomach quivered every time Asher looked at her with any sort of intensity in his gaze.
Asher's hand sought hers.
"We will meet Richard by the office. He will come in through the back."
Willow nodded and backed into him so she could lean against his body as they watched the wereleopard perform. The vampires finished talking and from the bits and pieces she overheard between Brandon's fans' screaming, Willow understood that Requiem was going to the back entrance to wait for Richard.
Asher released her hand so he could wrap his arms around her body. She sighed happily and snuggled into his embrace; she kept her eyes on Nathaniel, as he performed for them.
His wide lilac eyes sparkled as he bent low over the stage and crawled towards a few girls at the front of the stage. The university freshmen all but shivered in delight as he came closer. To a casual observer, it looked as if his attention was focused upon the audience. Willow knew better, though. The wereleopard was only completely aware of three people: Jean-Claude, Asher, and Willow. His body language and quick glances told her that.
She watched an exchange between the dancer and the Master of the City; she had to smother a quick laugh.
"I think he likes it when Jean-Claude calls him 'bad kitty,'" she silently told Asher when he asked her what had amused her.
Asher chuckled and kissed Willow's neck. "Most likely," he agreed.
Nathaniel finished his performance to cheers, applause, and a little begging for more. Jean-Claude shooed Brandon off of the stage with playful swings of his flogger, and then Jason stepped out from behind the heavy curtains.
Ripley was introduced and Jean-Claude drifted to the side of the stage, away from the bright lights and Jason's energetic performance.
He was dressed in boots, tight jeans, a belt with a huge and shiny belt buckle, a t-shirt, and a cowboy hat. He was dancing to a Tom Jones song. Willow wasn't sure what the name of the song was, but it had something to do with leaving a hat on while removing every other piece of clothing. He was undressing slowly and using all of his muscles to make his body ripple to the music. Asher was chuckling quietly near WIllow's ear; Willow was trying not to laugh.
Jason was a ham and he lapped up the attention.
He ripped his shirt off and the crowd squealed and clapped. He threw it into the crowd and then started on his belt while looking around the room. He caught Willow's eye and then he winked at her.
Willow clapped and waved at him. He focused on her for a split second but then he was back in his element, grinning at the ladies waving money in his direction.
"Oh, he enjoys this too much sometimes," Asher whispered into Willow's mind.
She nodded and chuckled as Jason wriggled out of his boots and jeans. A girl somewhere in the back yelled out that she could help him out of his clothes. He grinned and saluted her with the brim of his hat. He jumped back into his boots, and then resumed his dancing around the stage.
He made his rounds before he sauntered back to the front of the stage. He bent down and Willow could see him talking to someone. She glanced at Jean-Claude but didn't use their bond to ask what Jason was up to; she waited until Jason pulled someone up to dance with him.
Dawn's face was beet-red as Jason guided her into the moves he had choreographed for that part of his routine. He was a considerate partner, though, and he managed to make it appear as if she knew most of the steps by guiding her in a way that didn't really seem like guiding at all.
"Come, mon colibri," Asher murmured.
She craned her neck to look at him. He motioned towards the hallway with his head. She followed his gesture and saw Richard standing in the shadows. He was wearing a dark green suit and his hair was tied back and he looked good enough to eat.
"You can gossip with notre aube later," he told her with a gentle nudge.
Willow laughed and let him pull her from the side of the room.
They walked down the hall and Requiem left them in a swish of his cape once they reached Richard.
"Hey," Willow said. She walked over to the Ulfric and after putting her hands on his forearms, she leaned up and kissed him. He lengthened the kiss, with his tongue and teeth, and then he kissed his way to her temple. He buried his face into her hair before trailing down to her neck. She shuddered as he inhaled deeply. "Richard, we're supposed to be going out," she quietly reminded him.
He chuckled and the vibrations seemed to travel in and out and all around her body.
When Asher pressed his body against hers from behind, Willow felt her heart leap into her throat. She was torn between leaning forward into Richard's warmth and leaning back into Asher's coolness. But, they made it easier for her by pressing closer to her so she could stand upright and feel both of them against her, both of them nuzzling opposite sides of her neck.
"Not fair," she whispered shakily. "Either of you."
They both chuckled. The sound vibrations traveled through Willow's body and seemed to have a direct unlocking effect on her knees. If she hadn't been sandwiched between her two lovers, she would have fallen to the floor.
"Still not fair," she protested.
Richard's beast seemed to brush Willow's insides. He stirred her beast out of its resting state and she came up to meet him. They circled each other before sharing the lukoi greeting. Willow whimpered, Richard rumbled, and Asher sighed.
"Oh, I could not stand between the two of you and feel much more of that," Asher admitted as he tried to distance himself from Willow. "That was the strangest..."
"Strange in a bad way?" Willow asked.
The vampire smiled. "Non, in a good way," he murmured. Asher rubbed his lips against the back of her neck before he stepped back and let Willow lean against Richard until she could make her legs support the rest of her body. "It is almost time."
"Are you sure you have to bail Gwen out?" Willow asked the werewolf king.
He chuckled. "My night's already spoken for," he told her. He kissed her forehead and then offered her his hand. "We should head out."
"Tu as raison," Asher agreed.
Willow took his hand in her free hand and they walked out of the club.
&&&&
Asher had suggested that they return to the Circus of the Damned for a nightcap. Willow thought Richard would have balked at the idea, but he agreed that a drink before hitting the road sounded like a good idea.
