regret_tomorrow | mystic falls | i can only give you everything I've got

Current Mood: horny

Entry tags:

mystic falls | i can only give you everything I've got

Riley knows he's keeping the fort down. He, Giles, and Xander are in charge. That in itself is cool. He's temporarily taken over tactical - plus training - and it gives him things to do. It keeps his mind busy and that's really what he needs. After the fiasco with Alec and Bailey, Buffy pulled away. She put her general hat back on snugly and it hasn't come off since. When Willow feels what Xander calls a disturbance in the force, Buffy jumps at the chance to check it out. She jumps at the chance to pull further away. It might not be how it went down but that's how it feels. History repeats itself and Riley stays silent. But, Riley has grown. He's divorced. He won't stay silent forever. He loves Buffy Summers.

When it sounds like Buffy is putting down temporary roots, Riley does his best not to take it personally. Dawn notices and reassures him. Buffy's not the only one who messed up. She did, too. This isn't about Riley or Alec or Bailey. It's about Buffy. It's about Buffy and new vampires and cursed rings.

Dawn reminds him it's a big. New vampires are scary and unpredictable and having the general there in their territory is going to help everyone. Things will get done. Because things get done when Buffy's around.

It's Dawn's idea to get out of the castle. But, when Riley tries to order the jet to be gassed up, she gives him a look. One of the other witches gets Willow on the horn. In seconds Dawn and Riley are in Mystic Falls. Dawn explains, this way Riley and Buffy get some alone time and Dawn gets to go somewhere besides an old, cold Scottish castle with no boys in sight. Well, no real boy options. She's feeling boy peckish with a lack of Alec. She needs a nice, normal boy. Riley and Willow just gape during Dawn's ramble. It's not long before she's pushing Riley out of the room she's decided she's sharing with Willow.

Buffy has the room next door. He thinks about calling her but that would delay the inevitable. Maybe she'll be happy to see him. Riley knocks in hopes of just that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Buffy is not aware of any of this because Buffy is far too focused on the Salvatore problem for her own good, and honestly needs the distraction. Granted, if anyone were to actually tell her this, she would scoff at the suggestion. She's been shouldering things on her own for far too long for her to see it as anything but necessary. This is the way things have always been, and they've (mostly) worked so far.

Emphasis on the mostly.

Still, knee deep in Willow's research on the Bennett family, Mystic Falls and their history with the supernatural has kept her pretty preoccupied. She can't see any for-sure signs of Hellmouth activity in what she has, but there has to be something here. The Original vampires were created, drawn to and destroyed here. There has to be something to define what's actually up with this town.

When there's a knock on the door she assumes it's one of the Slayers checking in with her. When the door opens and she sees who actually is there, it's a rather pleasant surprise, and that shows clearly on her face.

"Riley! What are you doing here?"

Pleasant surprise. His smile equals hers.

"Dawn thought we needed weekends away," he explains, tilting his head in the direction of Willow's room. And then, to define further, "Willow." Which is how he got here so fast without notice. Yes, the definition of this notice is short. But, she's smiling and that's a great start. Maybe Riley's issues are Riley's issues alone.

He was being stupid.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course." She steps to the side, gesturing with one hand. "Make yourself at home." Even if this is only her temporary home. She's really going to have to find a better one eventually - or decide that all is safe and go back to Scotland.

She's not banking on the latter.

He takes her up on her offer, shrugging off his jacket and draping it over the desk chair.

"Nice room," he says, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. He picks up one of the books she's reading. "Book club?" he asks with a smile.

"More like homework," she says with a sigh, before moving to sit next to him. "Reading up on the history of the town. They have almost as much crazy going on as a hellmouth."

Only they're not one. It's annoying.

"But, they're not one." Or, not ontop of one. "Bad goes down in towns without Hellmouths. How much stuff?"

She shrugs. "It's a giant vampire magnet. Werewolves, witches. There was an off the charts mystical disturbance not too long ago. Apparently, this is where the 'Originals' of this line of vampire were created."

"So, it's got history." A lot of history. "What'd the mystical disturbance do? Do you guys know?" He sets the book down and regards her.

"According to the locals? It made the Original vampires human again. Basically bye-bye indestructible vampires." She shrugs. "Doesn't sound like such a bad thing, right?"

"Right. But, you think something else might happen. It's the precursor to something big and bad." It makes sense. Big mystical disturbances don't just happen and then go away. They cause things.

