AB/BtVS FF: Nightmares in Waking Life 20-1/?
TITLE: Nightmares in Waking Life
AUTHOR: 38gnihsurc
RATING: en.sea.xvii overall
PAIRINGS: All the pairings from the previous two stories---and some new ones, too
SPOILERS: Up until Micah for AB; the whole TV series for the Buffyverse; Alive at Last and Living Underground.
WARNINGS: A little bit of fur... bdsm... the usuals for Anita's crazy, crazy world.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone---except for any original characters that I whip up to do my bidding ;)
NOTE: This story is a sequel to Living Underground.
Previous chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9-11, 12, 13, 14-5, 16-7, 18-9
PART TWENTY
When Clay came and tapped her on the shoulder to tell her she has a call in the office, Willow nearly screamed with relief. Asher had been teasing her, Jason had been teasing her, and Jean-Claude had been enjoying it all. Meanwhile, Faith and Buffy had been pretty close to oblivious to most of Willow's torment.
She was ushered into the hallway, but Clay veered for the employees' entrance and tucked her into a nearby alcove. "Clay, what---"
"The cops are here looking for you," he said. "They're in Jean-Claude's office now. Anita's with them. She told Jean-Claude to bring you here and tell you what's going on, first."
Willow frowned. "I didn't do anything, Clay."
He nodded. "I know it, she knows it. The cops... well..."
"Tell me what I need to know," Willow insisted, not knowing how long Dolph would wait before breaking down doors and shooting the vampires and werewolves doing their jobs. "She obviously wanted me filled in before I got my ass dragged out of here."
Clay nodded. "She also wanted to avoid a scene, if possible, but I don't know how long Mr. High And Mighty will willingly stay inside the boss' office."
Willow managed a wan smile. Clay sucked in a sharp breath and told her everything he knew: a local prostitute was found dead, she was found in the middle of some seriously bad magic mojo, and she had a couple of newspaper clippings with Willow's photo or name printed on them. By the time he had finished explaining everything to her, she was nervous. If Dolph was leading the investigation, she was screwed.
"But, I don't know any prostitutes!" Willow exclaimed.
Clay shuddered. "Could you please not be scared? You're making me scared."
Willow shivered and sighed. She tried to rebuild her shields---they had been mostly down for so long---but it was difficult to do with the impending doom in Jean-Claude's office.
"You wanna know what the cops said when they saw Nathaniel all tied up and bent over the desk?"
The witch looked up and snorted. "I'd rather hear what Nathaniel said," she confessed. She was glad Clay was trying to cheer her mood.
Clay's lips twitched into a smile. "He told the cops that he'd prefer it if they didn't rescue him because he liked his captor's paddle," he admitted. As Willow's fear gave way to amusement, he said, "I didn't hear it first hand. That's what Byron told me before he went backstage."
"I bet the police loved that," Willow murmured.
"If you wanna feed a little from me before going in there, I don't mind if you do it now," he said.
"You're a guard. You're not food."
He shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't think it's wise to go in there on empty. Jean-Claude's still introducing Byron, so he's not in there, yet, either."
"But you're a guard."
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Lemme drag Jason out of the quiet room. Will you feed from him?"
"He's Jean-Claude's," Willow replied quietly. She smiled at Clay's exasperated facial expression. "It's okay. I'm kind of being difficult on purpose because I don't wanna feed off of anyone. Look, I'll go in there, sit next to Asher and Nathaniel, and Asher can help me control it and Nathaniel, maybe, can feed me."
"I don't see how that's different, but we probably shouldn't wait around too much longer."
Willow touched his arm. She was brushing her new metaphysical power through him before she could control herself. He was so strong and full of thoughts and emotions he kept hidden from everyone; the power was rifling through him, almost excited at the prospect of so many secrets, and she didn't know how to rein it in.
"Willow..."
She frowned and closed her eyes as a fresh wave of Clay's sadness washed through her, accompanied by flashes of memories upon which she couldn't focus. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to do it. I thought I was better at this, but lately, my control's been shot."
"I'm gonna get your hand off my arm now," Clay said as she strummed through his anger. She caught glimpses of people and places, but she didn't understand what any of it meant. The bodyguard growled. "I don't wanna do this, because it's kinda like deliberately hurting my charge, but you're gripping kinda tight and I am not letting you go through everything in my head---"
"Your heart," Willow corrected.
He growled again. "Especially in there," he decided before throwing his arm---and Willow---into the air. Willow detatched from his arm with the force of the movement and she slid across the hall. Dazed, she looked up at him. He frowned over her. "You okay?" he asked quietly.
She nodded. Once she had been forced to let go of him, the power had receded and she could think more clearly. "Thanks," she murmured. "I didn't mean for that to happen."
"You really need a regular meal," he said quietly. "At least until you have better control," he added.
She nodded again. "I know. I just don't want to admit it," she muttered as she pushed herself up. She hissed as her sore hip slid across the floor again. "Oh, I need a vacation," she whispered while pushing herself into a sitting position.
"Maybe after Buffy leaves," he suggested.
Willow slowly rose to a standing position. "Maybe," she agreed. Then, she glanced towards the doorway to the club's main rooms and frowned. "Oh, shoot. What am I gonna do about Buffy? If they take me in for questioning---" she stopped and smiled. "Okay, I never thought I'd be used to going into RPIT for interrogation."
Clay cracked a smile. "No kidding," he said. "If you end up hauled out of here, I'll make sure Buffy gets back to Dawn's place. Damian said he was going to be picking Faith up himself."
Willow nodded. "Okay. I should probably go in there."
"Don't touch anyone," he advised.
The witch snorted. "Good tip."
&&&&
Asher knew something was wrong the moment Willow entered the office. Her eyes were brighter and darker, all at the same time, and her skin was ashen. She looked shaken, and he wasn't entirely sure that it had anything to do with the police waiting for her in the office.
She had pushed him away. He didn't like that. She barely paid any attention to the policemen---Dolph, Zerbrowski, and Reynolds---and made a beeline for the back of the office. As she passed Anita, there was a crackle of energy that had attracted the police's witch's attention, and then Asher knew that Anita knew what was wrong with the redhead.
It didn't take long for Asher to figure it out. He put the augmentation of energy together with the hungry look in Willow's eyes and he guessed it was the ardeur that was bothering her.
"Mon colibri," he whispered. "The police would like to ask you some questions."
"I think this is ridiculous," Anita said. "She could be a vampire or witch junkie. She could've gotten herself in with the wrong crowd. It wasn't Willow."
"I'll be the judge of that," Dolph snapped.
"She's not feeling too good right now," Anita protested. "We can do this tomorrow---"
"No way in Hell, Anita."
Anita sighed loudly. "She's worked with us! She's helped us solve cases! She's solved your cases when you couldn't! She isn't the killer!"
"Anita, please, don't," Willow whispered.
Asher stepped up to Anita and very quietly, whispered in her ear, "The strong emotions. She's been having trouble shielding lately... it's just been today, but it has been a difficult day."
"Oh."
Willow whirled around and glared at them both. "Y'know, I really don't like it when you two talk about me behind my back," she growled.
"Lover's spat?" Dolph inquired.
"Stay out of it!" Willow snapped.
Anita and Asher shared a look and then Asher quickly nodded to Nathaniel, who slid to the floor, wearing nothing but a pair of jogging shorts. The wereleopard wrapped his body around Willow's legs and started to purr. Willow fought the contact; she grabbed Nathaniel's ponytail and tugged. Her actions made the policemen want to act, however Nathaniel only closed his eyes and purred more loudly.
"I'm not hurting him," Willow said, snarling at Dolph.
"Notre chaton, es-tu prête?" Asher asked as he prepared to put his plan into motion.
Nathaniel nodded and continued to purr. The pain, coming from the hands of his mistress, only added to his pleasure. He hadn't received the release he had sought, earlier in the office, because they had been interrupted. Willow's sharp tugs on his hair made him shiver and blush. His purr intensified with each tug.
Asher took Anita's hand in hers and he pushed outwards with their power. It took him only one attempt to puncture Willow's shields and then they metaphysically poured Nathaniel's contentment into her, through Anita and through the wereleopard himself. Asher ignored the policemen; he remained focused upon his human servant and he tried to give her enough pleasant emotions with which she could feed the ardeur.
When they were finished, Asher shielded for them both. Willow looked up, her eyes were brighter---but not darker. She smiled a bit and blushed. "I should be pissed at both of you," she murmured. "But... thanks. I needed that. I almost fed from Clay, but it was like... out of control."
Tammy Reynolds looked from Willow to Anita and said, "What are you two?!"
"Witch. Necromancer."
Willow and Nathaniel both smothered little laughs at Anita's response. Asher smiled and watched as Willow dropped to her knees and hugged the wereleopard. They talked quietly for a few minutes. Willow kissed his cheek and hugged him. Nathaniel beamed at Anita and Asher over Willow's shoulder. Anita scowled until Asher squeezed her hand affectionately.
"He is her familiar," Asher reminded her quietly. He ignored the look of surprise on the Christian witch's face. "He wants to serve and she needs support."
Anita's scowl had melted after Nathaniel said: "Anita, don't be mad. She just gives good hugs... and I always want one after Asher's done with me."
Asher couldn't stifle his laughter when he saw Anita's face turn crimson.
&&&&
When she felt better, Willow kissed Nathaniel's cheek again and slowly pulled away from him. She rose to her feet and stretched the muscles in her back slowly. She rolled each shoulder a couple of times and after a deep breath she turned to face the policemen.
"Why do you think it was me?"
"She was collecting clippings about you," Dolph said as he held up a folder of plastic-sealed documents. He looked a little unnerved; Willow wondered if it was because of the change in moods and the events that led to the change. "Seems like a good enough reason. Do you have many groupies?"
The witch shrugged. "No, not that I know of. I do some work for Animators Incorporated, I work for you guys when you can stand to be in the same room as me... I work at Feral Byte. I don't really make it into the news for those things." She paused and then added, "No one in the press knows I'm an able witch."
That was a lie. Irving Griswold, a pack member, was a member of the print media. He knew she was Lupa and she knew she was a powerful witch; however, he promised her he wouldn't report those things unless she told him he could. She trusted him because Richard and Anita trusted him, so she knew her secrets were safe.
"But, you've been in pictures on his arm," Dolph said, motioning to Asher.
Willow nodded and smiled. "Of course. He's the Master of the City's second in command. I'm his human servant. When there are public events where he's needed, I'm there on his arm. I wouldn't be anywhere else."
Dolph made a sound of disgust in the back of his throat. Zerbrowski looked about ready to say something lecherous, but when Anita shook her head slightly, his smile faded and he pouted a little.
"Those are the pictures she's collected."
"Maybe she wanted to be a human servant?"
Anita sighed. "Dolph, get on with it, okay?"
"She knows the dead girl. She's been seen around these parts," Dolph said, to no one in particular. "In my gut, I know these two knew each other. I'll bet anything, she sacrificed the girl for some ritual. Was she snooping around your boyfriend, witch?"
Willow frowned. "Would you just show me the pictures? I know you have pictures. You're itching to see my reaction."
Dolph grimaced but he put the folder down on the desk. He opened it and showed her a photograph of a girl, lying on an altar. There was something familiar about the girl, but Willow couldn't place that familiarity. She looked at the altar and felt her mind become even more muddled. The symbols engraved there were familiar, too, but the memories were distant and felt as unobtainable as mist or clouds.
"Admiring your handiwork?"
Willow shook her head. "No," she replied calmly. "I just... can't put my finger on it... what those symbols mean, I mean. I know I've seen them before, but... I don't know what they mean."
Tammy stepped forward. "Are you sure? I haven't been able to find them in any of my books. My coven didn't know what they were, either."
Willow bit her tongue. She wanted to tell the Christian witch that her coven probably wouldn't know what they were because they denied so much of themselves and of the world around them. She didn't think telling Tammy that would be a good tactic, though, so she remained silent.
