AB/BtVS FF: Living Underground 15/?
TITLE: Living Underground
AUTHOR: 38gnihsurc
RATING: en.sea.xvii overall
PAIRING: Willow/Asher, slight Willow/Richard and Willow/Asher/Nathaniel... plus, regular Anita pairings
SPOILERS: For the two fandoms... up until Micah for AB; the two series for Buffyverse stuff.
WARNINGS: A little bit of BDSM.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone, except the Master of the City of Lafayette and her entourage.
NOTES: This story is a sequel to "Alive at Last."
Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4-6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
PART FIFTEEN
Asher hugged Willow to his body, shifting slightly. He was lying in the quiet room, on one of the comfortable pieces of furniture the dancers used to relax upon after performances, on his back and propped against a few throw pillows. Willow was against his chest, sleeping soundly after a light meal and a warm shower, and Nathaniel was on her front. He was in leopard-man form, having danced that night in a very dramatic, and animalistic, performance piece, but Asher and Willow didn't mind his furry appearance.
When Jean-Claude stepped into the room, closing the door behind him to block out the noise of the club, Asher frowned. Something was wrong---beyond what had happened in the parking lot---and he didn't know if he wanted to learn what that new something was.
"Mon corbeau?"
"I have good news... and bad news," Jean-Claude said when Nathaniel opened his eyes and lifted his head off of Willow's stomach. "Which would you prefer to hear first?"
"Bad," Nathaniel said, while Asher said, "Good."
The Master of the City chuckled a little. "Well, mon chaton, I will go with the good news, since it is directly affecting our present concerns," he said as he motioned towards Willow. "I believe that Willow has not gained the ardeur permanently," he told the men. "I have reason to suspect it was a personal attack from our dear 'friend,' conducted through Lafayette, which would be the bad news."
"How?" Nathaniel asked quietly.
"Dabney."
Asher frowned. He didn't understand. When he told Jean-Claude just that, the black haired vampire launched into a story that involved Connor, the son of the vampires, Angel and Darla. The Master of the City had privately contracted Connor to conduct some research upon the subject of the ardeur---one year ago, when he was in St. Louis, helping them with the threat of the rogue slayers---and bit by bit, the young man had given him what he could on that topic. Conducting research was difficult, but he had had access to the archives the Watchers had gathered during the reconstruction of their organisation and he was able to get close to some of those who were addicted to the power and to some of those who wielded the power. Being more than a mere human helped him with the latter part of his research.
"He has told me of vampires who are able to use it... to bend its rules with magic, I suppose, would be the best way to say it," Jean-Claude said, continuing his story. "One werelion, addicted to the power, confessed that he had acted as a conduit for a particular vampire we know intimately," he said in a pointed tone of voice, "who wished to injure the reputation of a politician who refused to do her bidding."
"Is this for real?" Nathaniel asked.
"Connor believes this man is credible. I do not trust easily, especially those I've only known for a few weeks, but he is a scholarly researcher and his name is staked upon his work in preternatural journals," Jean-Claude replied. "I am curious to know if Willow came into contact with anyone she had never met before---"
"She was at the police station," Asher said interrupting his companion. "Who there would... Allura has no ties to St. Louis. No animal to call there. Unless there are tigers in the department of which we are unaware."
Nathaniel frowned and shook his head. "I don't think so... unless he or she's really powerful and can hide power well. Besides," he added with an over-the-top, dramatic sigh and flip of his feline-esque head, "the head of RPIT would have a fit if he knew a monster was working under him all this time."
"Touché, mon chaton," Jean-Claude acknowledged. "Nevertheless, I will contact the weretiger we know of in St. Louis to see if anyone new has made himself, or herself, known."
"A good idea," Asher agreed, "except that it could be one of Allura's people, in your territory early. If it was a vampire, the police could have been rolled---"
"The cops' crosses would've gone off," Nathaniel pointed out as he wriggled into a new position, on his side. "Or at least, some of them would have. I'm betting a disguise. Happens all the time in the movies. Someone dresses up like a cop, sneaks in, gets whatever they need... sneaks out, and no one's any wiser."
