Seconds to go with every heartbeat
by Bwriter
[reviews]
Title - Seconds to go with every heartbeat
Rating - Adults only kids
Pairing - Buffy/Willow
Spoilers - I could take something from every season, so a big yes on the spoilers aspect - I just don't know what they'll be. Season 5 for definite.
Summary - Takes place after Aftermath and College
Disclaimer - I own nothing - Joss and M.E are lucky people
A/N - Each Chapter title is a song title and each chapter will have lyrics from that song in it
~lyrics~
One - One Step Closer
~I find the answers aren't so clear
Wish I could find a way to disappear
All these thoughts they make no sense~
Buffy woke from yet another strange dream involve men in robes and a blinding green light. Sighing, she rolled over and quietly got out of bed, trying not to disturb her lover in the process.
Using her Slayer training, Buffy made it to the kitchen without making a noise and poured herself a glass of water before downing it in one.
Setting the empty glass in the sink, the Slayer leaned back against the island and closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead to relieve some of the tension.
She needed these dreams to stop. Every night, for the past three months, she had been awoken from her sleep, sweat pouring from her, and the memory of the green light. Not to mention the fear she felt in the dream. It was so real, she could almost taste it.
She should have talked to Giles or Tom about them, but something held her back though. Something inside was telling her not to mention them, that to mention them would only bring badness.
Buffy had always trusted her own instincts, but now she found herself questioning them.
Making her mind up, she went back to her room, easing open the door and spying her Mate still sleeping.
Quickly, Buffy changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater, pulled on her sneakers and grabbed her stake.
Kissing Willow gently on the forehead, the Slayer left the room again.
She didn't want to worry anyone in the house, so she scribbled a quick not, just in case someone ended up looking for her and couldn't find her.
Closing the door behind her, Buffy began jogging to her watchers house, determined to tell him everything she had dreamed, and hopefully get some answers.
The Slayer liked this time of morning. The night was ending but it was still dark, early dawn just starting to break through, the birds were just waking up, and everything was calm, peaceful.
Of course that peace was shattered when something barrelled into her side, throwing Buffy off balance.
She should have been able to sense the Vampire currently pinning her to the grass, but her thoughts were so preoccupied with her dreams and what they meant.
Grunting, Buffy rolled to the side when the vamp managed to sneak in a lucky kick to the ribs.
She was sure at least one was cracked. Even though it would heal in a day or so, it was still gonna hurt like hell.
"You know, it's probably none of my business but I just gotta ask... did you smell this bad when you were alive?" Spinning out, Buffy kicked the vamp into the nearest object, which just happened to be a brick wall.
"'Cause if it's a post-mortem thing, then boy, is my face red..." She followed the kick up with a double jab to the chin, followed by a kick to the head. When the vamp went down, Buffy flipped out her stake, wanting her weapon of choice ready.
Buffy jumped the sneaky low kick the Vampire tried, giving the Vampire time to get to his feet.
Raising her stake, Buffy had had enough and moved in for the kill, but she was still distracted by her dreams, her thoughts weren't fully on the fight.
The Vampire used her distraction against her. Reaching up, he caught the stake intended for his chest, and turned it on its master.
Buffy's eyes widened as the shock hit, then the pain, as her own stake, staked her in the stomach.
The Vampire grinned and licked his fangs at the smell of Slayer blood in the air.
Leaning in, his mouth open wide, drool coating his tongue and lips, he moved in for the kill.
Something deep inside Buffy, her survival instinct, broke free. Taking a deep breath, the Slayer pulled the stake out in one quick, fluid motion, and turned it on the Vampire about to make her his dinner, or supper depending on how she looked at it.
The look of shock on his face when he realised what had happened, pleased the blonde, though she was hurting too much to quip.
-----
Willow woke up gasping for air and clutching her stomach. Rolling over, she reached for her lover, only to find the spot on the bed where Buffy usually slept, cold and empty.
The pain was intense, she felt like someone had stuck a hot poker through her flesh.
Looking down, she couldn't see any blood, couldn't see any kind of mark, and that's when it hit her.
The pain she was feeling wasn't her own.
"Buffy." Willow gasped as the pain got worse.
"Tom!"
-----
Buffy forced herself to her knees, then to her feet and was barely able to stagger a few steps before she collapsed again.
"Damn that hurts." The Slayer growled as she tried to focus her thoughts and ignore the pain.
Clutching her stake, the blonde painfully pulled herself backwards until she rested against the wall behind her.
Looking down, she could see the blood pouring from the wound, and even with her Slayer healing, it was bad.
-----
Tom burst through the bedroom door, a wild look in his eyes. When he saw the state Willow was in, he ran to the bed, falling to his knees beside her.
"What is it? What happened? Where's Buffy?"
Willow didn't bother wiping her tears away.
"She's hurt, you have to find her."
Tom was on his feet in seconds, not questioning how Willow knew the Slayer was hurt.
Pulling on his boots, he grabbed a sword and rushed to the front door, dressed only in his boxer shorts, when a piece of paper taped to the front door made him pause.