"Could I have a copy of---"
"Absolutely not," Dolph interjected.
Anita sighed again. "Dolph, if she can help---"
"She probably did it."
"I didn't!" Willow yelped.
Dolph opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped when Jean-Claude stepped in, followed by a man wearing a suit. He glared at Anita and crossed his arms. Jean-Claude smiled a little and held up a hand in gesture to his guest.
"Bonsoir," he said calmly. "Mr. McNamara has some evidence that I believe we should see. Ma petite, at what time did the murder take place?"
"Seven-thirty," Anita said.
"But I---"
Jean-Claude beamed at Willow. "Exactement!" He motioned to the other man and said, "My lawyer has something he would like to share with your police friends, ma petite."
At Anita's nod, the lawyer held up what looked like a small and portable DVD player. "Ms. Rosenberg was at the airport, with witnesses, and she was on tape at the time," he said in a smooth, cultured voice. "I have just been with the security there, and they offered me a copy of their footage. If you would like to watch it, Detective Storr?"
Dolph growled wordlessly under his breath.
&&&&
PART TWENTY-ONE
Nathaniel left first, during the first showing of the viedo surveillance. He had to get ready for his show; Willow was relieved to see that her feeding from him hadn't drained him completely.
Once the police and lawyer were gone from the office, Anita slumped against Jean-Claude's desk and sighed. After running a hand through her hair, she looked at Willow and said, "He really wanted to arrest you."
"I could tell. I didn't do it, though."
Anita nodded. "I know." She crossed her arms, shivered, and then ran her hands up and down her upper arms as if to warm them. "That whole place has bad mojo. Gives me the creeps going in there."
"Could be your perception of their reaction to you," Willow suggested in a quiet voice.
Jean-Claude stepped to Anita's side and put an arm around her shoulders. "Thank you for giving us warning, ma petite," he murmured. "I was able to procur the footage quickly."
"I like to do things by the book, but Dolph isn't playing with a full deck anymore. Half the time, I don't even know if he's still in there, y'know?"
"You mean like a demon's possessed him?" Willow asked.
Anita frowned. "I... um... no?"
Willow shrugged. "It's not unheard of, that's all," she said.
When Asher wrapped his arms around Willow, she didn't fight the embrace. She leaned into it and closed her eyes. "Sorry about earlier, guys," she whispered. "I should've been more careful."
"It is still a learning curve," Asher whispered back. "I am glad we were able to help you feed."
"Without triggering ma petite's hunger," Jean-Claude added, "because that would have been disagreeable."
Willow smiled and opened her eyes to look at the Master of the City. "A little bit, you think?" she joked. At the vampire's shrug, she smiled again before snuggling into Asher's hug. "I will eventually get a grip on this," she told them all, "but, I think I need to start shopping for a pomme."
Asher's grip upon her tightened for a moment. He kissed her temple. "Are you certain?"
"I don't want accidents to keep happening," she murmured as she opened her eyes and looked up into his face. "I was going through Clay's emotions before I even knew what was happening. It wasn't controlled, like before, either." She sighed and averted her gaze. "I don't think I've been feeding by casual touch anymore. I think my shielding... got stronger."
"It is possible, ma chérie," Jean-Claude agreed. "You were not aware of the effect your touch could cause... you said you did not want to enslave anyone or feed from them without their will. This could be a manifestation of your own will."
Anita frowned. "I know the idea can be unseemly. Especially with all the political stuff," she said as she looked to Willow. "For now, if you want to feed from Nathaniel... or any of my leopards in an unofficial capacity, I'll make sure someone's always close by."
Willow was touched by Anita's graciousness. By other standards, it wasn't much. But, for Anita, it was a big gesture. She smiled and told Anita she appreciated it.
Her smile vanished from her face, however, when she realised she had left Buffy and Faith in the club while she had disappeared into one of the offices. When Asher asked her what she was thinking, she told him; he kissed her temple and told her that if she felt well enough, she could rejoin them. But, the witch wasn't entirely sure she should go back into the crowds and risk touching other people.
"Perhaps," Jean-Claude said, "it is time for you to learn a new lesson."
"What?" Anita asked.
"I can take her upon the stage during Nathaniel's act. I can teach her to feed by feeding upon the crowd's lust. She can feed upon their fear and excitement---"
"Provided she doesn't terrify the audience!"
"Then, simply their excitement," Jean-Claude amended. "But, she should learn... she can teach our fifth when he comes to his senses, because he will not submit to a lesson and he will not come here to willingly stand upon the stage."
Willow frowned. "Are you sure? I mean, with Buffy and Faith in the audience---"
"You can invite them to this office afterwards," he said. "But, tonight's display... ma chérie, if this happened while you were at the police station, you could have been condemned to much worse than an interrogation."
The witch sighed. She knew Jean-Claude was right. She just didn't want to learn how to feed the ardeur from a distance while Buffy and Faith were in the audience. She wasn't bothered by the idea of the Master of the City feeding off of their lusts, but she was bothered by the idea of her having to feed from their emotions.
"Anita and I will be in the wings," Asher promised her quietly. "We will not let anything 'bad' happen."
"Is it a flogging routine?" Willow asked.
Jean-Claude nodded. "It will be best, because you will not necessarily be touching him, skin-to-skin. You won't be tempted to feed through that contact. If it were a pairs dance this evening, then being upon the stage with him would not be best. I will walk you through the initial swings of the whip and I will remain close behind you to tell you how to let down your shields."
With a nod, the redhead looked at Anita. "Does this bother you?" she asked.
Anita shrugged. "A lot of it bothers me," she admitted. "But, you do need to learn how to deal with this. So, surprisingly, I'm okay right now. I know much wouldn't change if I said it did bother me, but I do appreciate it."
"We're finally getting along," Willow said, smiling again. "I don't think the guys'd like it much if we went back to the catfighting and yelling and stuff."
"Non," both vampires said at the same time.
There was a knock upon the door. Byron poked his head in to say Nathaniel would be on the stage in five minutes. Jean-Claude offered Willow his arm; she accepted and walked with him, while Asher and Anita trailed behind them.
&&&&
She knew the slayers were waiting for her in the office, but Willow didn't want to leave the quiet room. Nathaniel was curled up against her, his leg draped over hers; his breath was tickling her neck; his hair covered them both and scented the air around them with vanilla and stage smoke.
"This is so nice," Willow whispered.
"Mmmhmmm," Nathaniel hummed before he resumed purring quietly in her ear.
"I have to get up."
The purring stopped. "Noooo," he whined.
She smiled and snuggled into him. "No worries... not yet," she promised as she slipped an arm around him and inched closer. "You're not pack, but it feels so good to be here like this, with you."
"It's because I'm your familiar," he said, sounding very matter-of-fact. "And because you're my mistress."
Willow turned her head a bit so she could kiss his forehead. "Well, what does the second reason have to do with it?"
"We're close. We share something with Asher," he explained.
She nodded and closed her eyes. Nathaniel's hand found her lower back; he slipped under her shirt and slowly caressed the skin he found there as he resumed his purring. Willow sighed and snuggled into the wereleopard. He kissed her forehead, the way she had to his moments ago, before falling still and silent.
The feeding lesson had gone well. It had been stranger than she had expected it would be. If she had been trying to do it on her own, she would have simply lowered her shields and riffled through the feelings in the air around her. However, Jean-Claude taught her to simply open a hole in his shields; she learned to envision a window opening in her house and through that window, she reached out into the air around her. Her powers sought the strongest waves of excitement pouring from hearts and she tugged on them, as if they were strings. Slowly, with Jean-Claude's instruction, she learned to draw those strings of emotion in through the window in her shields.
It didn't feel the same as it did when she drew feelings into her before. But, she reasoned that it felt different because she had kept most of her shields in place---instead of lowering all of her defenses and letting everything come to her. It was a good sort of different, though; she liked knowing she could feed without leaving herself too exposed.
Being on stage, left her feeling plenty exposed already. When the crowd was faceless, she didn't mind so much. They would all go home to their proper lives; they would either forget about their time among the monsters completely, only recognise Willow if she were in the club or surrounded by the dancers and management, or they would recognise her as a prominent human servant and leave it at that.
However, when Faith and Buffy were in the audience, Willow found that she minded.
Faith hadn't blinked an eye when she saw Willow joining Jean-Claude and Nathaniel upon the stage. Buffy, on the other hand, widened her eyes and stiffened her spine. She looked confused and when Willow took the multi-tailed flogger, she looked beyond confused---and a little sickened by what she was seeing. She looked at Faith and when she saw that the other slayer was perfectly at ease---and cat-calling with the rest of the women, although more for Willow than for 'Brandon'---she seemed even more perplexed by the experience.
The last time Buffy had been in St. Louis, she hadn't seen Willow's part in one of Nathaniel's performances.
Willow had been whisked from the stage to the small, dimly lit room without a moment in between. She was not looking forward to facing Buffy and her questions---another reason she did not want to go to Jean-Claude's office.
Asher nudged her metaphysical shields. Instants later, she heard his voice in her mind; he wanted to know if she had rested enough.
"Nuh uh," Willow mumbled. "Go'way."
Nathaniel chuckled. "Are you trying to talk to Asher?"
"He wants to know if I'm ready to go back to the office," she told the wereleopard. "I'm not."
"We can cuddle in there."
Willow sighed. "Yeah, but Anita could be in there and she doesn't like it when we cuddle."
"Hmmm... let's get it all out of our systems then," he murmured playfully.
The witch opened her mouth to ask him what he meant by that, but before she could say anything he had wrapped all of his limbs around her and tucked his face into her neck and shoulder. His purring increased in volume and seemed to vibrate through her entire body.
That was how Asher found them a few moments later.
He closed the door; neither of them flinched. Willow didn't open her eyes until he moved closer to them.
"Do you know what this scene does to me?" Asher asked quietly as he smirked and looked down. "Seeing the two of you intertwined makes my blood travel to lower regions..." he trailed off and crouched down next to their huddled forms. "Is this for my benefit?"
"No, Anita's," Nathaniel replied, the rumbling ceasing only enough so he could speak clearly. "She doesn't like it when we cuddle, so we're trying not to make her jealous... getting it out of our systems now."
"She has been much better," Asher reminded them.
Nathaniel shrugged slightly. "I don't wanna rub her nose in it, y'know?"
Asher nodded and brushed his fingers along Willow's ribcage before following Nathaniel's arm to his shoulder. "We have been waiting. Jean-Claude is still upon the stage, but he will not be there for much longer. He has nearly fed enough." He kissed the side of Willow's head after moving to kneel so he could get closer to their bodies. "You should come and join your friends, mon colibri."
She sighed. "But, I'm so comfy on the floor with the pillows and my kitten," she complained.
The vampire chuckled and moved his legs to sit and then to stretch out next to his human servant. Willow pressed back against him at Nathaniel's insistent wriggling. One of his legs moved to include Asher.
A few minutes passed before Asher insisted they move.
"We are being rude, mon colibri et chaton," he said. "I am now quite reluctant to leave, but we cannot leave your guest. I believe if we include Anita in this closeness, she will not be so bothered."
"You might be right," Nathaniel agreed.
"Do I have to move?" Willow asked.
Asher chuckled and kissed the back of her neck. "Non, I will carry you both if you wish."
"You can do that?"
Nathaniel nodded. "It'll be awkward, but he can do it." He paused, sighed, shivered, and then said, "He's very strong."
Willow smiled and craned her neck to look at Asher. "You can?"
The vampire nodded, too. "I can, but if you are able to walk---"
"Mmmno," she murmured. "I'm well-fed and lazy."
Asher laughed again. "I can see that," he commented affectionately. He kissed her temple and then extricated himself from their pile. "Did you mind feeding from a distance?" he inquired. He stroked her back as he asked his question.
Willow shivered and sighed. "No, it was different than I would have done it. I felt... a bit more protected than I did when we were testing it before."
