AB/BtVS FF: Living Underground 31/?
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, 17, 18, 19, 20-1, 22-3, 24-5, 26-7, 28, 29, 30
PART THIRTY-ONE
The second day's feast ran smoothly---or as smoothly as a feast for vampires and shapeshifters and few humans could possibly run.
Willow was relieved that she and Asher did not have to perform again. It wasn't because she didn't enjoy playing those games---because she found them quite freeing, in all honesty---but because she didn't like being so exposed, emotionally, in front of so many people. Asher was able to strip down layers of her defenses; being dominant for Nathaniel had a similar effect upon her. She had felt so raw and exposed after the show from the previous night and she didn't think she wanted to go through that again, in hindsight.
Instead of such an intimate performance, Jean-Claude arranged for entertainment of a different sort. He brought in dancers, some of whom Willow recognised from Danse Macabre, and they entertained the crowd. At the end of the evening, the dancers and the music invited many of the guests to dance themselves. Anita was one of the people that didn't dance; Damian and Faith, among others from both groups, though, did join the group.
The witch had wanted to go to bed after dancing into the wee hours of the morning, but she remembered that she and Faith had plans after everyone went to bed.
Richard left around four o'clock---since he had school that morning, despite Willow's and Anita's insistence that he call in sick---and Willow walked with him to the exit. They held hands and kissed; when they hugged, Willow wished for a moment that they could go back to bed, even just to sleep, but she knew she had other plans that did not involve resting.
"Be careful," he warned before releasing her.
"A little spy work in sunshine," she whispered, "it's simple. No sweat."
"Be careful."
She pulled back and smiled at him. "I will. I'll call you later, okay?"
"Promise?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I promise."
He smiled and kissed her once more before leaving the Circus. Willow waited until he got into his car before she closed the heavy door and locked it. She walked down the darkened staircase, using a simple illumination spell to help her; with Richard, she hadn't needed to worry about missing a step because it was easy to follow his lead, but on her own, she worried about missing an oddly-sized step in the shoes Asher had insisted she wear that night.
When she reached her suite, she saw Asher talking with Faith and Damian in the outer room. They both looked up at her as she closed the door.
"Hi," she murmured.
She walked over to Asher. He parted his legs and guided her between them. She willingly followed his guidance; when she was close enough, she put her hands on his shoulders before sliding them upwards, into his hair.
"What are you guys talking about?" she asked.
"Your expedition," Asher replied.
He hugged her, from around her waist, and he rubbed his face against her clothed stomach. He nuzzled until her top inched upwards, exposing her belly. Then, he kissed her stomach and peeked up at her, from between her breasts.
"You will be careful."
She chuckled. "Richard seems to think I'm asking for trouble, too," she commented.
"Sometimes, you do," he replied. He smirked. "Sometimes, I don't mind."
Willow laughed and slowly eased herself down, into Asher's lap. She moved slowly because the leather skirt she was wearing was quite narrow; it restricted plenty of regular movements, like moving from sitting to standing and vice versa.
He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to his chest. She smiled and snuggled into him.
"Comfy?" Faith asked teasingly.
Willow grinned and nodded.
Damian touched the slayer's shoulder. "I am going to clean up," he told her quietly.
Faith smiled at him. Her eyes seemed less harsh, less guarded, when she was looking at the red haired vampire. Willow could tell that Faith cared about Damian; she could also see that her feelings were mutual and that made her happy. Faith deserved happiness and she didn't always get it.
"I'll see you when you wake up," Faith murmured. She reached up, into Damian's silk shirt, and gently tugged him towards her. Their lips met and lingered. Then, Damian brushed his fingers along her cheek; Faith blushed and closed her eyes.
"I look forward to it," he whispered.
When Damian left, Willow opened her mouth to at least tease Faith a little, but the slayer raised her hands and beat Willow to it.
"Don't say anything," Faith instructed, her face still flushed. "I've gone soft, I know."
"I was going to say it's nice to see you so happy," Willow said, smiling.
"Oh."
Willow chuckled. She looked at Asher. "You should be thinking about bed, too," she advised.
"Afraid I might die right here?" he inquired, smiling.
"Well, no, but it won't be very comfy."
He laughed quietly. "I will not feel a thing," he reminded her. He brushed one of his hands through her long hair, which had been styled in waves again. "You will be careful, oui?"
She nodded. "I promise, I'll be careful," she murmured. "Besides, Faith is coming with me," she reminded him. "The last time Faith and I went out, snooping around, we returned unscathed, didn't we?"
"True," Asher agreed. "But, something, or someone, has killed some vampires. While they were young, from Anita's investigation, they were still stronger and faster than you are," he reminded her.
She nodded again. "I know," she said.
"Good."
"I want you to be safe," he said into her mind.
