AB/BtVS FF: Living Underground 16/?
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, 15
PART SIXTEEN
Willow opened her eyes when she felt someone standing in the bedroom, looking over her with intense eyes. She had expected Asher, but was surprised to see Richard; she sat up, balling her hands in the duvet, and prepared to tell him to leave the room but he raised a hand and she fell silent.
"I'm staying."
"What if it comes back?" she asked. "What if I have it like Anita does? I'm not safe to be around, Richard... not until we know for sure."
He shrugged. "I don't care. You shouldn't be alone right now."
"Richard---"
"Willow, don't push me away like you did Asher," he interrupted.
Willow frowned. She didn't like the way he recounted previous events; his words made it sound as if she had ended things with the blond vampire, and all she thought she had done was asked for some space, some privacy.
"It's not for good," she insisted, "it's just... until we know for sure."
"You're gonna stay away from all of us until Allura arrives?" Richard inquired, stepping away from the closed door and towards the bed. "What about Asher? Nathaniel?"
"What about me?" she asked. "What if... what if I become addicted to---" she stopped short and looked down at the bedding, unsure of how to finish her question.
"Anita's not a slave to her passions when she feeds them regularly," he pointed out. "Besides, isn't it you always telling me that we're family, no matter how we look at it? When does family ever turn their backs on someone in need?"
"Fucking regularly isn't something I'd consider---"
Richard snorted once. When Willow glared up at him, he put his hands up and said, "You cursing... takes some getting used to."
"Glad I'm so entertaining," she muttered.
"You're more than that," he assured her as he slowly sat down a few feet away from Willow. "Now, I'm exhausted... I was called twice by Anita---once to confirm an alibi, and once to be pretty much yelled at over the alibi---and then once by some guy named Perry---to confirm it all over again."
Willow frowned. "He's the one who took my statement," she said in a quiet voice. She sighed. "It sucks... I came 'out of the closet,' so to speak, to help them... and... and now... I'm branded bad news." She sighed again. "Maybe I am bad news," she whispered.
"You're not," he insisted. He shrugged and added, "Perry didn't understand what I was doing with Jamil and Patrick. He didn't ask about it... but, I could hear it in his voice. I pretend to be such a normal guy... a teacher, a woodsy type... and Anita took some flack when she broke up with me to shack up with Jean-Claude."
"I took that... that flack, when they thought I was normal, too. Dolph didn't understand why I could get mixed up in all this... and now, I'm just a freak like everyone else."
Richard touched her hand and Willow felt a wave of relief when the ardeur did not swell to the surface of her soul and body, threatening to drown her inhibitions.
He smiled. "Being a freak isn't so bad," he said quietly.
Willow looked up at him. "Since when did you start singing that tune?"
He shrugged. "A little while ago, I guess," he admitted. "I'm not about to out myself, because I love my job... but..." he trailed off and smiled again.
"Yeah," she agreed.
"So, why don't you scoot over and make room for me," he insisted. "I refuse to sleep at my place because the phone never seems to stop ringing, even though it's the weekend... and please don't make me bunk with Jason. His room is a mess."
Willow smiled. "His bed is pretty comfy, though," she pointed out. At Richard's questioning look, she quickly explained: "When I need a friend... a sounding board... someone warm to cuddle with... Jason's there for me."
"Oh."
"Are you jealous?" she asked.
"I can cuddle," he mumbled, pouting a bit.
Willow worked to hide her grin, her previous fears and gloominess shelved for a moment while she interacted with the Ulfric. "I know you can," she murmured. "You don't need to prove anything to me." She hesitated, and those darker feelings tumbled down upon her heart and mind. "Tonight's probably not a good idea, though," she added.
"If it happens, I can handle it," he assured her.
"I don't want you to have to handle it, Richard."
"Don't be so stubborn."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's rich, coming from you," she shot back.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Asher's voice from the doorway interrupted Willow from telling Richard exactly what she meant by her previous comment. "Children, children... do I have to break you up?" he inquired, his accent thicker than usual---which usually meant he spent time with Jean-Claude moments before, speaking in French, but Willow also knew that when he was emotional, that French accent increased in intensity, too.