Asher rolled his eyes. "This is not a movie."
"Y'know... sometimes I wonder," Nathaniel mumbled in good humour.
After an unnecessary sigh, Asher gently reached down and brushed his fingers against Willow's face. "Mon colibri," he murmured, "please wake up... mon colibri...?"
Willow moaned and turned her head, her face rubbing against Asher's arm. She didn't wake, though, so after indulging himself in an amused smile, Asher tried to wake her again. It took him two more tries before she finally woke up, sucking in a sharp breath before rubbing her eyes.
"H-hi," she whispered roughly. "I really passed out, didn't I?"
"You deserved it," he replied quietly, before kissing her temple. She blinked blearily a couple of times and then he watched as she put herself together mentally. He smiled and continued speaking to her. "Jean-Claude has been talking, and now, we have questions."
Willow inched up a bit, raising her shoulders and chest as she propped herself up with her elbows; she smiled at Nathaniel and then, as she petted the wereleopard's head, she looked to the Master of the City. "What's up?" She frowned. "Did Buffy and Xander---"
"Non," Jean-Claude assured her. "The guards informed me a few minutes ago that they have yet to return to the club."
"Oh... so... so what's up? Any other bad news?"
"Yes, and no."
Willow frowned at that response. "Sounds... so inspiring," she said in a dry tone of voice. "Just hit me with it."
"I believe Allura was behind... what occurred outside," he said in a careful tone of voice, "so it will be something temporary. You will most likely never feel the power of the ardeur again."
She frowned more. "How do you know?"
He held up a piece of paper, pulling it from one of the pockets in his suit's pants. "She sent a message tonight, by courier, asking if we enjoyed our early present."
Asher frowned, as well, more unhappy with the information Jean-Claude had chosen to share with them lastly than anything else he had heard that evening. Knowing that Belle Morte---and Allura---had used Willow as a pawn infuriated him. It was unacceptable! He hoped that Jean-Claude would permit him to inflict some sort of punishment upon Allura, at least through one of her minions, because he didn't think anything short of that would satiate the rage bubbling inside of him.
"So... you more than have a hunch about this temporary thing," Asher said quietly, after swallowing his fury down for a moment.
Jean-Claude nodded.
Willow sat up, nearly unseating Nathaniel in the process. "What?"
The Master of the City repeated everything he knew again---Connor's research, including the werelion that did Belle Morte's bidding and the ardeur's transmission through magical spells. Asher watched as Willow listened to everything, her fingers stroking through Nathaniel's fur as her brow furrowed.
"But, you don't know for sure."
"Ma chérie, the evidence is pointing in that direction---"
"It's hardly enough evidence!" Willow exclaimed. "I need proof! I need... I need Allura coming to our banquet table and saying 'Oh, Willow, how did you like my flavour of ardeur?' before I'll consider this to be true! What if it happens again? What if... what if I'm carrying this thing full time, like Anita? What if I caught it from you?!"
"Willow..." Asher said in a warning tone of voice as Willow paused for a breath.
Willow didn't heed his warning. She continued yelling, her body tightening nervously with every word she expelled from her mouth. "I have enough to deal with! Do you know what sort of struggle goes on in my body every day, when I use magic, when I don't use magic... it's always there and it never goes away! I won't have another addiction running through my veins!"
"You will not," Jean-Claude said calmly.
"Can you guarantee it?"
"Non, but---"
"I can't get my hopes up, Jean-Claude... if this is even a remote possibility, I need to prepare... I need... I need a cure."
"There is no cure," Asher whispered. "You know this."
Jean-Claude shrugged. "I cannot give you the guarantee you desire," he said quietly, "but I believe in the evidence I have gathered so far."
"How do you know she's not talking about another present?" Willow inquired. "What if she sent you a bottle of wine... or blood? Maybe she's talking about that!"
"I have yet to hear of a parcel being delivered to one of my businesses," Jean-Claude told her. "Nothing else happened tonight, ma chérie. I have checked into that possibility already. I have also checked to see if threats were made against anyone else."
She frowned again. Asher gently rubbed Willow's shoulder and then asked a question of his own. "Had you run into anyone while at the police station?"