"Worrywart," Willow teased.
"You say that like it is a bad thing," he responded. "Or like I have not had reason to worry about you in the past."
She smiled and ducked her eyes away from his. "Okay, okay... good point." She cleared her throat and then changed the subject. "Is Jean-Claude bunking with you?"
Asher shrugged. "I do not know," he replied.
"Oh... okay." She paused before she smiled again. "Want me to wash your hair before bed?"
The blond vampire grinned, flashing his fangs. "There are other pursuits I would enjoy more," he pointed out. "It is too bad there is not more time."
Faith clapped her hands together once. "Okay, kiddies," she said, "I'm gonna go change out of my slave-wear---" she paused and motioned towards her skimpy clothes, similar to the clothes she wore the night before "---and then I'm gonna gas up my bike. Meet you out back at dawn, Will?"
Willow nodded.
Once they were alone, Asher kissed her bare shoulders. Willow made a quiet purring noise in the back of her throat as she closed her eyes and let him caress her skin.
"I've gotta get changed," she reminded him.
"We have plenty of time."
"Asher..."
He sighed unnecessarily. "I suppose you will tell me that we don't," he said.
"Not really," she replied.
"Will you wash my hair?" he asked.
"You want me to?"
He kissed his way from her shoulder to her lips. "I love it when you touch me," he whispered before kissing her mouth.
Willow whimpered as his touch stirred feelings she didn't really have time to satiate or even process. She wrapped her arms around his neck; he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.
He set her down, upon the floor, and then he backed away from her. She smiled at him and slowly shimmied out of her clothes, while he did the same; he disappeared into the bathroom as she put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that she didn't mind getting wet.
When the tub was full, Asher got into the warm water and submerged his head. Willow had entered the room at that point; she appreciated the way the water ran down his pale skin, both scarred and smooth, before she stepped towards him and sat down on the edge of the tub.
Asher washed his body while she washed his hair. She loved his hair. It was like threads of gold, but only more decadent---to her, anyway. It was definitely one of his best features; she loved touching it and feeling it touch her. The only time she hated it was when it hid half of his face from her view, acting like the curtain he so often hid behind, but he was getting much better at not hiding from her.
"Thank you," he murmured, as she finished rinsing the soap suds from his head.
She kissed his shoulder. "You're welcome," she replied.
"I did not think you would..."
"Why?" she asked.
"It is an activity enjoyed by one---"
"By two," she corrected. "I love touching you," she added. "And when Allura leaves, you and I will get to do some much needed and wanted touching."
"Is that a promise, mon colibri?"
Willow laughed softly. "Oh, yeah."
Asher reached up and touched her hand with his. "The past few weeks have been hard on you," he murmured, "I understand."
That was true. The coming and going of Masters of Cities was hard on her; it was hard on everyone. But, she missed having her time to herself, to work at Feral Byte or to be with Asher in their suite or at one of Jean-Claude's clubs. It wasn't just the sex that she missed, but being able to plan her time the way she wanted to. With the other vampires and their groups coming to St. Louis, Willow's time was divided by preparations and events; with Buffy and the others in St. Louis, she was practically confined to the Circus and bogged down by serious thoughts pertaining to her past.
"Not just on me," she said quietly. "And not always hard... just... trying sometimes. And complicated. I'm kind of tired of being so careful."
"Also understandable," he murmured.
She kissed his hand. "It's gotta be hard and you and Jean-Claude, too," she reasoned, "and everyone else. Not just me."
"True," he admitted. "I would like to be free to spend time with you and others that I care about, without worrying about schedules and feasts and guests."
"Soon," she murmured. "Allura's only gonna be here for another night or two, right?"
"One more night. We have a smaller meal planned for tomorrow... or rather tonight, I suppose," he told her, "and then they will sleep here during the day. That next night, they will leave."
Willow nodded. She could feel anticipation tightening her stomach. She would be able to relax, be less careful and selective with her behavior and words; she would be able to spend time with Asher, and with Richard, if they decided to, which made her stomach knot up even more. Even though she still couldn't go wherever she wanted, because of Buffy, Xander, and Giles still being in St. Louis, she was excited that the last Master of the City's visit would be ending in a matter of days.
"Will you hand me a towel?"
"What? Oh... sure," Willow replied, recovering as Asher had startled her from her thoughts.
He was smiling when he turned to face her. She blushed and reached behind her, to the towel bar, for a large, fluffy towel.
"I do hope you will be able to contain your excitement for a couple of days," he teased.
"I think I can manage," she said after snorting.
Asher kissed her after he wrapped the towel around his waist. "You should change," he advised as he tilted his head from side to side, stretching the muscles in his neck. "And I should lie down."
"Yeah," she agreed reluctantly.
