AB/BtVS FF: Living Underground 17/?
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, 16
PART SEVENTEEN
Willow woke up when someone slowly opened the bedroom door. She knew it wasn't Richard, because his warm body was still at her back and all around her own body, but she knew it had to be someone she knew well---because no one else risked entering Asher's chambers.
Before she could open her eyes and look at the intruder, she heard Jason whispering for Richard's attention.
"Ulfric?"
Richard groaned, rubbing his face against Willow's shoulder, before yawning and mumbling, "Mmm... what is it Jason?"
"May I join you and Willow?" Jason asked, still whispering.
"Yeah," Richard told him.
Jason sighed happily and the next thing Willow knew was that he was crawling onto the bed. He flopped down in front of Willow and she could feel that his body was close, but not touching hers. He wriggled a bit, but eventually---after a lighthearted scolding from Richard---he settled down and curled his body into the curve that Willow's had taken in her sleep.
Willow fell asleep again, lost in the warm and soothing sensations of having two werewolves heating the bed.
Her mind was lost to dreams---of Asher, of Richard, of Buffy and the others she left behind. The first few were pleasant and they warmed her insides the way Richard and Jason warmed her outside; but the nature of the dreams shifted, and when she had had enough of watching Buffy hunt those she loved, she woke up with a gasp.
"Lupa?"
Richard and Jason were at her sides, waking up, but it was Stephen that had whispered the title the pack had given her. He looked at her with wide eyes, concerned for her more than afraid of her.
"Bad dream," Willow admitted.
Stephen frowned. "I'll go get you a glass of water," he insisted, moving to the bathroom before Willow could stop him.
He returned and sat down on the bed as he offered her the glass of cool water he had poured from the faucet. Willow accepted it with a quiet smile and she felt Richard rub her back as she sipped from the glass. Jason sat up and kissed her shoulder, and then he asked Stephen if he was staying with them.
"If I'm allowed," he replied, looking from Richard to Willow.
Willow blushed. "There are rules to these puppy piles?" she asked.
"Well... I was supposed to meet Gregory and Nathaniel here," he admitted. "I think we were gonna steal Jason's room, but---"
"They can stay, too," Richard said quietly, interrupting the young werewolf.
"Really?"
Richard nodded and touched Stephen's arm. "Yeah," he replied. "Really. Get in, get comfy."
"Thank you," Stephen said with a grin stretching his lips.
He jumped off of the bed and raced to the bathroom, muttering something about brushing his teeth, and Willow looked at Richard as the man started to chuckle.
"Sorry," he murmured.
Willow smiled. "Don't apologise," she insisted. She reached up and smoothed her hand over his forehead and into his hair. "You don't mind sharing with some cats?"
"I'm getting used to it," he told her.
She leaned in and kissed his cheek on impulse. Before he could say anything, she nudged him gently and said, "Go back to sleep."
"Yes, ma'am," he murmured gruffly. He wrapped an arm around her and dragged her back down to the mattress. Jason managed to grab the water from her hand before it spilled, and then he settled back down next to Willow. Richard sighed and tucked his face into Willow's neck and shoulder. "It's probably noon, and here I am, going back to bed," he commented after a yawn. "I should be teaching night school..."
"It's the weekend," Willow murmured. "You'll get your schedule back on track."
When Stephen emerged from the bathroom, clad in a pair of shorts that didn't hide much, Richard changed his position on the bed. He rocked onto his back and opened his other arm up to the young male werewolf. Willow knew they were friends and she could see how much they cared for each other when Stephen snuggled up to the werewolf king; their touches were gentle, their expressions content. After smothering her amused smile, she turned onto her other side and pillowed her head upon Richard's chest. Jason turned onto his other side and held Willow from behind.
Richard fell asleep first; the witch could hear the change in his heart's rhythm and feel the change in his breathing. Jason's soft snoring told Willow that he was next. Stephen fell asleep shortly after that, but he and Willow both woke up when Gregory and Nathaniel came into the room.