"Being held for something I didn't do, you mean?" Willow asked as she craned her neck to look at him.
"Oui."
It took a moment, but the angry and scared look faded from her eyes and she eventually committed to his question. "Um... no. Detective Perry took my statement and my alibis. He left to go check those out and talk with Zerbrowski. I was alone for a long time... a young woman came in and gave me a bottle of water. She's a uniform officer. I told her I wanted to call a lawyer, but then she left and... and... I drank the water and fell asleep. Dolph and Anita came in when I woke up. The ardeur started after that."
"Did she resemble Dabney?" Jean-Claude asked.
"I don't know," Willow replied honestly. "I thought she reminded me of someone... but... she was wearing her hat and it shadowed a lot of her face, so---"
"It could have been---"
"What if it wasn't?" Willow asked.
Jean-Claude stared at her. "Then," he said after a long pause, "you will have to learn to embrace the ardeur... to feed it."
"How... what sparks it? What sets it off?"
"Being unfulfilled."
She frowned again. "So, it could empty out again soon... it could be hungry again."
"If you possess it, but I doubt that---"
"Nathaniel," Willow said, cutting Jean-Claude off, "you should get off of me."
He protested with a loud groan. Willow insisted that he sit away from her and when he finally obeyed her demand, she scooted away from Asher as well. She looked over her shoulder at him and told him that she didn't want to feed off of him again, to put him through that ordeal again.
"Mon colibri, I did not mind," he said, humour teasing his voice.
"Well, maybe you should have," Willow mumbled, turning away from him. "I didn't give you much of a choice in the matter. I just... demanded that you... sleep with---no, fuck me. That was definitely fucking." She moaned and covered her face with her hands. "God, in front of Micah and then Buffy and Xander... what they must think of me..."
Asher touched her, but she flinched out of his grasp. He sighed. "Willow... please, do not hide from me... from us."
"I want to go home," she whispered.
"I'll take you," Asher offered.
She shook her head. "I'm not safe to be around right now," she said, "so I'll take a cab to the front of the Circus. I... if it comes back... I can't... I just can't deal with this."
"You will take someone to guard you," Asher said in a firm voice.
"No, Asher, I won't," she refused. "If it comes back... I'll have to... I'll have to... I can't put someone else at risk like that!"
"And if your friends take you away?"
She sighed. "They're gone for the night," she said, even though she wasn't sure of that fact. "And I need to take a bath and a nap."
"Mon colibri..."
"I still love you," Willow murmured, turning towards him but not touching him, "but I need to know for sure... I need... I need a little space. Just..." she trailed off and stood up. "I'm not asking for permission, Asher."
He nodded and didn't say anything. Willow left, nodding her head towards the other two in the room, and then he looked at Jean-Claude for guidance.
"That could have gone worse," the black haired vampire said.
"What if she has it permanently?" Asher asked.
Jean-Claude shook his head. "While we do not have solid proof, we have some convincing evidence---" he stopped short and shrugged. "We will deal with it, mon chardonneret. We will deal with it if it comes for us... for her. But... with Allura... it is difficult to tell. I believe she is behind this."
"You have been wrong before."
"Many times, oui, but I learn from my mistakes and I have not been so wrong recently," Jean-Claude admitted.
Asher smiled a little. "I am very angry... with Belle Morte and Allura," he said, "but at the same time, I am relieved that there is a good chance Willow's ardeur is nothing more than vampire meddling... magic. Is it wrong to feel so relieved?"
"Non, for I am as well," the black haired vampire said. He paused and then added, "I will return to the Circus shortly and I will... how do you say it... keep my feelers out for your human servant until you return."
"Merci."
Jean-Claude nodded solemnly, and left the room, most likely to gather Anita and whisk her into a limousine. They were supposed to have a late meal together, before returning to the underground palace.
Asher reached out for Nathaniel and the young wereleopard came willingly. He sprawled himself over Asher's lap and sighed contentedly as the vampire petted him.
"We'll look out for her," Nathaniel whispered.
"Oui," Asher agreed, unsure of what would happen in the next few nights.