The werewolf took one of her hands while the vampire took the other and together they walked from the limousine to the employees' entrance to the Circus, or the main entrance to the residence. Asher opened the door, and Richard escorted her down the stairs; the vampire brought up the rear.
They talked quietly the whole time---about the musical, about the next few days, about the upcoming full moon---but when Willow was taken into one of the sitting rooms, she fell silent immediately as her brain processed what her eyes were seeing.
Jean-Claude was stretched out, pressed over Anita's body. The petite necromancer was on her back; her arms and one leg were twined around the vampire's body as he kissed from her neck to her lips. His hands kept playing with her hair. Her hands roamed over his back until she realised they had an audience.
Anita saw Asher first. She smiled when she saw him and asked if he was her surprise.
Evidently Jean-Claude had told her she was expecting a surprise.
Willow had been expecting a nightcap, but Anita was not the only one who received a surprise.
When Anita's eyes saw Richard and Willow, her expression darkened. She glared at Jean-Claude, but he was no longer looking at her.
The black-haired vampire craned his neck and looked at the trio. "Ah, bon. I was beginning to wonder if I would be able to keep her distracted much longer," he said quietly.
Willow looked from Asher to Richard, and then to Jean-Claude. They seemed smug and apologetic at the same time, through their body language and facial expressions. Something was up---the men had plotted together, and now Willow and Anita were in the same room together for the first time since their falling out at Feral Byte.
"What's going on?" Anita asked. She had obviously come to the same conclusion. "Jean-Claude?"
The Master of the City rose to his feet, slowly, and then he took Anita's hand in his. She fought him every step of the way, but she eventually was standing at his side and in front of the other three occupants of the room.
"We have decided that you two are going to clear the air," Jean-Claude said, looking from Anita to Willow.
Willow cleared her throat. "You set us up."
"Oui."
"I thought you said you'd---"
"If I were continuing to act as if you were someone needing protection, ma chérie, this confrontation would probably not be happening," Jean-Claude said to the witch as he interrupted her. "You can hold your own against ma petite, although I wish you would discuss matters instead of resorting to violence."
Anita and Willow both snorted at the same time.
"We will be outside the door, Will," Richard told her. "But, you two need to talk this out."
"Like I need a hole in my head," Willow muttered under her breath. She did not want to talk to Anita. After twisting her hand out of Richard's, she turned on her heel and marched towards the open doorway. "I'm out of here. I don't need to talk this out because I---"
She had traveled fifteen feet---twenty at the most---when a very strange sensation swept over her.
Every fibre in her being wanted to turn around and go back to the group of four. Something was luring her back.
"Ma chérie, do not compel me to use more force than that," Jean-Claude said quietly.
The witch craned her neck. She saw a pained expression on Richard's face. Both pain and curiosity were displayed in Asher's face. Anita seemed afraid and angry. Jean-Claude was the only stoic figure in the room.
"What are you doing to me?" she asked. She was surprised that her voice sounded hoarse. "What... did you cast a spell?"
"His animal to call is the wolf," Richard explained.
Willow's eyes widened. She knew she carried the lupine lycanthropy gene. She knew she had almost shifted. She knew she was embracing the lukoi culture. But, she had never considered that Jean-Claude would be able to command her the way he would command any subserviant werewolf.
"So, you're going to make me apologise?"
"Non, that must come from you," he told her. "I regret resorting to such measures, but I am not letting you leave until you and Anita discuss---"
Willow tried to turn around and return to her previous path. The force of Jean-Claude's will bore down on her and it made her heart and mind ache; it was like being forced into her submissive head space when she wanted to be the dominant partner. She felt her wolf being forced to yield to her master, and she hated every minute of it. The only consolation to her in that moment was looking into Jean-Claude's eyes; he did not seem very happy with ordering her around.
Anita tugged on her lover's sleeve. "Can you do this to me?"
"I do not know," Jean-Claude replied honestly. "We were not sure I would be able to exert control over her until now. I suspect your necromancy skills would keep me from overriding your mind."
"Great, so I'm your puppet now," Willow spat. "What's to keep you from... ordering me to do stuff all the time?!"
"My word," the Master of the City said in response.
He sighed in relief when Willow finally ended up with the group again. She was on the floor, though; she had collapsed when the disagreement between her mind and her body and Jean-Claude's mind reached a climax four feet away from the four adults. She stared at the vampire's polished leather boots and she fought the urge to grovel and to rub herself against the soft skins. She wanted to submit and she wanted to rebel---all at the same time.
Willow's instincts surprised herself---and everyone around her. She whined and lowered her head so her face was inches from the toes of his boots.
Richard cursed under his breath. "Stop it, Jean-Claude," he growled. "I didn't agree to watch you break my mate."
Asher was next to speak. "Mon ami, trust him," he advised the Ulfric. "He knows what he is doing."
"Look at her!" Richard exclaimed. "She's in pain! She's practically slobbering over his feet like it was Stephen or Jason! He did this to her!"
"She has a submissive streak," Asher reminded him. "He merely forced her into it... from a dominant position she does not want to relinquish. That is the stronger struggle right now."
The power of Jean-Claude's demand receded slowly. She felt less divided, less afraid, and she lifted her head to glare at the black-haired vampire. He stared back at her without his powers, without any defiance. He seemed calm, but it was a lie. She knew his looks a lot better than she did a year ago; she could see the concern but it didn't temper her anger with him, Anita, and the situation.