They went into the bedroom after sharing another kiss. Willow watched Asher as he braided his hair; she wanted to be the one to unbraid it when he woke up after sunset, but she didn't say anything about that desire. She went to her wardrobe and picked Jason's pants and a button-up shirt; she changed while Asher removed the towel and reclined on the bed, under the sheet.
Jean-Claude came in after she finished buttoning up her shirt, wearing a robe and slippers. They exchanged pleasantries and then she watched them lying down together before she kissed Asher good-bye, grabbed her jacket, and left the suite.
Faith was waiting for her in the employees' parking lot. She was dressed in black leather pants and a matching jacket, dark sunglasses over her eyes to block the early morning light.
She smiled when Willow was close enough to see it. "All bunked down for the day?"
"Yep," Willow replied.
The slayer handed the witch a helmet after she shrugged into her jean jacket. Willow put it on and then slid her sunglasses over her face.
Before getting on the back of the bike, she felt a moment's worth of hesitation. She wanted to take a car, instead, but Faith was already on her bike and waiting.
"Will?"
She sighed. "Yeah," she agreed reluctantly.
Willow got onto the back seat and wrapped her arms around Faith's body.
"Snuggle up tight," Faith said before she started the bike's motor and took off for the road.
&&&&
"What exactly are we expecting to find?"
Faith asked the question after she and Willow started walking towards the singed grass. Willow, however, wasn't listening; she had swept her gaze over the cemetery and found an unexpected sight.
Dawn Summers was walking around the area that was marked off as the scene of the crime. Her head was bowed; she was obviously looking at the burned grass.
"Hey, kidlet," Faith said once she, too, noticed Dawn.
The younger woman looked up quickly. Her eyebrows jumped in silent question but she didn't say anything until Willow and Faith were closer to her.
"Come to see the show?" she asked.
"What's left of it," Faith replied. "How ya been?"
"Better," Dawn said quietly.
Willow stepped forward. Her first impulse had been to hug Dawn---that would have been her reaction years ago. But, hesitation and uncertainty restrained her until Dawn closed the gap and hugged her.
"I'm glad you two are here," Dawn admitted. She sighed and pushed her hands into her sweater's front pocket. "I heard about the murders on the news... and... I just..."
"Wanted to know if B did some unauthorised slaying?"
She frowned and nodded.
"It doesn't seem like B's style," Faith advised. She put her hand on Dawn's back. "She doesn't like to break the law. You know that."
Dawn nodded again.
Willow walked away from them, as they started to talk about Buffy and as she started to look around the cemetery. She knew Faith was right; breaking the law wasn't something the blonde slayer liked to do. She had had problems after vampires became legal citizens, but Willow had thought that Buffy eventually processed the federal law changes.
Something gold, sparkling in the morning sunlight, caught Willow's attention. It was far away from the burn site; it took a few minutes for her to find the gold item. When she found it, she discovered that it was a necklace with a charm dangling from it.
The charm was an ankh. Willow recognised it almost instantly. She held the necklace up to the light and admired the way it shimmered. There were some small gemstones embedded in one surface.
"Where'd you find that, Will?"
She turned and rose to her full height. Faith and Dawn were only a few feet away.
"This," she said as she showed them the chain. "It's an ankh. Its origins are Egyptian---"
"But, now it means life and immortality," Dawn interrupted, "the universe... power... and life-giving air and water. Its shape has encouraged the belief that it could unlock the gates of death, particularly by modern Rosicrucians and other hermetic orders. Oh, and the Coptic Christians have used it as a symbol of life after death."
Faith grinned. "Guess the book learnin's working out well for you."
"Can I see that?" Dawn asked after smiling at the slayer.
Willow offered it to her. The younger woman's smile faded into a frown as she studied the charm handed to her.
"I've seen this before," Dawn said quietly.
"Really?"
The brunette nodded. "Yeah... I... in a book," she told Willow. "I just... can't remember where. I know it's probably a vampire's---which would make sense, since a vampire's stronger than an average person and would have better luck killing another vampire---but I can't remember what book it's in." She held it up so Willow could see it again. "Have you seen it before?"
The redhead frowned in concentration. "I don't know. I think it's out of context."
Faith took off her jacket and snatched the necklace out of Dawn's hands. She put it on, letting the ankh rest against her chest.
"Ring any bells?"
Willow chuckled. "Faith... I don't think it works that---"
Faith's ringing cellular phone cut Willow off. The slayer answered it. "Faith, here," she said into the small device. She paused, listened, and then a smile broke out on her face. "Angel, hey. How are you?" She paused again. "Good, good. We're all good. Willow's great... So are Asher and the crew... Dawn's here with us now---" she stopped for a second "---yeah, she came with Buffy and the others. She seems to be good, too. We're investigating crime to vampires, actually."
Willow looked at Dawn, tuning Faith's conversation out. "Can you think of when you saw it?"