TBC...
AUTHOR: 38gnihsurc
RATING: en.sea.xvii overall
PAIRING: Willow/Asher, slight Willow/Richard and Willow/Asher/Nathaniel... plus, regular Anita pairings
SPOILERS: For the two fandoms... up until Micah for AB; the two series for Buffyverse stuff.
WARNINGS: A little bit of BDSM.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone, except the Master of the City of Lafayette and her entourage.
NOTES: This story is a sequel to "Alive at Last."
Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4-6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
PART FIFTEEN
Asher hugged Willow to his body, shifting slightly. He was lying in the quiet room, on one of the comfortable pieces of furniture the dancers used to relax upon after performances, on his back and propped against a few throw pillows. Willow was against his chest, sleeping soundly after a light meal and a warm shower, and Nathaniel was on her front. He was in leopard-man form, having danced that night in a very dramatic, and animalistic, performance piece, but Asher and Willow didn't mind his furry appearance.
When Jean-Claude stepped into the room, closing the door behind him to block out the noise of the club, Asher frowned. Something was wrong---beyond what had happened in the parking lot---and he didn't know if he wanted to learn what that new something was.
"Mon corbeau?"
"I have good news... and bad news," Jean-Claude said when Nathaniel opened his eyes and lifted his head off of Willow's stomach. "Which would you prefer to hear first?"
"Bad," Nathaniel said, while Asher said, "Good."
The Master of the City chuckled a little. "Well, mon chaton, I will go with the good news, since it is directly affecting our present concerns," he said as he motioned towards Willow. "I believe that Willow has not gained the ardeur permanently," he told the men. "I have reason to suspect it was a personal attack from our dear 'friend,' conducted through Lafayette, which would be the bad news."
"How?" Nathaniel asked quietly.
"Dabney."
Asher frowned. He didn't understand. When he told Jean-Claude just that, the black haired vampire launched into a story that involved Connor, the son of the vampires, Angel and Darla. The Master of the City had privately contracted Connor to conduct some research upon the subject of the ardeur---one year ago, when he was in St. Louis, helping them with the threat of the rogue slayers---and bit by bit, the young man had given him what he could on that topic. Conducting research was difficult, but he had had access to the archives the Watchers had gathered during the reconstruction of their organisation and he was able to get close to some of those who were addicted to the power and to some of those who wielded the power. Being more than a mere human helped him with the latter part of his research.
"He has told me of vampires who are able to use it... to bend its rules with magic, I suppose, would be the best way to say it," Jean-Claude said, continuing his story. "One werelion, addicted to the power, confessed that he had acted as a conduit for a particular vampire we know intimately," he said in a pointed tone of voice, "who wished to injure the reputation of a politician who refused to do her bidding."
"Is this for real?" Nathaniel asked.
"Connor believes this man is credible. I do not trust easily, especially those I've only known for a few weeks, but he is a scholarly researcher and his name is staked upon his work in preternatural journals," Jean-Claude replied. "I am curious to know if Willow came into contact with anyone she had never met before---"
"She was at the police station," Asher said interrupting his companion. "Who there would... Allura has no ties to St. Louis. No animal to call there. Unless there are tigers in the department of which we are unaware."
Nathaniel frowned and shook his head. "I don't think so... unless he or she's really powerful and can hide power well. Besides," he added with an over-the-top, dramatic sigh and flip of his feline-esque head, "the head of RPIT would have a fit if he knew a monster was working under him all this time."
"Touché, mon chaton," Jean-Claude acknowledged. "Nevertheless, I will contact the weretiger we know of in St. Louis to see if anyone new has made himself, or herself, known."
"A good idea," Asher agreed, "except that it could be one of Allura's people, in your territory early. If it was a vampire, the police could have been rolled---"
"The cops' crosses would've gone off," Nathaniel pointed out as he wriggled into a new position, on his side. "Or at least, some of them would have. I'm betting a disguise. Happens all the time in the movies. Someone dresses up like a cop, sneaks in, gets whatever they need... sneaks out, and no one's any wiser."
Asher rolled his eyes. "This is not a movie."