He nodded. He watched as Willow and Nathaniel separated---and as his human servant rose into a sitting position. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Asher didn't resist the urge to touch her; he put his hands on either side of her ribcage and slid them up and down her body. She shivered and smiled.
"I don't want to leave, but, I guess I better go check on Buffy," Willow told him. "She seemed kinda freaked out when I was on stage."
"You did nothing wrong," he reminded her.
She smiled and kissed him. "I know that," she murmured, "but, what I know and what she believes... kind of two different things."
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. Willow closed her eyes when she felt his hand gently massaging the back of her neck. "She will understand," he assured her. "You will arrive safe and content and she will realise that your new life is good for you."
"So good for me," Willow whispered as she wriggled towards him. She hugged him and tucked her face into his shoulder and neck. "I mean," she added, mumbling, "I could do without the feeding thing, but it's not so bad."
She felt Asher hug her in return. After he kissed her shoulder, he eased them off of the ground, keeping Willow balanced on one hip. She responded by wrapping her arms and legs around him, so she wouldn't fall or make carrying her more difficult.
Nathaniel made a quiet noise of protest. Asher chuckled. "Viens ici, mon chaton," he insisted while beckoning with his free hand. "I can carry you as well."
"Mmmm, okay," the auburn-haired man said before fluidly moving from his position sprawled on the floor to a standing position next to them. Carefully, he climbed Asher's body and snuggled into the vampire the same way Willow had done when she had been carried. Then, the wereleopard reached over and put his hands on Willow's arms. "This is nice, too," he whispered.
Willow chuckled. "We're gonna look pretty silly walking down the hall like this," she commented.
"Don't care."
Asher laughed next. He kissed Willow's lips, then Nathaniel's forehead, before setting off for the door. Willow, knowing that he had his hands full, lifted her hand and whispered a spell that would open the door in front of them.
"Merci, mon colibri," Asher said as he stepped through the door and into Byron's surprised face.
"Weren't you leaving a while ago?" Nathaniel asked sleepily.
"Luv, weren't you able to walk a while ago?" Byron shot back.
The wereleopard grinned.
Asher chuckled softly and motioned towards Jean-Claude's office. "Byron, could you open the door, please?"
"Sure thing, Boss," Byron replied with a smile. He went to the other door and opened it, allowing Asher to enter; he closed it after the trio were well inside the room.
Buffy jumped out of her chair and to her feet, restrained by Faith's hand on her arm. When Faith told her that Willow was fine, Buffy said: "But she doesn't look it. She looks like she's hurt or something!"
"I was the only one hurt on the stage," Nathaniel purred. "And I liked it."
Willow chuckled from her rest on Asher's shoulder. "Buffy, I'm fine. Just well-fed and really, really lazy."
"What do you mean? Fed?"
"The ardeur," Anita said, as if she thought that would explain everything.
Anita didn't appear to be jealous; if anything, Willow would have guessed she seemed amused. The corners of her lips twitched and she rose from her perch on Jean-Claude's desk to meet the three in the middle of the room.
"I felt it," she told them. "But I'm not drained or anything."
"I was only taking a little off the top, each time," Willow said. "I didn't think it was a lot, but Nathaniel... he's a crowd pleaser."
Nathaniel beamed at Anita as she said, "He certainly is."
Anita helped Asher over to the sofa. She piled on, wedging herself between the arm of the piece of furniture and her animal to call, but she didn't commit to the cuddling as much as Willow did.
"I thought vampires weren't for the snuggling," Faith commented.
Asher laughed softly from behind his curtain of hair. "Would you turn such bounty away, or would you welcome it closer?"
Faith snorted. "Good point, I guess."
The door opened and Jean-Claude stepped inside. His eyes were shining; Willow guessed he had fed quite a bit, too, from the audience. He smiled at everyone, before reaching for Anita. Willow felt a trickle of power going from him to her and she realised he was sharing his power with her as they kissed.
"Mon corbeau..."
Jean-Claude brushed his fingers through Anita's black hair and whispered to her in quiet French before turning and looking to Asher. He smirked when he saw them; he sauntered towards them, high on the energy of the ardeur, and he lowered his torso so he could kiss the blond vampire's mouth.
"I don't think he was asking for a kiss," Willow commented wryly. "I think he was telling you that Buffy's here... and maybe you and Anita shouldn't get too carried away."
The Master of the City opened one eye as he kissed Asher. He was so close to Willow; she had to lift her head up to look at him, but when she did that she also saw them kissing. Her heart seemed to skip several beats. And nearly everyone around her knew that it had happened.
The black-haired vampire pulled back, dragging Asher's lower lip between his teeth as he leaned away. He released it and crouched down in front of Willow. "I do enjoy your appreciation of us together," he teased.
Willow felt Asher's body warming underneath hers. She shivered and looked at the Master of the City. "You gave him some of your power," she commented, avoiding his earlier statement.
"I am master. It is my perogative to share with my témoin and my human servant. Shall I share with his?"
He looked over his shoulder at Anita. Surprisingly, Anita only shrugged. She didn't cross her arms, she didn't pout; she simply shrugged and leaned back against the desk. Willow would have exchanged a look with Nathaniel, but she couldn't have moved enough to look at the wereleopard with Jean-Claude so close to her.
"Viens ici," he insisted.
At Asher's gentle nudge, she leaned forward. Jean-Claude cupped her face in both of his hands; he leaned in and placed a very chaste kiss to her lips.
Willow didn't feel anything immediately. She almost pulled away and asked what was going on, but then she felt the power the Master of the City had stored and was offering to share. It was warm and smooth and it slid through her partially opened shields to brush against her insides. She hadn't thought she could handle anymore energy, but she had been wrong. It slipped through her defenses and joined the energy she had gathered from the audience.
She moaned in complaint when he pulled away. They looked into each other's eyes; she felt as if she were drowning in his blue gaze. It ended suddenly, when he blinked. Willow felt as if she were falling back into herself---it was the only way she could describe it to herself.
"Whoa," she whispered. She shivered and settled against Asher's body. "It's... wow." She realised what she said and blushed. "I mean, the ardeur's power... the different flavour... I've never felt it well-stocked. I've had it when it was empty... I've had my own full and empty... but..."
"And what of my kiss?" Jean-Claude murmured teasingly as he straightened and took Anita's hand in his.
Willow laughed. "Well... it wasn't too bad."
"She wounds me," Jean-Claude complained into Anita's ear.
"You kiss wonderfully and you know it so stop fishing for compliments," Anita reminded him. "Now, Master, would you like to be introduced to our guest?"
"Ah, yes, of course." Jean-Claude turned to Faith first. He smiled and took her hand. After turning it over, he kissed her wrist. He never greeted Faith like that anymore, but Willow suspected he was doing that to show Buffy how it was appropriate to greet the Master of the City. "Ma belle, you look lovely this evening. Is Damian meeting you here after work?"
Faith nodded. "Thanks, Jean-Claude," she murmured more formally than Willow ever thought she would. She wondered if he and Faith had discussed the introduction earlier that evening but didn't ask her question. "He's coming after his shift at Danse Macabre."
"Bon. I have a book of fabric---"
"No, Boss. No."
Jean-Claude smirked. "Non?"
"He's got too many sample books already!" Faith complained. "There are already five possible designs planned and---"
The black-haired vampire's eyes were twinkling. Faith should have known he was playing with her; after a moment, she had realised what was happening and she stopped talking. She pressed her lips together and fought to hide a smile.
"Ma belle, do not deny me the pleasure of teasing you so," he purred. "I could not resist."
When Jean-Claude moved over to taste Buffy's hand, Willow sucked in a slow breath. She didn't know what she was expecting as she watched Jean-Claude take Buffy's hand and turn it so he could kiss her wrist. When Buffy stood her ground without resorting to violence, Willow relaxed into Asher's one-armed embrace again.
"Mademoiselle Summers," Jean-Claude said as he straightened his body. "Welcome to St. Louis. I trust your journey was pleasant?"
"As pleasant as first class can be with two screaming babies," Buffy quipped.
The Master of the City tipped his head and smiled. "I must admit I am looking forward to the sound of a baby's cry, but I can understand how difficult it could be on an airplane," he said in response. "You have found the lodgings at notre aube's apartment to be sufficient?"
Buffy nodded. "I'm concerned about the security measures, but I do appreciate the lengths you went to in order to make sure she's safe."
"She is a part of ma chérie's family. She is, then, someone worth protecting," Jean-Claude said with one of his casual shrugs. "You must miss her."
The slayer nodded again. "Yes... but, she's... she seems to be happy here." She smiled a bit---surprising Willow---and then she spoke. "It's an interesting place you've got here."
Jean-Claude beamed at her. "We make our livings off of being 'interesting,'" he said. "And it is such an enjoyable job to be surrounded by such beauty on a nightly basis."
"Why are you guys so... um, close?"
Willow hid her smile into Asher's shoulder. Nathaniel's grin, however, couldn't be dimmed. He seemed to find Buffy's question very amusing. Asher was smiling from behind his curtain of hair; Anita was looking from Faith, to Jean-Claude, to her feet; Faith smiled and snorted; Jean-Claude grinned.
"What? I heard the rumours, and Will said they were only rumours, but..."
"Ah, my favourite is the one in which in order to be a part of my kiss, every vampire must audition in my bed," Jean-Claude said when she trailed off. "If I did that, I would not be testing all of their skills, n'est-ce pas?" he teased.
Anita rolled her eyes. He smiled at her before returning his focus to Buffy. "There are some in this city... in this country, as well... who disagree with our ways. They find us to be libertines. Their rumours were bult upon truths, madamoiselle. I am an incubus and I was a member of Belle Morte's court. Seduction is and will always be a part of my life. But, I am not without limits and the rumours do not seem to allow for that possibility."
"Oh. But---"
"Your friend is close to my second because she is his human servant. I cherish her for that, because I have loved Asher for centuries. Nathaniel is her familiar and a lycanthrope. If he were not her familiar, he would still seek contact because it is in their nature," he explained. He paused and said, "Does that answer your question?"
"A little bit."
"Bon." He smoothed his hands over his silk shirt and leather pants briefly, before looking back at her. "Now, mademoiselle, we must discuss something."
Buffy nodded. Her eyes darted from Willow to Faith, showing her suspicious thoughts in their expressive depths. Willow wondered what Jean-Claude wanted to discuss with her; she leaned forward, visibly interested.
"There were some protests to your visit," he confessed to the blonde, "because of your previous behavior and because of your friend's actions. He harmed ma chérie, but through her, the rest of us. I will not tolerate his presence in our city. We have been looking for him. If he is lurking outside city limits---"
"I haven't---"
"---or if he is waiting for you to give him information on our operations or our organisations---"
Buffy jumped to her feet. "I wouldn't do that!" she exclaimed. "When Xander told us what he did, I was sick! I couldn't hurt Willow like that!"
"You would have if you had abducted her."
"I would've taken her to the coven. I wouldn't have kidnapped her and shot her full of drugs!" Buffy snapped. "I didn't know she was okay here! The seer told us she was with vampires, werewolves, and a necromancer---Giles was worried and he saw things first hand. When he said it wasn't good, I believed him! We didn't know she was okay!"
The slayer stopped and inhaled deeply. Jean-Claude flicked one of his eyebrows upwards, glanced at Anita, and then continued speaking. "We have let you into our lives, mademoiselle, I had to know if we could trust you."
Buffy glared at him. "You could've just---wait. What do you mean by looking out for him?"
"What do you think I mean by that?"
"Do you know where he's been?" Buffy asked. "We haven't heard from him... I mean, I don't want to talk to him, but still. He's never stayed away this long before."
"Oui, we know where he has been," Jean-Claude said. He left the Executioner and the slayers and he walked around his desk.
When he opened a drawer, Willow realised what he was doing. She spoke up. "Jean-Claude, she doesn't need to see those. Please put them back."
He flicked his gaze to her. "I am master, ma chérie."
Willow sighed. "I know that. I know you make the rules. But, what are you going to gain from showing her what he did to---" she stopped short and shuddered. "Seriously, what are you gonna get from that?"
