Live The Question
Apr. 6th, 2007 11:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sevendeadlyfunPairing: Various (Faith/Willow this chapter)
Rating: NC-17 overall (R this chapter)
Warnings: violence, language
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I got started on a Spander fic and let this slip away. Took me a while to get the thread back. However, it's officially back and I'm going to attempt to write two fics at once. I have no idea how that will turn out, so this could get messy. :) The quote Faith uses is from Kevin Smith's "Dogma", one of my top ten favorite movies.
Rating: NC-17 overall (R this chapter)
Warnings: violence, language
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I got started on a Spander fic and let this slip away. Took me a while to get the thread back. However, it's officially back and I'm going to attempt to write two fics at once. I have no idea how that will turn out, so this could get messy. :) The quote Faith uses is from Kevin Smith's "Dogma", one of my top ten favorite movies.
“Well,” Oz broke the silence. “This is one of those tense moments that you feel like you should say something, but what do you say? ‘How are you’ is sort of moot when people are pointing weapons at you. ‘What’s up’ also not a good choice, again with the weapons making things obvious. And ‘Howdy’ just doesn’t have that we’re all about to clash violently ring to it.”
Faith made a strangled choking noise, and Spike realized she was trying to hold in a laugh. Making a valiant effort, though a futile one. The laugh was leaking out through her nose and tightly clenched lips, popping like champagne bubbles.
“Holy crap, Oz,” she gasped around her giggles. “Do you practice that shit in front of the mirror?”
“Nah,” Xander shook his head. “He practices growling in front of the mirror. The well-timed dry wit just comes natural.”
Oz nodded, face oddly serious. “Growling’s hard work. Ask the vamp squad. It’s so easy to do wrong.”
“He’s right,” Spike confirmed. “Gotta have that predator snarl with just a hint of menace, but you don’t want to take it too far. It’s a fine line between a growl and yowl. Trust me, nobody looks cool yowling.”
“Well,” Angel smiled, his shoulders losing their stiffness, “there was that one time…”
“Not another word, mate,” Spike cut him off with an air of embarrassment. “I don’t think the kiddies need to hear that.”
“What? You saved our unlives that night,” Angel grinned smugly. “If you hadn’t pretended to be…”
“ANGEL!”
“…A cat in heat,” Angel breezed through the interruption,” we might have been staked that night.”
“A cat in heat,” Xander grinned. “This I have to hear.”
“No, you bloody well don’t,” Spike grumbled. “Not one of my finer moments. Hell, ‘s not even in the top ten.”
“Tonight on Letterman,” Faith intoned,” William the Bloody’s Top Ten Finer Moments. Number Ten…”
“Uhm,” a smoky eyed girl carrying a crossbow waved her hands, “Slayers, heavily armed, here to wreak havoc on your evil plans…is this ringing any bells?”
“Oh sweetie,” Willow shook her head sympathetically, “you don’t know from havoc. Isn’t that right, Giles?”
“Willow,” Giles spat. “I cannot believe that you of all people would be party to this madness. You either, Xander.”
“Well,” Xander scratched his head. “See, here’s the thing, Giles…its not so much madness as world saveage. Although I grant you that saving the world gets pretty mad sometimes.”
“Saving the world by deactivating all the Slayers?” Giles scoffed noisily. “Balderdash! These Slayers are out risking their lives every night to save the world.”
“Yeah, Rupes. They’re also risking the Slayer line,” Spike said easily. “Now, I’m not anxious to kill your pet Slayers, but I will. I’d rather you just sit back and listen to reason…”
There was a loud twang, and then a grunt. Faith fell backwards, an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. A small oops came from somewhere in the crowd, getting lost in the ensuring chaos of crossbow bolts and stampeding Slayers.
Spike and Angel dove in to the fray, fighting as carefully as they could. By unspoken agreement, they struck to disable and not to kill if possible. Neither of them wanted to kill the girls if they could at all help it. Oz and Xander just ducked a lot, fighting their way through the crowd towards Giles.
Willow, however, had no compunctions about creating chaos. She watched, horrorstricken, at the bright red blood leaking out of Faith. Memories assaulted her: Tara covered in blood, Wesley dying in her arms as she spun him a pretty lie, Gunn falling over as an electrical shock racks his body. Her memories, all of them now, and the heat was hers too. She knew it for what it was and encouraged it, bathing herself in the fire of her rage.
Oh yes, my love, she crooned soundlessly. Fire fire burning bright…
Her eyes flickered black, ancient blue, and sea green. Her hair fanned out behind her in ribbons of red, blue, and black. Her palms itched as she rose upwards, riding a wave of rage. Cool the fire, her pulse sang, drench it dry with blood.
Faith pulled the arrow out, getting up on shaky legs. Man, getting stuck hurt like a bitch! Her hands strayed to her belly, remembering the fierce burn of that stab wound like it was yesterday. Shaking her head, she looked around and realized that nobody was moving. The room was still, all eyes riveted on the ceiling. Faith looked and realized that Willow had officially lost it.