Dawn shrugged. "Not off of the top of my head," she replied. "After we... destroyed Sunnydale, it took a while before we could really do any research. We didn't have to for a while. Buffy was on vacation. We travelled. Giles was just putting the Council back together and we were all recruiting slayers in our spare time. You remember how it was."
Willow nodded. They hadn't done much research in the time immediately after defeating the First. They hadn't had many books; they hadn't had a reason to research anything otherworldly.
"It was after. That's all I remember."
"Angel? You can't be serious," Faith said into the phone, catching Willow's attention. "Someone with that much power and that much of a rep would've caught someone's attention."
Willow felt her brow furrowing. She and Dawn continued to watch Faith as she promised Angel she'd look around and see what she could learn from vampires in the city. Then, she ended the call and looked at the other women.
"Angel said the Immortal's in town."
"Isn't that the vampire that---"
"Oh!" Dawn exclaimed, cutting Willow off. "That's it! I knew I saw it before!" She punched her fists into the air. "Score one for the nerd!"
"Hold on, hold on," Faith said. "What? It's his necklace?"
Dawn nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "He was the vampire dating the Buffy lookalike. I didn't meet him, because that slayer had another slayer pretending to be me. And if I showed up, we might have gotten caught. But, I did research... because Andrew thought he was so cool. I wanted to see what the big deal---"
"The lookalikes," Willow breathed, causing Dawn to stop talking.
"The... yeah, Buffy had fakes everywhere. So, what gives?"
Willow looked at Faith. "The spell... the alter in the woods. It was a locator spell. I forgot all about it until now. I remembered thinking about asking you, Dawn," she said, looking at the other brunette, "about Buffy's impostors, but with Allura in town, I forgot. I didn't think it was just a coincidence that Buffy came into town and some weird stuff started happening."
"There was a spell done in the woods?" Dawn asked.
The witch nodded. "Yeah. It was a locator spell, but with a human sacrifice."
"To supersize it," Faith added.
Dawn nodded slowly. "So," she said, "the sacrifice could make it more powerful, like to see if it really was Buffy or one of her lookalikes."
"Exactly."
"And who would care to learn the difference?" Dawn continued. "Maybe someone that dated one of the impostors and wanted to know if she was the real deal or a double?"
"Like the Immortal," Faith said as it came together in their minds. She took off the necklace and held it up. "So, this is his?"
Dawn nodded.
Faith sighed. "Okay, great. But a powerful vamp like that just can't walk into another's territory undetected---"
"Unless he's really powerful," Dawn interrupted.
Willow closed her eyes and tried to imagine the Immortal. She had met him once, when she went to visit Andrew and the lookalike in Italy. But, so many things had happened since then that her memory recall wasn't working as well as she would have liked. She could see the event as if it were a blurry watercolour, in bits and pieces, but it wasn't enough to help her figure out the puzzle.
"He's from Italy, right?" Willow asked as she looked at Dawn.
"Yeah---"
"Maybe Ambrose knows him."
"Ambrose?" Dawn asked, her brow furrowing.
Willow nodded. "Yeah. He's a vampire that came with Allura---"
"Ambrose... the Italian form is 'Ambrogio,' which in Latin is 'Ambrosius,' which means---"
"Immortal?" Willow guessed, finishing for the younger woman.
Faith crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, that's a little too perfect."
"I can't just go to the cops and issue a warrant," Willow pointed out, "based on a necklace and our claims that it belongs to him. I can't even accuse him of doing those things without proof. I'll piss Allura off and while pissing her off isn't on the list of offenses that'll start a war, it'll probably start something that Jean-Claude'll wish I didn't start."
The slayer frowned. "Good point."
Dawn shrugged. "Okay, so, let's do research. Library... computers... let's get proof we need to link the two together. At least we can prove the Immortal was in the cemetery. Then, we can go back to the Master of the City with that, right?"
"We meaning Faith and I, Dawnie," Willow replied, nodding. When Dawn pouted, Willow shook her head. "Buffy will kill me for bringing you in there."
"Willow, please? You know how I love a good whodunit."
Willow smiled a little. "We'll see. But, your sister will probably kill me."
"Probably," Dawn agreed in a glum tone of voice. "Okay. So... library bound?"
Faith shook her head. "Feral Byte," she advised. "It's---"
"I know where it is," Dawn interrupted. "I can follow you there in the rental car."
"I can go back to the Circus and check Jean-Claude's library for books," Faith offered, "although books aren't really my thing."
Willow smiled more. "Don't spill anything on them and you should be fine," she teased.
"This is so cool!" Dawn said once they started walking away from the graves. "It's almost like the old days!"
The witch groaned before chuckling. Dawn was right, though; it was like solving a mystery when she was younger, without the rest of the Scooby gang.
