AB/BtVS Fic: Alive at Last 19/? (Willow/Asher)
TITLE: Alive at Last
AUTHOR: 38gnihsurc
RATING: en.sea.xvii overall
PAIRING: Willow/Asher
SPOILERS: Up until Micah for AB; the series for BtVS, even though I don't really remember much of it, since I haven't watched the last seasons in ages.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone. I'm just having a little fun.
NOTES: This story is AU, since it's a crossover; because of that, I've taken a few creative liberties with explaining why the BtVS vampires are different than the AB vampires, and so on.
Previous Chapters: 1-3, 4, 5, 6-7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 17, 18
PART NINETEEN
Asher heard Jean-Claude stifle a small laugh as he resumed pacing around the bedroom. When he glared at the darker vampire, he hoped he was threatening; sadly, his hopes were crushed by Jean-Claude's continued laughter.
"Mon chardonneret, tu es nerveux," he commented.
Asher rolled his eyes. He growled under her breath, not stopping his pacing.
Willow had left a couple of hours ago, to meet Anita at a local cemetery for a raising. Asher had been concerned---he had only seen Willow and Anita in the same room twice and neither time went incredibly well. The scenarios that were going through his mind weren't very good at taming his ragged nerves.
When the door opened, both vampires jumped and turned to look at the door. Jason came into the room, laughing and clutching at his bare stomach.
"Oh, man, you should see those two," he said, still laughing.
Jason stepped out of the way of the doorway to reveal Anita standing there, covered in dirt, twigs, and what looked like blood and bruises.
Jean-Claude rushed across the room as Asher did. They each put a hand on Anita; Jean-Claude touched her hand and Asher touched her shoulder.
"Ma petite," Jean-Claude murmured worriedly, "what happened?"
She sighed and shook her head. "Nothing a bath can't fix," she mumbled, looking at both vampires with tired eyes.
Asher felt his knees tremble. He cupped her face in one of his hands and rubbed his thumb over her lip. "What happened?" he echoed.
"My raising was for a criminal court case," she told them. "And the defendant apparently... somehow hired someone to try to take us all out. This has happened before. I don't know why I forget that it'll probably keep happening." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair before shrugging away from the vampires and out of her jacket. "And my purple shirt is ruined."
Jean-Claude smiled. "Ma petite... the purple shirt is replaceable. You are not." He tilted his head. "Are you seriously injured?"
She shook her head. "No..." she trailed off and sighed again. "Actually, if Willow hadn't been there with her quick reflexes, there would have been more trouble." She kissed Asher and Jean-Claude and then walked further into the room. "I only stopped here to get a bath. Then, I'm going home and watching silly movies until I feel better."
"Did you come alone?" Jean-Claude asked.
Anita was almost to the bathroom when she stopped and turned, as if it had taken her a few minutes to process Jean-Claude's question. She shook her head and exhaled slowly. "Sorry, Asher... I brought Willow back," she told him. "She went to your room to get a bath. I'm sorry I didn't think of telling you sooner."
"Was she injured?"
"Bumps and bruises like this," Anita replied. "She saved us from a lot of trouble, actually. She was quick on the magical shield draw."
Asher sighed and leaned against the door. "Oh... good," he breathed.
Anita walked back across the room and kissed Asher before she hugged him. "I'm sorry. I should have said that right away," she murmured into his chest. "Go see Willow," she murmured. "I'm gonna see if I can seduce Jean-Claude into washing my hair for me."
The blond vampire smirked. "You will not have to try hard," he pointed out. He kissed Anita again and then he kissed Jean-Claude's cheek, before saying, "I will go check on mon colibri."
"Asher?"
He turned and looked at Anita. She smiled. "You have good taste," she said quietly, her cheeks flushing. "I... I'm a little uncomfortable with it all... but at least I can't find a reason to hate her."
Asher laughed quietly, shaking his head as he did. "I should mark this date down upon a calendar," he mused as he approached her for another kiss. "How can such a small woman be such a big person?" he teased.
"Oh, shuddup," she muttered, nudging him. She looked at Jason, who was lounging on the sofa. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"
Jason grinned and shrugged. "Not really."
"Mon loup..."
He sighed. "No one lets me have fun around here!" he grumped, although his eyes were still smiling.
Anita smiled. "Well, you're more than welcome to come back to my place tonight to watch movies with me," she offered.
Jean-Claude smiled at his lover. "And what will the vampires do this evening, without you to keep us in line?"
"You could... join us," she suggested. She peeked up at Asher. "And... well, how about you invite Willow?"
