Rhythm Divine
RATING: PG
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of them. They belong to Joss Whedon and co.
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Riley Finn stepped out onto the dance floor at the Bronze. He was angry and hurt and confused, his entire mind was clouded with crazy thoughts. But one thing stood out clearly. He wanted to dance. He needed to dance.
The music throbbed on the floor as he pushed his way into the mass of people that danced there. Surprisingly there was no band that night, only a DJ playing dance song after dance song. The only thought that crossed Riley's mind was "perfect".
So she wanted the vampire, did she? Well, she could have him. He didn't care anymore. He didn't give a damn what she did with her life. If she wanted to throw it away with that bleached freak . . . well, then she could. It wasn't his problem anymore. He knew that he didn't need any vampire telling him what to do and if Buffy wanted to live in fear of her boyfriend forever, then she could. He just knew that one day the vampire would hate to see the slayer age and he would turn her. But he didn't care because he knew he'd never suffer the same fate. Riley Finn had officially stepped out of Buffy Summers' life and promised never to reenter it again.
She'd looked hurt when he'd said it. But it had only been an act. She had never loved him. The only thing that she could love was something without a soul. His face hardened in anger when he thought about this and he pushed harder to get to the centre of the dance floor.
Once he was there, he tuned out his thoughts and listened only to the music. He refused to remember the girl that had broken his heart and the vampire that had helped her do it.
She was at his side in less than a minute. She was small, blonde and beautiful. Not beautiful in the way Riley had always seen Buffy but beautiful in a different way. She was almost . . . peculiar. Her hair was cropped short, a little shorter than Willow's red hair and it shone under the flashing lights of the club. Her blue eyes glowed with interest as she sized him up and Riley suddenly realized that while she was taller than Buffy, she was so much more fragile. This woman would never have the power that his slayer held.
Her hands snaked up his chest and laced together behind his neck. Riley flashed her a grin and moved closer, his arms encircling her waist, his hands resting on her hips. She responded to his movement, by inching closer still and trailing one hand from his neck to his chest. It rested there against the flat muscle and she raised an eyebrow at him to show that she was impressed at the muscles in his body.
Another grin made it's way to Riley's face as he grabbed her other hand and transferred it to his backside, right below his waist. The woman opened her mouth in a laugh and proceeded to raise the other eyebrow to continue her fascination with him. She returned her hand to behind his neck, disappointing Riley, but she moved closer again, forcing his leg between hers and forcing them to fit together.
She was making him forget Buffy, he realized. In less than five minutes this woman could make him forget all the problems she and Spike had caused him. In less than five minutes he was completely infatuated.
As they danced, he studied her. He'd never seen her before, he was almost positive of that. This was a girl he knew he'd remember. There was an air about her, like she knew she was above every other woman on the dance floor. She knew she could have walked up to any man there and they would be reacting the exact same way Riley was. But she hadn't picked just any man. She had picked him.
She was tall and slim with curves in the perfect places. After holding onto Buffy for so long it felt strange to feel hips beneath his hands, where Buffy had none. She wasn't solid muscle like the slayer was, something he missed. Holding this woman in his arms made it feel like he was holding a real girl again. A real human. Not some superhero.
The song ended and another began as Riley continued to study her face in awe. Her blue eyes were wide and bright and she wore hardly any makeup to define them. She had a pale complexion with a pink blush creeping up her cheeks. Riley stopped for a moment to wonder if it was the heat of the club making her pink or the fact that they were in their own world while they danced, ignoring everyone else.
She had a small mouth, perfectly shaped and accented with a light pink lipstick. A small spatter of freckles across her nose gave Riley the impression that, on any normal day, this woman would be considered 'cute' but nothing more by any men. But he was completely fascinated with her. There were so many things that her mind held, so many secrets he knew he wanted to hear about.
Anyone would have told him he was acting crazy. Buffy had just broken up with him, he was on the rebound. There was no way Riley could find another woman in less than an hour. Not someone he'd ever be able to love. Not someone he could spend the rest of his life with.
