[Restless, Alec's Dream]
He was playing a piano, and everyone was watching him. His fingers stroked the keys as he played almost mechanically, strains of Chopin filling the common room, warring with the sound of a game show on TV. Jaye pushed away from the side of the piano and gave him a tired look as she sighed, "Boring."
Alec watched her leave and glanced at the crowd; more people turned away and he played harder, but the television only got louder and everyone else turned to leave as well.
Frustrated, he curled his hands into fists, slamming them down, and Buffy gasped once, her eyes glassy. He did it again, but she didn't respond, blood pooling around her even though he couldn't see where she'd been hurt. Something flickered at the edge of his vision, but he couldn't look away from where Buffy stared at the sky with cloudy, dead eyes.
"You're late," she complained, her mouth unmoving, not breathing.
"I couldn't get here any faster," he said with regret, but she didn't answer. He got up and left her lying on the ground, soon finding himself running through the forest as something pursued him.
Or was he chasing something? He couldn't remember, but he kept running, running forever and ever until he was exhausted and sick with fatigue.
The kittens caught up with him then, swarming around his feet in fuzzy, adorable waves, mewling in a cacophony. They swept him up and knocked him down, covering him quickly so that he was drowning in a sea of tiny furry bodies.
A hand grabbed his and pulled hard, dragging him out through the trunk of Dean's car. Dean turned, dropping Alec's hand once he was standing, and got into the Impala, pulling the door shut behind him. River stepped around the car, hands clasped in front of her, skirt swaying. "He knows you did it," she said solemnly. "And they'll make you pay."
The back door opened and Sam got out, seeming taller than he ever had before. "You didn't color inside the lines," he said viciously, coming towards Alec with an ugly, twisted look. "There's something wrong with you."
Bridge closed the trunk of the car, looming over Alec. "Are your parts good enough?" he asked cheerfully. "We can still use those."
Alec felt very small as Emma stepped up to join them, eyeing him imperiously as they surrounded him, circling tightly. "He's not much use otherwise," his teacher said, sounding very unimpressed. "Doesn't follow orders, doesn't know how to make breakfast."
They spun around and around him and he felt like he was sinking, getting smaller and smaller. Something growled from behind and Alec turned quickly, but the hallway was empty, the moon barely lighting his way.
He shifted his gun and kept going, creeping towards the room at the end of the hall in full mission gear, boots silent even on the stone floor. A balding, earnest-seeming man stepped out of an alcove with a platter, offering Alec slices of cheese. "It's not too sweet," he said, cajoling. When Alec looked confused, the man sank back into the alcove and disappeared.
Alec kept walking down the hallway, the shadows falling heavier behind him, something snarling and howling on his heels. It would catch him and he would die under its claws, but he couldn't go faster than walking, couldn't seem to make his legs move more than they were.
The light flipped on before the darkness overwhelmed him and a man regarded him quietly, dark-eyed and pale-skinned-- Alec was about to ask him where to go when the engine of a car roared just behind him. He looked over his shoulder and met Dean's eyes, his double watching him from behind the wheel of his huge black car with something like regret. The engine revved and the headlights came on, blinding him so suddenly that he lifted his arms in defense.
"Simon?"
He opened his eyes, light touching his outstretched hand from the tiny window set high in the heavy cell door. In the distance he heard screams, groaning, inhuman sounds of pain and fear.
"Simon, I love you."
Something growled in the corner of the room, eyes flashing. Alec met its gaze a moment, then closed his eyes. His cot dipped as another body joined his, small hands pressing to his chest, searing into his skin.
The pain came as no surprise and he gave himself up to it, falling into the dark.
Alec watched her leave and glanced at the crowd; more people turned away and he played harder, but the television only got louder and everyone else turned to leave as well.
Frustrated, he curled his hands into fists, slamming them down, and Buffy gasped once, her eyes glassy. He did it again, but she didn't respond, blood pooling around her even though he couldn't see where she'd been hurt. Something flickered at the edge of his vision, but he couldn't look away from where Buffy stared at the sky with cloudy, dead eyes.
"You're late," she complained, her mouth unmoving, not breathing.
"I couldn't get here any faster," he said with regret, but she didn't answer. He got up and left her lying on the ground, soon finding himself running through the forest as something pursued him.
Or was he chasing something? He couldn't remember, but he kept running, running forever and ever until he was exhausted and sick with fatigue.
The kittens caught up with him then, swarming around his feet in fuzzy, adorable waves, mewling in a cacophony. They swept him up and knocked him down, covering him quickly so that he was drowning in a sea of tiny furry bodies.
A hand grabbed his and pulled hard, dragging him out through the trunk of Dean's car. Dean turned, dropping Alec's hand once he was standing, and got into the Impala, pulling the door shut behind him. River stepped around the car, hands clasped in front of her, skirt swaying. "He knows you did it," she said solemnly. "And they'll make you pay."
The back door opened and Sam got out, seeming taller than he ever had before. "You didn't color inside the lines," he said viciously, coming towards Alec with an ugly, twisted look. "There's something wrong with you."
Bridge closed the trunk of the car, looming over Alec. "Are your parts good enough?" he asked cheerfully. "We can still use those."
Alec felt very small as Emma stepped up to join them, eyeing him imperiously as they surrounded him, circling tightly. "He's not much use otherwise," his teacher said, sounding very unimpressed. "Doesn't follow orders, doesn't know how to make breakfast."
They spun around and around him and he felt like he was sinking, getting smaller and smaller. Something growled from behind and Alec turned quickly, but the hallway was empty, the moon barely lighting his way.
He shifted his gun and kept going, creeping towards the room at the end of the hall in full mission gear, boots silent even on the stone floor. A balding, earnest-seeming man stepped out of an alcove with a platter, offering Alec slices of cheese. "It's not too sweet," he said, cajoling. When Alec looked confused, the man sank back into the alcove and disappeared.
Alec kept walking down the hallway, the shadows falling heavier behind him, something snarling and howling on his heels. It would catch him and he would die under its claws, but he couldn't go faster than walking, couldn't seem to make his legs move more than they were.
The light flipped on before the darkness overwhelmed him and a man regarded him quietly, dark-eyed and pale-skinned-- Alec was about to ask him where to go when the engine of a car roared just behind him. He looked over his shoulder and met Dean's eyes, his double watching him from behind the wheel of his huge black car with something like regret. The engine revved and the headlights came on, blinding him so suddenly that he lifted his arms in defense.
"Simon?"
He opened his eyes, light touching his outstretched hand from the tiny window set high in the heavy cell door. In the distance he heard screams, groaning, inhuman sounds of pain and fear.
"Simon, I love you."
Something growled in the corner of the room, eyes flashing. Alec met its gaze a moment, then closed his eyes. His cot dipped as another body joined his, small hands pressing to his chest, searing into his skin.
The pain came as no surprise and he gave himself up to it, falling into the dark.