"Was Anita going to ask you to break my mind?" Willow asked quietly as she wiped a hand over her mouth as she caught her breath and calmed her system.
"I doubt it," Jean-Claude replied. "But, I would not have allowed it. You would not have allowed it. There was no danger of that happening."
Willow snorted. She rose to her feet slowly. She looked at Richard and Asher; she could feel their anxiety and concern through their bonds. She looked at Anita and wasn't sure what she saw. Anita was closed off; her arms were crossed over her chest and she was looking down at a spot on the floor.
She snapped her attention back to Jean-Claude. "We're both here and I'm apparently not going anywhere. Now what?" she asked.
"Now, ma chérie," he said, "you and Anita will talk. Without violence and magic. We will wait in the corridor, outside the only exit from this room. We will not open this door until you two come to some sort of peaceful truce."
It was Anita's turn to ask a question. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because we cannot afford to indulge your disagreements," he replied. "We are tied together. We cannot continue to be the... the... comment dit-on... the buffer between the two of you. It is exhausting and it is unfair since we care about both of you. Everyone will suffer if this continues."
"Pulling out the greatest hits?" Willow muttered.
"Oui, and I suspect I will have to until the both of you remember what is at stake!" Jean-Claude snapped with an impatient hand gesture. "If the three of us are important to you, if the lives of those under your protection are important to you... this tension will have to be resolved."
He motioned for Richard and Asher to follow him. He departed and the other two men heeded his suggestion and followed him out of the room. Willow heard a key turning in the lock once the door was closed. The finality of the situation made her want to scream. She wanted to use magic to break down the door but she was wary of Jean-Claude for the first time in a very long time. His call to wolves was powerful and she didn't want to feel it again.
Anita sighed. "So..."
"So," Willow echoed.
&&&&
"Are you sure this is right?" Richard asked. He motioned towards the closed door. "They could really hurt each other."
"They will heal," Asher said in reply. He smiled a bit and shrugged. "They both have tempers, but if they are shielding... they will not draw upon too much of each other's fury."
Richard's brow furrowed. "That's a pretty big 'if.'"
Jean-Claude shrugged. "They will either learn, or not, but we must reach some sort of conclusion tonight," he said in a confident voice. "This cannot continue."
"There's one thing we all agree on," Richard joked half-heartedly.
Asher smirked. "They're both beautiful examples of women."
"There is another," Jean-Claude said, smiling as he leaned back against the stone wall.
&&&&
Willow opened her mouth. Then, she closed it.
She blinked a few times and she tried to formulate some sort of reaction to what Anita had shouted.
She couldn't. She was shocked. More shocked than she'd been in a while.
"You think..." she started to talk after a few minutes. Her voice was both slow and quiet. "Hold on. You think I came here on purpose? You think... I nearly passed out in front of Guilty Pleasures... on purpose?"
"Now, wait, that's not what I said---"
"No, you said you think I moved here to take over your life and to put your loved ones in danger, but I'm starting small," Willow interjected as she glared at the black-haired woman.
Anita glared back at the witch. "I didn't mean you picked here, but once you felt better, you just wormed your way into---"
"Oh, because everyone wants to be you!" Willow exclaimed. "Yes, that's exactly it. I saw you with your men and I thought 'oh, hi, me, I want that life. I want all the pretty, pretty boys.'" She snorted. "For someone with good aim, you're really off the mark. Every girl in America doesn't grow up wishing for ten boyfriends!"
"I didn't either!" Anita yelped. She flushed, as if Willow's remark offended her, and started to pace the room. "But, you still just wormed your way in! You stole Asher! You stole Richard! And you're stealing Jason and Nathaniel away, like they're yours!"
Willow sucked in a sharp breath. "I get that Nathaniel's your animal to call. I get that he loves belonging to you and living in your home and I would never take that away from him. But, he's my familiar. And, sometimes, he's my slave. So, sometimes, he is mine." She paused and then added, "Jason's a pomme de sang, but he's my familiar, too! They're both under my protection, too! But, they're not robots or brainless shadows! They can decide who they want to spend time with---so, can't we just share?" She sucked in another breath. "Furthermore! Asher and Richard are alpha males! They're grown-ups! They don't belong to anyone, they don't need permission to do a lot of things. They can make up their own minds, too! I can't help who I love, and if they love me back, I'm not going to run from that!"
Anita growled and it looked for a minute that she would lunge at Willow. But, then, she resumed pacing and muttering under her breath.
&&&&
Jean-Claude smothered his chuckle as gracefully as he could.
Richard glared at the vampire. "What?" When he saw the vampire smiling, he seemed to frown more. "You can't be enjoying this."
The Master of the City laughed.
Asher smirked and turned towards the Ulfric. "Mon ami, why aren't you enjoying this?"
"They could hurt each other!" Richard turned from one vampire to the other. "Honestly! What's with you two?!" he hissed.
"Their love... their jealousy, it is because they both love you and they both love me," Asher explained in a quiet voice. "And because they are both connected to the three of us."
"So, you two are enjoying the little estrogen show in there."
"Oui."
Richard stared at them in disbelief.
"A couple of hours ago, you two were determined to make them grow up and set aside their differences," he said. "And now, you're pleased as punch that it's pretty much our fault they're in there fighting?"