He wasn't thinking about the rest of his life. Riley was too busy thinking about the rest of the night. What would happen when the music stopped? When the club closed? He'd never spoken to her, yet he felt he knew so much about her. What would he say to her when the pounding beat stopped rushing through them?
The music gave them a common ground, it was what brought them together. But what happened when the music stopped? Did their connection stop with it?
She paused in her dancing, as if she sensed that he was worried about something. Then she took his hand in hers and began to leave the dance floor.
Riley followed her, clutching her hand tightly in fear of losing her in the mass of people and never finding her again. He longed with the feeling of her body against his again, but settled for the feeling of her cool grip in his.
She led him outside, then let go of his hand and stood facing him. She smiled, her mouth turning up at one corner more than the other. He liked the way she smiled, widely, her teeth bright. She cocked her head, studying him carefully, as if she were trying to memorize all the lines and contours of his face.
Riley opened his mouth to speak, to introduce himself, but her finger was at his lips before he could even take a breath to say a word. She pressed her index finger against his mouth lightly and shook her head, still smiling slightly. Her other hand was once again on his chest, her touch lightly pressing him back against the wall.
He heard her then. Buffy. She was coming toward the club with the vampire. Riley glanced up when he heard her and the girl with him grabbed his chin. He resisted for a moment, then looked back down at her. She smiled and nodded.
As Riley leaned down to meet her lips with his own, he caught the sight of slayer and vampire out of the corner of his eye. Her fingers where laced between his, her head resting contently on his shoulder.
He nearly sneered at them, then remembered the beautiful girl he was with. Instead of saying the things that came to his mind, he remembered her wish for him to be silent and he kissed her gently. Her lips worked with his, insisting on more than just the gentlemanly kiss he was giving her. Riley let go of his fear and kissed her with everything he'd always wanted to give to Buffy, but couldn't.
Passions and feelings he couldn't share with her because she wouldn't let him.
Because she didn't want him.
He heard the voices falter and smiled contently under the girl's lips as he knew Buffy and Spike were now watching him. The girl left his mouth and slowly worked her way down the line of his jaw and into his collarbone. She kissed him gently and still he waited for Buffy to yell out his name.
When the sound never came, he opened his eyes for a moment to see if she was still there. He caught a glimpse of her as she entered the club. She stared at him as she paused in the door. Her green eyes asked questions Riley knew he could never answer, but it felt so good to be looking into her eyes again. They were trained on him for a moment longer, then Spike took her hand and broke the spell. Buffy walked into the club and left Riley alone in the alley with the girl.
He cringed for a moment as he felt something prick his neck, then tried to twist away from her. When he found that he couldn't budge from her grip, he tried again. Her hands were like cold steel around his neck and against his chest. Why hadn't he noticed before how cold she was?
As Riley struggled, she finished her job, licking her lips and smiling at him. His vision began to fail him as he sunk to his knees. He couldn't see the girl, couldn't remember what it was that had been so intriguing to him.
In what felt like his last moment, he tasted something bitter flood his mouth and tried to spit it out. Whatever it was, was pressed more firmly against his lips and he slowly resigned to the taste. As he drank the fluid being poured into him, Riley wondered what was happening to him and why Buffy wasn't there to save him.
The door to the club opened again and with the last of his strength, Riley turned to his head and squinted his eyes. The small, blonde slayer stood in the doorway and she looked angry. Then Spike joined her again, his hand on the small of her back, pushing her away from the door and into the alley. He held her hand and began to walk away from the scene before them like nothing had even happened.
Buffy strained against him for a moment, then shook her head. As if waking up from a spell, she cast one last look at Riley Finn, then turned and walked away. She left him lying on the ground in his own blood with a beautiful, blonde vampire kneeling over him with a satisfied smile on her face. When it came down to it, Buffy had let him go completely. His love, his life.
The slayer had let a man die. And he wasn't going to let her get away with it.
Riley fell into a deep sleep. A sleep that he knew he'd wake up from, feeling like a new man.