"The truth."
"She gave you the truth!" Willow exclaimed.
"Trust him, Willow," Asher whispered into her mind. She knew he meant business because he used her first name. She sighed and crossed her arms as she sat and watched Jean-Claude pass an envelope of Edward's photographs to Buffy. Meanwhile, Asher nuzzled her shoulder with his lips. "Do not be mad..." he continued. "Jean-Claude has planned this. You know he has, mon colibri. He needs to know where Buffy's allegiance is... for his kiss, for you, for anyone tied to us. He needs to know we are safe. And, to an extent, he is trying to get to know the core of the sister of the woman who has enraptured his pomme's heart."
Willow turned her head and glared at him. He reached up and touched her cheek; before she could flinch away, she felt herself leaning into his touch.
Nathaniel slid across his lap and rested his head upon her thigh. He was purring again. He was content to put his trust in Jean-Claude and Anita; he knew they would protect him and Willow would have trusted them, too, but she was also worried about Buffy.
As Nathaniel resumed purring, Buffy had looked at the pictures. She gasped and pushed them back into Jean-Claude's pale hands.
"Mademoiselle?"
"Xander couldn't have done that!" Buffy replied, eyes wide. "That was his fiancée!"
"Oui, and you see what he did to her," Jean-Claude said, "all the while believing he was doing what was best. Do you see what he could have done to Willow?"
Buffy looked at Faith. "You didn't tell me about---"
"That was pre-Christmas news, and we were enjoying the quiet," Faith said with a shrug. "Didn't think you needed to know just yet."
"He... he really did that?" Buffy asked.
Faith nodded.
Buffy shuddered. "I didn't know it was so bad. I mean, I knew it was bad. But, I didn't know it was überbad." She looked around the room. "Where is he now?"
Anita spoke. "Last we heard, he went north."
"But, you don't know---"
"We're working on it," Anita told her.
"What are you doing to do to him?" Buffy asked, glancing at Willow.
Willow shared a look with Jean-Claude before he answered her question. "Nothing, unless provoked, mademoiselle. We are looking out for him because we need to know if he enters our territory again. Surely you understand that," he said as he took the pictures and put them into the drawer again.
"I don't know where he is," Buffy said honestly. "I haven't spoken to him since he left England." She straightened her shoulders and looked at the vamipre. "Is my interrogation over now? Have I passed whatever test you set out for me?"
Jean-Claude nodded. "Oui, you have. Do not resent me so. There are too many responsibilities upon my plate and many people requiring my protection."
Buffy sighed. "You didn't need to be so mean about it," she muttered. She looked at Jean-Claude again. "Will there be any more tests?"
He shook his head. "Non, we are done." He turned and looked at the trio on the sofa before settling his gaze upon Willow. "Et, ma chérie, I do not appreciate being questioned like that in front of guests."
As if he knew what Willow was going to do, Nathaniel moved. Willow wasn't even entirely sure what she was doing until she was standing in front of the Master of the City. She did know, though, that it was her will---or, rather, her instinct---that was carrying her across the room.
Buffy rose to Willow's defense. Faith and Anita stopped her from interrupting them.
Willow didn't know if she should go with vampire or werewolf procedure, so she did what she thought would convey the message correctly. She knelt in front of him and tilted her head to the side. Her hair swung down her back and her neck was exposed.
Jean-Claude dropped to his knees, too. He put his hands on Willow's shoulder and hip to steady her as he drew closer; instead of biting her skin, he pressed his lips to Asher's bite marks and sucked on the skin. He then lifted his head so he could look at her. He said, "D'accord." He pulled back and stood; he helped her to stand as well. "I trust your judgement, ma chérie, but you need to trust mine as well."
"I usually do," she confessed, "but Buffy isn't a part of the kiss. I..."
"Feared for her life, with a federal marshall in the room?" Jean-Claude asked, looking amused. He reached out and with one finger, he briefly caressed the bridge of her nose. Then, he teased her by saying, "If you ever disobey or question me again in public, you know I will be sending you to the dungeon, d'accord?"
Willow grinned. "Asher's dungeon?" she asked, smiling at him for the first time since he started to test Buffy.
Buffy cleared her throat and then interjected. "Asher has a dungeon? You threaten to send people there?"
Nathaniel chuckled drowsily. "It's such a fun place," he purred.
The redhead turned her head away from Jean-Claude and she looked at the blonde slayer. "It's not a prison, Buffy. It's like... a play room."
"Oh. Ohhh."
Buffy flushed, sat down, and fell silent after realising exactly what sort of play room they had.
Willow turned back to the Master of the City. "Are we okay?" she asked quietly.
He nodded. "Bien sûr," he assured her. "There was not much of a problem to begin with," he added quietly as he smiled more. He stepped back and took Anita's hand again. "Now, I suspect you will have plans this week, while you are here, mademoiselle?"
Buffy looked to Willow. They shared a silent moment and then Willow nodded and spoke. "We had a few sightseeing things planned, but mostly, it's just hanging out and catching up."
"D'accord, if you need anything while you are staying here, you can always turn to us for assistance," Jean-Claude told Buffy.
"Thanks," Buffy said with a small smile. She rose to her feet and then said, "Do you know the werewolf my sister's smitten with... by any chance?" Willow and Anita both coughed to hide their laughter. Faith grinned. Asher and Nathaniel chuckled softly. Buffy looked around at them, and then back at Jean-Claude, whose facial expression hadn't changed. "I take that as a 'yes?'" she asked.
Jean-Claude nodded. "He is my pomme de sang, so you may say I know him quite well," he said after his lips curved into a smile. "I'm sure you will see him around, as he is also Willow's pack member and second familiar."
"You don't... object?"
The black-haired vampire shrugged. "Why would I? He deserves happiness and she seems to make him so."
"Hrm. Good point, I guess."
"My advice is to remain unbiased until you meet him," Jean-Claude suggested. "He is a good friend to many... difficult to dislike."
Willow smiled. "He's one of the first people I met here," she told Buffy.
The witch thought about her first night in St. Louis and how she had been discovered by Asher and given Jason's food. She thought about the other people with whom she had talked during those earlier days, and as her past caught up with the present, her attention to the group around her waned.
She hadn't immediately recognised the murder victim---or sacrifice, as she appeared to be---but when she thought back to her beginning in St. Louis, she realised who it had been.
The floor was hard; it hadn't been very forgiving when she collapsed under the shock and power of the memory of the girl she had first met near Guilty Pleasures. Asher's arms wrapped around her but she didn't hear Buffy's and Faith's cries. She didn't hear Nathaniel's whimper or Anita's shout. There was a strange ringing in her ears, something only shock could incite, and it blocked out a lot of the noise around her.
"Mon colibri?"
She lifted her head and found herself looking into Asher's eyes. It was not his arms, then, around her, she quickly realised. A quick turn of her head saw Jean-Claude supporting her from behind as Anita crouched near them. Asher was, though, holding her hands; his thumbs were brushing over her knuckles as his fingers squeezed hers.
"I... I..."
"Willow?" Buffy asked as she hovered near the trio.
The witch swallowed hard. "I'm okay," she whispered roughly. "Really. I... I just... he was right. I did know her."
"The murder victim?" Anita asked.
Willow nodded and looked at the necromancer. "Y-yeah," she replied. "I knew who she was. We met...once."
"You hired a pros---"
At Asher's question, she quickly shook her head. "No... no. But, my first night here... she sat me down and spent some time with me."
The blond vampire nodded. "She was the one who gave you the drink and cigarette," he said, not asking a question. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I did not think those were your vices, mon colibri."
"What was her name?" Anita asked.
"Kim... she said that she was called K-kim."
"Do not tell the police yet, ma petite," Jean-Claude said as he passed Willow to Asher and turned to his own human servant. "S'il te plaît," he insisted. "I do not want thatman to have more ammunition against our fifth."
Anita bowed her head for a moment, seemingly in thought, before she straightened and nodded. "Yeah, okay," she agreed. "I'll keep it quiet." She looked down at Willow, who was huddled in Asher's embrace. "Did you see her since then?"
The witch shook her head. "No, not since she left me outside the club," she replied. "It's nothing personal... it can't be. We weren't close. She didn't know anything about me---"
"She obviously remembered you, though."
Willow nodded. "Yeah," she mumbled. "She must have."
"What is going on?" Buffy demanded.
Asher helped Willow to her feet as Anita and Jean-Claude explained how Willow had become involved with police matters from time to time---either as an expert or suspect---through Anita's involvement with the police. Anita also, briefly, explained how it seemed that lately the RPIT squad was having problems supporting vampires and lycanthropes in their city.
Buffy frowned. "It happens a lot," she said. "I've seen a few bad situations. The hellmouth in Boston was the worst. More were coming in---demons of a million other varieties, too---and the hellmouth was causing so much bad mojo that it affected everyone. Even the nulls were more aggressive and angry."
"But there's no hellmouth here," Willow said.
The blonde shrugged. "It can still happen, Will. You know that."
She nodded. "Yeah, I do." With a sigh, she leaned back into Asher's arms. He kissed her cheek. "I think you have had enough excitement for one evening, mon colibri."
Willow smiled. She agreed, but she didn't want Buffy to think she couldn't handle herself. She straightened and made herself step out of the security Asher constantly offered her.
"Buffy, how about---"
There was a knock. With Jean-Claude's permission, the newcomer opened the door. Willow saw red hair before green eyes; she knew it was Damian, but not before Faith knew it was him.
The couple shared a quick kiss before Damian put his hands on her belly and smiled at the baby growing inside of her. "How are you both?" he asked quietly.
"Fine," Faith said confidently. "We're both fine. B's here," she continued, stepping back and motioning to the blonde slayer. "Dawn's sister."
Damian extended his hand for a polite shake. As Buffy accepted the gesture, the red-haired vampire said, "I suspect 'B' stands for something?"
The blonde smiled. "Buffy. Nice it meet you Damian."
"Likewise." His gaze darted around the room. "Have I interrupted something?"
Jean-Claude shook his head but it was Anita that answered his question. "Nah, we were just dealing with the usual sort of thing."
"Council or crime?" Damian asked.
"Crime," Anita replied. "Just crime."
"Ah." He slid an arm around Faith's shoulders. "Does anyone object if I take Faith home for the night?"
Willow smiled. She glanced at Buffy and found that the other slayer was smiling, too. They shared a brief look, one of amusement, and then they focused on the conversation around them.
"No... are you going to the Circus?" Anita asked.
"If that is alright with you," Damian said with a nod.
Anita smiled. "Yeah, of course," she murmured.
Nathaniel was standing. He hugged the vampire---much to the redhead's surprise, Willow noted.
"Have a good sleep," Nathaniel murmured. He was so close to Damian; Willow wondered how uncomfortable the vampire was in that moment since he did seem to have trouble with men that loved men.
She was surprised when Damian put one arm around the wereleopard and embraced him in return. "You know I don't sleep," he said quietly.
"Yeah, but... y'know..."
Damian smiled and gently nudged Nathaniel away. The wereleopard seemed very pleased with himself. Willow wondered if it was because he had managed to get a substantial hug from the vampire.
"Why doesn't Buffy come, too?" Faith suggested. "We can drop her at Dawn's, can't we?"
"If she does not object to flying, since I do not have a car tonight, then I can take her to the loft."
Faith grinned. "C'mon, B. You have to try this."
"F-flying?" Buffy asked. "Some vampires can fly?"
"Oui," Asher told her, as Jean-Claude nodded. "It is a sign of power, I suppose. Some... fledgings, I suppose you would call them, do not necessarily possess such a skill."
"Damian can carry two people at a time?"
"Not across the state, but a few blocks should be no problem," Damian said with a smirk.
Buffy smiled. "Well... okay, cool. If you don't mind..."
"Not at all."
Willow touched Buffy's arm. "I'll call you tomorrow when I wake up, okay?"
The blonde slayer nodded. "Sure," she said, smiling more. "Get some rest, okay?"