"As lemonade," Asher said.
"Huh?"
"As in, pleased as lemonade. Not punch. For I am taking these lemons and making something more delicious from them," he told the werewolf king. "As should you, mon ami."
Jean-Claude laughed again. Richard remained silent, although the disbelief he had expressed was still showing in his brown eyes.
&&&&
"Are they still fighting?"
Asher watched Jean-Claude turn to look at his pomme de sang. "Oui," he replied. "But, it has become quiet in there."
"Worried?" Jason asked.
The Master of the City shook his head. "Non."
"Richard looks worried."
"Oui," he agreed.
"Asher doesn't."
Asher snorted. "Observant, Jason," he replied.
"Well, you guys don't keep me here solely for my good looks," Jason said as he put a hand on his chest and trailed it to his stomach. His torso was bare; he was wearing a pair of shorts and nothing else. His hand slid against his skin and stopped at the elasticised band at his waist. "I have eyes and ears connected to a brain that works."
"And a mouth that isn't connected to your brain," Richard muttered as he paced.
Jason grinned brightly, undaunted by his Ulfric's comment. "Your life would be a lot more dull if I had... y'know, tact."
Jean-Claude reached for the young man and drew him against his body. "I would not change you for anything," he assured the werewolf, who did not need any assurances. "Your personality, as well as your looks, are some of the reasons I asked for you." He smiled at his pomme. "You offer a fresh outlook on the dreary lives we sometimes lead."
"Some of the reasons?" Jason asked, fishing.
"You are also quite delicious, mon loup."
Jason's ears turned pink. "You want a taste?"
"S'il te plaît."
"What?" Richard asked, stopping to look at the vampire. "You want some popcorn to go with the fight?"
Jean-Claude shrugged. "It is called multitasking," he said. "I need to feed, ma pomme is here, and we are doing nothing but guarding a door for the unforeseeable future. If it will make you squeamish, Asher can listen for sounds of trouble and you can walk through the Circus until I am fed."
"Mon ami, I do not mind... if you wish to take some time," Asher added quietly.
He knew how uncomfortable some things could make the Ulfric, and in a time when they were trying to bring the pentumvirate together, he did not want to be the one to cause another divide. He did not want to be the one locked in a room to settle a dispute, even if it was with the werewolf king.
Richard shook his head. "No... no. It doesn't bother me. Well... sort of. But not the feeding part," he muttered.
"You've been with me and ma petite and you've shared son colibri with mon chardonneret... you've allowed him to roll you in a feeding... and still, you are uncomfortable with a man giving another man pleasure."
The taller werewolf shrugged. "I'm a puzzle, Jean-Claude. The stuff I've done... it isn't the same as..." he trailed off and shrugged again.
"D'accord." Jean-Claude looked down at Jason and smiled. "A small snack, then, mon loup. Would you offer me your wrist?"
Jason smiled and nodded.
&&&&
"And you," Anita ranted, pointing a finger at Willow. She had gotten her second wind a few minutes ago. "You're not blameless in all this---"
"I never said I was!" Willow yelped.
"You forced my shields open! Did you think I'd thank you for that?"
"Well, no---"
"I spent years strengthening my metaphysical defenses and you just knock 'em all down like they're a stack a pebbles!" she exclaimed. "You had no right to go into my personal space and open me up to those sorts of things!"
Willow arched an eyebrow. "What sorts of things? Strength and love?" she challenged. "Oooh, I'm a badass, opening you up to all that!" She took one step towards Anita. "We've talked about it before, but you hold a piece of yourself back from everyone and for those few minutes, you were yourself and you were open to us at the same time! You didn't lose your mind or go 'poof' and it definitely wasn't the end of the world!" She inhaled deeply and continued speaking. "Did you even think about that before you went straight to pissed off?!"
"You invaded my privacy!"
"You practically put a hit out on Xander!"
"That's different!"
"Yeah, it is," Willow said quietly, opting not to shout. "What I did was wrong, because I did that without your consent, but I opened you up to people. I invited you into the sharing. You isolated me from everyone in my life."
"I did no such---"
Willow tilted her head as Anita stopped talking. The necromancer sighed and her shoulders bowed forward.
"Yeah, I did." She sighed again and looked up, but distinctly over Willow's shoulder. "I didn't make the conscious decision to, but I did." Her eyes snapped to Willow's face. "Happy? I apologised."
The witch laughed humourlessly. "If you think that's an apology... well, wow. I'm a little surprised." She crossed her arms. "You admitted you did what you did. That's all."
"It's what you did."
"I didn't claim I apologised, though," Willow insisted. "Why is it so hard to treat me like a decent human being?" she demanded. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Anita, but, geez, this isn't a competition! I'm not the enemy!”
“I don’t like threats to---”
“Have I ever threatened Asher? Have I ever threatened Richard? Do I endanger Jason and Nathaniel by spending time with them?” Willow asked. “Who have I put in harm’s way? Who have I threatened that you haven’t?”
Anita frowned more.
“Is this one of those things we’ll never get over?” Willow asked quietly, into the heavy silence between them. “Because, if it is, it’s gonna be a long forever.”
“It may not be forever.”
“Especially with you fighting every bit of it.”
Anita scowled. “I do not!”
Willow sighed.
&&&&
After Jean-Claude finished licking his lips clean of blood, he cradled Jason close and looked at Asher. “They have stopped yelling,” he said, with a glance to Richard. “Perhaps it is a sign.”