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, 17, 18, 19, 20-1, 22-3, 24-5, 26-7, 28, 29, 30
PART THIRTY-ONE
The second day's feast ran smoothly---or as smoothly as a feast for vampires and shapeshifters and few humans could possibly run.
Willow was relieved that she and Asher did not have to perform again. It wasn't because she didn't enjoy playing those games---because she found them quite freeing, in all honesty---but because she didn't like being so exposed, emotionally, in front of so many people. Asher was able to strip down layers of her defenses; being dominant for Nathaniel had a similar effect upon her. She had felt so raw and exposed after the show from the previous night and she didn't think she wanted to go through that again, in hindsight.
Instead of such an intimate performance, Jean-Claude arranged for entertainment of a different sort. He brought in dancers, some of whom Willow recognised from Danse Macabre, and they entertained the crowd. At the end of the evening, the dancers and the music invited many of the guests to dance themselves. Anita was one of the people that didn't dance; Damian and Faith, among others from both groups, though, did join the group.
The witch had wanted to go to bed after dancing into the wee hours of the morning, but she remembered that she and Faith had plans after everyone went to bed.
Richard left around four o'clock---since he had school that morning, despite Willow's and Anita's insistence that he call in sick---and Willow walked with him to the exit. They held hands and kissed; when they hugged, Willow wished for a moment that they could go back to bed, even just to sleep, but she knew she had other plans that did not involve resting.
"Be careful," he warned before releasing her.
"A little spy work in sunshine," she whispered, "it's simple. No sweat."
"Be careful."
She pulled back and smiled at him. "I will. I'll call you later, okay?"
"Promise?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I promise."
He smiled and kissed her once more before leaving the Circus. Willow waited until he got into his car before she closed the heavy door and locked it. She walked down the darkened staircase, using a simple illumination spell to help her; with Richard, she hadn't needed to worry about missing a step because it was easy to follow his lead, but on her own, she worried about missing an oddly-sized step in the shoes Asher had insisted she wear that night.
When she reached her suite, she saw Asher talking with Faith and Damian in the outer room. They both looked up at her as she closed the door.
"Hi," she murmured.
She walked over to Asher. He parted his legs and guided her between them. She willingly followed his guidance; when she was close enough, she put her hands on his shoulders before sliding them upwards, into his hair.
"What are you guys talking about?" she asked.
"Your expedition," Asher replied.
He hugged her, from around her waist, and he rubbed his face against her clothed stomach. He nuzzled until her top inched upwards, exposing her belly. Then, he kissed her stomach and peeked up at her, from between her breasts.
"You will be careful."
She chuckled. "Richard seems to think I'm asking for trouble, too," she commented.
"Sometimes, you do," he replied. He smirked. "Sometimes, I don't mind."
Willow laughed and slowly eased herself down, into Asher's lap. She moved slowly because the leather skirt she was wearing was quite narrow; it restricted plenty of regular movements, like moving from sitting to standing and vice versa.
He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to his chest. She smiled and snuggled into him.
"Comfy?" Faith asked teasingly.
Willow grinned and nodded.
Damian touched the slayer's shoulder. "I am going to clean up," he told her quietly.
Faith smiled at him. Her eyes seemed less harsh, less guarded, when she was looking at the red haired vampire. Willow could tell that Faith cared about Damian; she could also see that her feelings were mutual and that made her happy. Faith deserved happiness and she didn't always get it.
"I'll see you when you wake up," Faith murmured. She reached up, into Damian's silk shirt, and gently tugged him towards her. Their lips met and lingered. Then, Damian brushed his fingers along her cheek; Faith blushed and closed her eyes.
"I look forward to it," he whispered.
When Damian left, Willow opened her mouth to at least tease Faith a little, but the slayer raised her hands and beat Willow to it.
"Don't say anything," Faith instructed, her face still flushed. "I've gone soft, I know."
"I was going to say it's nice to see you so happy," Willow said, smiling.
"Oh."
Willow chuckled. She looked at Asher. "You should be thinking about bed, too," she advised.
"Afraid I might die right here?" he inquired, smiling.
"Well, no, but it won't be very comfy."
He laughed quietly. "I will not feel a thing," he reminded her. He brushed one of his hands through her long hair, which had been styled in waves again. "You will be careful, oui?"
She nodded. "I promise, I'll be careful," she murmured. "Besides, Faith is coming with me," she reminded him. "The last time Faith and I went out, snooping around, we returned unscathed, didn't we?"
"True," Asher agreed. "But, something, or someone, has killed some vampires. While they were young, from Anita's investigation, they were still stronger and faster than you are," he reminded her.
She nodded again. "I know," she said.
"Good."
"I want you to be safe," he said into her mind.
"Worrywart," Willow teased.
