From: Aslan (aslan_g@lycos.com)
Title: ITD: II - LOST
Series/Sequel: Into The Darkness
Author: Aslan
E-mail: aslan_g@lycos.com
Rating: R
Summary: Buffy finally wakes up but is it too late to make a difference?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the BTVS Characters, Joss Whedon, The WB and Mutant Enemy own them, etc, etc. I only own the story and any original characters I create along the way.
Distribution: If you want it, please ask. And let me know where it is.
Feedback: Does Riley love cows? Laws, yes!
Spoilers: Umm…Not really. Anya's gone. She flew away, somewhere without letting me know where. Xander's still living in the basement. Buffy is with Riley. Spike's still chipped.
Author's Note: My computer ate my first draft of this. gggrrrrrrrrr!!!!! It was way better.
Into The Darkness II: Lost
It was still dark when she awoke with a bang. From the depths of unconsciousness to wakefulness in a moments notice, a tight knot of pain wrapped around her chest as restricting as the sheets now twisted around her naked legs. The discomfort moved from burning pressure to chest compressing torture before she could make any move to wake her companion. Back arched in agony her hands fisted the sheets in a painful grip. Sharp fingernails dug bloody crescents into the sweaty flesh of her palms while the scent of blood hung low and crawled along her body raising gooseflesh in it's wake. Even as she fought for breath to scream her mind helpfully pointed out that the scent was too strong to be accounted for by the fresh marks on her hands. She wished fervently that Riley would wake up before the pain in her chest killed her, so she could ask him if he could smell it too. But in the back of her mind where her slayer instincts were constantly on alert, she knew he would sense nothing.
This was for her and her alone.
It was a slayer thing. Riley would neither appreciate nor understand it. Not that she did either.
She fought back the pain and the darkness that suddenly brought to mind the horror of a crypt rather than the safeness of her bedroom…It figured that she couldn't find one iota of safety, not even in her own goddamn bed at night.
With a tortured gasp she tried to force breath past her lips to form some kind of sound but nothing came. Lights flashed beyond her closed eyelids as fear wrapped itself tightly around her mind.
Panic. Blind panic. She was suddenly so afraid. Was she going to die? Tonight? Like this? No monsters, no big evil come to squash the slayer, just her own traitorous body denying her air. Dazed, panicked…Jumping at shadows and this strange sixth sense that something, somewhere was wrong.
Something was wrong. She was sure of it and it was more than the fact that her body had seemingly forgotten how to breathe.
There was no breath, no air. Where was the air? Where did the air go? Surely to god there must be air in this fucking room. Air, please, come back. No air and the scent of phantom blood stinging her nostrils, rich and coppery… almost good, almost appetizing.
No! Nononononoooooo! No air. No sound, but her heartbeat, buzzing in her ears. Pounding, screaming and her blood clamoring through shrieking veins, rushing away from her grasp. Both slowing, slowing, dying. Oh dear god…Not like this! Not like this…safe in her own bed. A slayer dies fighting, not like this! Not with Riley fucking Finn, sleeping peacefully beside her. Not like this!
Buffy kicked out with all her force, sending Riley rocketing to the floor where he impacted with a dull thud and a yelp of pain.
Groggily, the ex-commando sat himself up on the floor gazing at the slayer with a questioning but reproachful expression, blinking in the darkness. "Buffy?"
She scrabbled her legs against the mattress fighting for purchase and swung her arms desperately knocking everything from her bedside table onto the floor. Begging for air, for the pain to stop, begging for help…That she suddenly knew this man could not give her. Not now, not ever.
Because the Slayer part was stepping forward, pushing against the pain and panic because it knew with a purity of faith akin to prophecy that something bad was happening, somewhere close. And every fiber of her being was reacting to it, screaming out in denial.
Someone was dying. This was not her pain, not her death…No this death belonged to someone else.
Someone she loved was dying.
The knowledge came with a blinding flash of pain that finally wrenched a scream from her dry lips. Riley surged to his feet and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend as she fought to push him away; never ceasing the horrific keening that was ripping through his eardrums.
"Buffy! Buffy, please! Stop!" Riley soothed as he brushed long fingers through sweat-laden locks. "Please stop! Honey, tell me what's wrong?"
