AB/BtVS FF: Nightmares in Waking Life 60/?
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, 20-1, 22, 23, 24-5, 26-7, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32-3, 34-7, 38, 39-40, 41, 42, 43-44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51A, 51B, 52, 53, 54, 55-6, 57, 58A, 58B, 59
A/N: I'm trying so hard to finish this... I've been shirking my 3D work for next season's demo reel, but this story's been on my mind for over a year and it's kinda become the monkey on my back. Hopefully, I'll be able to pound it out!
PART SIXTY
"Holy hell, I thought that girl was going to claw your eyes out!" Jason exclaimed.
Willow swallowed a sip of her beer and she chuckled. "Yeah, me, too," she commented. "And I was powerful enough after all that feeding, that if Asher hadn't been there to rein me in... I might've done something." She sighed and shook her head. "It's been a long time since I've fed that much."
"Feeding from an audience gives you that much strength?" Seeley asked. "Anita's always said that direct contact feedings are best."
"A crowd like we had last night's pretty powerful, though," Stephen said.
As Stephen and Jason explained some of the mechanics of ardeur feeding to the other werewolf, Willow leaned back in her seat in the booth they were occupying at the Lunatic Café and looked to her other side, where Faith was sitting.
"How're your fries?"
"Good," Faith replied. "Baby and I both like 'em."
Willow smiled. "Good."
Dawn, who was sitting on the other side of Jason and opposite Faith, leaned forward. "So, last night really was kinda crazy?"
Willow shrugged. "It was fine, until one of Gregory's fans decided to try to climb onto the stage and haul the other girl off," she replied. "I forgot how crazy some of their fans could be."
"Hey, we're good at our jobs," Stephen reminded her.
"I know," Willow murmured. She reached out and touched Stephen's arm. "You were really great out there last night. Does Vivian know how good you are?"
He grinned mischievously. "Yeah. Sometimes I dance for her."
Willow grinned back at him. "Bet she loves that," she teased.
"She does," he replied.
"I miss dancing," Faith mumbled.
"You're going to be back at it before you know it," Jason assured her.
"I hope so," Faith said.
Seeley smiled shyly. "If it helps, you look hot now."
Willow smothered a chuckle behind her hand. Faith blushed, blinked, and then managed to recover. "Uh, thanks, Wolfie," she said quietly. "Still, I'm pretty much carrying a bowling ball under my shirt. I can't wait for this baby to be born. In order to stay fit, Damian's been teaching me one of those slow moving martial arts---"
"Tai chi?" Dawn asked.
"Maybe. You know how I am with names."
"Angel taught it to Buffy, after he came back from Hell," Dawn said.
"Yeah, well, bully for him, but I am going stir crazy! I need to move---quickly. I need to fight!"
Willow chuckled. "You'll get there soon enough."
"Damian's been practicing his fighting skills with a weighted baby sling," Faith told them, smiling a little. "He said that in case the Hellmouth opens, he wants to know he can still fight while protecting our kid."
"Awww," Dawn teased.
Willow smiled. "That is kind of cute."
As they continued to talk, Willow sat back and watched them all. They were at Lunatic Café, tagging along with Jason as he went to meet up with Dawn after her classes. Jason had invited Willow, who had already promised Faith a trip outside that afternoon, so both women (and two security guards) went with him. Once they had arrived at the restaurant, they ran into Seeley and Stephen and decided to sit together.
Willow was still feeling a little revved up from her late night feeding. Jean-Claude and Jason had aroused the crowd and the Master of the City guided her again, teaching her how to feed fully from the excited energy around them. She had nearly zapped a lamp offstage, before she was able to regain control of her powers. It had faded after spending the rest of the night with Asher, but even after she woke in the afternoon, she felt her magical strength wanting to be unleashed.
She could not unleash them, though---especially in a public forum where the Harlequin could be watching her.
"What are you doing later?" Jason asked her, shaking her from her thoughts.
"I have to buy some Valentines for people," she murmured.
"Really?"
She nodded. "Really. Nothing big... but I wanted to buy some chocolates and cards and things for the people in my life."
"So sweet," Jason teased.
"Well, it's not a big holiday, but it's kind of fun to get chocolate or a little stuffed animal. Sometimes, Xander would buy Buffy and me---" she broke off and frowned. "It didn't happen often, but... still. Kinda fun."
"Okay," Jason said quietly. "I hope I get to experience the fun."
She smiled again. "You might."
&&&&
"Seriously, Red, how much chocolate are you buying today?"
Willow chuckled as she put the last of her gifts into the car's trunk. Faith was looked out through the back door window, a little disbelief on her face.
"It's not all chocolate," Willow explained. "Some of it's stuffed animals and cards and other little trinkets."
"Who did you buy it all for?"
"Asher, Richard, Emily... Jason, Nathaniel, Jean-Claude, Anita, Micah... Fayette, Sampson... a few of the guards... some other people. Just some I think of as family," she replied, trying not to ruin the surprise that she purchased gifts for Damian, Faith, and their child, as well. "I had to buy little gift bags and wrapping paper for them all, too. Can't just hand 'em over in shopping bags."