Asher blinked. He had not expected such a gesture from Anita---although, he should have known, after falling in love with her, that he should always expect the unexpected. The trip to the zombie raising had been a shock and with hindsight, he realised the night would probably hold a few more surprises for him.
"You want... to invite Willow?" Jean-Claude asked in a very careful voice.
The black-haired woman pulled away from Asher slightly to look at the other vampire. "Well, she pulled through tonight. She... she saved my ass from a couple of bullets." She shrugged. "Maybe I jumped the gun. Maybe. And that's as far as I want to discuss this tonight."
"Well... it is certainly far enough," Asher said quietly.
"Indubitably," Jason said in a very fake British accent.
When Anita glared at Jason, he grinned. "Sorry. I'm gonna go change into some comfier clothes and find some microwave popcorn. I'll wait for you guys out in the hall," he said before ducking out of the bedroom.
Asher followed Anita and caught her in his arms for a quick kiss. "Let Jean-Claude wash your hair," he whispered. "You're covered in mud."
She laughed and shoved him. "You're awful," she complained, still laughing.
"And yet, we still love him," Jean-Claude murmured as he approached them. He kissed Asher's temple and then put an arm loosely around Anita's shoulders. "Come... let's clean up."
"You already had a bath," she pointed out.
Jean-Claude grinned. "I am not opposed to having another with such lovely company."
"You're awful, too," Anita muttered as she let him take her into the bathroom.
Asher hesitated and watched them walk away before he turned and went to his own suite of rooms. With each step, he picked up more speed; he wasn't running down the hall but he was pretty close to running by the time he entered his bedroom.
The bathroom door was closed and he heard splashing. Normally, that would have been enough for him, but after seeing Anita he needed to see Willow with his own eyes.
He opened the door and saw Willow's back. Her hair was pinned up and she was washing the back of her neck and her shoulders with a cloth. When she realised that Asher was in the room with her, she yelped and dropped the cloth, before curling her knees up to her chest.
"Asher!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
He bowed his head before ducking his eyes. "I apologise... I... I needed to see that you are fine."
She craned her neck and smiled at him. "Oh... okay. Well... I am. Fine, I mean. Scraped and bruised, but okay."
"May I... may I see your injuries?"
"Asher, I'm in the tub," she pointed out. She smiled again. "Give me a few minutes of quality scrub time, and I'll meet you in the bedroom. You can catalogue all of my bruises. Okay?"
He smiled and nodded, before giving Willow her privacy. He paced around the bedroom until she appeared, wrapped in her pale green robe. Then, he stopped moving and stared at her. Her hair was still clipped back, but some tendrils had fallen free; her skin was flushed from the heat of the water. He felt awkward around her---and he didn't like that feeling because he hadn't felt it in decades.
"All set," she murmured.
"Anita said you probably saved the both of you from serious injury," he said quietly as he approached her.
Willow smiled and shrugged. "All that time on the Hellmouth taught me a few things about reflexes, I guess," she replied.
He was close enough to touch her at that point. He reached out and gently brushed his fingers over her forehead. "You're hurt," he whispered.
"Only a scratch," she assured him.
"Did you injure anything else?"
"My ankle, but---" she stopped talking when Asher scooped her up in his arms and set her down on the bed. He wanted to examine her ankle for himself; he wanted to know she was alright. "Asher! What's going on with you?"
He gently touched her ankle before he applied a bit more pressure. She winced but she didn't cry out; he guessed it was a light sprain and not much to worry about.
"I'm fine," she whispered, leaning forward and resting her head on his shoulder. "You are a big worrywart, mister vampire."
"Anita came in... dirty and bruised and... and I..."
"Worried about me," Willow supplied for him.
He sighed and nodded. "Yes."
She smiled. "Well, I'm okay. But, I think I'm going to stay in for the rest of tonight, if that's alright with you."
He smiled back at her. "Anita invited us... a few of us, rather, to her house to watch movies. You, included."
"Must've made some impression, then," Willow commented.
Asher smiled and brushed his fingers over a bruise he saw upon her jaw. "You do have that power," he agreed as he nodded slowly. He sighed. "I'm glad you're not hurt."
"Me, too," she murmured teasingly.
"How are you so... so casual about this?"
She shrugged. "I've seen the end of the world a few times, and the world didn't actually end," she replied, peeking up at him. "Some sort of monster tried to kill my best friend... well... probably every night of our lives together. This was just like high school, all over again."
"You are a very odd person."