“A sign of what?” Richard asked.
“Peace. That they are ready to move forward.” The Master of the City shrugged gracefully. “Do you remember when ma petite went to New Mexico and left us to fend for ourselves?”
Richard nodded. “Well, yeah, but that was when---“
“What is different?” Jean-Claude inquired, interrupting him. “You are partially open to us, completely open to Willow. Anita is completely open to me. Asher is open to Willow. There are holes, however, that some of us are trying to block ourselves. And there are holes we cannot fill because it is someone else’s aura that must fill them.”
The Ulfric frowned. “You mean... we’re gonna have to... again?” He shuddered---although Asher suspected it was not because the memories were altogether unpleasant---and then he looked at both vampires. “With both of them? With all of us?”
“Oui.”
“But...”
“But, what, mon ami? We need to strengthen our bonds before challengers come for us. What if the Council sends an emissary? What if you find yourself with a rogue wolf believing he should be king? You of all people know our lives are pleasant---but that they are not without cost.”
Richard frowned more. “What if it feels too good?”
“To share such power and love with the women you adore? With libertines like myself and mon chardonneret?”
“I remember how it felt before, with the three of us. I couldn’t move for... a while. It felt... like something I shouldn’t be feeling.”
“Because it was too good?” Jason asked quietly, from the circle of Jean-Claude’s arms. “Ulfric, we all felt the power coming off you guys, and... if I could feel that when I wanted to, I’d never stop.”
Jean-Claude chuckled. “Spoken like a true hedonist,” he murmured affectionately.
“There’s more to life than sex,” Richard protested.
Asher smirked. “You are a science teacher. Isn’t sex basically life?”
Richard rolled his eyes. “Don’t split hairs, Asher. You know what I mean. We can’t just roll around in bed all the time because we like the way it feels. We have jobs and responsibilities and---“
A female scream of frustration, coming from the other side of the door, stopped him. He moved his hand towards the doorknob. Asher stopped him.
“We can’t let them hurt each other!”
“They will not,” Asher said quietly.
Richard grunted.
“Come, let us go back to our debate, mon ami. It is fun to watch you squirm,” the black-haired vampire said with a playful smile.
&&&&
“Do you really think Dawn’s right about that?” Anita asked quietly, after what seemed like hours of arguing in circles. “The pentumvirate, I mean?”
Willow nodded. “Mostly. Asher does, too. It makes sense when you think about it.”
“I don’t like thinking about it.”
The witch suppressed a snort with difficulty. “Yeah, no kidding,” she said when Anita scowled at her.
“I have tried to... to get used to you. But, I’m territorial.”
“You’re acting like I peed on your tree or broke the chain of command or something,” Willow said as she slid her hands into the back pockets of her skirt. “But, Anita, you’re only Bolverk for our pack. You’re not Lupa---I am. You’re Nimir-Ra, and I can respect you for that. You’re a human servant, but so am I. This isn’t a pissing contest or another sort of dominance game. I don’t want to top you in all arenas.”
Willow held her breath as Anita’s scowl melted away slightly.
“Part of me knows that,” Anita admitted. “But part of me hates it.”
“Yeah, I can tell.”
Anita sighed and pushed her hair off of her shoulders with a few impatient hand movements. “So, now what? I promise not to kill Xander and you promise not to push against my shields?”
Willow inhaled slowly. She counted to ten in her mind. She told herself that Anita sometimes missed the big picture and she frequently did not think clearly where Willow was concerned. When the ache in her gut lessened, she spoke.
“No. I will promise not to break your shields again, unless it’s a life or death thing,” she said as calmly as she could. “You will promise not to isolate me from everyone in my life. You don’t need to include me, but you can’t keep deliberately excluding me with promises, rules, and protocol.”
“Fine.” Anita grunted, then said, “Don’t expect us to become best friends anytime soon.”
“Right back atcha,” Willow muttered in agreement.
&&&&
“Uh, guys?”
The vampires and werewolves looked up at the brunette as she walked towards them. Faith was flushed, Asher noted, and she looked more at peace than she had in the past few weeks. It seemed as if she had made a decision---and had embraced it.
“Oui, ma belle?” Jean-Claude inquired.
“What’s going on?”
Jason smiled from his position in Jean-Claude’s arms. “Willow and Anita are resolving their differences,” he said quietly. “We’re just here in case---“
“In case they kill each other?” Faith demanded. “Are you all insane?”
“Non,” Asher said with a slight shake of his head. “But, this has gone on long enough and we tire of their behavior.”
“What if they kill each---“
Jean-Claude interjected. “They will not.” He swept his gaze over Faith’s form. His mouth curved into a smile and Asher knew he had realised Faith had made her decision. “Félicitations, ma belle,” he murmured. “Damian must be thrilled.”
Faith’s face turned a bright pink shade. “Don’t say anything to Will yet, okay? I need to tell her.” She looked at the vampires and pomme de sang; they nodded. Then, she turned to Richard. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to say this... or break it to you... or whatever. If it makes you uncomfortable, hell, because I’m still uncomfortable and---“
“A baby’s a good thing, Faith,” Richard said. Asher was strangely proud of the werewolf. He saw the sad look in his eyes as a smile overshadowed them and he knew that Richard was thinking about his lost child; he did not let that grief dominate the conversation, though. “Damian, huh? How’d... I mean, he’s older than... he’s old.”