"There's newspaper, Will!"
"That's hardly festive."
Faith groaned. Patrick, who'd been next to Willow the whole time, laughed quietly.
"At least tell me we can stop for food before going home. Baby's hungry!"
"You had steak and fries at Lunatic Café!" Willow reminded her.
"So? Baby must have her slayer mommy's metabolism!" Faith shot back.
Willow chuckled, shaking her head, as she and Patrick closed the trunk and went to the car doors. Willow got into the backseat with Faith; Patrick got into the passenger seat in the front, sitting next to one of Haven's lion guards, Sam.
"Where to?" Sam asked.
"Faith's apparently starving to death," Willow replied, "so we're gonna need some place to stop for food."
"You sure she's not giving birth to a lycanthrope?" Sam asked. "I've never seen a woman pack away so much food."
"Watch it, buster," Faith warned. "I still have my slayer strength."
Willow laughed a little as she looked away from them and out over the parking lot. People were milling from their vehicles to the shopping mall. A lot of them seemed to be shopping for holiday-themed presents, as she had been, judging by the stores where they had been shopping---bags for sweet shops and lingerie stores seemed most predominant among those returning to their cars.
She was about to stop studying them and return her focus to those in the vehicle, but something familiar enough to make her look back at the people around them.
At the sight of Xander, face unmarred by his eyepatch, Willow gasped.
"Will?"
She blinked. Xander was gone.
"I... I thought I saw..."
"What?" Patrick asked.
She scanned the crowd repeatedly but couldn't find him again.
"He must've been a figment of my imagination," Willow mumbled. "Nevermind."
"Who?" Patrick pushed. "I need to know to do my job."
"I thought... I thought I saw Xander out there."
"Seriously?" Faith asked.
Willow nodded, turning away from the window and looking at her. "Yeah... he had two eyes again, but it was him," she said. "I could've sworn it was him."
"Well, let's get you and Faith back to the Circus," Sam decided. "Then, we can dispatch some people out here to look around and see if we can find him."
The redhead accepted this course of action and they set off.
The drive was short. Willow spent the entire time trying to reconcile what she had seen. By the time they had returned to the Circus, she was nearly certain that what she had seen was a figment of her imagination---perhaps brought on by the dreams she'd been having, or the bad vibes they assumed that the Mother of All Darkness was instilling in people.
It couldn't have been Xander. Edward had said he was on the move, but he hadn't returned to St. Louis or called to warn them that he might be closer to them. Eluding Edward wasn't impossible, but she didn't think Xander was that good at moving covertly.
TBC
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, 20-1, 22, 23, 24-5, 26-7, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32-3, 34-7, 38, 39-40, 41, 42, 43-44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51A, 51B, 52, 53, 54, 55-6, 57, 58A, 58B, 59
A/N: I'm trying so hard to finish this... I've been shirking my 3D work for next season's demo reel, but this story's been on my mind for over a year and it's kinda become the monkey on my back. Hopefully, I'll be able to pound it out!
PART SIXTY
"Holy hell, I thought that girl was going to claw your eyes out!" Jason exclaimed.
Willow swallowed a sip of her beer and she chuckled. "Yeah, me, too," she commented. "And I was powerful enough after all that feeding, that if Asher hadn't been there to rein me in... I might've done something." She sighed and shook her head. "It's been a long time since I've fed that much."
"Feeding from an audience gives you that much strength?" Seeley asked. "Anita's always said that direct contact feedings are best."
"A crowd like we had last night's pretty powerful, though," Stephen said.
As Stephen and Jason explained some of the mechanics of ardeur feeding to the other werewolf, Willow leaned back in her seat in the booth they were occupying at the Lunatic Café and looked to her other side, where Faith was sitting.
"How're your fries?"
"Good," Faith replied. "Baby and I both like 'em."
Willow smiled. "Good."
Dawn, who was sitting on the other side of Jason and opposite Faith, leaned forward. "So, last night really was kinda crazy?"
Willow shrugged. "It was fine, until one of Gregory's fans decided to try to climb onto the stage and haul the other girl off," she replied. "I forgot how crazy some of their fans could be."
"Hey, we're good at our jobs," Stephen reminded her.
"I know," Willow murmured. She reached out and touched Stephen's arm. "You were really great out there last night. Does Vivian know how good you are?"
He grinned mischievously. "Yeah. Sometimes I dance for her."
Willow grinned back at him. "Bet she loves that," she teased.
"She does," he replied.
"I miss dancing," Faith mumbled.
"You're going to be back at it before you know it," Jason assured her.
"I hope so," Faith said.
Seeley smiled shyly. "If it helps, you look hot now."
Willow smothered a chuckle behind her hand. Faith blushed, blinked, and then managed to recover. "Uh, thanks, Wolfie," she said quietly. "Still, I'm pretty much carrying a bowling ball under my shirt. I can't wait for this baby to be born. In order to stay fit, Damian's been teaching me one of those slow moving martial arts---"
"Tai chi?" Dawn asked.
"Maybe. You know how I am with names."