Some sense seemed to return to her as her screams subsided to watery gasps and bonewracking sobs. It felt like an eternity before the horror subsided enough to allow her to speak. Her heart refused to accept what her senses were trying to tell her. It was just a freaky waking dream thingy. Or perhaps a portent of some bizarre type of prophecy; nothing more personal. People close to her had died before without her body putting any sort of whammy on her. It was crazy. It was probably just a panic attack. God knows, she was not immune to anxiety. The stark terror she had felt upon waking made no sense at all but perhaps it was significant enough to talk to the others about. In a flat monotone, Buffy spoke sharply. "Call, Giles." Not a request, all command.
"At this hour?" Riley questioned, concerned as he gazed at the alarm clock on the bedside table.
"Yes." The slayer replied succinctly as she rose to dress. Ignoring the befuddled and very naked man before her.
"Buffy…"
"Do it!" Buffy warned furiously. Giving into the fear and urgency her vivid terror was still inspiring. When he made no move to comply, besides blinking at her owlishly, she stepped around him and made a grab for the phone. He reached out to take hold of her wrist but chose to forestall any further objections when she buried her elbow in his chest and knocked him forcefully back onto the bed.
For endless moments she hung suspended, torn between fear and anger as the phone rang in her hand. After five rings the receiver in her hand came to life and a sleepy, short-tempered voice barked a less than friendly greeting. "What!"
"Giles?" Buffy, gasped as her legs threatened to drop her to the floor, so great was her relief. Which kicked her anger up a notch further. Damn the Hellmouth and her slayer senses…And damn the fear still hiding in her heart. It made her feel weak, and god but she hated feeling weak.
"Buffy! What's wrong? Did something happen on patrol? Are you injured? What's happened?" The watcher burst forth a staggering number of questions seemingly on a single breath. Almost on the verge of panic himself…Buffy wouldn't call this late…Or early, rather… without a damn good, or at the very least apocalyptic reason. He fought the urge to groan at her reply.
"I don't know." Buffy replied shortly.
"You don't know, what?" Giles replied confused.
Buffy sobbed audibly as Riley moved forward to wrap his arms around her, apparently forgiving her earlier attack. "I don't know what's wrong! I woke up and I couldn't breathe…Something's wrong Giles! In a big bad kind of way."
"As opposed to the 'little' bad kind of way?" Giles intoned dryly. American teenagers…They would be the death of him. The ex-watcher fought the urge to laugh with barely restrained control. Fear was rising within him, riding upon a climbing crest of panic that would be sure to drown him if he didn't keep himself composed. "What do you think is wrong, Buffy?" He tried calmly, he could hear his slayer's sobs on the other end of the phone…And good lord it took a lot to make Buffy cry.
On the other end of the line, Buffy pulled away from Riley's comforting embrace. "I don't know. You call Xander and I'll call Willow, and we'll meet at your place in fifteen minutes…Okay, Giles?"
Giles, finally gave into his urge to groan. No more sleep tonight! Lovely. "Alright, Buffy. I'll see you soon." The watcher replied as he hung up the phone and began dialing Xander's number from memory, cursing under his breath.
***********************************************
Across town Buffy hung up the phone, already dialing Tara's phone number carefully.
"Buffy, what's going on?" Riley asked sulkily, bordering on a less than pretty pout.
"Nothing." The slight blonde replied coolly. Trying desperately to tighten the reins on her spiraling emotions.
"Nothing, Buffy?" Riley griped grasping her arm and turning her to face him.
"You're naked." Buffy pointed out helpfully.
"I'm naked? That's all you have to say to me? What is your problem Buffy?"
Buffy glared at the man before her, as the phone in her hand began to ring. "It's nothing. Absolutely nothing that concerns *you, * Riley."
For the second time that night a sleepy voice picked up the phone on the other end of the line, however Tara's greeting was much more polite that her former Watcher's. Yes, Willow is there. Yes, Willow will meet her at Giles, momentarily. The slayer's hasty request to hear Willow's voice is greeted with confusion, but easy acquiescence.
" 'Lo, Buffy." Willow mutters, blearily.
Buffy's sigh of relief gets an alarmed query. But the slayer mutters an easy albeit meaningless reply and quickly puts the phone back in the cradle. She fights down the urge to call Xander herself. But Giles would've called if he believed anything was wrong. This little drama was over for tonight at least, thank god.