Willow nodded, too. "I will."
AUTHOR: 38gnihsurc
RATING: en.sea.xvii overall
PAIRINGS: All the pairings from the previous two stories---and some new ones, too
SPOILERS: Up until Micah for AB; the whole TV series for the Buffyverse; Alive at Last and Living Underground.
WARNINGS: A little bit of fur... bdsm... the usuals for Anita's crazy, crazy world.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone---except for any original characters that I whip up to do my bidding ;)
NOTE: This story is a sequel to Living Underground.
Previous chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9-11, 12, 13, 14-5, 16-7, 18-9
PART TWENTY
When Clay came and tapped her on the shoulder to tell her she has a call in the office, Willow nearly screamed with relief. Asher had been teasing her, Jason had been teasing her, and Jean-Claude had been enjoying it all. Meanwhile, Faith and Buffy had been pretty close to oblivious to most of Willow's torment.
She was ushered into the hallway, but Clay veered for the employees' entrance and tucked her into a nearby alcove. "Clay, what---"
"The cops are here looking for you," he said. "They're in Jean-Claude's office now. Anita's with them. She told Jean-Claude to bring you here and tell you what's going on, first."
Willow frowned. "I didn't do anything, Clay."
He nodded. "I know it, she knows it. The cops... well..."
"Tell me what I need to know," Willow insisted, not knowing how long Dolph would wait before breaking down doors and shooting the vampires and werewolves doing their jobs. "She obviously wanted me filled in before I got my ass dragged out of here."
Clay nodded. "She also wanted to avoid a scene, if possible, but I don't know how long Mr. High And Mighty will willingly stay inside the boss' office."
Willow managed a wan smile. Clay sucked in a sharp breath and told her everything he knew: a local prostitute was found dead, she was found in the middle of some seriously bad magic mojo, and she had a couple of newspaper clippings with Willow's photo or name printed on them. By the time he had finished explaining everything to her, she was nervous. If Dolph was leading the investigation, she was screwed.
"But, I don't know any prostitutes!" Willow exclaimed.
Clay shuddered. "Could you please not be scared? You're making me scared."
Willow shivered and sighed. She tried to rebuild her shields---they had been mostly down for so long---but it was difficult to do with the impending doom in Jean-Claude's office.
"You wanna know what the cops said when they saw Nathaniel all tied up and bent over the desk?"
The witch looked up and snorted. "I'd rather hear what Nathaniel said," she confessed. She was glad Clay was trying to cheer her mood.
Clay's lips twitched into a smile. "He told the cops that he'd prefer it if they didn't rescue him because he liked his captor's paddle," he admitted. As Willow's fear gave way to amusement, he said, "I didn't hear it first hand. That's what Byron told me before he went backstage."
"I bet the police loved that," Willow murmured.
"If you wanna feed a little from me before going in there, I don't mind if you do it now," he said.
"You're a guard. You're not food."
He shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't think it's wise to go in there on empty. Jean-Claude's still introducing Byron, so he's not in there, yet, either."
"But you're a guard."
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Lemme drag Jason out of the quiet room. Will you feed from him?"
"He's Jean-Claude's," Willow replied quietly. She smiled at Clay's exasperated facial expression. "It's okay. I'm kind of being difficult on purpose because I don't wanna feed off of anyone. Look, I'll go in there, sit next to Asher and Nathaniel, and Asher can help me control it and Nathaniel, maybe, can feed me."
"I don't see how that's different, but we probably shouldn't wait around too much longer."
Willow touched his arm. She was brushing her new metaphysical power through him before she could control herself. He was so strong and full of thoughts and emotions he kept hidden from everyone; the power was rifling through him, almost excited at the prospect of so many secrets, and she didn't know how to rein it in.
"Willow..."
She frowned and closed her eyes as a fresh wave of Clay's sadness washed through her, accompanied by flashes of memories upon which she couldn't focus. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to do it. I thought I was better at this, but lately, my control's been shot."
"I'm gonna get your hand off my arm now," Clay said as she strummed through his anger. She caught glimpses of people and places, but she didn't understand what any of it meant. The bodyguard growled. "I don't wanna do this, because it's kinda like deliberately hurting my charge, but you're gripping kinda tight and I am not letting you go through everything in my head---"
"Your heart," Willow corrected.
He growled again. "Especially in there," he decided before throwing his arm---and Willow---into the air. Willow detatched from his arm with the force of the movement and she slid across the hall. Dazed, she looked up at him. He frowned over her. "You okay?" he asked quietly.
She nodded. Once she had been forced to let go of him, the power had receded and she could think more clearly. "Thanks," she murmured. "I didn't mean for that to happen."
"You really need a regular meal," he said quietly. "At least until you have better control," he added.
She nodded again. "I know. I just don't want to admit it," she muttered as she pushed herself up. She hissed as her sore hip slid across the floor again. "Oh, I need a vacation," she whispered while pushing herself into a sitting position.
"Maybe after Buffy leaves," he suggested.
Willow slowly rose to a standing position. "Maybe," she agreed. Then, she glanced towards the doorway to the club's main rooms and frowned. "Oh, shoot. What am I gonna do about Buffy? If they take me in for questioning---" she stopped and smiled. "Okay, I never thought I'd be used to going into RPIT for interrogation."
Clay cracked a smile. "No kidding," he said. "If you end up hauled out of here, I'll make sure Buffy gets back to Dawn's place. Damian said he was going to be picking Faith up himself."
Willow nodded. "Okay. I should probably go in there."
"Don't touch anyone," he advised.
The witch snorted. "Good tip."
&&&&
Asher knew something was wrong the moment Willow entered the office. Her eyes were brighter and darker, all at the same time, and her skin was ashen. She looked shaken, and he wasn't entirely sure that it had anything to do with the police waiting for her in the office.
She had pushed him away. He didn't like that. She barely paid any attention to the policemen---Dolph, Zerbrowski, and Reynolds---and made a beeline for the back of the office. As she passed Anita, there was a crackle of energy that had attracted the police's witch's attention, and then Asher knew that Anita knew what was wrong with the redhead.
It didn't take long for Asher to figure it out. He put the augmentation of energy together with the hungry look in Willow's eyes and he guessed it was the ardeur that was bothering her.
"Mon colibri," he whispered. "The police would like to ask you some questions."
"I think this is ridiculous," Anita said. "She could be a vampire or witch junkie. She could've gotten herself in with the wrong crowd. It wasn't Willow."
"I'll be the judge of that," Dolph snapped.
"She's not feeling too good right now," Anita protested. "We can do this tomorrow---"
"No way in Hell, Anita."
Anita sighed loudly. "She's worked with us! She's helped us solve cases! She's solved your cases when you couldn't! She isn't the killer!"
"Anita, please, don't," Willow whispered.
Asher stepped up to Anita and very quietly, whispered in her ear, "The strong emotions. She's been having trouble shielding lately... it's just been today, but it has been a difficult day."
"Oh."
Willow whirled around and glared at them both. "Y'know, I really don't like it when you two talk about me behind my back," she growled.
"Lover's spat?" Dolph inquired.
"Stay out of it!" Willow snapped.
Anita and Asher shared a look and then Asher quickly nodded to Nathaniel, who slid to the floor, wearing nothing but a pair of jogging shorts. The wereleopard wrapped his body around Willow's legs and started to purr. Willow fought the contact; she grabbed Nathaniel's ponytail and tugged. Her actions made the policemen want to act, however Nathaniel only closed his eyes and purred more loudly.
"I'm not hurting him," Willow said, snarling at Dolph.
"Notre chaton, es-tu prête?" Asher asked as he prepared to put his plan into motion.
Nathaniel nodded and continued to purr. The pain, coming from the hands of his mistress, only added to his pleasure. He hadn't received the release he had sought, earlier in the office, because they had been interrupted. Willow's sharp tugs on his hair made him shiver and blush. His purr intensified with each tug.
Asher took Anita's hand in hers and he pushed outwards with their power. It took him only one attempt to puncture Willow's shields and then they metaphysically poured Nathaniel's contentment into her, through Anita and through the wereleopard himself. Asher ignored the policemen; he remained focused upon his human servant and he tried to give her enough pleasant emotions with which she could feed the ardeur.
When they were finished, Asher shielded for them both. Willow looked up, her eyes were brighter---but not darker. She smiled a bit and blushed. "I should be pissed at both of you," she murmured. "But... thanks. I needed that. I almost fed from Clay, but it was like... out of control."
Tammy Reynolds looked from Willow to Anita and said, "What are you two?!"
"Witch. Necromancer."
Willow and Nathaniel both smothered little laughs at Anita's response. Asher smiled and watched as Willow dropped to her knees and hugged the wereleopard. They talked quietly for a few minutes. Willow kissed his cheek and hugged him. Nathaniel beamed at Anita and Asher over Willow's shoulder. Anita scowled until Asher squeezed her hand affectionately.
"He is her familiar," Asher reminded her quietly. He ignored the look of surprise on the Christian witch's face. "He wants to serve and she needs support."
Anita's scowl had melted after Nathaniel said: "Anita, don't be mad. She just gives good hugs... and I always want one after Asher's done with me."
Asher couldn't stifle his laughter when he saw Anita's face turn crimson.
&&&&
When she felt better, Willow kissed Nathaniel's cheek again and slowly pulled away from him. She rose to her feet and stretched the muscles in her back slowly. She rolled each shoulder a couple of times and after a deep breath she turned to face the policemen.
"Why do you think it was me?"
"She was collecting clippings about you," Dolph said as he held up a folder of plastic-sealed documents. He looked a little unnerved; Willow wondered if it was because of the change in moods and the events that led to the change. "Seems like a good enough reason. Do you have many groupies?"
The witch shrugged. "No, not that I know of. I do some work for Animators Incorporated, I work for you guys when you can stand to be in the same room as me... I work at Feral Byte. I don't really make it into the news for those things." She paused and then added, "No one in the press knows I'm an able witch."
That was a lie. Irving Griswold, a pack member, was a member of the print media. He knew she was Lupa and she knew she was a powerful witch; however, he promised her he wouldn't report those things unless she told him he could. She trusted him because Richard and Anita trusted him, so she knew her secrets were safe.
"But, you've been in pictures on his arm," Dolph said, motioning to Asher.
Willow nodded and smiled. "Of course. He's the Master of the City's second in command. I'm his human servant. When there are public events where he's needed, I'm there on his arm. I wouldn't be anywhere else."
Dolph made a sound of disgust in the back of his throat. Zerbrowski looked about ready to say something lecherous, but when Anita shook her head slightly, his smile faded and he pouted a little.
"Those are the pictures she's collected."
"Maybe she wanted to be a human servant?"
Anita sighed. "Dolph, get on with it, okay?"
"She knows the dead girl. She's been seen around these parts," Dolph said, to no one in particular. "In my gut, I know these two knew each other. I'll bet anything, she sacrificed the girl for some ritual. Was she snooping around your boyfriend, witch?"
Willow frowned. "Would you just show me the pictures? I know you have pictures. You're itching to see my reaction."
Dolph grimaced but he put the folder down on the desk. He opened it and showed her a photograph of a girl, lying on an altar. There was something familiar about the girl, but Willow couldn't place that familiarity. She looked at the altar and felt her mind become even more muddled. The symbols engraved there were familiar, too, but the memories were distant and felt as unobtainable as mist or clouds.
"Admiring your handiwork?"
Willow shook her head. "No," she replied calmly. "I just... can't put my finger on it... what those symbols mean, I mean. I know I've seen them before, but... I don't know what they mean."
Tammy stepped forward. "Are you sure? I haven't been able to find them in any of my books. My coven didn't know what they were, either."
Willow bit her tongue. She wanted to tell the Christian witch that her coven probably wouldn't know what they were because they denied so much of themselves and of the world around them. She didn't think telling Tammy that would be a good tactic, though, so she remained silent.
"Could I have a copy of---"
"Absolutely not," Dolph interjected.
