Author's Notes: Shadow could have been so much more, so much darker. Come on, a turtle neck? I wrote this because when the dark imagery refused to leave me. That's where the title came from.
Out of Shadow Part One: Because It Never Really Existed
She wanted to forget, and since she'd gotten drunk with Spike Tuesday, and slayed Wednesday, she was spending Thursday with Riley. The Slayer was rising within her, demanding her passion be slaked. The human would have to do. She started to unzip his pants. Now that she was close, she could smell it. "You've been slaying without me again, haven't you?"
Riley gave her a confused look. "Not to my knowledge."
"Don't lie to me," Buffy playfully nudged him. "I can smell it. She must have really had you pinned, her scent is all over you."
Riley went stiff. Buffy didn't even notice. She kissed her way down his jawbone. "I take it she's dust."
"Huh?" Riley was trying to focus. He'd gone to Willy's, and was still a little brain addled. He couldn't remember to keep Buffy away from his neck.
"Did she get away, or is she dust?" Buffy rolled down his collar, and went to kiss the crook of his neck. "Oh my god." She jumped up, she had to get away. "How could you do this to me?"
"Buffy-"
"Don't Buffy me! You let some vamp girl snack on you." Buffy started collecting her clothes. "I have done all I can for you. I've given you all of me that I can, and you go and do this again, knowingly!"
"Maybe I need more than you can give. Maybe I'm sick of playing second fiddle to a pair of vampires you should have killed years ago." Riley made no move to stop her flight. "Maybe I needed to know what it felt like."
"And?" Buffy's hand was on the knob.
"I felt nothing. Only the pain."
"I haven't felt anything but pain in over a year." Riley hardly registered the sound of the slamming door. It was over, because it had never really existed at all.