At least that part of it. The worrying about her friends being dead or similarly endangered part. However as Buffy turns to face her still naked and now very morose boyfriend she fought back a very undignified curse. "I've got to go, Riley."
"Since when is your life none of my business?" Riley responds coldly, as if this conversation is actually going to take place here and now.
"I don't have time for this now!" She cries, wanting to tear her own hair out. As beside her the phone sends off one shrill ring before Riley's hand reaches out and rips the offending appliance from the wall, cutting it off mid-squawk.
With wide blue eyes, Buffy can feel her eyeballs nearly popping out in a combination of rage and shock. "You son of a bitch!" She growls. "You don't know what you're doing! And frankly, I don't have time for your insecurities or bravado right now, Ri. Save your Neanderthal act for later, ok? And hey, maybe if you get a big enough club you'll have time to knock me over the head before you drag me into your cave and give me a good talking to!"
"Jesus, Buffy. Why are you being like this? What's gotten into you!" Buffy rolls her eyes in frustration. Riley's pulling out the big guns tonight; big bambi-esque eyes gazing at her like she'd just shot his damn mother or something.
There is no more time to waste here, she has no more time. The aborted ringing of the phone is jangling in her mind and ripping at her last nerve. Why did Giles call back? Why? Because with that same certainty she had felt earlier, she knew that it had been Giles on the other end of that yanked cord. Bad, bad, bad things were going from bad to worse as they stood yammering at each other.
In her head she knew that she owed Riley more than this but it was beyond her will to give. She had nothing more to offer him tonight. Her nerves were shot and her heart was clenched somewhere in the vicinity of her throat. Right now, Riley didn't matter. This conversation didn't matter, nothing mattered but whatever Giles would've said had she answered that fucking phone. Tomorrow, when whatever insanity had abducted her mind had eased it's grip she would probably regret her treatment of this kind- hearted man, but right now he was simply in the way. "We'll talk later, Riley." Buffy responded as she whirled away from him. "Lock the door on your way out." The slayer responded dismissing him from her attentions like he was nothing at all.
She didn't see the hurt that crossed his face, didn't feel his indignation at being dismissed like a common whore. In fact she had practically forgotten he existed by the time she reached the stairs. All she knew was a bone deep, blind panic as she began to full out run towards Giles apartment.
Title: ITD: II - LOST
Series/Sequel: Into The Darkness
Author: Aslan
E-mail: aslan_g@lycos.com
Rating: R
Summary: Buffy finally wakes up but is it too late to make a difference?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the BTVS Characters, Joss Whedon, The WB and Mutant Enemy own them, etc, etc. I only own the story and any original characters I create along the way.
Distribution: If you want it, please ask. And let me know where it is.
Feedback: Does Riley love cows? Laws, yes!
Spoilers: Umm…Not really. Anya's gone. She flew away, somewhere without letting me know where. Xander's still living in the basement. Buffy is with Riley. Spike's still chipped.
Author's Note: My computer ate my first draft of this. gggrrrrrrrrr!!!!! It was way better.
Into The Darkness II: Lost
It was still dark when she awoke with a bang. From the depths of unconsciousness to wakefulness in a moments notice, a tight knot of pain wrapped around her chest as restricting as the sheets now twisted around her naked legs. The discomfort moved from burning pressure to chest compressing torture before she could make any move to wake her companion. Back arched in agony her hands fisted the sheets in a painful grip. Sharp fingernails dug bloody crescents into the sweaty flesh of her palms while the scent of blood hung low and crawled along her body raising gooseflesh in it's wake. Even as she fought for breath to scream her mind helpfully pointed out that the scent was too strong to be accounted for by the fresh marks on her hands. She wished fervently that Riley would wake up before the pain in her chest killed her, so she could ask him if he could smell it too. But in the back of her mind where her slayer instincts were constantly on alert, she knew he would sense nothing.
This was for her and her alone.
It was a slayer thing. Riley would neither appreciate nor understand it. Not that she did either.
She fought back the pain and the darkness that suddenly brought to mind the horror of a crypt rather than the safeness of her bedroom…It figured that she couldn't find one iota of safety, not even in her own goddamn bed at night.
With a tortured gasp she tried to force breath past her lips to form some kind of sound but nothing came. Lights flashed beyond her closed eyelids as fear wrapped itself tightly around her mind.