"Hi," Willow said softly. "How... how are you?"
"Intrigued," he replied cryptically, looking from Richard to Willow.
"I... I'm telling him to leave," she explained quickly.
Richard glared at her before looking at Asher. "She shouldn't be alone," he said as he kicked his shoes off.
Asher nodded. "I agree," he responded, nodding towards the werewolf. "Will you mind feeding her, if the need arises?"
The Ulfric hesitated and then he shook his head. "No, I won't mind. I can handle it, if it happens," he replied. "I'm not afraid of her."
"Interesting..."
"I've fed Anita a few times, recently, too, so---"
"I know," Asher interrupted. "I am glad you will stay with her, since it is close to dawn and I must retire for the day."
Willow opened her mouth to talk to the vampire, but he cut her off. "We will talk in the evening, mon colibri," he promised. "Please stop isolating yourself and accept the support Richard is offering you."
"Asher, wait," she insisted.
He smiled, almost sadly. "First, you push me away... and now, with minutes to spare, you draw me closer," he commented in a wry tone of voice. "You are a funny girl, mon colibri."
"I... I'm confused." She sucked in a sharp breath and then admitted, "And I'm really scared."
Asher's smile faded and a contemplative look took hold of his facial features. "I know," he murmured, his words caressing her as his fingers would. "And I am scared for you. But, I cannot afford to worry unnecessarily, and I suggest you do not, either."
"We'll jump off that bridge when we get to it, then," Richard said, looking from Asher to Willow.
"Oui," Asher agreed.
Willow frowned. "What if... what'll it make me? I'll... I'll have to..."
Asher crossed the room quickly. He nearly collided with Richard, but both men moved slightly to avoid such a crash, in his hurry to climb upon the bed. Willow gasped and he pressed his lips to hers before she fully realised how close he had gotten, and how quickly he had gotten to that point; the kiss was passionate and deep and she could feel his fangs nicking her lower lip briefly before his tongue worried the tiny wounds.
She panicked. She feared that sticky feeling would reappear, would take over her thoughts and actions, but nothing happened but the pleasurable rush Asher always managed to stir inside of her.
When the blond vampire pulled back, his eyes were slightly hooded by his eyelids, which had lowered in reaction to his lustful feelings. Willow blushed; his eyelids didn't hide the emotions and thoughts shimmering in those blue orbs.
"It will make you my companion," Asher insisted quietly. "You will be my partner. Nothing will change that."
"I want to believe you," she whispered, reaching up and putting both of her hands on his face. She needed to touch him, to prove to herself that the ardeur wasn't going to take over her body. "Goddess... I want to believe you, Asher."
He nodded and kissed her forehead. "Sleep sweetly," he whispered into her hair. "Sleep sweetly and come to me when the sun sets," he insisted quietly.
"We'll find each other," she promised. She smiled weakly. "Besides, if it comes back... I'll need to find you," she said, attempting to joke.
"I'll take care of her," Richard said in a quiet voice.
Asher turned and looked at the Ulfric. For a moment, Willow expected the vampire to share a caustic remark. But, then, Asher's gaze softened and he nodded. "Thank you, for looking after her while I am... dead to the world."
The vampire straightened as he slid gracefully off of the bed, and after squeezing Willow's shoulder, he nearly glided out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"I'm gonna take some of my clothes off, and then I'm getting into bed," Richard announced.
Willow bit back a sigh and decided to give in. Asher seemed to insist upon her having company and Richard was insisting that he be that company. Whether or not she would be a full-time carrier of the ardeur did not seem to be one of their concerns.
"If you hog the covers..."
He smiled and stood up, as he tugged his shirt over his head. He exposed his broad chest and shoulders; his muscles rippled under his skin as he moved his arms, and Willow had to dig her fingernails into her palms to prevent herself from reacting to his physical appearance.
"Willow?"
She blinked and only then did she realise she had been staring at Richard's stomach. When she looked into his eyes, that chocolate gaze was holding in a considerable amount of laughter. She tossed a pillow at him.