"You say that like it is a bad thing," he responded. "Or like I have not had reason to worry about you in the past."
She smiled and ducked her eyes away from his. "Okay, okay... good point." She cleared her throat and then changed the subject. "Is Jean-Claude bunking with you?"
Asher shrugged. "I do not know," he replied.
"Oh... okay." She paused before she smiled again. "Want me to wash your hair before bed?"
The blond vampire grinned, flashing his fangs. "There are other pursuits I would enjoy more," he pointed out. "It is too bad there is not more time."
Faith clapped her hands together once. "Okay, kiddies," she said, "I'm gonna go change out of my slave-wear---" she paused and motioned towards her skimpy clothes, similar to the clothes she wore the night before "---and then I'm gonna gas up my bike. Meet you out back at dawn, Will?"
Willow nodded.
Once they were alone, Asher kissed her bare shoulders. Willow made a quiet purring noise in the back of her throat as she closed her eyes and let him caress her skin.
"I've gotta get changed," she reminded him.
"We have plenty of time."
"Asher..."
He sighed unnecessarily. "I suppose you will tell me that we don't," he said.
"Not really," she replied.
"Will you wash my hair?" he asked.
"You want me to?"
He kissed his way from her shoulder to her lips. "I love it when you touch me," he whispered before kissing her mouth.
Willow whimpered as his touch stirred feelings she didn't really have time to satiate or even process. She wrapped her arms around his neck; he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.
He set her down, upon the floor, and then he backed away from her. She smiled at him and slowly shimmied out of her clothes, while he did the same; he disappeared into the bathroom as she put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that she didn't mind getting wet.
When the tub was full, Asher got into the warm water and submerged his head. Willow had entered the room at that point; she appreciated the way the water ran down his pale skin, both scarred and smooth, before she stepped towards him and sat down on the edge of the tub.
Asher washed his body while she washed his hair. She loved his hair. It was like threads of gold, but only more decadent---to her, anyway. It was definitely one of his best features; she loved touching it and feeling it touch her. The only time she hated it was when it hid half of his face from her view, acting like the curtain he so often hid behind, but he was getting much better at not hiding from her.
"Thank you," he murmured, as she finished rinsing the soap suds from his head.
She kissed his shoulder. "You're welcome," she replied.
"I did not think you would..."
"Why?" she asked.
"It is an activity enjoyed by one---"
"By two," she corrected. "I love touching you," she added. "And when Allura leaves, you and I will get to do some much needed and wanted touching."
"Is that a promise, mon colibri?"
Willow laughed softly. "Oh, yeah."
Asher reached up and touched her hand with his. "The past few weeks have been hard on you," he murmured, "I understand."
That was true. The coming and going of Masters of Cities was hard on her; it was hard on everyone. But, she missed having her time to herself, to work at Feral Byte or to be with Asher in their suite or at one of Jean-Claude's clubs. It wasn't just the sex that she missed, but being able to plan her time the way she wanted to. With the other vampires and their groups coming to St. Louis, Willow's time was divided by preparations and events; with Buffy and the others in St. Louis, she was practically confined to the Circus and bogged down by serious thoughts pertaining to her past.
"Not just on me," she said quietly. "And not always hard... just... trying sometimes. And complicated. I'm kind of tired of being so careful."
"Also understandable," he murmured.
She kissed his hand. "It's gotta be hard and you and Jean-Claude, too," she reasoned, "and everyone else. Not just me."
"True," he admitted. "I would like to be free to spend time with you and others that I care about, without worrying about schedules and feasts and guests."
"Soon," she murmured. "Allura's only gonna be here for another night or two, right?"
"One more night. We have a smaller meal planned for tomorrow... or rather tonight, I suppose," he told her, "and then they will sleep here during the day. That next night, they will leave."
Willow nodded. She could feel anticipation tightening her stomach. She would be able to relax, be less careful and selective with her behavior and words; she would be able to spend time with Asher, and with Richard, if they decided to, which made her stomach knot up even more. Even though she still couldn't go wherever she wanted, because of Buffy, Xander, and Giles still being in St. Louis, she was excited that the last Master of the City's visit would be ending in a matter of days.
"Will you hand me a towel?"
"What? Oh... sure," Willow replied, recovering as Asher had startled her from her thoughts.
He was smiling when he turned to face her. She blushed and reached behind her, to the towel bar, for a large, fluffy towel.
"I do hope you will be able to contain your excitement for a couple of days," he teased.
"I think I can manage," she said after snorting.
Asher kissed her after he wrapped the towel around his waist. "You should change," he advised as he tilted his head from side to side, stretching the muscles in his neck. "And I should lie down."
"Yeah," she agreed reluctantly.