Gregory slept next to Stephen and Willow looked over Richard's chest to admire the sight of the twins together. Nathaniel settled down next to Jason; Willow watched as they tangled together, comfortable with each other's proximity.
When the cats started to purr, Willow felt herself lulled into a resting state by the sound.
That comfortable resting state only lasted a couple of hours. It wasn't interrupted by bad dreams, or another wereanimal coming to share the bed. Instead, it was Faith's reaction to seeing that many people in bed together that caused Willow to wake.
She knew the others were awake; she could feel them, aware of everything in the room.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw Faith trying to hold in her laughter, a grin stretching her face. Willow yawned and smiled, and as she rubbed her eyes, she tried to sit up. It took a few tries, but with Richard's help, she managed the change in position.
"What's up?" Willow asked quietly, before yawning again.
"The five guys in bed with you, I'm betting," Faith joked.
Willow rolled her eyes. "You're a riot," she muttered. "No, seriously... what's up? Haven't heard from you in a while... how's Damian?"
Faith grinned again. "Five by five and bunked down for the night." She smiled and shrugged. "I was gonna head out and investigate that place out in the woods you got hauled in over. Giles had Buffy out there last night... so I figured someone on our team should sneak a peak."
Richard growled. Willow turned her head and glared at him. "Bad puppy," she scolded, teasing him a little. "It's fine---"
"Returning to the scene of the crime, is what it'll look like to the cops if they catch you," he pointed out.
Willow smiled. "They won't catch me," she assured him. "I'll do a little glamour spell. I want to know what's going on there, too, so..."
Richard sighed. "You're going to go no matter what, aren't you?"
The witch smiled again and nodded. "Pretty much," she said as she slid off of the bed, moving around Jason and Nathaniel, before she could walk over to her wardrobe and find things to take with her into the bathroom.
"I'll keep her safe for you guys."
Faith's promise was the last thing Willow heard before she ducked into the other room to wash up and change.
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, 16
PART SEVENTEEN
Willow woke up when someone slowly opened the bedroom door. She knew it wasn't Richard, because his warm body was still at her back and all around her own body, but she knew it had to be someone she knew well---because no one else risked entering Asher's chambers.
Before she could open her eyes and look at the intruder, she heard Jason whispering for Richard's attention.
"Ulfric?"
Richard groaned, rubbing his face against Willow's shoulder, before yawning and mumbling, "Mmm... what is it Jason?"
"May I join you and Willow?" Jason asked, still whispering.
"Yeah," Richard told him.
Jason sighed happily and the next thing Willow knew was that he was crawling onto the bed. He flopped down in front of Willow and she could feel that his body was close, but not touching hers. He wriggled a bit, but eventually---after a lighthearted scolding from Richard---he settled down and curled his body into the curve that Willow's had taken in her sleep.
Willow fell asleep again, lost in the warm and soothing sensations of having two werewolves heating the bed.
Her mind was lost to dreams---of Asher, of Richard, of Buffy and the others she left behind. The first few were pleasant and they warmed her insides the way Richard and Jason warmed her outside; but the nature of the dreams shifted, and when she had had enough of watching Buffy hunt those she loved, she woke up with a gasp.
"Lupa?"
Richard and Jason were at her sides, waking up, but it was Stephen that had whispered the title the pack had given her. He looked at her with wide eyes, concerned for her more than afraid of her.
"Bad dream," Willow admitted.
Stephen frowned. "I'll go get you a glass of water," he insisted, moving to the bathroom before Willow could stop him.
He returned and sat down on the bed as he offered her the glass of cool water he had poured from the faucet. Willow accepted it with a quiet smile and she felt Richard rub her back as she sipped from the glass. Jason sat up and kissed her shoulder, and then he asked Stephen if he was staying with them.
"If I'm allowed," he replied, looking from Richard to Willow.
Willow blushed. "There are rules to these puppy piles?" she asked.