He caught it and tossed it back to her. "Can I sleep in shorts... or do I have to worry about you taking advantage of me in my sleep?" he asked teasingly.
"Sleep in whatever you want," she told him after punching the pillow-turned-weapon a couple of times. "You usually do," she added.
"Yeah, but now I know my virture is in danger."
She snorted. "Virtue... shyeah. Right."
He chuckled and made his way over to Willow's wardrobe---where he kept a couple of outfits, for emergencies, and a pair of shorts he sometimes wore when he decided to spend the day sleeping in that room---and he changed from jeans to shorts. Willow tried not to watch him undress, but she found that she couldn't help it. She had been fascinated by him, by his size and power, before they did that preternatural mating at the lupanar. But after that mating, that fascination had turned into a keen desire to memorise every curve, every inch of his body, because that desire recognised the Ulfric as hers in a way.
The witch managed to avert her eyes before he turned around. He went into the bathroom and Willow looked down at her hands, at the tiny wounds she left in the palms of them. When he sat back down on the bed, returning from brushing his teeth, he took her hands in his. Without saying anything, he dropped his mouth to them and licked the blood clean.
"Richard---"
He rolled his eyes up, towards her, and she saw they were turning amber. She shivered and when he lifted his head, she sucked in a sharp breath. He remained silent and pressed his lips to hers, long enough for his tongue to swipe over the pinpricks Asher had left with his fangs.
"Tempting fate," she mumbled against his mouth and tongue.
"Bedtime snack," he joked after pulling away from her.
"Animal," she teased.
"Witch."
Willow smiled. "Sticks and stones..."
"Lie down," he murmured gruffly.
Still smiling, she eased her torso back down upon the mattress, and tried to find a comfortable sleeping position. She didn't feel comfortable until Richard stretched out alongside of her, putting one arm and one leg around her.
His metaphysical wolf left his body and its fur caressed Willow's skin, almost from the inside of her body. She sighed happily, taking the gesture in the soothing way it was meant to be taken, and her last thought before falling prey to sleep was not about the ardeur.
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, 15
PART SIXTEEN
Willow opened her eyes when she felt someone standing in the bedroom, looking over her with intense eyes. She had expected Asher, but was surprised to see Richard; she sat up, balling her hands in the duvet, and prepared to tell him to leave the room but he raised a hand and she fell silent.
"I'm staying."
"What if it comes back?" she asked. "What if I have it like Anita does? I'm not safe to be around, Richard... not until we know for sure."
He shrugged. "I don't care. You shouldn't be alone right now."
"Richard---"
"Willow, don't push me away like you did Asher," he interrupted.
Willow frowned. She didn't like the way he recounted previous events; his words made it sound as if she had ended things with the blond vampire, and all she thought she had done was asked for some space, some privacy.
"It's not for good," she insisted, "it's just... until we know for sure."
"You're gonna stay away from all of us until Allura arrives?" Richard inquired, stepping away from the closed door and towards the bed. "What about Asher? Nathaniel?"
"What about me?" she asked. "What if... what if I become addicted to---" she stopped short and looked down at the bedding, unsure of how to finish her question.
"Anita's not a slave to her passions when she feeds them regularly," he pointed out. "Besides, isn't it you always telling me that we're family, no matter how we look at it? When does family ever turn their backs on someone in need?"
"Fucking regularly isn't something I'd consider---"
Richard snorted once. When Willow glared up at him, he put his hands up and said, "You cursing... takes some getting used to."
"Glad I'm so entertaining," she muttered.
"You're more than that," he assured her as he slowly sat down a few feet away from Willow. "Now, I'm exhausted... I was called twice by Anita---once to confirm an alibi, and once to be pretty much yelled at over the alibi---and then once by some guy named Perry---to confirm it all over again."
Willow frowned. "He's the one who took my statement," she said in a quiet voice. She sighed. "It sucks... I came 'out of the closet,' so to speak, to help them... and... and now... I'm branded bad news." She sighed again. "Maybe I am bad news," she whispered.