Xander and Oz reached Giles just as the roar of wind filled the room. Grabbing him tightly, they shoved the older man to the ground and stared through the swirling maelstrom at Willow. Xander reached across Giles to grab Oz’s hand, knowing instinctively that all the yellow crayons in the world weren’t enough to reach Willow this time.
Spike and Angel, caught in a tangle of Slayers, could only gape. Neither had seen Willow the last time she’d gone down the Scary Brick Road, and this wasn’t like anything they’d ever experienced before. Spike tried to reach Angel, but even his supernatural strength and speed was no match for Willow’s rage. All either of them could was keep their heads down and wait.
Faith walked through the knots of unmoving bodies, uneasy. They weren’t moving, weren’t breathing, weren’t anything except there. She wasn’t all that up on the mojo, but this was seriously bizarre from any standpoint.
“Uh, Willow,” Faith called. “Baby, could you come down for a minute? Willow? Sweets, I’d really think you should take a few large steps away from the ceiling. Damn it Willow, if I have to come up there, I am bringing a large beat down with me. I’m not saying I’m afraid of heights, but I did end up in a coma after falling off a building. I think that’s good enough reason to stay away from ceilings. Willow? Come on…”
Willow heard a faint buzzing over the roar of her pulse, and she swished her hand vaguely, trying to get rid of it. How the hell did a fly get in here? Wasn’t she dealing with enough insects as it was? The buzz became a hum, and Willow had to turn, trying to find the noise and make it stop.
“You know, this is actually kind of endearing,” Faith mused. “I mean, it’s not every girl who will destroy a whole army for banging up her girlfriend. We could work this. You and me, all evil again. Destroying the world has to be easier than saving it, right? If it was so difficult, it wouldn’t happen every other freakin’ week. Might be nice to kick back and welcome the end of existence…that sounded good the first time I heard it. Of course, we go all evil, we’re going to have to kill everyone we know. I mean, Angel’s got this thing about redeeming us baddies that you have to hear to believe. And then, there’s Buffy…man, it might be worth ruining our lives just to kill her inspirational speeches, you know?”
The hum grew louder, vibrating Willow’s body. Where the hell was that noise coming from? She could hear it inside her head now, shimmery soap bubble words pop pop popping inside her. Destroy…difficult…end…evil…she shook her head, trying to shake away the filmy confusion.
“But, here’s the thing Wills,” Faith’s voice dropped low,” I kinda don’t wanna be evil. I’m stuck at the mildly naughty level for good, I think. I remember being evil, and not in the quivery flashback way you see on T.V. It hurts, Willow, to remember. I was so empty, and I grabbed at the first thing that promised to fill me up. Evil can slip into all those nooks and crannies, keep you from feeling empty. But, it doesn’t make you warm or happy. It makes you feel dead and cold. I love you, honey and I don’t want to feel dead. So get your ass down on off that ceiling and we’ll figure this out.”
The fog slid down her throat and Willow gasped, choking on her rage. The words fell on her, and it was Faith’s words. Faith was alive, and looking pretty pissed off. Willow felt the fire recede, and wind that fanned the flames died down in gentle puffs. She floated down, landing sadly at Faith’s feet.
“And that,” Oz murmured, rising from the floor, “is havoc, ladies.”
Faith made a strangled choking noise, and Spike realized she was trying to hold in a laugh. Making a valiant effort, though a futile one. The laugh was leaking out through her nose and tightly clenched lips, popping like champagne bubbles.
“Holy crap, Oz,” she gasped around her giggles. “Do you practice that shit in front of the mirror?”
“Nah,” Xander shook his head. “He practices growling in front of the mirror. The well-timed dry wit just comes natural.”
Oz nodded, face oddly serious. “Growling’s hard work. Ask the vamp squad. It’s so easy to do wrong.”
“He’s right,” Spike confirmed. “Gotta have that predator snarl with just a hint of menace, but you don’t want to take it too far. It’s a fine line between a growl and yowl. Trust me, nobody looks cool yowling.”
“Well,” Angel smiled, his shoulders losing their stiffness, “there was that one time…”
“Not another word, mate,” Spike cut him off with an air of embarrassment. “I don’t think the kiddies need to hear that.”
“What? You saved our unlives that night,” Angel grinned smugly. “If you hadn’t pretended to be…”
“ANGEL!”
“…A cat in heat,” Angel breezed through the interruption,” we might have been staked that night.”
“A cat in heat,” Xander grinned. “This I have to hear.”
“No, you bloody well don’t,” Spike grumbled. “Not one of my finer moments. Hell, ‘s not even in the top ten.”
“Tonight on Letterman,” Faith intoned,” William the Bloody’s Top Ten Finer Moments. Number Ten…”
“Uhm,” a smoky eyed girl carrying a crossbow waved her hands, “Slayers, heavily armed, here to wreak havoc on your evil plans…is this ringing any bells?”
“Oh sweetie,” Willow shook her head sympathetically, “you don’t know from havoc. Isn’t that right, Giles?”
“Willow,” Giles spat. “I cannot believe that you of all people would be party to this madness. You either, Xander.”
“Well,” Xander scratched his head. “See, here’s the thing, Giles…its not so much madness as world saveage. Although I grant you that saving the world gets pretty mad sometimes.”
