Standing at the Edge of Tomorrow

Notes: Yes, Insane Sketchbook, I was commenting on your warped sense of reality...it's a good thing.

Previously:

"So, best Christmas ever?" Xander joked, lightening the mood as usual.

Kara laughed, pulling away from Anya, and discreetly wiping the tears away from eyes. "Yeah, most definitely."

...............

"Yeah, like that. And I know you're just a wee bit younger than me and all that," Spike said, eliciting a chuckle from her. "But I want you to know that I'm in this all the way, you know? I want to be with you forever, and that's actually an accurate statement with me considering what I am. So, I just want you to know, that when you're ready, and perhaps a bit older, such as out of high school, I want to live the rest of our lives together," Spike finished.

Chapter Fifty-Four:

"Are you ready to reveal yourself to them?" The First asked, absently filing its fingernails as it and Robson sat in a nearly empty apartment in the questionable section of town. The First was wearing Buffy's face, as usual. Robson had only seen it wearing two: Buffy and Faith. Out of those, it seemed to prefer the blonde slayer. Robson didn't delve too much into the psychological reason behind that.

"Yes," he answered, nodding. "They're getting lax, careless. Now is the perfect opportunity to move in," Robson replied.

"Excellent," The First said, standing and slapping him on the back. "You understand, of course, they think you've been killed by my demons. Therefore, you're gonna have to make it look like you just escaped from one hell of a hostage experience," The First said, circling around Robson as two uber-vamps stalked into the room, bent over, growling and hissing.

"I understand," Robson said, audibly gulping. Naturally, he had assumed that the First would want to rough him up to show that he hadn't been vacationing in the south of Florida the entire time he was missing. However, he could see he was going to be in for a lot more than a simple beating.

"Good. Let the games begin."

........................

"Hey," Kara said, as she slipped open Kennedy's hospital room door. Kennedy was still in a coma, but she knew her girlfriend could hear her. "It's Christmas Eve, you know," Kara said, glancing over at the clock on the wall. "Well, I guess technically it's Christmas Day."

It was a couple of minutes after midnight. Scooting a chair up to Kennedy's beside, Kara sat down and took the unconscious girl's hand in her own. "There was a party tonight at Buffy's. You missed out. I think Faith spiked the eggnog," Kara said, chuckling a bit. "Xander and Anya gave me this picture of me and the rest of my family at the Magic Box. It was really cool. Made the frame himself. I'll show it to you when you wake up."

Kara could hear the hands of the clock ticking on the wall. The hospital was practically deserted, most of the staff having off for the holiday. Buffy and Faith had walked her home, confiding in her how happy they were that they were all together, able to be a family again. Kara felt the same way. However, as soon as they had left, she grabbed her jacket and headed to the hospital. Though she had a great time at the party, she felt a bit guilty about not being with Kennedy. After all, the girl was in a coma.

"So I'm gonna go to sleep. And if for some reason, you feel like coming into my dream, I wouldn't really be opposed to it," Kara said hopefully, giving Kennedy's hand a quick squeeze before leaning back in her chair. Propping her feet up on Kennedy's bed, she scooted down in her chair until she could lean her head against the back of it. Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind. Her breathing evened out and soon she was slipping into darkness.

Kara found herself standing by the river again. It was early morning this time, however, the sun having just risen over the horizon. There was an utter sense of peace and calm about the place. Kara breathed in deeply, smelling the scent of spring, fresh flowers, and trees. She could hear the water rolling over the rocks. Moving forward, she stepped out onto the smooth surface of the nearest stone and folded her arms across her chest. Closing her eyes, she let the breeze drift through her hair.

"No festive Santa hat?" Kennedy asked, appearing beside her. Kara opened her eyes and looked over. The sun caught Kennedy's eyes and lit them up in a million shades of brown.

"Doesn't really work on me. I'm not a jolly, fat, old, white haired man," Kara replied, eliciting a laugh from the girl standing next to her.

"Good thing too," Kennedy responded. Turning, she reached out and ran her hand through Kara's hair, relishing in the soft feel of it against her fingertips. "I miss you," she whispered, her voice nearly lost in the breeze and the sound of the water.

"I miss you too," Kara whispered back, turning her head slightly to capture Kennedy's lips. The world seemed to fade away around them and all that existed was that moment, with the two of them together and the river splashing playfully at their feet while the breeze danced through the leaves of the trees. Kara found herself getting lost in the feel of Kennedy's tongue massaging her own, in the feel of her hands tracing the revealed skin just below the hem of her shirt.

"Okay, you really need to wake up soon," Kara said as they broke their kiss to catch their breaths.

"Yeah? Might I get lucky?" Kennedy joked, smiling when Kara laughed slightly. Kara looked up at Kennedy and her face turned serious. Kennedy sucked in a breath, seeing the intensity in her girlfriend's eyes. Kara stepped closer, until their bodies were nearly melded together.

Running her hand up to Kennedy's neck, she pulled her girlfriend's face closer until their lips were inches apart. She locked her eyes with Kennedy's and snaked her tongue out to wet her lips. Then she smiled mischievously. "You're gonna get really lucky," she whispered, her voice rough and husky from desire.

Kennedy moaned, feeling her legs turn to jelly at the sound of Kara's voice. She could feel Kara's breath on her neck as Kara tilted her head and latched her lips onto Kennedy's pulse point, gently nipping the skin with her teeth. A low moan escaped from deep inside Kennedy's throat and she reached up, tangling her hand in Kara's hair. Kennedy leaned her head back and closed her eyes, muttering to herself, "Okay, I really wanna wake up now."

....................

The sun was just peaking over the horizon as Faith made her way down the stairs to the kitchen. Yawning widely, she stretched and ran a hand through her sleep-tousled hair. The rest of the household had yet to wake up, but she couldn't seem to sleep. Some nagging concern was racing through her mind. She longed to be upstairs in bed with Buffy, watching her beautiful girlfriend sleep, but she couldn't seem to lay still. Instead, she put on a pot of coffee and leaned back against the kitchen counter, sighing audibly.

Turning, she rested her hands against the counter top and gazed out of the window. She closed her eyes briefly. She could hear the coffee dripping down into the pot, the sounds of the house settling around her, the gentle sway of the Christmas ornaments on the tree in the living room, and a strange scratching sound that was coming from the front door. Her eyes snapped open and she slowly turned, creeping out into the foyer. When she reached the door, she quietly unlocked it, grasping the doorknob firmly with her hand. Then she yanked it open.

She looked outside, only to find nothing there. She went to step forward, but her foot landed on something soft. Looking down, she saw she was standing on someone's hand. She audibly gasped and stepped back. Lying on the front porch was a bleeding and broken man, seemingly unconscious. Kneeling down beside him, Faith gently turned his head to get a look at his face. "Oh shit," she muttered when she saw him. It was Robson.