"You're not," he insisted. He shrugged and added, "Perry didn't understand what I was doing with Jamil and Patrick. He didn't ask about it... but, I could hear it in his voice. I pretend to be such a normal guy... a teacher, a woodsy type... and Anita took some flack when she broke up with me to shack up with Jean-Claude."
"I took that... that flack, when they thought I was normal, too. Dolph didn't understand why I could get mixed up in all this... and now, I'm just a freak like everyone else."
Richard touched her hand and Willow felt a wave of relief when the ardeur did not swell to the surface of her soul and body, threatening to drown her inhibitions.
He smiled. "Being a freak isn't so bad," he said quietly.
Willow looked up at him. "Since when did you start singing that tune?"
He shrugged. "A little while ago, I guess," he admitted. "I'm not about to out myself, because I love my job... but..." he trailed off and smiled again.
"Yeah," she agreed.
"So, why don't you scoot over and make room for me," he insisted. "I refuse to sleep at my place because the phone never seems to stop ringing, even though it's the weekend... and please don't make me bunk with Jason. His room is a mess."
Willow smiled. "His bed is pretty comfy, though," she pointed out. At Richard's questioning look, she quickly explained: "When I need a friend... a sounding board... someone warm to cuddle with... Jason's there for me."
"Oh."
"Are you jealous?" she asked.
"I can cuddle," he mumbled, pouting a bit.
Willow worked to hide her grin, her previous fears and gloominess shelved for a moment while she interacted with the Ulfric. "I know you can," she murmured. "You don't need to prove anything to me." She hesitated, and those darker feelings tumbled down upon her heart and mind. "Tonight's probably not a good idea, though," she added.
"If it happens, I can handle it," he assured her.
"I don't want you to have to handle it, Richard."
"Don't be so stubborn."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's rich, coming from you," she shot back.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Asher's voice from the doorway interrupted Willow from telling Richard exactly what she meant by her previous comment. "Children, children... do I have to break you up?" he inquired, his accent thicker than usual---which usually meant he spent time with Jean-Claude moments before, speaking in French, but Willow also knew that when he was emotional, that French accent increased in intensity, too.
"Hi," Willow said softly. "How... how are you?"
"Intrigued," he replied cryptically, looking from Richard to Willow.
"I... I'm telling him to leave," she explained quickly.
Richard glared at her before looking at Asher. "She shouldn't be alone," he said as he kicked his shoes off.
Asher nodded. "I agree," he responded, nodding towards the werewolf. "Will you mind feeding her, if the need arises?"
The Ulfric hesitated and then he shook his head. "No, I won't mind. I can handle it, if it happens," he replied. "I'm not afraid of her."
"Interesting..."
"I've fed Anita a few times, recently, too, so---"
"I know," Asher interrupted. "I am glad you will stay with her, since it is close to dawn and I must retire for the day."
Willow opened her mouth to talk to the vampire, but he cut her off. "We will talk in the evening, mon colibri," he promised. "Please stop isolating yourself and accept the support Richard is offering you."
"Asher, wait," she insisted.
He smiled, almost sadly. "First, you push me away... and now, with minutes to spare, you draw me closer," he commented in a wry tone of voice. "You are a funny girl, mon colibri."
"I... I'm confused." She sucked in a sharp breath and then admitted, "And I'm really scared."
Asher's smile faded and a contemplative look took hold of his facial features. "I know," he murmured, his words caressing her as his fingers would. "And I am scared for you. But, I cannot afford to worry unnecessarily, and I suggest you do not, either."
"We'll jump off that bridge when we get to it, then," Richard said, looking from Asher to Willow.
"Oui," Asher agreed.
Willow frowned. "What if... what'll it make me? I'll... I'll have to..."
Asher crossed the room quickly. He nearly collided with Richard, but both men moved slightly to avoid such a crash, in his hurry to climb upon the bed. Willow gasped and he pressed his lips to hers before she fully realised how close he had gotten, and how quickly he had gotten to that point; the kiss was passionate and deep and she could feel his fangs nicking her lower lip briefly before his tongue worried the tiny wounds.