Faith chuckled. “It wasn't planned. It may have been slayer’s blood, warm baths and rigorous---“
“Okay, stop---“
“---activity.” Her smile faded a little. “I’m not really comfortable with it yet, but...” she trailed off and shrugged. “I was gonna talk to Willow, but if she’s busy... Jean-Claude, are you sure they’re not killing each other?”
He nodded. “I would feel it. We would feel it.” He smiled again. “Let us know when we are able to celebrate openly,” he continued, referring not only to her impending talk with Willow but also to the test for Vlad’s Syndrome that she would have to undergo before officially continuing with the pregnancy. “I think, after this year, we would all enjoy an excuse to relax and to look forward to the new year.”
The slayer nodded. “Sure, but no fancy-fancy stuff. I’m not into the ball gowns and high heels.”
“Neither is ma petite.”
“Yeah, but you still sucker her into the formal wear, and honestly, I’m fuckin’ tired,” Faith said before a small sigh. “Between the weird dreams and the constant mood swings, I’m wrecked.”
“D’accord.”
She smiled a bit. “Let me know when those crazy kids kiss and make up, okay? I would like to see Willow in the next couple of days.”
“We will,” Asher promised. “Give our congratulations to Damian.”
It wasn’t until they were alone again that Jason cleared his throat and said, “How is a baby going to fit in around here?”
Jean-Claude smiled as he rested his chin against the top of Jason’s blond head. “We have nine months to... how do you say... baby-proof this place. Do not worry about that now, mon loup.” He lifted his head and looked around the stone-walled corridor. “Besides, they may decide that this place is not suitable for their child. They may prefer to build their own nest.”
“Does Anita know?”
Asher shook his head and replied to Richard’s question. “Non, not yet. Damian discussed it with us, to inform us that his needs were changing... to give us time to decide what needs to be done.”
“Done... like if you’re going to let them keep it or not---“
The blond vampire snorted. “Do you really think either of us would be so callous, mon ami?”
“Well, no, but you said---“
“Perhaps, then, we are glad mon colibri had not---“
“Mon chardonneret,” Jean-Claude interjected, “do not take offense. He was not implying any such thing. He did not understand what you meant to say.” He looked at Richard as Asher fell silent. “Simply in terms of security, changes to our daily routines... safety precautions, and so on.” His dark blue gaze roamed from one to the other. “Honestly, must I throw you two together next?”
Jason smothered a little laugh, which was extinguished completely when Richard glared at his pack member.
&&&&
Willow watched as Anita stopped pacing. She flopped onto the sofa and crossed her arms as she looked down at the floor.
They had yelled and argued, but at that moment, they seemed to be talking more than they had in a very long time. Willow wasn’t sure if she was comfortable with all that they were sharing---she really did not want her words to come back and haunt her, or worse, later, but she did know that she and Anita needed to get to know each other and move past their problems.
“You think we need to marry the marks?” Anita asked quietly.
“Probably,” Willow replied.
The necromancer frowned a bit. “It ended up being nearly sex when Jean-Claude and Richard and I did it.” She looked at the witch. “No offense, but I don’t do women.”
“So you’ve said before, and that’s fine, but don’t make it sound like a deadly sin,” Willow muttered.
“I never meant---“
“Yeah, you did.”
Anita sighed. “How am I not supposed to have a problem with you when you seem to defy all of my personal rules?”
“There’s a reason why they’re your personal rules, Anita,” Willow said in as patient a tone of voice as she could muster. “They’re your rules. Not mine. I can respect your space and your rules, but you seem to expect everyone else to live by some code you adhere to. So, because I don’t follow your rules, I’m being punished. It’s hardly fair.”
“But---“
Willow plowed on. “I hate guns. I will never own one. I accept that they’re a part of your world. I don’t insist you find another way to defend yourself or do your job, though.”
Anita’s eyes widened for a moment. Then, her lids lowered as she looked back at the floor. Her frown increased in size. She sighed.
The redhead continued talking. “We all have rules we live by. But, they’re personal. They’re what make us who we are... and if something really makes you uncomfortable, bring it up and we’ll discuss it, but I’m not changing who I am. You wouldn’t change who you are for me, so why should the reverse be any different?”
“It really, really bugs me when you’re right.”
Willow let the comment slide. She was tired and she really wanted to see Asher before the sun rose.
&&&&
It took one more hour of talking before Jean-Claude decided they had settled enough of the disputes piling up between them.
Willow was torn between being angry with her lovers and being thrilled to see them. She could see a similar conundrum playing across Richard’s features, although his was torn between seeing Anita or Willow, and looking apologetic or relieved. Asher’s face did not betray his thoughts or emotions, and everyone was shielding too much for her to gain a sense of what he was thinking and feeling.
“Now what?” Anita asked.
“So poetic.”
Willow looked at Jean-Claude after he spoke. “Hey, it’s what I’m thinking, too,” she told him.
“Mais, oui,” he said with a very slight bow in her direction. “I suppose you are both wondering if there is a contract to sign or an agreement to pound out, something legal and binding to hold us to---”
“Don’t get cute,” Anita interjected.
The vampire smiled and shrugged, raising his hands a bit with his palms exposed. “I cannot help it, ma petite, as you well know,” he said. “I am glad to see neither of you resorted to violence.” He looked from Anita to Willow. “Did you two have a productive conversation?”