Anita sighed again. "Dolph, if she can help---"
"She probably did it."
"I didn't!" Willow yelped.
Dolph opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped when Jean-Claude stepped in, followed by a man wearing a suit. He glared at Anita and crossed his arms. Jean-Claude smiled a little and held up a hand in gesture to his guest.
"Bonsoir," he said calmly. "Mr. McNamara has some evidence that I believe we should see. Ma petite, at what time did the murder take place?"
"Seven-thirty," Anita said.
"But I---"
Jean-Claude beamed at Willow. "Exactement!" He motioned to the other man and said, "My lawyer has something he would like to share with your police friends, ma petite."
At Anita's nod, the lawyer held up what looked like a small and portable DVD player. "Ms. Rosenberg was at the airport, with witnesses, and she was on tape at the time," he said in a smooth, cultured voice. "I have just been with the security there, and they offered me a copy of their footage. If you would like to watch it, Detective Storr?"
Dolph growled wordlessly under his breath.
&&&&
PART TWENTY-ONE
Nathaniel left first, during the first showing of the viedo surveillance. He had to get ready for his show; Willow was relieved to see that her feeding from him hadn't drained him completely.
Once the police and lawyer were gone from the office, Anita slumped against Jean-Claude's desk and sighed. After running a hand through her hair, she looked at Willow and said, "He really wanted to arrest you."
"I could tell. I didn't do it, though."
Anita nodded. "I know." She crossed her arms, shivered, and then ran her hands up and down her upper arms as if to warm them. "That whole place has bad mojo. Gives me the creeps going in there."
"Could be your perception of their reaction to you," Willow suggested in a quiet voice.
Jean-Claude stepped to Anita's side and put an arm around her shoulders. "Thank you for giving us warning, ma petite," he murmured. "I was able to procur the footage quickly."
"I like to do things by the book, but Dolph isn't playing with a full deck anymore. Half the time, I don't even know if he's still in there, y'know?"
"You mean like a demon's possessed him?" Willow asked.
Anita frowned. "I... um... no?"
Willow shrugged. "It's not unheard of, that's all," she said.
When Asher wrapped his arms around Willow, she didn't fight the embrace. She leaned into it and closed her eyes. "Sorry about earlier, guys," she whispered. "I should've been more careful."
"It is still a learning curve," Asher whispered back. "I am glad we were able to help you feed."
"Without triggering ma petite's hunger," Jean-Claude added, "because that would have been disagreeable."
Willow smiled and opened her eyes to look at the Master of the City. "A little bit, you think?" she joked. At the vampire's shrug, she smiled again before snuggling into Asher's hug. "I will eventually get a grip on this," she told them all, "but, I think I need to start shopping for a pomme."
Asher's grip upon her tightened for a moment. He kissed her temple. "Are you certain?"
"I don't want accidents to keep happening," she murmured as she opened her eyes and looked up into his face. "I was going through Clay's emotions before I even knew what was happening. It wasn't controlled, like before, either." She sighed and averted her gaze. "I don't think I've been feeding by casual touch anymore. I think my shielding... got stronger."
"It is possible, ma chérie," Jean-Claude agreed. "You were not aware of the effect your touch could cause... you said you did not want to enslave anyone or feed from them without their will. This could be a manifestation of your own will."
Anita frowned. "I know the idea can be unseemly. Especially with all the political stuff," she said as she looked to Willow. "For now, if you want to feed from Nathaniel... or any of my leopards in an unofficial capacity, I'll make sure someone's always close by."
Willow was touched by Anita's graciousness. By other standards, it wasn't much. But, for Anita, it was a big gesture. She smiled and told Anita she appreciated it.
Her smile vanished from her face, however, when she realised she had left Buffy and Faith in the club while she had disappeared into one of the offices. When Asher asked her what she was thinking, she told him; he kissed her temple and told her that if she felt well enough, she could rejoin them. But, the witch wasn't entirely sure she should go back into the crowds and risk touching other people.
"Perhaps," Jean-Claude said, "it is time for you to learn a new lesson."
"What?" Anita asked.
"I can take her upon the stage during Nathaniel's act. I can teach her to feed by feeding upon the crowd's lust. She can feed upon their fear and excitement---"
"Provided she doesn't terrify the audience!"
"Then, simply their excitement," Jean-Claude amended. "But, she should learn... she can teach our fifth when he comes to his senses, because he will not submit to a lesson and he will not come here to willingly stand upon the stage."
Willow frowned. "Are you sure? I mean, with Buffy and Faith in the audience---"
"You can invite them to this office afterwards," he said. "But, tonight's display... ma chérie, if this happened while you were at the police station, you could have been condemned to much worse than an interrogation."
The witch sighed. She knew Jean-Claude was right. She just didn't want to learn how to feed the ardeur from a distance while Buffy and Faith were in the audience. She wasn't bothered by the idea of the Master of the City feeding off of their lusts, but she was bothered by the idea of her having to feed from their emotions.
"Anita and I will be in the wings," Asher promised her quietly. "We will not let anything 'bad' happen."
"Is it a flogging routine?" Willow asked.
Jean-Claude nodded. "It will be best, because you will not necessarily be touching him, skin-to-skin. You won't be tempted to feed through that contact. If it were a pairs dance this evening, then being upon the stage with him would not be best. I will walk you through the initial swings of the whip and I will remain close behind you to tell you how to let down your shields."
With a nod, the redhead looked at Anita. "Does this bother you?" she asked.
Anita shrugged. "A lot of it bothers me," she admitted. "But, you do need to learn how to deal with this. So, surprisingly, I'm okay right now. I know much wouldn't change if I said it did bother me, but I do appreciate it."
"We're finally getting along," Willow said, smiling again. "I don't think the guys'd like it much if we went back to the catfighting and yelling and stuff."
"Non," both vampires said at the same time.
There was a knock upon the door. Byron poked his head in to say Nathaniel would be on the stage in five minutes. Jean-Claude offered Willow his arm; she accepted and walked with him, while Asher and Anita trailed behind them.
&&&&
She knew the slayers were waiting for her in the office, but Willow didn't want to leave the quiet room. Nathaniel was curled up against her, his leg draped over hers; his breath was tickling her neck; his hair covered them both and scented the air around them with vanilla and stage smoke.
"This is so nice," Willow whispered.
"Mmmhmmm," Nathaniel hummed before he resumed purring quietly in her ear.
"I have to get up."
The purring stopped. "Noooo," he whined.
She smiled and snuggled into him. "No worries... not yet," she promised as she slipped an arm around him and inched closer. "You're not pack, but it feels so good to be here like this, with you."
"It's because I'm your familiar," he said, sounding very matter-of-fact. "And because you're my mistress."
Willow turned her head a bit so she could kiss his forehead. "Well, what does the second reason have to do with it?"
"We're close. We share something with Asher," he explained.
She nodded and closed her eyes. Nathaniel's hand found her lower back; he slipped under her shirt and slowly caressed the skin he found there as he resumed his purring. Willow sighed and snuggled into the wereleopard. He kissed her forehead, the way she had to his moments ago, before falling still and silent.
The feeding lesson had gone well. It had been stranger than she had expected it would be. If she had been trying to do it on her own, she would have simply lowered her shields and riffled through the feelings in the air around her. However, Jean-Claude taught her to simply open a hole in his shields; she learned to envision a window opening in her house and through that window, she reached out into the air around her. Her powers sought the strongest waves of excitement pouring from hearts and she tugged on them, as if they were strings. Slowly, with Jean-Claude's instruction, she learned to draw those strings of emotion in through the window in her shields.
It didn't feel the same as it did when she drew feelings into her before. But, she reasoned that it felt different because she had kept most of her shields in place---instead of lowering all of her defenses and letting everything come to her. It was a good sort of different, though; she liked knowing she could feed without leaving herself too exposed.
Being on stage, left her feeling plenty exposed already. When the crowd was faceless, she didn't mind so much. They would all go home to their proper lives; they would either forget about their time among the monsters completely, only recognise Willow if she were in the club or surrounded by the dancers and management, or they would recognise her as a prominent human servant and leave it at that.
However, when Faith and Buffy were in the audience, Willow found that she minded.
Faith hadn't blinked an eye when she saw Willow joining Jean-Claude and Nathaniel upon the stage. Buffy, on the other hand, widened her eyes and stiffened her spine. She looked confused and when Willow took the multi-tailed flogger, she looked beyond confused---and a little sickened by what she was seeing. She looked at Faith and when she saw that the other slayer was perfectly at ease---and cat-calling with the rest of the women, although more for Willow than for 'Brandon'---she seemed even more perplexed by the experience.
The last time Buffy had been in St. Louis, she hadn't seen Willow's part in one of Nathaniel's performances.
Willow had been whisked from the stage to the small, dimly lit room without a moment in between. She was not looking forward to facing Buffy and her questions---another reason she did not want to go to Jean-Claude's office.
Asher nudged her metaphysical shields. Instants later, she heard his voice in her mind; he wanted to know if she had rested enough.
"Nuh uh," Willow mumbled. "Go'way."
Nathaniel chuckled. "Are you trying to talk to Asher?"
"He wants to know if I'm ready to go back to the office," she told the wereleopard. "I'm not."
"We can cuddle in there."
Willow sighed. "Yeah, but Anita could be in there and she doesn't like it when we cuddle."
"Hmmm... let's get it all out of our systems then," he murmured playfully.
The witch opened her mouth to ask him what he meant by that, but before she could say anything he had wrapped all of his limbs around her and tucked his face into her neck and shoulder. His purring increased in volume and seemed to vibrate through her entire body.
That was how Asher found them a few moments later.
He closed the door; neither of them flinched. Willow didn't open her eyes until he moved closer to them.
"Do you know what this scene does to me?" Asher asked quietly as he smirked and looked down. "Seeing the two of you intertwined makes my blood travel to lower regions..." he trailed off and crouched down next to their huddled forms. "Is this for my benefit?"
"No, Anita's," Nathaniel replied, the rumbling ceasing only enough so he could speak clearly. "She doesn't like it when we cuddle, so we're trying not to make her jealous... getting it out of our systems now."
"She has been much better," Asher reminded them.
Nathaniel shrugged slightly. "I don't wanna rub her nose in it, y'know?"
Asher nodded and brushed his fingers along Willow's ribcage before following Nathaniel's arm to his shoulder. "We have been waiting. Jean-Claude is still upon the stage, but he will not be there for much longer. He has nearly fed enough." He kissed the side of Willow's head after moving to kneel so he could get closer to their bodies. "You should come and join your friends, mon colibri."
She sighed. "But, I'm so comfy on the floor with the pillows and my kitten," she complained.
The vampire chuckled and moved his legs to sit and then to stretch out next to his human servant. Willow pressed back against him at Nathaniel's insistent wriggling. One of his legs moved to include Asher.
A few minutes passed before Asher insisted they move.
"We are being rude, mon colibri et chaton," he said. "I am now quite reluctant to leave, but we cannot leave your guest. I believe if we include Anita in this closeness, she will not be so bothered."
"You might be right," Nathaniel agreed.
"Do I have to move?" Willow asked.
Asher chuckled and kissed the back of her neck. "Non, I will carry you both if you wish."
"You can do that?"
Nathaniel nodded. "It'll be awkward, but he can do it." He paused, sighed, shivered, and then said, "He's very strong."
Willow smiled and craned her neck to look at Asher. "You can?"
The vampire nodded, too. "I can, but if you are able to walk---"
"Mmmno," she murmured. "I'm well-fed and lazy."
Asher laughed again. "I can see that," he commented affectionately. He kissed her temple and then extricated himself from their pile. "Did you mind feeding from a distance?" he inquired. He stroked her back as he asked his question.
Willow shivered and sighed. "No, it was different than I would have done it. I felt... a bit more protected than I did when we were testing it before."
He nodded. He watched as Willow and Nathaniel separated---and as his human servant rose into a sitting position. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Asher didn't resist the urge to touch her; he put his hands on either side of her ribcage and slid them up and down her body. She shivered and smiled.