She panicked. She feared that sticky feeling would reappear, would take over her thoughts and actions, but nothing happened but the pleasurable rush Asher always managed to stir inside of her.
When the blond vampire pulled back, his eyes were slightly hooded by his eyelids, which had lowered in reaction to his lustful feelings. Willow blushed; his eyelids didn't hide the emotions and thoughts shimmering in those blue orbs.
"It will make you my companion," Asher insisted quietly. "You will be my partner. Nothing will change that."
"I want to believe you," she whispered, reaching up and putting both of her hands on his face. She needed to touch him, to prove to herself that the ardeur wasn't going to take over her body. "Goddess... I want to believe you, Asher."
He nodded and kissed her forehead. "Sleep sweetly," he whispered into her hair. "Sleep sweetly and come to me when the sun sets," he insisted quietly.
"We'll find each other," she promised. She smiled weakly. "Besides, if it comes back... I'll need to find you," she said, attempting to joke.
"I'll take care of her," Richard said in a quiet voice.
Asher turned and looked at the Ulfric. For a moment, Willow expected the vampire to share a caustic remark. But, then, Asher's gaze softened and he nodded. "Thank you, for looking after her while I am... dead to the world."
The vampire straightened as he slid gracefully off of the bed, and after squeezing Willow's shoulder, he nearly glided out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"I'm gonna take some of my clothes off, and then I'm getting into bed," Richard announced.
Willow bit back a sigh and decided to give in. Asher seemed to insist upon her having company and Richard was insisting that he be that company. Whether or not she would be a full-time carrier of the ardeur did not seem to be one of their concerns.
"If you hog the covers..."
He smiled and stood up, as he tugged his shirt over his head. He exposed his broad chest and shoulders; his muscles rippled under his skin as he moved his arms, and Willow had to dig her fingernails into her palms to prevent herself from reacting to his physical appearance.
"Willow?"
She blinked and only then did she realise she had been staring at Richard's stomach. When she looked into his eyes, that chocolate gaze was holding in a considerable amount of laughter. She tossed a pillow at him.
He caught it and tossed it back to her. "Can I sleep in shorts... or do I have to worry about you taking advantage of me in my sleep?" he asked teasingly.
"Sleep in whatever you want," she told him after punching the pillow-turned-weapon a couple of times. "You usually do," she added.
"Yeah, but now I know my virture is in danger."
She snorted. "Virtue... shyeah. Right."
He chuckled and made his way over to Willow's wardrobe---where he kept a couple of outfits, for emergencies, and a pair of shorts he sometimes wore when he decided to spend the day sleeping in that room---and he changed from jeans to shorts. Willow tried not to watch him undress, but she found that she couldn't help it. She had been fascinated by him, by his size and power, before they did that preternatural mating at the lupanar. But after that mating, that fascination had turned into a keen desire to memorise every curve, every inch of his body, because that desire recognised the Ulfric as hers in a way.
The witch managed to avert her eyes before he turned around. He went into the bathroom and Willow looked down at her hands, at the tiny wounds she left in the palms of them. When he sat back down on the bed, returning from brushing his teeth, he took her hands in his. Without saying anything, he dropped his mouth to them and licked the blood clean.
"Richard---"
He rolled his eyes up, towards her, and she saw they were turning amber. She shivered and when he lifted his head, she sucked in a sharp breath. He remained silent and pressed his lips to hers, long enough for his tongue to swipe over the pinpricks Asher had left with his fangs.
"Tempting fate," she mumbled against his mouth and tongue.
"Bedtime snack," he joked after pulling away from her.
"Animal," she teased.
"Witch."
Willow smiled. "Sticks and stones..."
"Lie down," he murmured gruffly.
Still smiling, she eased her torso back down upon the mattress, and tried to find a comfortable sleeping position. She didn't feel comfortable until Richard stretched out alongside of her, putting one arm and one leg around her.
His metaphysical wolf left his body and its fur caressed Willow's skin, almost from the inside of her body. She sighed happily, taking the gesture in the soothing way it was meant to be taken, and her last thought before falling prey to sleep was not about the ardeur.
TBC...