They went into the bedroom after sharing another kiss. Willow watched Asher as he braided his hair; she wanted to be the one to unbraid it when he woke up after sunset, but she didn't say anything about that desire. She went to her wardrobe and picked Jason's pants and a button-up shirt; she changed while Asher removed the towel and reclined on the bed, under the sheet.
Jean-Claude came in after she finished buttoning up her shirt, wearing a robe and slippers. They exchanged pleasantries and then she watched them lying down together before she kissed Asher good-bye, grabbed her jacket, and left the suite.
Faith was waiting for her in the employees' parking lot. She was dressed in black leather pants and a matching jacket, dark sunglasses over her eyes to block the early morning light.
She smiled when Willow was close enough to see it. "All bunked down for the day?"
"Yep," Willow replied.
The slayer handed the witch a helmet after she shrugged into her jean jacket. Willow put it on and then slid her sunglasses over her face.
Before getting on the back of the bike, she felt a moment's worth of hesitation. She wanted to take a car, instead, but Faith was already on her bike and waiting.
"Will?"
She sighed. "Yeah," she agreed reluctantly.
Willow got onto the back seat and wrapped her arms around Faith's body.
"Snuggle up tight," Faith said before she started the bike's motor and took off for the road.
&&&&
"What exactly are we expecting to find?"
Faith asked the question after she and Willow started walking towards the singed grass. Willow, however, wasn't listening; she had swept her gaze over the cemetery and found an unexpected sight.
Dawn Summers was walking around the area that was marked off as the scene of the crime. Her head was bowed; she was obviously looking at the burned grass.
"Hey, kidlet," Faith said once she, too, noticed Dawn.
The younger woman looked up quickly. Her eyebrows jumped in silent question but she didn't say anything until Willow and Faith were closer to her.
"Come to see the show?" she asked.
"What's left of it," Faith replied. "How ya been?"
"Better," Dawn said quietly.
Willow stepped forward. Her first impulse had been to hug Dawn---that would have been her reaction years ago. But, hesitation and uncertainty restrained her until Dawn closed the gap and hugged her.
"I'm glad you two are here," Dawn admitted. She sighed and pushed her hands into her sweater's front pocket. "I heard about the murders on the news... and... I just..."
"Wanted to know if B did some unauthorised slaying?"
She frowned and nodded.
"It doesn't seem like B's style," Faith advised. She put her hand on Dawn's back. "She doesn't like to break the law. You know that."
Dawn nodded again.
Willow walked away from them, as they started to talk about Buffy and as she started to look around the cemetery. She knew Faith was right; breaking the law wasn't something the blonde slayer liked to do. She had had problems after vampires became legal citizens, but Willow had thought that Buffy eventually processed the federal law changes.
Something gold, sparkling in the morning sunlight, caught Willow's attention. It was far away from the burn site; it took a few minutes for her to find the gold item. When she found it, she discovered that it was a necklace with a charm dangling from it.
The charm was an ankh. Willow recognised it almost instantly. She held the necklace up to the light and admired the way it shimmered. There were some small gemstones embedded in one surface.
"Where'd you find that, Will?"
She turned and rose to her full height. Faith and Dawn were only a few feet away.
"This," she said as she showed them the chain. "It's an ankh. Its origins are Egyptian---"
"But, now it means life and immortality," Dawn interrupted, "the universe... power... and life-giving air and water. Its shape has encouraged the belief that it could unlock the gates of death, particularly by modern Rosicrucians and other hermetic orders. Oh, and the Coptic Christians have used it as a symbol of life after death."
Faith grinned. "Guess the book learnin's working out well for you."
"Can I see that?" Dawn asked after smiling at the slayer.
Willow offered it to her. The younger woman's smile faded into a frown as she studied the charm handed to her.
"I've seen this before," Dawn said quietly.
"Really?"
The brunette nodded. "Yeah... I... in a book," she told Willow. "I just... can't remember where. I know it's probably a vampire's---which would make sense, since a vampire's stronger than an average person and would have better luck killing another vampire---but I can't remember what book it's in." She held it up so Willow could see it again. "Have you seen it before?"
The redhead frowned in concentration. "I don't know. I think it's out of context."
Faith took off her jacket and snatched the necklace out of Dawn's hands. She put it on, letting the ankh rest against her chest.
"Ring any bells?"
Willow chuckled. "Faith... I don't think it works that---"
Faith's ringing cellular phone cut Willow off. The slayer answered it. "Faith, here," she said into the small device. She paused, listened, and then a smile broke out on her face. "Angel, hey. How are you?" She paused again. "Good, good. We're all good. Willow's great... So are Asher and the crew... Dawn's here with us now---" she stopped for a second "---yeah, she came with Buffy and the others. She seems to be good, too. We're investigating crime to vampires, actually."
Willow looked at Dawn, tuning Faith's conversation out. "Can you think of when you saw it?"