Willow grinned. "And you are a very odd vampire. Guess that makes us even."
AUTHOR: 38gnihsurc
RATING: en.sea.xvii overall
PAIRING: Willow/Asher
SPOILERS: Up until Micah for AB; the series for BtVS, even though I don't really remember much of it, since I haven't watched the last seasons in ages.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone. I'm just having a little fun.
NOTES: This story is AU, since it's a crossover; because of that, I've taken a few creative liberties with explaining why the BtVS vampires are different than the AB vampires, and so on.
Previous Chapters: 1-3, 4, 5, 6-7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 17, 18
PART NINETEEN
Asher heard Jean-Claude stifle a small laugh as he resumed pacing around the bedroom. When he glared at the darker vampire, he hoped he was threatening; sadly, his hopes were crushed by Jean-Claude's continued laughter.
"Mon chardonneret, tu es nerveux," he commented.
Asher rolled his eyes. He growled under her breath, not stopping his pacing.
Willow had left a couple of hours ago, to meet Anita at a local cemetery for a raising. Asher had been concerned---he had only seen Willow and Anita in the same room twice and neither time went incredibly well. The scenarios that were going through his mind weren't very good at taming his ragged nerves.
When the door opened, both vampires jumped and turned to look at the door. Jason came into the room, laughing and clutching at his bare stomach.
"Oh, man, you should see those two," he said, still laughing.
Jason stepped out of the way of the doorway to reveal Anita standing there, covered in dirt, twigs, and what looked like blood and bruises.
Jean-Claude rushed across the room as Asher did. They each put a hand on Anita; Jean-Claude touched her hand and Asher touched her shoulder.
"Ma petite," Jean-Claude murmured worriedly, "what happened?"
She sighed and shook her head. "Nothing a bath can't fix," she mumbled, looking at both vampires with tired eyes.
Asher felt his knees tremble. He cupped her face in one of his hands and rubbed his thumb over her lip. "What happened?" he echoed.
"My raising was for a criminal court case," she told them. "And the defendant apparently... somehow hired someone to try to take us all out. This has happened before. I don't know why I forget that it'll probably keep happening." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair before shrugging away from the vampires and out of her jacket. "And my purple shirt is ruined."
Jean-Claude smiled. "Ma petite... the purple shirt is replaceable. You are not." He tilted his head. "Are you seriously injured?"
She shook her head. "No..." she trailed off and sighed again. "Actually, if Willow hadn't been there with her quick reflexes, there would have been more trouble." She kissed Asher and Jean-Claude and then walked further into the room. "I only stopped here to get a bath. Then, I'm going home and watching silly movies until I feel better."
"Did you come alone?" Jean-Claude asked.
Anita was almost to the bathroom when she stopped and turned, as if it had taken her a few minutes to process Jean-Claude's question. She shook her head and exhaled slowly. "Sorry, Asher... I brought Willow back," she told him. "She went to your room to get a bath. I'm sorry I didn't think of telling you sooner."
"Was she injured?"
"Bumps and bruises like this," Anita replied. "She saved us from a lot of trouble, actually. She was quick on the magical shield draw."
Asher sighed and leaned against the door. "Oh... good," he breathed.
Anita walked back across the room and kissed Asher before she hugged him. "I'm sorry. I should have said that right away," she murmured into his chest. "Go see Willow," she murmured. "I'm gonna see if I can seduce Jean-Claude into washing my hair for me."
The blond vampire smirked. "You will not have to try hard," he pointed out. He kissed Anita again and then he kissed Jean-Claude's cheek, before saying, "I will go check on mon colibri."
"Asher?"
He turned and looked at Anita. She smiled. "You have good taste," she said quietly, her cheeks flushing. "I... I'm a little uncomfortable with it all... but at least I can't find a reason to hate her."
Asher laughed quietly, shaking his head as he did. "I should mark this date down upon a calendar," he mused as he approached her for another kiss. "How can such a small woman be such a big person?" he teased.
"Oh, shuddup," she muttered, nudging him. She looked at Jason, who was lounging on the sofa. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"
Jason grinned and shrugged. "Not really."
"Mon loup..."
He sighed. "No one lets me have fun around here!" he grumped, although his eyes were still smiling.
Anita smiled. "Well, you're more than welcome to come back to my place tonight to watch movies with me," she offered.
Jean-Claude smiled at his lover. "And what will the vampires do this evening, without you to keep us in line?"
"You could... join us," she suggested. She peeked up at Asher. "And... well, how about you invite Willow?"
