now_ish
I focused, really focused on being at the firm. The absolutely nothing that happened at first started to make me nervous; if isn't wasn't going to work now, it might as well never kick in. Once I calmed myself, laid down on Angel's bed,and closed my eyes, I started feeling lighter. Finally. Instead of concentrating on what was happening to me, I thought of Safi; of being by her side. I tried to picture Wolfram and Hart; an office, the dead bodies strewn across the halls, Angelus, Faith. I imagined whatever I thought would get me there quicker, blocked out the fear that I could feel threating to rise up and break my projection, and mentally slipped into the world that began to pull me towards it.
When the pull began to wear off I opened my eyes, and examined my surroundings. Turning to a crimson covered bed, I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand to silence the noise. Anger rose through me as I quickly walked over to stand at Safi's side. I foolishly tried to reach out to her, but stopped, realizing that it wouldn't work. Her chest was rising and falling through slow breaths; it was enough to tell me that she was alive, and that was all that I needed to know right now.
I can't think about the rest of it, I have to settle for alive.
I concentrated on Safi's form and stepped into it. As I settled in, her body at my command, I bolted upright in the bed, letting a small, barely audible cry fall from her lips. All I could feel was pain. Burns,cuts, aching that made me worry that I wouldn't be about to get her out of the bed, that was all that she had felt.
Her clothes were in tatters on the floor, so I tightened the sheets around her, and did my best, for Safi's sake and my own, to be gentle. The dried blood that made them cling to her body as I forced us into a standing position made me wince. More than anything, I wanted to be back in my body, but I wasn't about to give up on her.
I started for the door, but stopped, noticing a glimmer of silver in the corner of my eye. A tube of lipstick had been carelessly left on the floor, which made me think of something. I opened it, noting that the tacky brightness of it could only mean that it had been Faith's and with a shaky hand wrote my name in cursive on the door, my eyes burning with tears as I did so.
Logically, I don't have much time, they could come in at any second, and I'd fail Safi too. But if I can get her out of here, then I want them to know it was me. I want Faith and Angelus to realize that when they kidnapped someone that Connor loves, when they caused him pain, they caused me pain. If he isn't strong enough to stand up to them, then I can do it in his place. That's part of what love is, and even though they will never be able to understand that, they'll know that whatever they can take from us, we can take back.
I slowly opened the door and looked out into the hallway before deciding that it was safe. Barefoot, and with the sheets still clutched tightly around her form, I headed towards the stairs at the end of the corridor. I slid through the door and closed it quietly, then stopped to take a breath. A small gust of air sent a shiver through her body and I reached down to grasp at the banister in order to steady her. The constant burning sensation mixed with the coldness, and I bit down against her lip to restain myself from anything more. With one hand firmly on the rail, and another keeping her body covered, I slowly descended the stairs.
When I finally reached the bottom, I once again wandered down the hall. The main entrance is too much of a risk, but there has to be a back way out of here.
I found the entrance to the laboratory and pushed the door open. Looking around in the darkness, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw an amber colored EXIT sign to my left. In my haste, I tripped over a something that had once been a someone, but regained my balance as quickly as I could. The door opened into an alleyway, which I followed until I found the sidewalk and an empty street.
I forced Safi's body into something that would have resembled a slow run. I could feel tears coming again, and this time I didn't even stop to wipe them. I didn't stop for anything.
Relief swam through me as I caught sight of the hotel, encouraging me to move faster. I finally slowed as I moved through the garden, then pushed through the door, stopping at last.
There wasn't anything else that I could do for her here. I let the connection slip, thinking of my own body, and let her body collapse on the floor of the lobby as I reunited with mine.
Safi was home.
When the pull began to wear off I opened my eyes, and examined my surroundings. Turning to a crimson covered bed, I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand to silence the noise. Anger rose through me as I quickly walked over to stand at Safi's side. I foolishly tried to reach out to her, but stopped, realizing that it wouldn't work. Her chest was rising and falling through slow breaths; it was enough to tell me that she was alive, and that was all that I needed to know right now.
I can't think about the rest of it, I have to settle for alive.
I concentrated on Safi's form and stepped into it. As I settled in, her body at my command, I bolted upright in the bed, letting a small, barely audible cry fall from her lips. All I could feel was pain. Burns,cuts, aching that made me worry that I wouldn't be about to get her out of the bed, that was all that she had felt.
Her clothes were in tatters on the floor, so I tightened the sheets around her, and did my best, for Safi's sake and my own, to be gentle. The dried blood that made them cling to her body as I forced us into a standing position made me wince. More than anything, I wanted to be back in my body, but I wasn't about to give up on her.
I started for the door, but stopped, noticing a glimmer of silver in the corner of my eye. A tube of lipstick had been carelessly left on the floor, which made me think of something. I opened it, noting that the tacky brightness of it could only mean that it had been Faith's and with a shaky hand wrote my name in cursive on the door, my eyes burning with tears as I did so.
Logically, I don't have much time, they could come in at any second, and I'd fail Safi too. But if I can get her out of here, then I want them to know it was me. I want Faith and Angelus to realize that when they kidnapped someone that Connor loves, when they caused him pain, they caused me pain. If he isn't strong enough to stand up to them, then I can do it in his place. That's part of what love is, and even though they will never be able to understand that, they'll know that whatever they can take from us, we can take back.
I slowly opened the door and looked out into the hallway before deciding that it was safe. Barefoot, and with the sheets still clutched tightly around her form, I headed towards the stairs at the end of the corridor. I slid through the door and closed it quietly, then stopped to take a breath. A small gust of air sent a shiver through her body and I reached down to grasp at the banister in order to steady her. The constant burning sensation mixed with the coldness, and I bit down against her lip to restain myself from anything more. With one hand firmly on the rail, and another keeping her body covered, I slowly descended the stairs.
When I finally reached the bottom, I once again wandered down the hall. The main entrance is too much of a risk, but there has to be a back way out of here.
I found the entrance to the laboratory and pushed the door open. Looking around in the darkness, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw an amber colored EXIT sign to my left. In my haste, I tripped over a something that had once been a someone, but regained my balance as quickly as I could. The door opened into an alleyway, which I followed until I found the sidewalk and an empty street.
I forced Safi's body into something that would have resembled a slow run. I could feel tears coming again, and this time I didn't even stop to wipe them. I didn't stop for anything.
Relief swam through me as I caught sight of the hotel, encouraging me to move faster. I finally slowed as I moved through the garden, then pushed through the door, stopping at last.
There wasn't anything else that I could do for her here. I let the connection slip, thinking of my own body, and let her body collapse on the floor of the lobby as I reunited with mine.
Safi was home.