'Guys I'm heading over to Giles. I need to talk to him and it cant wait.
Love Buffy'
Tom rushed out the door, taking the quickest route to the watcher's home.
-----
Buffy tried to block out the pain. She could feel the worry coming from Willow, so at least the others knew something was wrong.
-----
Willow picked up the phone and dialled Angel. Who better to sniff out a wounded Slayer than a blood hound.
And she just knew there was gonna be blood.
-----
Buffy looked up when she heard feet running in her direction. She felt Angel before she saw him and breathed a sigh of relief.
Hearing someone coming from the opposite direction, she turned her head to see a nearly naked Tom running towards her, his sword at the ready.
Angel reached her first and shook off his bumpies.
"How bad is it?"
Buffy held up her bloody hands before letting the darkness claim her.
-----
When she came to, she could feel Willow near her.
Blinking her eyes open, she looked up into her lover's worried face, ignoring the rest of the people in the room for the time being.
"I can't believe I passed out. Do you think I'm a total wuss now?" Buffy half smiled up at her lover, trying to get the scared look off the redhead's face.
"Oh, yeah. I like a girl who can play a few hard sets of tennis with a major stab wound." Willow wasn't ready for jokes. Buffy could have been killed.
"Well, at least no major organs got kebabed." Buffy grimaced as she moved, doing an eternal check of her vitals.
"So tell me about the bad guy- or guys. What do you think they were?" Willow wanted something else to focus on, other than the sight of her lover in pain.
"Vampire." Buffy grunted as she shifted into a better position.
"How many?" Willow frowned, Buffy made it sound like -
"One." The short, clipped tone revealed how much Buffy was pissed off at that.
"So... what? He was like a super-vampire or something?"
"No, Will, he was the regular kind. He just beat me."
Willow paled and sat on the bed beside her injured lover.
"What happened? You don't just get beat by a no-named vamp."
Buffy looked up and met Willow's eyes before sliding past her and taking in the rest of the room.
"I was distracted. Giles, I'm glad you're here. We need to talk."
-----
Willow didn't like it, but she left the Slayer alone to talk to her watcher, grumbling as she left the room.
Buffy watched her go with a small smile, before she turned her full attention to her watcher.
"Giles, I need to talk to you about something. I've been having these strange dreams. I have no idea what they mean, but I've been having them every night for the last three months."
-----
Tom, Jonny and Joyce all looked up when Willow appeared.
"How is she?"
Willow sat down beside Tom and leant her head on his shoulder.
"Healing. Thank god you and Angel found her. If something worse had happened I'd..." Willow trailed off, not knowing what she would do when something worse does happen to her lover, her Mate.
Standing, she left them there and went to sit in the back garden to watch the sun as it rose.
~I need a little room to breathe
Cause I'm one step closer to the edge
And I'm about to break~
-----
Joyce rubbed her forehead as another headache made itself known before standing up and following Willow outside.
"Are you okay Sweetie?"
Willow shook her head no.
"It just brings back bad memories when I see her hurt." In her head, Willow was replying the night her girlfriend willingly went to her death at the hands of the Master.
Joyce pulled Willow in for a hug and rubbed her arm.
"Buffy's strong Willow, you know that better than anyone."
Giles opened the door and called for Willow.
"She's asking for you."
Willow nodded and offered both Joyce and Giles a small smile before making her way up the stairs to her lover.
When she saw Buffy walking around the room, pacing, Willow slammed the door closed.
"What the Hell are you doing?"
Buffy raised an eyebrow at the tone of her lovers voice.
"Willow, I'm a Slayer, I heal fast. I'm fine for moving around now."
Willow sighed, knowing how stubborn her Mate was.
"Fine. Giles said you wanted me?"
Buffy frowned at her lover, no sure what was wrong with her. Concentrating on their bond, Buffy nearly staggered back at the sadness coming from Willow's side.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
Tears began falling from Willow's eyes, and she found herself wrapped in the strong arms of the Slayer.
"I'm sorry, its just I was so worried and I still am. You don't get beat by stupid vamps."
Buffy nodded and pulled Willow to the bed.
"That's what I needed to talk to Giles about. Willow, the dreams, I needed to talk to him about them."
Willow pulled back. She knew what Buffy was talking about, they had no secrets.
"But we agreed we wouldn't tell anyone, that it was too dangerous. Too risky."
Buffy frowned and tugged on Willow's hand.
"That right there is my point Willow. Don't you think its strange that I'm dreaming of something I don't understand, yet I have this burning desire to hide it from people? I feel like I need to keep it secret, that I cant trust anyone but you with it. Doesn't that strike you as a little strange?"
Willow stared at her lover as she mulled it over. It was strange how they had kept it from everyone. It was like something inside them forced them not to tell people.
"What did he say?"
Buffy smiled then laughed a little.
"You know what Giles always says when faced with something new."
They locked eyes before smiling.
"Research."
~I find bliss in ignorance
Nothing seems to go away
Over and over again~
-----
Tbc
a/n - song - One Step Closer by Linkin Park
a/n (1) - some dialog taken from Fool For Love - props to the peeps involved