“We know we have issues. We know we’ll probably never be bosom buddies. And we both know you want to marry the marks between us,” Anita said, without preliminaries.
“Will you two be working on your differences, or continuing to pretend you are oil and water?” Asher inquired.
“I promised not to break her shields down unless our lives depended on it,” Willow replied. “She promised not to isolate me from my friends with protocol and promises.”
“And that’s where we are right now,” Anita added.
Asher nodded and glanced at Jean-Claude. He nodded, too. They both looked to Richard. He was frowning.
“Qu’est-ce qu’il y a, mon ami?” Asher asked.
“How is this any better? They’re not saying they’re going to try to be friends---they’re just only not trying to kill each other!”
Jean-Claude smiled. “For two people who refused to breathe the same air a few hours ago, I say this is progress.” He smirked. “It is not my wildest fantasies, but, I do not believe I will see those materialise in the near future.”
“Well said, Romeo,” Anita muttered.
“You are two very different women and these rifts cannot be repaired in one night. It must be done slowly to be done properly,” Asher said as he took a few steps towards Willow. “We have plenty of time, but it needed to be initiated.”
Willow arched an eyebrow and put a hand up. Asher stilled. She spoke: “What makes you think it’s safe for you to be so close to me?”
“I am prepared to take my chances,” he replied.
“You must really want something.”
He nodded.
“What?”
“A kiss,” he replied.
Willow smirked. “Assuming I’m not too cranky to kiss you, Asher...”
“Are you?”
“I haven’t decided.”
He tilted his head to one side. His curtain of hair moved away and she could see the scarred flesh, the melted ruin as he saw it, and she could see the reparations her magic had unknowingly constructed. His facial structure was underneath those burns, seemingly molding the skin and cartilage so he looked a little less asymmetrical.
“Will you decide by the time I reach you?”
“Maybe,” she replied.
She had already made her decision. She missed Asher. She wanted him holding her and she wouldn’t hold a grudge because she knew he was acting in their best interests. They all were. Even if she didn’t like their methods, they had acted for the group and those under their protection.
Asher put his hands on her his tentatively. It wasn’t until Willow pressed her body against his that his grip because firmer. She swept his hair off of his face as she leaned up and kissed him. It was too little and too much all at the same time; Willow thought she would experience another aftershock but Asher stepped away before the sensations swelled to an overflow point.
“Thanks,” she whispered with a smile twitching her lips. She was still smiling when she turned and looked at Richard. “Were you worried about us?”
His entire body shuddered before he responded. “I’m sorry,” he said in a soft voice. “I didn’t know he’d do that... I didn’t know he could do that. I didn’t mean for you to be forced to---“
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.”
Willow shrugged. “No, it’s not, but as long as no one mind warps me again, I’ll deal with it.” She looked at Jean-Claude. “I really didn’t give you many options, did I?”
“Non, ma chérie, you did not,” he replied, “but I did not enjoy the power I held over you. I will not abuse the call to your wolf.”
“Well, that’s something, then,” Willow said with the beginning of a smile. “Happy with how it turned out?”
Jean-Claude smirked. “For now,” he replied as diplomatically as he could. “But, you two will have to work on your differences.” His smile faded. “I cannot go on the way I have been. We are in a time of peace, but we all know how quickly that tide can turn. I will not risk my freedom and I will not endanger my kiss.”
The redhead nodded. She felt the same way about her friends and family. The fact that they were in the pentumvirate together was sinking deeper into her psyche. It was becoming more real and less theoretical. She had talked about needing to be closer, but it wasn’t until the rift with Anita had begun to dissolve that she felt how important it was for the five of them to be a more cohesive unit.
“Are we doing it now?” she asked quietly to the group.
Jean-Claude shrugged. “It is not my decision to make.”
“The marks?” Richard asked.
The Master of the City nodded. “It is a group activity and so should be a group decision.”
Anita frowned. “How do we do it? We’re five. It was tricky enough with three.”
Willow looked at the former triumvirate. “How did you do it last time?” she asked.
She listened as they explained the events that had unfolded in the Oba’s club. She tried to picture Jean-Claude pressing his root chakra to Anita’s, while her mouth hovered over Richard’s heart chakra and his mouth hovered over hers. She could picture the mechanics but when she tried to picture it all happening inside of Narcissus in Chains, she had problems clarifying the image.
“Yeah, with five, it’s a little complicated,” Willow agreed with a look towards Anita. “But, if our auras are pierced in those areas… well, I’m sure we can improvise.”
“How?” Anita asked.
“Standing or sitting in a circle,” Willow replied, “and using our hands and mouths instead of our whole bodies.”
“No sex,” Richard stipulated.
“If your definition of sex does not change...” Asher muttered under his breath. Willow nudged her elbow into his ribs and he feigned pain. She smiled and he continued talking. “Are we doing this tonight? Or would some of us like three days’ notice?”
“I say the sooner the better,” the Ulfric said, surprising them all.
Willow turned to look at him again. “You mean that.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I don’t like the way we’ve been going... on autopilot, avoiding people... and I worry about---“ he stopped and sucked in a quick breath. “I worry about us spreading ourselves too thin when we’re alone. Together, it’s fine to fight battles on several fronts or to work too hard or whatever. But, apart, we’re draining our energies and we’re putting our groups in danger.”