"I don't want to leave, but, I guess I better go check on Buffy," Willow told him. "She seemed kinda freaked out when I was on stage."
"You did nothing wrong," he reminded her.
She smiled and kissed him. "I know that," she murmured, "but, what I know and what she believes... kind of two different things."
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. Willow closed her eyes when she felt his hand gently massaging the back of her neck. "She will understand," he assured her. "You will arrive safe and content and she will realise that your new life is good for you."
"So good for me," Willow whispered as she wriggled towards him. She hugged him and tucked her face into his shoulder and neck. "I mean," she added, mumbling, "I could do without the feeding thing, but it's not so bad."
She felt Asher hug her in return. After he kissed her shoulder, he eased them off of the ground, keeping Willow balanced on one hip. She responded by wrapping her arms and legs around him, so she wouldn't fall or make carrying her more difficult.
Nathaniel made a quiet noise of protest. Asher chuckled. "Viens ici, mon chaton," he insisted while beckoning with his free hand. "I can carry you as well."
"Mmmm, okay," the auburn-haired man said before fluidly moving from his position sprawled on the floor to a standing position next to them. Carefully, he climbed Asher's body and snuggled into the vampire the same way Willow had done when she had been carried. Then, the wereleopard reached over and put his hands on Willow's arms. "This is nice, too," he whispered.
Willow chuckled. "We're gonna look pretty silly walking down the hall like this," she commented.
"Don't care."
Asher laughed next. He kissed Willow's lips, then Nathaniel's forehead, before setting off for the door. Willow, knowing that he had his hands full, lifted her hand and whispered a spell that would open the door in front of them.
"Merci, mon colibri," Asher said as he stepped through the door and into Byron's surprised face.
"Weren't you leaving a while ago?" Nathaniel asked sleepily.
"Luv, weren't you able to walk a while ago?" Byron shot back.
The wereleopard grinned.
Asher chuckled softly and motioned towards Jean-Claude's office. "Byron, could you open the door, please?"
"Sure thing, Boss," Byron replied with a smile. He went to the other door and opened it, allowing Asher to enter; he closed it after the trio were well inside the room.
Buffy jumped out of her chair and to her feet, restrained by Faith's hand on her arm. When Faith told her that Willow was fine, Buffy said: "But she doesn't look it. She looks like she's hurt or something!"
"I was the only one hurt on the stage," Nathaniel purred. "And I liked it."
Willow chuckled from her rest on Asher's shoulder. "Buffy, I'm fine. Just well-fed and really, really lazy."
"What do you mean? Fed?"
"The ardeur," Anita said, as if she thought that would explain everything.
Anita didn't appear to be jealous; if anything, Willow would have guessed she seemed amused. The corners of her lips twitched and she rose from her perch on Jean-Claude's desk to meet the three in the middle of the room.
"I felt it," she told them. "But I'm not drained or anything."
"I was only taking a little off the top, each time," Willow said. "I didn't think it was a lot, but Nathaniel... he's a crowd pleaser."
Nathaniel beamed at Anita as she said, "He certainly is."
Anita helped Asher over to the sofa. She piled on, wedging herself between the arm of the piece of furniture and her animal to call, but she didn't commit to the cuddling as much as Willow did.
"I thought vampires weren't for the snuggling," Faith commented.
Asher laughed softly from behind his curtain of hair. "Would you turn such bounty away, or would you welcome it closer?"
Faith snorted. "Good point, I guess."
The door opened and Jean-Claude stepped inside. His eyes were shining; Willow guessed he had fed quite a bit, too, from the audience. He smiled at everyone, before reaching for Anita. Willow felt a trickle of power going from him to her and she realised he was sharing his power with her as they kissed.
"Mon corbeau..."
Jean-Claude brushed his fingers through Anita's black hair and whispered to her in quiet French before turning and looking to Asher. He smirked when he saw them; he sauntered towards them, high on the energy of the ardeur, and he lowered his torso so he could kiss the blond vampire's mouth.
"I don't think he was asking for a kiss," Willow commented wryly. "I think he was telling you that Buffy's here... and maybe you and Anita shouldn't get too carried away."
The Master of the City opened one eye as he kissed Asher. He was so close to Willow; she had to lift her head up to look at him, but when she did that she also saw them kissing. Her heart seemed to skip several beats. And nearly everyone around her knew that it had happened.
The black-haired vampire pulled back, dragging Asher's lower lip between his teeth as he leaned away. He released it and crouched down in front of Willow. "I do enjoy your appreciation of us together," he teased.
Willow felt Asher's body warming underneath hers. She shivered and looked at the Master of the City. "You gave him some of your power," she commented, avoiding his earlier statement.
"I am master. It is my perogative to share with my témoin and my human servant. Shall I share with his?"
He looked over his shoulder at Anita. Surprisingly, Anita only shrugged. She didn't cross her arms, she didn't pout; she simply shrugged and leaned back against the desk. Willow would have exchanged a look with Nathaniel, but she couldn't have moved enough to look at the wereleopard with Jean-Claude so close to her.
"Viens ici," he insisted.
At Asher's gentle nudge, she leaned forward. Jean-Claude cupped her face in both of his hands; he leaned in and placed a very chaste kiss to her lips.
Willow didn't feel anything immediately. She almost pulled away and asked what was going on, but then she felt the power the Master of the City had stored and was offering to share. It was warm and smooth and it slid through her partially opened shields to brush against her insides. She hadn't thought she could handle anymore energy, but she had been wrong. It slipped through her defenses and joined the energy she had gathered from the audience.
She moaned in complaint when he pulled away. They looked into each other's eyes; she felt as if she were drowning in his blue gaze. It ended suddenly, when he blinked. Willow felt as if she were falling back into herself---it was the only way she could describe it to herself.
"Whoa," she whispered. She shivered and settled against Asher's body. "It's... wow." She realised what she said and blushed. "I mean, the ardeur's power... the different flavour... I've never felt it well-stocked. I've had it when it was empty... I've had my own full and empty... but..."
"And what of my kiss?" Jean-Claude murmured teasingly as he straightened and took Anita's hand in his.
Willow laughed. "Well... it wasn't too bad."
"She wounds me," Jean-Claude complained into Anita's ear.
"You kiss wonderfully and you know it so stop fishing for compliments," Anita reminded him. "Now, Master, would you like to be introduced to our guest?"
"Ah, yes, of course." Jean-Claude turned to Faith first. He smiled and took her hand. After turning it over, he kissed her wrist. He never greeted Faith like that anymore, but Willow suspected he was doing that to show Buffy how it was appropriate to greet the Master of the City. "Ma belle, you look lovely this evening. Is Damian meeting you here after work?"
Faith nodded. "Thanks, Jean-Claude," she murmured more formally than Willow ever thought she would. She wondered if he and Faith had discussed the introduction earlier that evening but didn't ask her question. "He's coming after his shift at Danse Macabre."
"Bon. I have a book of fabric---"
"No, Boss. No."
Jean-Claude smirked. "Non?"
"He's got too many sample books already!" Faith complained. "There are already five possible designs planned and---"
The black-haired vampire's eyes were twinkling. Faith should have known he was playing with her; after a moment, she had realised what was happening and she stopped talking. She pressed her lips together and fought to hide a smile.
"Ma belle, do not deny me the pleasure of teasing you so," he purred. "I could not resist."
When Jean-Claude moved over to taste Buffy's hand, Willow sucked in a slow breath. She didn't know what she was expecting as she watched Jean-Claude take Buffy's hand and turn it so he could kiss her wrist. When Buffy stood her ground without resorting to violence, Willow relaxed into Asher's one-armed embrace again.
"Mademoiselle Summers," Jean-Claude said as he straightened his body. "Welcome to St. Louis. I trust your journey was pleasant?"
"As pleasant as first class can be with two screaming babies," Buffy quipped.
The Master of the City tipped his head and smiled. "I must admit I am looking forward to the sound of a baby's cry, but I can understand how difficult it could be on an airplane," he said in response. "You have found the lodgings at notre aube's apartment to be sufficient?"
Buffy nodded. "I'm concerned about the security measures, but I do appreciate the lengths you went to in order to make sure she's safe."
"She is a part of ma chérie's family. She is, then, someone worth protecting," Jean-Claude said with one of his casual shrugs. "You must miss her."
The slayer nodded again. "Yes... but, she's... she seems to be happy here." She smiled a bit---surprising Willow---and then she spoke. "It's an interesting place you've got here."
Jean-Claude beamed at her. "We make our livings off of being 'interesting,'" he said. "And it is such an enjoyable job to be surrounded by such beauty on a nightly basis."
"Why are you guys so... um, close?"
Willow hid her smile into Asher's shoulder. Nathaniel's grin, however, couldn't be dimmed. He seemed to find Buffy's question very amusing. Asher was smiling from behind his curtain of hair; Anita was looking from Faith, to Jean-Claude, to her feet; Faith smiled and snorted; Jean-Claude grinned.
"What? I heard the rumours, and Will said they were only rumours, but..."
"Ah, my favourite is the one in which in order to be a part of my kiss, every vampire must audition in my bed," Jean-Claude said when she trailed off. "If I did that, I would not be testing all of their skills, n'est-ce pas?" he teased.
Anita rolled her eyes. He smiled at her before returning his focus to Buffy. "There are some in this city... in this country, as well... who disagree with our ways. They find us to be libertines. Their rumours were bult upon truths, madamoiselle. I am an incubus and I was a member of Belle Morte's court. Seduction is and will always be a part of my life. But, I am not without limits and the rumours do not seem to allow for that possibility."
"Oh. But---"
"Your friend is close to my second because she is his human servant. I cherish her for that, because I have loved Asher for centuries. Nathaniel is her familiar and a lycanthrope. If he were not her familiar, he would still seek contact because it is in their nature," he explained. He paused and said, "Does that answer your question?"
"A little bit."
"Bon." He smoothed his hands over his silk shirt and leather pants briefly, before looking back at her. "Now, mademoiselle, we must discuss something."
Buffy nodded. Her eyes darted from Willow to Faith, showing her suspicious thoughts in their expressive depths. Willow wondered what Jean-Claude wanted to discuss with her; she leaned forward, visibly interested.
"There were some protests to your visit," he confessed to the blonde, "because of your previous behavior and because of your friend's actions. He harmed ma chérie, but through her, the rest of us. I will not tolerate his presence in our city. We have been looking for him. If he is lurking outside city limits---"
"I haven't---"
"---or if he is waiting for you to give him information on our operations or our organisations---"
Buffy jumped to her feet. "I wouldn't do that!" she exclaimed. "When Xander told us what he did, I was sick! I couldn't hurt Willow like that!"
"You would have if you had abducted her."
"I would've taken her to the coven. I wouldn't have kidnapped her and shot her full of drugs!" Buffy snapped. "I didn't know she was okay here! The seer told us she was with vampires, werewolves, and a necromancer---Giles was worried and he saw things first hand. When he said it wasn't good, I believed him! We didn't know she was okay!"
The slayer stopped and inhaled deeply. Jean-Claude flicked one of his eyebrows upwards, glanced at Anita, and then continued speaking. "We have let you into our lives, mademoiselle, I had to know if we could trust you."
Buffy glared at him. "You could've just---wait. What do you mean by looking out for him?"
"What do you think I mean by that?"
"Do you know where he's been?" Buffy asked. "We haven't heard from him... I mean, I don't want to talk to him, but still. He's never stayed away this long before."
"Oui, we know where he has been," Jean-Claude said. He left the Executioner and the slayers and he walked around his desk.
When he opened a drawer, Willow realised what he was doing. She spoke up. "Jean-Claude, she doesn't need to see those. Please put them back."
He flicked his gaze to her. "I am master, ma chérie."
Willow sighed. "I know that. I know you make the rules. But, what are you going to gain from showing her what he did to---" she stopped short and shuddered. "Seriously, what are you gonna get from that?"
"The truth."