The End
RATING: PG
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of them. They belong to Joss Whedon and co.
***********************************************************
Riley Finn stepped out onto the dance floor at the Bronze. He was angry and hurt and confused, his entire mind was clouded with crazy thoughts. But one thing stood out clearly. He wanted to dance. He needed to dance.
The music throbbed on the floor as he pushed his way into the mass of people that danced there. Surprisingly there was no band that night, only a DJ playing dance song after dance song. The only thought that crossed Riley's mind was "perfect".
So she wanted the vampire, did she? Well, she could have him. He didn't care anymore. He didn't give a damn what she did with her life. If she wanted to throw it away with that bleached freak . . . well, then she could. It wasn't his problem anymore. He knew that he didn't need any vampire telling him what to do and if Buffy wanted to live in fear of her boyfriend forever, then she could. He just knew that one day the vampire would hate to see the slayer age and he would turn her. But he didn't care because he knew he'd never suffer the same fate. Riley Finn had officially stepped out of Buffy Summers' life and promised never to reenter it again.
She'd looked hurt when he'd said it. But it had only been an act. She had never loved him. The only thing that she could love was something without a soul. His face hardened in anger when he thought about this and he pushed harder to get to the centre of the dance floor.
Once he was there, he tuned out his thoughts and listened only to the music. He refused to remember the girl that had broken his heart and the vampire that had helped her do it.
She was at his side in less than a minute. She was small, blonde and beautiful. Not beautiful in the way Riley had always seen Buffy but beautiful in a different way. She was almost . . . peculiar. Her hair was cropped short, a little shorter than Willow's red hair and it shone under the flashing lights of the club. Her blue eyes glowed with interest as she sized him up and Riley suddenly realized that while she was taller than Buffy, she was so much more fragile. This woman would never have the power that his slayer held.
Her hands snaked up his chest and laced together behind his neck. Riley flashed her a grin and moved closer, his arms encircling her waist, his hands resting on her hips. She responded to his movement, by inching closer still and trailing one hand from his neck to his chest. It rested there against the flat muscle and she raised an eyebrow at him to show that she was impressed at the muscles in his body.
Another grin made it's way to Riley's face as he grabbed her other hand and transferred it to his backside, right below his waist. The woman opened her mouth in a laugh and proceeded to raise the other eyebrow to continue her fascination with him. She returned her hand to behind his neck, disappointing Riley, but she moved closer again, forcing his leg between hers and forcing them to fit together.
She was making him forget Buffy, he realized. In less than five minutes this woman could make him forget all the problems she and Spike had caused him. In less than five minutes he was completely infatuated.
As they danced, he studied her. He'd never seen her before, he was almost positive of that. This was a girl he knew he'd remember. There was an air about her, like she knew she was above every other woman on the dance floor. She knew she could have walked up to any man there and they would be reacting the exact same way Riley was. But she hadn't picked just any man. She had picked him.
She was tall and slim with curves in the perfect places. After holding onto Buffy for so long it felt strange to feel hips beneath his hands, where Buffy had none. She wasn't solid muscle like the slayer was, something he missed. Holding this woman in his arms made it feel like he was holding a real girl again. A real human. Not some superhero.
The song ended and another began as Riley continued to study her face in awe. Her blue eyes were wide and bright and she wore hardly any makeup to define them. She had a pale complexion with a pink blush creeping up her cheeks. Riley stopped for a moment to wonder if it was the heat of the club making her pink or the fact that they were in their own world while they danced, ignoring everyone else.
She had a small mouth, perfectly shaped and accented with a light pink lipstick. A small spatter of freckles across her nose gave Riley the impression that, on any normal day, this woman would be considered 'cute' but nothing more by any men. But he was completely fascinated with her. There were so many things that her mind held, so many secrets he knew he wanted to hear about.
Anyone would have told him he was acting crazy. Buffy had just broken up with him, he was on the rebound. There was no way Riley could find another woman in less than an hour. Not someone he'd ever be able to love. Not someone he could spend the rest of his life with.