Dawn shrugged. "Not off of the top of my head," she replied. "After we... destroyed Sunnydale, it took a while before we could really do any research. We didn't have to for a while. Buffy was on vacation. We travelled. Giles was just putting the Council back together and we were all recruiting slayers in our spare time. You remember how it was."
Willow nodded. They hadn't done much research in the time immediately after defeating the First. They hadn't had many books; they hadn't had a reason to research anything otherworldly.
"It was after. That's all I remember."
"Angel? You can't be serious," Faith said into the phone, catching Willow's attention. "Someone with that much power and that much of a rep would've caught someone's attention."
Willow felt her brow furrowing. She and Dawn continued to watch Faith as she promised Angel she'd look around and see what she could learn from vampires in the city. Then, she ended the call and looked at the other women.
"Angel said the Immortal's in town."
"Isn't that the vampire that---"
"Oh!" Dawn exclaimed, cutting Willow off. "That's it! I knew I saw it before!" She punched her fists into the air. "Score one for the nerd!"
"Hold on, hold on," Faith said. "What? It's his necklace?"
Dawn nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "He was the vampire dating the Buffy lookalike. I didn't meet him, because that slayer had another slayer pretending to be me. And if I showed up, we might have gotten caught. But, I did research... because Andrew thought he was so cool. I wanted to see what the big deal---"
"The lookalikes," Willow breathed, causing Dawn to stop talking.
"The... yeah, Buffy had fakes everywhere. So, what gives?"
Willow looked at Faith. "The spell... the alter in the woods. It was a locator spell. I forgot all about it until now. I remembered thinking about asking you, Dawn," she said, looking at the other brunette, "about Buffy's impostors, but with Allura in town, I forgot. I didn't think it was just a coincidence that Buffy came into town and some weird stuff started happening."
"There was a spell done in the woods?" Dawn asked.
The witch nodded. "Yeah. It was a locator spell, but with a human sacrifice."
"To supersize it," Faith added.
Dawn nodded slowly. "So," she said, "the sacrifice could make it more powerful, like to see if it really was Buffy or one of her lookalikes."
"Exactly."
"And who would care to learn the difference?" Dawn continued. "Maybe someone that dated one of the impostors and wanted to know if she was the real deal or a double?"
"Like the Immortal," Faith said as it came together in their minds. She took off the necklace and held it up. "So, this is his?"
Dawn nodded.
Faith sighed. "Okay, great. But a powerful vamp like that just can't walk into another's territory undetected---"
"Unless he's really powerful," Dawn interrupted.
Willow closed her eyes and tried to imagine the Immortal. She had met him once, when she went to visit Andrew and the lookalike in Italy. But, so many things had happened since then that her memory recall wasn't working as well as she would have liked. She could see the event as if it were a blurry watercolour, in bits and pieces, but it wasn't enough to help her figure out the puzzle.
"He's from Italy, right?" Willow asked as she looked at Dawn.
"Yeah---"
"Maybe Ambrose knows him."
"Ambrose?" Dawn asked, her brow furrowing.
Willow nodded. "Yeah. He's a vampire that came with Allura---"
"Ambrose... the Italian form is 'Ambrogio,' which in Latin is 'Ambrosius,' which means---"
"Immortal?" Willow guessed, finishing for the younger woman.
Faith crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, that's a little too perfect."
"I can't just go to the cops and issue a warrant," Willow pointed out, "based on a necklace and our claims that it belongs to him. I can't even accuse him of doing those things without proof. I'll piss Allura off and while pissing her off isn't on the list of offenses that'll start a war, it'll probably start something that Jean-Claude'll wish I didn't start."
The slayer frowned. "Good point."
Dawn shrugged. "Okay, so, let's do research. Library... computers... let's get proof we need to link the two together. At least we can prove the Immortal was in the cemetery. Then, we can go back to the Master of the City with that, right?"
"We meaning Faith and I, Dawnie," Willow replied, nodding. When Dawn pouted, Willow shook her head. "Buffy will kill me for bringing you in there."
"Willow, please? You know how I love a good whodunit."
Willow smiled a little. "We'll see. But, your sister will probably kill me."
"Probably," Dawn agreed in a glum tone of voice. "Okay. So... library bound?"
Faith shook her head. "Feral Byte," she advised. "It's---"
"I know where it is," Dawn interrupted. "I can follow you there in the rental car."
"I can go back to the Circus and check Jean-Claude's library for books," Faith offered, "although books aren't really my thing."
Willow smiled more. "Don't spill anything on them and you should be fine," she teased.
"This is so cool!" Dawn said once they started walking away from the graves. "It's almost like the old days!"
The witch groaned before chuckling. Dawn was right, though; it was like solving a mystery when she was younger, without the rest of the Scooby gang.
TBC...