"Y'know... sometimes I wonder," Nathaniel mumbled in good humour.
After an unnecessary sigh, Asher gently reached down and brushed his fingers against Willow's face. "Mon colibri," he murmured, "please wake up... mon colibri...?"
Willow moaned and turned her head, her face rubbing against Asher's arm. She didn't wake, though, so after indulging himself in an amused smile, Asher tried to wake her again. It took him two more tries before she finally woke up, sucking in a sharp breath before rubbing her eyes.
"H-hi," she whispered roughly. "I really passed out, didn't I?"
"You deserved it," he replied quietly, before kissing her temple. She blinked blearily a couple of times and then he watched as she put herself together mentally. He smiled and continued speaking to her. "Jean-Claude has been talking, and now, we have questions."
Willow inched up a bit, raising her shoulders and chest as she propped herself up with her elbows; she smiled at Nathaniel and then, as she petted the wereleopard's head, she looked to the Master of the City. "What's up?" She frowned. "Did Buffy and Xander---"
"Non," Jean-Claude assured her. "The guards informed me a few minutes ago that they have yet to return to the club."
"Oh... so... so what's up? Any other bad news?"
"Yes, and no."
Willow frowned at that response. "Sounds... so inspiring," she said in a dry tone of voice. "Just hit me with it."
"I believe Allura was behind... what occurred outside," he said in a careful tone of voice, "so it will be something temporary. You will most likely never feel the power of the ardeur again."
She frowned more. "How do you know?"
He held up a piece of paper, pulling it from one of the pockets in his suit's pants. "She sent a message tonight, by courier, asking if we enjoyed our early present."
Asher frowned, as well, more unhappy with the information Jean-Claude had chosen to share with them lastly than anything else he had heard that evening. Knowing that Belle Morte---and Allura---had used Willow as a pawn infuriated him. It was unacceptable! He hoped that Jean-Claude would permit him to inflict some sort of punishment upon Allura, at least through one of her minions, because he didn't think anything short of that would satiate the rage bubbling inside of him.
"So... you more than have a hunch about this temporary thing," Asher said quietly, after swallowing his fury down for a moment.
Jean-Claude nodded.
Willow sat up, nearly unseating Nathaniel in the process. "What?"
The Master of the City repeated everything he knew again---Connor's research, including the werelion that did Belle Morte's bidding and the ardeur's transmission through magical spells. Asher watched as Willow listened to everything, her fingers stroking through Nathaniel's fur as her brow furrowed.
"But, you don't know for sure."
"Ma chérie, the evidence is pointing in that direction---"
"It's hardly enough evidence!" Willow exclaimed. "I need proof! I need... I need Allura coming to our banquet table and saying 'Oh, Willow, how did you like my flavour of ardeur?' before I'll consider this to be true! What if it happens again? What if... what if I'm carrying this thing full time, like Anita? What if I caught it from you?!"
"Willow..." Asher said in a warning tone of voice as Willow paused for a breath.
Willow didn't heed his warning. She continued yelling, her body tightening nervously with every word she expelled from her mouth. "I have enough to deal with! Do you know what sort of struggle goes on in my body every day, when I use magic, when I don't use magic... it's always there and it never goes away! I won't have another addiction running through my veins!"
"You will not," Jean-Claude said calmly.
"Can you guarantee it?"
"Non, but---"
"I can't get my hopes up, Jean-Claude... if this is even a remote possibility, I need to prepare... I need... I need a cure."
"There is no cure," Asher whispered. "You know this."
Jean-Claude shrugged. "I cannot give you the guarantee you desire," he said quietly, "but I believe in the evidence I have gathered so far."
"How do you know she's not talking about another present?" Willow inquired. "What if she sent you a bottle of wine... or blood? Maybe she's talking about that!"
"I have yet to hear of a parcel being delivered to one of my businesses," Jean-Claude told her. "Nothing else happened tonight, ma chérie. I have checked into that possibility already. I have also checked to see if threats were made against anyone else."
She frowned again. Asher gently rubbed Willow's shoulder and then asked a question of his own. "Had you run into anyone while at the police station?"