He wasn't thinking about the rest of his life. Riley was too busy thinking about the rest of the night. What would happen when the music stopped? When the club closed? He'd never spoken to her, yet he felt he knew so much about her. What would he say to her when the pounding beat stopped rushing through them?
The music gave them a common ground, it was what brought them together. But what happened when the music stopped? Did their connection stop with it?
She paused in her dancing, as if she sensed that he was worried about something. Then she took his hand in hers and began to leave the dance floor.
Riley followed her, clutching her hand tightly in fear of losing her in the mass of people and never finding her again. He longed with the feeling of her body against his again, but settled for the feeling of her cool grip in his.
She led him outside, then let go of his hand and stood facing him. She smiled, her mouth turning up at one corner more than the other. He liked the way she smiled, widely, her teeth bright. She cocked her head, studying him carefully, as if she were trying to memorize all the lines and contours of his face.
Riley opened his mouth to speak, to introduce himself, but her finger was at his lips before he could even take a breath to say a word. She pressed her index finger against his mouth lightly and shook her head, still smiling slightly. Her other hand was once again on his chest, her touch lightly pressing him back against the wall.
He heard her then. Buffy. She was coming toward the club with the vampire. Riley glanced up when he heard her and the girl with him grabbed his chin. He resisted for a moment, then looked back down at her. She smiled and nodded.
As Riley leaned down to meet her lips with his own, he caught the sight of slayer and vampire out of the corner of his eye. Her fingers where laced between his, her head resting contently on his shoulder.
He nearly sneered at them, then remembered the beautiful girl he was with. Instead of saying the things that came to his mind, he remembered her wish for him to be silent and he kissed her gently. Her lips worked with his, insisting on more than just the gentlemanly kiss he was giving her. Riley let go of his fear and kissed her with everything he'd always wanted to give to Buffy, but couldn't.
Passions and feelings he couldn't share with her because she wouldn't let him.
Because she didn't want him.
He heard the voices falter and smiled contently under the girl's lips as he knew Buffy and Spike were now watching him. The girl left his mouth and slowly worked her way down the line of his jaw and into his collarbone. She kissed him gently and still he waited for Buffy to yell out his name.
When the sound never came, he opened his eyes for a moment to see if she was still there. He caught a glimpse of her as she entered the club. She stared at him as she paused in the door. Her green eyes asked questions Riley knew he could never answer, but it felt so good to be looking into her eyes again. They were trained on him for a moment longer, then Spike took her hand and broke the spell. Buffy walked into the club and left Riley alone in the alley with the girl.
He cringed for a moment as he felt something prick his neck, then tried to twist away from her. When he found that he couldn't budge from her grip, he tried again. Her hands were like cold steel around his neck and against his chest. Why hadn't he noticed before how cold she was?
As Riley struggled, she finished her job, licking her lips and smiling at him. His vision began to fail him as he sunk to his knees. He couldn't see the girl, couldn't remember what it was that had been so intriguing to him.
In what felt like his last moment, he tasted something bitter flood his mouth and tried to spit it out. Whatever it was, was pressed more firmly against his lips and he slowly resigned to the taste. As he drank the fluid being poured into him, Riley wondered what was happening to him and why Buffy wasn't there to save him.
The door to the club opened again and with the last of his strength, Riley turned to his head and squinted his eyes. The small, blonde slayer stood in the doorway and she looked angry. Then Spike joined her again, his hand on the small of her back, pushing her away from the door and into the alley. He held her hand and began to walk away from the scene before them like nothing had even happened.
Buffy strained against him for a moment, then shook her head. As if waking up from a spell, she cast one last look at Riley Finn, then turned and walked away. She left him lying on the ground in his own blood with a beautiful, blonde vampire kneeling over him with a satisfied smile on her face. When it came down to it, Buffy had let him go completely. His love, his life.
The slayer had let a man die. And he wasn't going to let her get away with it.
Riley fell into a deep sleep. A sleep that he knew he'd wake up from, feeling like a new man.
The End