"She gave you the truth!" Willow exclaimed.
"Trust him, Willow," Asher whispered into her mind. She knew he meant business because he used her first name. She sighed and crossed her arms as she sat and watched Jean-Claude pass an envelope of Edward's photographs to Buffy. Meanwhile, Asher nuzzled her shoulder with his lips. "Do not be mad..." he continued. "Jean-Claude has planned this. You know he has, mon colibri. He needs to know where Buffy's allegiance is... for his kiss, for you, for anyone tied to us. He needs to know we are safe. And, to an extent, he is trying to get to know the core of the sister of the woman who has enraptured his pomme's heart."
Willow turned her head and glared at him. He reached up and touched her cheek; before she could flinch away, she felt herself leaning into his touch.
Nathaniel slid across his lap and rested his head upon her thigh. He was purring again. He was content to put his trust in Jean-Claude and Anita; he knew they would protect him and Willow would have trusted them, too, but she was also worried about Buffy.
As Nathaniel resumed purring, Buffy had looked at the pictures. She gasped and pushed them back into Jean-Claude's pale hands.
"Mademoiselle?"
"Xander couldn't have done that!" Buffy replied, eyes wide. "That was his fiancée!"
"Oui, and you see what he did to her," Jean-Claude said, "all the while believing he was doing what was best. Do you see what he could have done to Willow?"
Buffy looked at Faith. "You didn't tell me about---"
"That was pre-Christmas news, and we were enjoying the quiet," Faith said with a shrug. "Didn't think you needed to know just yet."
"He... he really did that?" Buffy asked.
Faith nodded.
Buffy shuddered. "I didn't know it was so bad. I mean, I knew it was bad. But, I didn't know it was überbad." She looked around the room. "Where is he now?"
Anita spoke. "Last we heard, he went north."
"But, you don't know---"
"We're working on it," Anita told her.
"What are you doing to do to him?" Buffy asked, glancing at Willow.
Willow shared a look with Jean-Claude before he answered her question. "Nothing, unless provoked, mademoiselle. We are looking out for him because we need to know if he enters our territory again. Surely you understand that," he said as he took the pictures and put them into the drawer again.
"I don't know where he is," Buffy said honestly. "I haven't spoken to him since he left England." She straightened her shoulders and looked at the vamipre. "Is my interrogation over now? Have I passed whatever test you set out for me?"
Jean-Claude nodded. "Oui, you have. Do not resent me so. There are too many responsibilities upon my plate and many people requiring my protection."
Buffy sighed. "You didn't need to be so mean about it," she muttered. She looked at Jean-Claude again. "Will there be any more tests?"
He shook his head. "Non, we are done." He turned and looked at the trio on the sofa before settling his gaze upon Willow. "Et, ma chérie, I do not appreciate being questioned like that in front of guests."
As if he knew what Willow was going to do, Nathaniel moved. Willow wasn't even entirely sure what she was doing until she was standing in front of the Master of the City. She did know, though, that it was her will---or, rather, her instinct---that was carrying her across the room.
Buffy rose to Willow's defense. Faith and Anita stopped her from interrupting them.
Willow didn't know if she should go with vampire or werewolf procedure, so she did what she thought would convey the message correctly. She knelt in front of him and tilted her head to the side. Her hair swung down her back and her neck was exposed.
Jean-Claude dropped to his knees, too. He put his hands on Willow's shoulder and hip to steady her as he drew closer; instead of biting her skin, he pressed his lips to Asher's bite marks and sucked on the skin. He then lifted his head so he could look at her. He said, "D'accord." He pulled back and stood; he helped her to stand as well. "I trust your judgement, ma chérie, but you need to trust mine as well."
"I usually do," she confessed, "but Buffy isn't a part of the kiss. I..."
"Feared for her life, with a federal marshall in the room?" Jean-Claude asked, looking amused. He reached out and with one finger, he briefly caressed the bridge of her nose. Then, he teased her by saying, "If you ever disobey or question me again in public, you know I will be sending you to the dungeon, d'accord?"
Willow grinned. "Asher's dungeon?" she asked, smiling at him for the first time since he started to test Buffy.
Buffy cleared her throat and then interjected. "Asher has a dungeon? You threaten to send people there?"
Nathaniel chuckled drowsily. "It's such a fun place," he purred.
The redhead turned her head away from Jean-Claude and she looked at the blonde slayer. "It's not a prison, Buffy. It's like... a play room."
"Oh. Ohhh."
Buffy flushed, sat down, and fell silent after realising exactly what sort of play room they had.
Willow turned back to the Master of the City. "Are we okay?" she asked quietly.
He nodded. "Bien sûr," he assured her. "There was not much of a problem to begin with," he added quietly as he smiled more. He stepped back and took Anita's hand again. "Now, I suspect you will have plans this week, while you are here, mademoiselle?"
Buffy looked to Willow. They shared a silent moment and then Willow nodded and spoke. "We had a few sightseeing things planned, but mostly, it's just hanging out and catching up."
"D'accord, if you need anything while you are staying here, you can always turn to us for assistance," Jean-Claude told Buffy.
"Thanks," Buffy said with a small smile. She rose to her feet and then said, "Do you know the werewolf my sister's smitten with... by any chance?" Willow and Anita both coughed to hide their laughter. Faith grinned. Asher and Nathaniel chuckled softly. Buffy looked around at them, and then back at Jean-Claude, whose facial expression hadn't changed. "I take that as a 'yes?'" she asked.
Jean-Claude nodded. "He is my pomme de sang, so you may say I know him quite well," he said after his lips curved into a smile. "I'm sure you will see him around, as he is also Willow's pack member and second familiar."
"You don't... object?"
The black-haired vampire shrugged. "Why would I? He deserves happiness and she seems to make him so."
"Hrm. Good point, I guess."
"My advice is to remain unbiased until you meet him," Jean-Claude suggested. "He is a good friend to many... difficult to dislike."
Willow smiled. "He's one of the first people I met here," she told Buffy.
The witch thought about her first night in St. Louis and how she had been discovered by Asher and given Jason's food. She thought about the other people with whom she had talked during those earlier days, and as her past caught up with the present, her attention to the group around her waned.
She hadn't immediately recognised the murder victim---or sacrifice, as she appeared to be---but when she thought back to her beginning in St. Louis, she realised who it had been.
The floor was hard; it hadn't been very forgiving when she collapsed under the shock and power of the memory of the girl she had first met near Guilty Pleasures. Asher's arms wrapped around her but she didn't hear Buffy's and Faith's cries. She didn't hear Nathaniel's whimper or Anita's shout. There was a strange ringing in her ears, something only shock could incite, and it blocked out a lot of the noise around her.
"Mon colibri?"
She lifted her head and found herself looking into Asher's eyes. It was not his arms, then, around her, she quickly realised. A quick turn of her head saw Jean-Claude supporting her from behind as Anita crouched near them. Asher was, though, holding her hands; his thumbs were brushing over her knuckles as his fingers squeezed hers.
"I... I..."
"Willow?" Buffy asked as she hovered near the trio.
The witch swallowed hard. "I'm okay," she whispered roughly. "Really. I... I just... he was right. I did know her."
"The murder victim?" Anita asked.
Willow nodded and looked at the necromancer. "Y-yeah," she replied. "I knew who she was. We met...once."
"You hired a pros---"
At Asher's question, she quickly shook her head. "No... no. But, my first night here... she sat me down and spent some time with me."
The blond vampire nodded. "She was the one who gave you the drink and cigarette," he said, not asking a question. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I did not think those were your vices, mon colibri."
"What was her name?" Anita asked.
"Kim... she said that she was called K-kim."
"Do not tell the police yet, ma petite," Jean-Claude said as he passed Willow to Asher and turned to his own human servant. "S'il te plaît," he insisted. "I do not want thatman to have more ammunition against our fifth."
Anita bowed her head for a moment, seemingly in thought, before she straightened and nodded. "Yeah, okay," she agreed. "I'll keep it quiet." She looked down at Willow, who was huddled in Asher's embrace. "Did you see her since then?"
The witch shook her head. "No, not since she left me outside the club," she replied. "It's nothing personal... it can't be. We weren't close. She didn't know anything about me---"
"She obviously remembered you, though."
Willow nodded. "Yeah," she mumbled. "She must have."
"What is going on?" Buffy demanded.
Asher helped Willow to her feet as Anita and Jean-Claude explained how Willow had become involved with police matters from time to time---either as an expert or suspect---through Anita's involvement with the police. Anita also, briefly, explained how it seemed that lately the RPIT squad was having problems supporting vampires and lycanthropes in their city.
Buffy frowned. "It happens a lot," she said. "I've seen a few bad situations. The hellmouth in Boston was the worst. More were coming in---demons of a million other varieties, too---and the hellmouth was causing so much bad mojo that it affected everyone. Even the nulls were more aggressive and angry."
"But there's no hellmouth here," Willow said.
The blonde shrugged. "It can still happen, Will. You know that."
She nodded. "Yeah, I do." With a sigh, she leaned back into Asher's arms. He kissed her cheek. "I think you have had enough excitement for one evening, mon colibri."
Willow smiled. She agreed, but she didn't want Buffy to think she couldn't handle herself. She straightened and made herself step out of the security Asher constantly offered her.
"Buffy, how about---"
There was a knock. With Jean-Claude's permission, the newcomer opened the door. Willow saw red hair before green eyes; she knew it was Damian, but not before Faith knew it was him.
The couple shared a quick kiss before Damian put his hands on her belly and smiled at the baby growing inside of her. "How are you both?" he asked quietly.
"Fine," Faith said confidently. "We're both fine. B's here," she continued, stepping back and motioning to the blonde slayer. "Dawn's sister."
Damian extended his hand for a polite shake. As Buffy accepted the gesture, the red-haired vampire said, "I suspect 'B' stands for something?"
The blonde smiled. "Buffy. Nice it meet you Damian."
"Likewise." His gaze darted around the room. "Have I interrupted something?"
Jean-Claude shook his head but it was Anita that answered his question. "Nah, we were just dealing with the usual sort of thing."
"Council or crime?" Damian asked.
"Crime," Anita replied. "Just crime."
"Ah." He slid an arm around Faith's shoulders. "Does anyone object if I take Faith home for the night?"
Willow smiled. She glanced at Buffy and found that the other slayer was smiling, too. They shared a brief look, one of amusement, and then they focused on the conversation around them.
"No... are you going to the Circus?" Anita asked.
"If that is alright with you," Damian said with a nod.
Anita smiled. "Yeah, of course," she murmured.
Nathaniel was standing. He hugged the vampire---much to the redhead's surprise, Willow noted.
"Have a good sleep," Nathaniel murmured. He was so close to Damian; Willow wondered how uncomfortable the vampire was in that moment since he did seem to have trouble with men that loved men.
She was surprised when Damian put one arm around the wereleopard and embraced him in return. "You know I don't sleep," he said quietly.
"Yeah, but... y'know..."
Damian smiled and gently nudged Nathaniel away. The wereleopard seemed very pleased with himself. Willow wondered if it was because he had managed to get a substantial hug from the vampire.
"Why doesn't Buffy come, too?" Faith suggested. "We can drop her at Dawn's, can't we?"
"If she does not object to flying, since I do not have a car tonight, then I can take her to the loft."
Faith grinned. "C'mon, B. You have to try this."
"F-flying?" Buffy asked. "Some vampires can fly?"
"Oui," Asher told her, as Jean-Claude nodded. "It is a sign of power, I suppose. Some... fledgings, I suppose you would call them, do not necessarily possess such a skill."
"Damian can carry two people at a time?"
"Not across the state, but a few blocks should be no problem," Damian said with a smirk.
Buffy smiled. "Well... okay, cool. If you don't mind..."
"Not at all."
Willow touched Buffy's arm. "I'll call you tomorrow when I wake up, okay?"
The blonde slayer nodded. "Sure," she said, smiling more. "Get some rest, okay?"
Willow nodded, too. "I will."