Asher blinked. He had not expected such a gesture from Anita---although, he should have known, after falling in love with her, that he should always expect the unexpected. The trip to the zombie raising had been a shock and with hindsight, he realised the night would probably hold a few more surprises for him.
"You want... to invite Willow?" Jean-Claude asked in a very careful voice.
The black-haired woman pulled away from Asher slightly to look at the other vampire. "Well, she pulled through tonight. She... she saved my ass from a couple of bullets." She shrugged. "Maybe I jumped the gun. Maybe. And that's as far as I want to discuss this tonight."
"Well... it is certainly far enough," Asher said quietly.
"Indubitably," Jason said in a very fake British accent.
When Anita glared at Jason, he grinned. "Sorry. I'm gonna go change into some comfier clothes and find some microwave popcorn. I'll wait for you guys out in the hall," he said before ducking out of the bedroom.
Asher followed Anita and caught her in his arms for a quick kiss. "Let Jean-Claude wash your hair," he whispered. "You're covered in mud."
She laughed and shoved him. "You're awful," she complained, still laughing.
"And yet, we still love him," Jean-Claude murmured as he approached them. He kissed Asher's temple and then put an arm loosely around Anita's shoulders. "Come... let's clean up."
"You already had a bath," she pointed out.
Jean-Claude grinned. "I am not opposed to having another with such lovely company."
"You're awful, too," Anita muttered as she let him take her into the bathroom.
Asher hesitated and watched them walk away before he turned and went to his own suite of rooms. With each step, he picked up more speed; he wasn't running down the hall but he was pretty close to running by the time he entered his bedroom.
The bathroom door was closed and he heard splashing. Normally, that would have been enough for him, but after seeing Anita he needed to see Willow with his own eyes.
He opened the door and saw Willow's back. Her hair was pinned up and she was washing the back of her neck and her shoulders with a cloth. When she realised that Asher was in the room with her, she yelped and dropped the cloth, before curling her knees up to her chest.
"Asher!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
He bowed his head before ducking his eyes. "I apologise... I... I needed to see that you are fine."
She craned her neck and smiled at him. "Oh... okay. Well... I am. Fine, I mean. Scraped and bruised, but okay."
"May I... may I see your injuries?"
"Asher, I'm in the tub," she pointed out. She smiled again. "Give me a few minutes of quality scrub time, and I'll meet you in the bedroom. You can catalogue all of my bruises. Okay?"
He smiled and nodded, before giving Willow her privacy. He paced around the bedroom until she appeared, wrapped in her pale green robe. Then, he stopped moving and stared at her. Her hair was still clipped back, but some tendrils had fallen free; her skin was flushed from the heat of the water. He felt awkward around her---and he didn't like that feeling because he hadn't felt it in decades.
"All set," she murmured.
"Anita said you probably saved the both of you from serious injury," he said quietly as he approached her.
Willow smiled and shrugged. "All that time on the Hellmouth taught me a few things about reflexes, I guess," she replied.
He was close enough to touch her at that point. He reached out and gently brushed his fingers over her forehead. "You're hurt," he whispered.
"Only a scratch," she assured him.
"Did you injure anything else?"
"My ankle, but---" she stopped talking when Asher scooped her up in his arms and set her down on the bed. He wanted to examine her ankle for himself; he wanted to know she was alright. "Asher! What's going on with you?"
He gently touched her ankle before he applied a bit more pressure. She winced but she didn't cry out; he guessed it was a light sprain and not much to worry about.
"I'm fine," she whispered, leaning forward and resting her head on his shoulder. "You are a big worrywart, mister vampire."
"Anita came in... dirty and bruised and... and I..."
"Worried about me," Willow supplied for him.
He sighed and nodded. "Yes."
She smiled. "Well, I'm okay. But, I think I'm going to stay in for the rest of tonight, if that's alright with you."
He smiled back at her. "Anita invited us... a few of us, rather, to her house to watch movies. You, included."
"Must've made some impression, then," Willow commented.
Asher smiled and brushed his fingers over a bruise he saw upon her jaw. "You do have that power," he agreed as he nodded slowly. He sighed. "I'm glad you're not hurt."
"Me, too," she murmured teasingly.
"How are you so... so casual about this?"
She shrugged. "I've seen the end of the world a few times, and the world didn't actually end," she replied, peeking up at him. "Some sort of monster tried to kill my best friend... well... probably every night of our lives together. This was just like high school, all over again."
"You are a very odd person."
Willow grinned. "And you are a very odd vampire. Guess that makes us even."