“Saving the world by deactivating all the Slayers?” Giles scoffed noisily. “Balderdash! These Slayers are out risking their lives every night to save the world.”
“Yeah, Rupes. They’re also risking the Slayer line,” Spike said easily. “Now, I’m not anxious to kill your pet Slayers, but I will. I’d rather you just sit back and listen to reason…”
There was a loud twang, and then a grunt. Faith fell backwards, an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. A small oops came from somewhere in the crowd, getting lost in the ensuring chaos of crossbow bolts and stampeding Slayers.
Spike and Angel dove in to the fray, fighting as carefully as they could. By unspoken agreement, they struck to disable and not to kill if possible. Neither of them wanted to kill the girls if they could at all help it. Oz and Xander just ducked a lot, fighting their way through the crowd towards Giles.
Willow, however, had no compunctions about creating chaos. She watched, horrorstricken, at the bright red blood leaking out of Faith. Memories assaulted her: Tara covered in blood, Wesley dying in her arms as she spun him a pretty lie, Gunn falling over as an electrical shock racks his body. Her memories, all of them now, and the heat was hers too. She knew it for what it was and encouraged it, bathing herself in the fire of her rage.
Oh yes, my love, she crooned soundlessly. Fire fire burning bright…
Her eyes flickered black, ancient blue, and sea green. Her hair fanned out behind her in ribbons of red, blue, and black. Her palms itched as she rose upwards, riding a wave of rage. Cool the fire, her pulse sang, drench it dry with blood.
Faith pulled the arrow out, getting up on shaky legs. Man, getting stuck hurt like a bitch! Her hands strayed to her belly, remembering the fierce burn of that stab wound like it was yesterday. Shaking her head, she looked around and realized that nobody was moving. The room was still, all eyes riveted on the ceiling. Faith looked and realized that Willow had officially lost it.
Xander and Oz reached Giles just as the roar of wind filled the room. Grabbing him tightly, they shoved the older man to the ground and stared through the swirling maelstrom at Willow. Xander reached across Giles to grab Oz’s hand, knowing instinctively that all the yellow crayons in the world weren’t enough to reach Willow this time.
Spike and Angel, caught in a tangle of Slayers, could only gape. Neither had seen Willow the last time she’d gone down the Scary Brick Road, and this wasn’t like anything they’d ever experienced before. Spike tried to reach Angel, but even his supernatural strength and speed was no match for Willow’s rage. All either of them could was keep their heads down and wait.
Faith walked through the knots of unmoving bodies, uneasy. They weren’t moving, weren’t breathing, weren’t anything except there. She wasn’t all that up on the mojo, but this was seriously bizarre from any standpoint.
“Uh, Willow,” Faith called. “Baby, could you come down for a minute? Willow? Sweets, I’d really think you should take a few large steps away from the ceiling. Damn it Willow, if I have to come up there, I am bringing a large beat down with me. I’m not saying I’m afraid of heights, but I did end up in a coma after falling off a building. I think that’s good enough reason to stay away from ceilings. Willow? Come on…”
Willow heard a faint buzzing over the roar of her pulse, and she swished her hand vaguely, trying to get rid of it. How the hell did a fly get in here? Wasn’t she dealing with enough insects as it was? The buzz became a hum, and Willow had to turn, trying to find the noise and make it stop.
“You know, this is actually kind of endearing,” Faith mused. “I mean, it’s not every girl who will destroy a whole army for banging up her girlfriend. We could work this. You and me, all evil again. Destroying the world has to be easier than saving it, right? If it was so difficult, it wouldn’t happen every other freakin’ week. Might be nice to kick back and welcome the end of existence…that sounded good the first time I heard it. Of course, we go all evil, we’re going to have to kill everyone we know. I mean, Angel’s got this thing about redeeming us baddies that you have to hear to believe. And then, there’s Buffy…man, it might be worth ruining our lives just to kill her inspirational speeches, you know?”
The hum grew louder, vibrating Willow’s body. Where the hell was that noise coming from? She could hear it inside her head now, shimmery soap bubble words pop pop popping inside her. Destroy…difficult…end…evil…she shook her head, trying to shake away the filmy confusion.
“But, here’s the thing Wills,” Faith’s voice dropped low,” I kinda don’t wanna be evil. I’m stuck at the mildly naughty level for good, I think. I remember being evil, and not in the quivery flashback way you see on T.V. It hurts, Willow, to remember. I was so empty, and I grabbed at the first thing that promised to fill me up. Evil can slip into all those nooks and crannies, keep you from feeling empty. But, it doesn’t make you warm or happy. It makes you feel dead and cold. I love you, honey and I don’t want to feel dead. So get your ass down on off that ceiling and we’ll figure this out.”
The fog slid down her throat and Willow gasped, choking on her rage. The words fell on her, and it was Faith’s words. Faith was alive, and looking pretty pissed off. Willow felt the fire recede, and wind that fanned the flames died down in gentle puffs. She floated down, landing sadly at Faith’s feet.
“And that,” Oz murmured, rising from the floor, “is havoc, ladies.”
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no subject
on 2007-04-05 03:15 am (UTC)*dangles them from one finger*