Panic. Blind panic. She was suddenly so afraid. Was she going to die? Tonight? Like this? No monsters, no big evil come to squash the slayer, just her own traitorous body denying her air. Dazed, panicked…Jumping at shadows and this strange sixth sense that something, somewhere was wrong.
Something was wrong. She was sure of it and it was more than the fact that her body had seemingly forgotten how to breathe.
There was no breath, no air. Where was the air? Where did the air go? Surely to god there must be air in this fucking room. Air, please, come back. No air and the scent of phantom blood stinging her nostrils, rich and coppery… almost good, almost appetizing.
No! Nononononoooooo! No air. No sound, but her heartbeat, buzzing in her ears. Pounding, screaming and her blood clamoring through shrieking veins, rushing away from her grasp. Both slowing, slowing, dying. Oh dear god…Not like this! Not like this…safe in her own bed. A slayer dies fighting, not like this! Not with Riley fucking Finn, sleeping peacefully beside her. Not like this!
Buffy kicked out with all her force, sending Riley rocketing to the floor where he impacted with a dull thud and a yelp of pain.
Groggily, the ex-commando sat himself up on the floor gazing at the slayer with a questioning but reproachful expression, blinking in the darkness. "Buffy?"
She scrabbled her legs against the mattress fighting for purchase and swung her arms desperately knocking everything from her bedside table onto the floor. Begging for air, for the pain to stop, begging for help…That she suddenly knew this man could not give her. Not now, not ever.
Because the Slayer part was stepping forward, pushing against the pain and panic because it knew with a purity of faith akin to prophecy that something bad was happening, somewhere close. And every fiber of her being was reacting to it, screaming out in denial.
Someone was dying. This was not her pain, not her death…No this death belonged to someone else.
Someone she loved was dying.
The knowledge came with a blinding flash of pain that finally wrenched a scream from her dry lips. Riley surged to his feet and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend as she fought to push him away; never ceasing the horrific keening that was ripping through his eardrums.
"Buffy! Buffy, please! Stop!" Riley soothed as he brushed long fingers through sweat-laden locks. "Please stop! Honey, tell me what's wrong?"
Some sense seemed to return to her as her screams subsided to watery gasps and bonewracking sobs. It felt like an eternity before the horror subsided enough to allow her to speak. Her heart refused to accept what her senses were trying to tell her. It was just a freaky waking dream thingy. Or perhaps a portent of some bizarre type of prophecy; nothing more personal. People close to her had died before without her body putting any sort of whammy on her. It was crazy. It was probably just a panic attack. God knows, she was not immune to anxiety. The stark terror she had felt upon waking made no sense at all but perhaps it was significant enough to talk to the others about. In a flat monotone, Buffy spoke sharply. "Call, Giles." Not a request, all command.
"At this hour?" Riley questioned, concerned as he gazed at the alarm clock on the bedside table.
"Yes." The slayer replied succinctly as she rose to dress. Ignoring the befuddled and very naked man before her.
"Buffy…"
"Do it!" Buffy warned furiously. Giving into the fear and urgency her vivid terror was still inspiring. When he made no move to comply, besides blinking at her owlishly, she stepped around him and made a grab for the phone. He reached out to take hold of her wrist but chose to forestall any further objections when she buried her elbow in his chest and knocked him forcefully back onto the bed.
For endless moments she hung suspended, torn between fear and anger as the phone rang in her hand. After five rings the receiver in her hand came to life and a sleepy, short-tempered voice barked a less than friendly greeting. "What!"
"Giles?" Buffy, gasped as her legs threatened to drop her to the floor, so great was her relief. Which kicked her anger up a notch further. Damn the Hellmouth and her slayer senses…And damn the fear still hiding in her heart. It made her feel weak, and god but she hated feeling weak.
"Buffy! What's wrong? Did something happen on patrol? Are you injured? What's happened?" The watcher burst forth a staggering number of questions seemingly on a single breath. Almost on the verge of panic himself…Buffy wouldn't call this late…Or early, rather… without a damn good, or at the very least apocalyptic reason. He fought the urge to groan at her reply.
"I don't know." Buffy replied shortly.
"You don't know, what?" Giles replied confused.
Buffy sobbed audibly as Riley moved forward to wrap his arms around her, apparently forgiving her earlier attack. "I don't know what's wrong! I woke up and I couldn't breathe…Something's wrong Giles! In a big bad kind of way."