"Angel taught it to Buffy, after he came back from Hell," Dawn said.
"Yeah, well, bully for him, but I am going stir crazy! I need to move---quickly. I need to fight!"
Willow chuckled. "You'll get there soon enough."
"Damian's been practicing his fighting skills with a weighted baby sling," Faith told them, smiling a little. "He said that in case the Hellmouth opens, he wants to know he can still fight while protecting our kid."
"Awww," Dawn teased.
Willow smiled. "That is kind of cute."
As they continued to talk, Willow sat back and watched them all. They were at Lunatic Café, tagging along with Jason as he went to meet up with Dawn after her classes. Jason had invited Willow, who had already promised Faith a trip outside that afternoon, so both women (and two security guards) went with him. Once they had arrived at the restaurant, they ran into Seeley and Stephen and decided to sit together.
Willow was still feeling a little revved up from her late night feeding. Jean-Claude and Jason had aroused the crowd and the Master of the City guided her again, teaching her how to feed fully from the excited energy around them. She had nearly zapped a lamp offstage, before she was able to regain control of her powers. It had faded after spending the rest of the night with Asher, but even after she woke in the afternoon, she felt her magical strength wanting to be unleashed.
She could not unleash them, though---especially in a public forum where the Harlequin could be watching her.
"What are you doing later?" Jason asked her, shaking her from her thoughts.
"I have to buy some Valentines for people," she murmured.
"Really?"
She nodded. "Really. Nothing big... but I wanted to buy some chocolates and cards and things for the people in my life."
"So sweet," Jason teased.
"Well, it's not a big holiday, but it's kind of fun to get chocolate or a little stuffed animal. Sometimes, Xander would buy Buffy and me---" she broke off and frowned. "It didn't happen often, but... still. Kinda fun."
"Okay," Jason said quietly. "I hope I get to experience the fun."
She smiled again. "You might."
&&&&
"Seriously, Red, how much chocolate are you buying today?"
Willow chuckled as she put the last of her gifts into the car's trunk. Faith was looked out through the back door window, a little disbelief on her face.
"It's not all chocolate," Willow explained. "Some of it's stuffed animals and cards and other little trinkets."
"Who did you buy it all for?"
"Asher, Richard, Emily... Jason, Nathaniel, Jean-Claude, Anita, Micah... Fayette, Sampson... a few of the guards... some other people. Just some I think of as family," she replied, trying not to ruin the surprise that she purchased gifts for Damian, Faith, and their child, as well. "I had to buy little gift bags and wrapping paper for them all, too. Can't just hand 'em over in shopping bags."
"There's newspaper, Will!"
"That's hardly festive."
Faith groaned. Patrick, who'd been next to Willow the whole time, laughed quietly.
"At least tell me we can stop for food before going home. Baby's hungry!"
"You had steak and fries at Lunatic Café!" Willow reminded her.
"So? Baby must have her slayer mommy's metabolism!" Faith shot back.
Willow chuckled, shaking her head, as she and Patrick closed the trunk and went to the car doors. Willow got into the backseat with Faith; Patrick got into the passenger seat in the front, sitting next to one of Haven's lion guards, Sam.
"Where to?" Sam asked.
"Faith's apparently starving to death," Willow replied, "so we're gonna need some place to stop for food."
"You sure she's not giving birth to a lycanthrope?" Sam asked. "I've never seen a woman pack away so much food."
"Watch it, buster," Faith warned. "I still have my slayer strength."
Willow laughed a little as she looked away from them and out over the parking lot. People were milling from their vehicles to the shopping mall. A lot of them seemed to be shopping for holiday-themed presents, as she had been, judging by the stores where they had been shopping---bags for sweet shops and lingerie stores seemed most predominant among those returning to their cars.
She was about to stop studying them and return her focus to those in the vehicle, but something familiar enough to make her look back at the people around them.
At the sight of Xander, face unmarred by his eyepatch, Willow gasped.
"Will?"
She blinked. Xander was gone.
"I... I thought I saw..."
"What?" Patrick asked.
She scanned the crowd repeatedly but couldn't find him again.
"He must've been a figment of my imagination," Willow mumbled. "Nevermind."
"Who?" Patrick pushed. "I need to know to do my job."
"I thought... I thought I saw Xander out there."
"Seriously?" Faith asked.
Willow nodded, turning away from the window and looking at her. "Yeah... he had two eyes again, but it was him," she said. "I could've sworn it was him."
"Well, let's get you and Faith back to the Circus," Sam decided. "Then, we can dispatch some people out here to look around and see if we can find him."
The redhead accepted this course of action and they set off.
The drive was short. Willow spent the entire time trying to reconcile what she had seen. By the time they had returned to the Circus, she was nearly certain that what she had seen was a figment of her imagination---perhaps brought on by the dreams she'd been having, or the bad vibes they assumed that the Mother of All Darkness was instilling in people.
It couldn't have been Xander. Edward had said he was on the move, but he hadn't returned to St. Louis or called to warn them that he might be closer to them. Eluding Edward wasn't impossible, but she didn't think Xander was that good at moving covertly.
TBC