“Looks like Richard, but the sound he makes is different,” Willow teased.
The Ulfric rolled his eyes. “You know it’s not too different than what I’ve been saying about pack business... and us and stuff,” he reminded her. He walked towards her, as she stood close to Asher, and when he could reach her he put his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t want to lose Anita and I don’t want to lose you,” he said in a quiet voice. “Asher and Jean-Claude feel the same way, or else we wouldn’t have gotten together and done what we did tonight. We don’t want to waste any more time and we definitely don’t want something awful to happen when it could have been prevented.”
“Oh.”
He slid his hands up to cup her face and he kissed her. His beast sought hers; she reveled in the way they brushed against each other. Asher’s hands didn’t slide away as they did earlier that evening. Instead, he pressed his body against Willow’s and clung to her as their beasts played. He rode their power until the kiss ended. Asher’s eyes bled icy blue and his face was even a little flushed when Willow turned to look at him.
“You okay, Goldilocks?” Richard asked from above Willow’s head.
The vampire laughed, as if he were drunk on the power.
Willow shared a smile with Jean-Claude. It was Anita who spoke next, though.
“How about a fifteen minute break?” she suggested. “I needed to get out of this room, like, three hours ago.”
“Bonne idée, ma petite,” Jean-Claude replied. “We will think on this, decide if we should do it tonight or wait until we are more comfortable, then reconvene... in my suite in twenty minutes?”
“Oui,” Asher managed to say as his laughter died down.
&&&&
Asher was behind her. Richard was in front of her. Anita was in front of Richard and behind Jean-Claude, who was behind Asher.
They were standing in an awkwardly close circle, the two women isolated by the men in their pentumvirate. Asher’s hands were over Willow’s heart and sacral chakras. Hers were in the same places on Richard’s body. His were on Anita’s, and so on, so that they formed a chain of sorts.
She could feel a low level of energy thrumming through her body but she knew it had to do with proximity more than anything else. She felt it sometimes when they were in the same room or when their emotions were heightened. She also knew it would be completely different when everyone lowered their shields and shared their powers---she was both scared and eager.
Jean-Claude counted down from three and before Anita could protest too much, he lowered his shields. Willow felt the cool breeze of his power and dropped hers---at the same time that Asher, Richard, and Anita dropped their metaphysical defenses.
The sensation was indescribable. Energy surged from Asher’s hands into her body, through her arms and into Richard’s body, and she felt as if she was both burning and freezing at the same time. She inched closer to her Ulfric as Asher pressed against her; she realised the circle was becoming smaller. They were drawing themselves together, giving their powers less distance to cover.
The sensations intensified. Willow could see glimpses of memories behind her eyes, both good and bad: Asher pressing Juliana into their bed while Jean-Claude looked on; the human servant’s dress catching fire as she struggled to free herself from the stake; seeing Jean-Claude for the first time in centuries and knowing that their love hadn’t died, despite the grief and jealousy and rage; Richard crying as Raina showered in the next room; standing on the top of a mountain and taking in the panoramic view of the countryside as it surrounded the Ulfric a few years later; Richard the mild-mannered teacher watching their newest pack member trying to make friends with her new classmates; Anita fighting with an icy blonde woman in a teenager-styled bedroom; the necromancer many years later sharing a conversation with a woman Willow knew was a witch; Anita’s beast meeting Micah’s for the first time; Jean-Claude trembling as Narcissus took what he wanted from his pale body; watching Anita work from behind the shadows of a tree in a graveyard and knowing she was the one, before they were ever formally introduced; finally feeling the weight of Asher’s body against his and knowing that he will not be punished for succumbing to a love that had lasted almost as long as he had been a vampire...
The memories continued to flow behind Willow’s eyes but she was barely focusing on them anymore. They were only a part of the experience. She could feel Jean-Claude’s hunger twisting with Asher’s passion; Richard’s strength and Anita’s bravery wormed through her as well. She was no longer a distinct entity, or one of a pair. She was one piece of a cohesive unit and their powers were being shared.
She heard Anita whimpering above the roar of blood and lust in her head. She wondered if it was a reaction to the power or to a memory she had glimpsed. She wondered what memories they were seeing---especially of her life---but she couldn’t select what they would see. It would sever their connections and that was the last thing she wanted.
Their bodies were pressed together, more tightly than before they lowered their shields. Each adult was dressed but wearing clothing that exposed plenty of flesh. Willow was wearing a pair of shorts and a small tank top; she was pressed against Richard’s bare back while Asher’s bare arms encircled her body. The skin-to-skin contact was to make it easier for their auras and powers to flow between them. It definitely helped.
On an impulse, Willow turned her head and pressed her mouth to Richard’s back. Her tongue laved an area of skin that covered his spine; she could feel his heart as if it were beating directly against that flesh and bone and its power flowed back into her body.
He growled into that rush of power. Anita whimpered again.
The marks were filling, the holes in their auras were shrinking, and Willow could never remember ever feeling so safe and strong. It was different than waking up with the pack after a full moon or letting Asher feed from her neck and roll her in the process---and it was completely different from being blessed by the munin. It was of their world, not of ghosts and ancestors. It was alive and it filled Willow up until she didn’t think she could take any more.
When the sharing faded, when Willow was able to open her eyes and take in their surroundings, she was aware of a few things: Asher was trembling behind her, with his face buried in her hair; Anita was sobbing; and her vision was growing dark.