"Being held for something I didn't do, you mean?" Willow asked as she craned her neck to look at him.
"Oui."
It took a moment, but the angry and scared look faded from her eyes and she eventually committed to his question. "Um... no. Detective Perry took my statement and my alibis. He left to go check those out and talk with Zerbrowski. I was alone for a long time... a young woman came in and gave me a bottle of water. She's a uniform officer. I told her I wanted to call a lawyer, but then she left and... and... I drank the water and fell asleep. Dolph and Anita came in when I woke up. The ardeur started after that."
"Did she resemble Dabney?" Jean-Claude asked.
"I don't know," Willow replied honestly. "I thought she reminded me of someone... but... she was wearing her hat and it shadowed a lot of her face, so---"
"It could have been---"
"What if it wasn't?" Willow asked.
Jean-Claude stared at her. "Then," he said after a long pause, "you will have to learn to embrace the ardeur... to feed it."
"How... what sparks it? What sets it off?"
"Being unfulfilled."
She frowned again. "So, it could empty out again soon... it could be hungry again."
"If you possess it, but I doubt that---"
"Nathaniel," Willow said, cutting Jean-Claude off, "you should get off of me."
He protested with a loud groan. Willow insisted that he sit away from her and when he finally obeyed her demand, she scooted away from Asher as well. She looked over her shoulder at him and told him that she didn't want to feed off of him again, to put him through that ordeal again.
"Mon colibri, I did not mind," he said, humour teasing his voice.
"Well, maybe you should have," Willow mumbled, turning away from him. "I didn't give you much of a choice in the matter. I just... demanded that you... sleep with---no, fuck me. That was definitely fucking." She moaned and covered her face with her hands. "God, in front of Micah and then Buffy and Xander... what they must think of me..."
Asher touched her, but she flinched out of his grasp. He sighed. "Willow... please, do not hide from me... from us."
"I want to go home," she whispered.
"I'll take you," Asher offered.
She shook her head. "I'm not safe to be around right now," she said, "so I'll take a cab to the front of the Circus. I... if it comes back... I can't... I just can't deal with this."
"You will take someone to guard you," Asher said in a firm voice.
"No, Asher, I won't," she refused. "If it comes back... I'll have to... I'll have to... I can't put someone else at risk like that!"
"And if your friends take you away?"
She sighed. "They're gone for the night," she said, even though she wasn't sure of that fact. "And I need to take a bath and a nap."
"Mon colibri..."
"I still love you," Willow murmured, turning towards him but not touching him, "but I need to know for sure... I need... I need a little space. Just..." she trailed off and stood up. "I'm not asking for permission, Asher."
He nodded and didn't say anything. Willow left, nodding her head towards the other two in the room, and then he looked at Jean-Claude for guidance.
"That could have gone worse," the black haired vampire said.
"What if she has it permanently?" Asher asked.
Jean-Claude shook his head. "While we do not have solid proof, we have some convincing evidence---" he stopped short and shrugged. "We will deal with it, mon chardonneret. We will deal with it if it comes for us... for her. But... with Allura... it is difficult to tell. I believe she is behind this."
"You have been wrong before."
"Many times, oui, but I learn from my mistakes and I have not been so wrong recently," Jean-Claude admitted.
Asher smiled a little. "I am very angry... with Belle Morte and Allura," he said, "but at the same time, I am relieved that there is a good chance Willow's ardeur is nothing more than vampire meddling... magic. Is it wrong to feel so relieved?"
"Non, for I am as well," the black haired vampire said. He paused and then added, "I will return to the Circus shortly and I will... how do you say it... keep my feelers out for your human servant until you return."
"Merci."
Jean-Claude nodded solemnly, and left the room, most likely to gather Anita and whisk her into a limousine. They were supposed to have a late meal together, before returning to the underground palace.
Asher reached out for Nathaniel and the young wereleopard came willingly. He sprawled himself over Asher's lap and sighed contentedly as the vampire petted him.
"We'll look out for her," Nathaniel whispered.
"Oui," Asher agreed, unsure of what would happen in the next few nights.
TBC...