"Well... I was supposed to meet Gregory and Nathaniel here," he admitted. "I think we were gonna steal Jason's room, but---"
"They can stay, too," Richard said quietly, interrupting the young werewolf.
"Really?"
Richard nodded and touched Stephen's arm. "Yeah," he replied. "Really. Get in, get comfy."
"Thank you," Stephen said with a grin stretching his lips.
He jumped off of the bed and raced to the bathroom, muttering something about brushing his teeth, and Willow looked at Richard as the man started to chuckle.
"Sorry," he murmured.
Willow smiled. "Don't apologise," she insisted. She reached up and smoothed her hand over his forehead and into his hair. "You don't mind sharing with some cats?"
"I'm getting used to it," he told her.
She leaned in and kissed his cheek on impulse. Before he could say anything, she nudged him gently and said, "Go back to sleep."
"Yes, ma'am," he murmured gruffly. He wrapped an arm around her and dragged her back down to the mattress. Jason managed to grab the water from her hand before it spilled, and then he settled back down next to Willow. Richard sighed and tucked his face into Willow's neck and shoulder. "It's probably noon, and here I am, going back to bed," he commented after a yawn. "I should be teaching night school..."
"It's the weekend," Willow murmured. "You'll get your schedule back on track."
When Stephen emerged from the bathroom, clad in a pair of shorts that didn't hide much, Richard changed his position on the bed. He rocked onto his back and opened his other arm up to the young male werewolf. Willow knew they were friends and she could see how much they cared for each other when Stephen snuggled up to the werewolf king; their touches were gentle, their expressions content. After smothering her amused smile, she turned onto her other side and pillowed her head upon Richard's chest. Jason turned onto his other side and held Willow from behind.
Richard fell asleep first; the witch could hear the change in his heart's rhythm and feel the change in his breathing. Jason's soft snoring told Willow that he was next. Stephen fell asleep shortly after that, but he and Willow both woke up when Gregory and Nathaniel came into the room.
Gregory slept next to Stephen and Willow looked over Richard's chest to admire the sight of the twins together. Nathaniel settled down next to Jason; Willow watched as they tangled together, comfortable with each other's proximity.
When the cats started to purr, Willow felt herself lulled into a resting state by the sound.
That comfortable resting state only lasted a couple of hours. It wasn't interrupted by bad dreams, or another wereanimal coming to share the bed. Instead, it was Faith's reaction to seeing that many people in bed together that caused Willow to wake.
She knew the others were awake; she could feel them, aware of everything in the room.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw Faith trying to hold in her laughter, a grin stretching her face. Willow yawned and smiled, and as she rubbed her eyes, she tried to sit up. It took a few tries, but with Richard's help, she managed the change in position.
"What's up?" Willow asked quietly, before yawning again.
"The five guys in bed with you, I'm betting," Faith joked.
Willow rolled her eyes. "You're a riot," she muttered. "No, seriously... what's up? Haven't heard from you in a while... how's Damian?"
Faith grinned again. "Five by five and bunked down for the night." She smiled and shrugged. "I was gonna head out and investigate that place out in the woods you got hauled in over. Giles had Buffy out there last night... so I figured someone on our team should sneak a peak."
Richard growled. Willow turned her head and glared at him. "Bad puppy," she scolded, teasing him a little. "It's fine---"
"Returning to the scene of the crime, is what it'll look like to the cops if they catch you," he pointed out.
Willow smiled. "They won't catch me," she assured him. "I'll do a little glamour spell. I want to know what's going on there, too, so..."
Richard sighed. "You're going to go no matter what, aren't you?"
The witch smiled again and nodded. "Pretty much," she said as she slid off of the bed, moving around Jason and Nathaniel, before she could walk over to her wardrobe and find things to take with her into the bathroom.
"I'll keep her safe for you guys."
Faith's promise was the last thing Willow heard before she ducked into the other room to wash up and change.
TBC...