"As opposed to the 'little' bad kind of way?" Giles intoned dryly. American teenagers…They would be the death of him. The ex-watcher fought the urge to laugh with barely restrained control. Fear was rising within him, riding upon a climbing crest of panic that would be sure to drown him if he didn't keep himself composed. "What do you think is wrong, Buffy?" He tried calmly, he could hear his slayer's sobs on the other end of the phone…And good lord it took a lot to make Buffy cry.
On the other end of the line, Buffy pulled away from Riley's comforting embrace. "I don't know. You call Xander and I'll call Willow, and we'll meet at your place in fifteen minutes…Okay, Giles?"
Giles, finally gave into his urge to groan. No more sleep tonight! Lovely. "Alright, Buffy. I'll see you soon." The watcher replied as he hung up the phone and began dialing Xander's number from memory, cursing under his breath.
***********************************************
Across town Buffy hung up the phone, already dialing Tara's phone number carefully.
"Buffy, what's going on?" Riley asked sulkily, bordering on a less than pretty pout.
"Nothing." The slight blonde replied coolly. Trying desperately to tighten the reins on her spiraling emotions.
"Nothing, Buffy?" Riley griped grasping her arm and turning her to face him.
"You're naked." Buffy pointed out helpfully.
"I'm naked? That's all you have to say to me? What is your problem Buffy?"
Buffy glared at the man before her, as the phone in her hand began to ring. "It's nothing. Absolutely nothing that concerns *you, * Riley."
For the second time that night a sleepy voice picked up the phone on the other end of the line, however Tara's greeting was much more polite that her former Watcher's. Yes, Willow is there. Yes, Willow will meet her at Giles, momentarily. The slayer's hasty request to hear Willow's voice is greeted with confusion, but easy acquiescence.
" 'Lo, Buffy." Willow mutters, blearily.
Buffy's sigh of relief gets an alarmed query. But the slayer mutters an easy albeit meaningless reply and quickly puts the phone back in the cradle. She fights down the urge to call Xander herself. But Giles would've called if he believed anything was wrong. This little drama was over for tonight at least, thank god.
At least that part of it. The worrying about her friends being dead or similarly endangered part. However as Buffy turns to face her still naked and now very morose boyfriend she fought back a very undignified curse. "I've got to go, Riley."
"Since when is your life none of my business?" Riley responds coldly, as if this conversation is actually going to take place here and now.
"I don't have time for this now!" She cries, wanting to tear her own hair out. As beside her the phone sends off one shrill ring before Riley's hand reaches out and rips the offending appliance from the wall, cutting it off mid-squawk.
With wide blue eyes, Buffy can feel her eyeballs nearly popping out in a combination of rage and shock. "You son of a bitch!" She growls. "You don't know what you're doing! And frankly, I don't have time for your insecurities or bravado right now, Ri. Save your Neanderthal act for later, ok? And hey, maybe if you get a big enough club you'll have time to knock me over the head before you drag me into your cave and give me a good talking to!"
"Jesus, Buffy. Why are you being like this? What's gotten into you!" Buffy rolls her eyes in frustration. Riley's pulling out the big guns tonight; big bambi-esque eyes gazing at her like she'd just shot his damn mother or something.
There is no more time to waste here, she has no more time. The aborted ringing of the phone is jangling in her mind and ripping at her last nerve. Why did Giles call back? Why? Because with that same certainty she had felt earlier, she knew that it had been Giles on the other end of that yanked cord. Bad, bad, bad things were going from bad to worse as they stood yammering at each other.
In her head she knew that she owed Riley more than this but it was beyond her will to give. She had nothing more to offer him tonight. Her nerves were shot and her heart was clenched somewhere in the vicinity of her throat. Right now, Riley didn't matter. This conversation didn't matter, nothing mattered but whatever Giles would've said had she answered that fucking phone. Tomorrow, when whatever insanity had abducted her mind had eased it's grip she would probably regret her treatment of this kind- hearted man, but right now he was simply in the way. "We'll talk later, Riley." Buffy responded as she whirled away from him. "Lock the door on your way out." The slayer responded dismissing him from her attentions like he was nothing at all.
She didn't see the hurt that crossed his face, didn't feel his indignation at being dismissed like a common whore. In fact she had practically forgotten he existed by the time she reached the stairs. All she knew was a bone deep, blind panic as she began to full out run towards Giles apartment.