"Exactly. Things like this don't usually start small. It's more of a matter of figuring out what the bigger one is. And, more importantly - stopping it before it gets there."

"Think you could take a break?" he asks, a half smile forming. Nauwhaimsayin?

His half-smile is met with a wider smile from her. "I think I could spare a little time."

"I think I'll be here all weekend." But, he really should ask Dawn. "Is there anywhere to eat around here?"

"Why go somewhere to eat when we can order room service?"

Just saying. Even more saying by the fingers that are curling around the front of her shirt.

"I like your style, Summers." Like Riley Finn says no to sex with Buffy Summers. Room service is probably better then whatever they find in this small town. He's been warned there's not much here. So, he grins, and leans in, closing his eyes.

Do not disturb for a few hours.

Nope. Disturbances will be met with violence, and possibly even sharp force trauma.

But in one of the breaks between, she curls up closer, letting her head rest against his shoulder. "I'm glad you're here. I missed you."

Blunt force trauma if that doesn't do enough.

He puts an arm around her, sweaty and sated, taking a much needed break before rounds two and three he's already anticipating.

"I missed you too, Buffy." It seems like all his worries had been in his head. And maybe he'd always have to deal with those insecurities. But, this, this is how he knows things might be all right. Because, it's not that she's pulling away from him. It's that she's doing a job. She's a general now. And he's a part of her army. Happy to be a part of it, too.

"Just like riding a bike." He places a kiss to her forehead and grins at his ridiculous statement.

She laughs a bit at that. "Riding a bike? Really? That's the analogy you want to go with here?" Not that she's complaining, but it's not exactly what a girl wants to hear.

He laughs, a real hearty laugh.

"Would you rather the subject matter were more pornographic?" It'd just been a while since she'd been gone...

"I think we've established at this point that I don't have a problem with things getting a little sexy." But let's stay away from the bicycle metaphors, 'kay? 'Kay.

"Noted," he replies with a sheepish look. He won't make the mistake again, holding her closer, snuggling between takes.

She sighs softly as she does, just letting him settle closer. "I'm really glad you're here. Have I said that already?"

"Only about ten times. But, don't let it stop you from keep saying it." It's cold outside of the covers but her warmth is all he needs. She's like a hearth. "Thank Dawn. She insisted. I think she's getting cabin fever. Watch out, she might try to angle in a longer stay." He looks down. "And to tell you the truth, she may not be the only one."

"You won't have to angle too much," she says reassuringly. "I was probably going to wind up calling you in eventually anyway. Until we know what we're dealing with with the Salvatores, I need all the back up I can get. Especially since Anna's ... compromised."

"Compromised?" he asked, eyebrow raised. "Suddenly I feel like she was burned and needs to be extracted. But, she's still here, so..."

She laughs a bit before shaking her head. "No, no. She just ... made friends with the Salvatores before she knew they were vampires. Makes things complicated."

"But not impossible," he tries, usually the one to see the bright side of things. "If she didn't mean to, maybe she's still an asset. Kind of like a sleeper."

She smirks a bit. "Maybe. But I'm worried that they're playing her - even if they didn't know that she was a Slayer at the time. Or at least claim not to."

"Playing her for what? What's their endgame?" Did you miss your former military boyfriend? He missed you!

She did miss him! He can help her get her thoughts in order. "I ... I don't know. They just give me bad vibes. And they're super shady."

"Super shady. Bad slayer vibes or just... You don't trust them," he says, understanding. "Have they done anything to warrant all the bad vibes? Any dead babies?"

"Well, they don't seem to have a problem with feeding on people out in the open." And that's enough to put them on Buffy's watch list.

"In public." That's bad news. Riley's not going to comment on feeding from people, and he keeps back his crack about her needing an inside man. He'd like to avoid the bite train. "You caught them? And you didn't kill them?"

"Anna convinced me not to," she says slowly. "Plus there was this girl Elena who seemed really upset by the idea that I might. I said I would let her manage it for now." She pauses. "Anna, not Elena."

"What's her deal? Elena, not Anna."

"I don't know. She hasn't really wanted to talk to me much."

"Is she... friends with them?" he asks, running a hand through her hair.

"I think she's more than friends," Buffy says, making a face. "I'm just not sure with which one."

"That sounds complicated." But, all of it did. "You'll manage. You always do." He presses a kiss to her forehead.

She closes her eyes at the kiss, shifting a bit so that her head is resting against his chest. "Right now? I think I need a nap."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

mystic falls | i can only give you everything I've got

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject