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snoggedI really hope that my readership is still around because I'm very excited about this chapter of Mission X.
Also, Happy Birthday![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
countessmary!! I hope you will accept this as a humble offering. :)
Title: Mission X (10/?)
Author: snogged
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Co. own the characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I don’t.
Pairing: Willow/Riley
Word Count: 1735
Overall Rating/Warnings: FRT-13/PG-13 (will be FRAO/NC-17 in later chapters); language, angst, drama, violence, het sex, sexual innuendo.
Setting: AU! Season 6. Parts of this story come from the established canon plot lines and others are my own desire to twist things my way.
Summary: When Riley comes back to Sunnydale, he stays for a reason that’s not Buffy.
Beta: the amazing Gabrielle and the awesomeangelskuuipo.
Previous Chapters
Banners byrua1412: One / Two
The magical energy intertwined with the blood that coursed through her veins, drowning her in its power, taking control of her thoughts, her feelings, her actions. But it didn’t feel like a demonic possession, it felt like reconnection, a reconciliation of her dual nature. The witch and the woman back together as one, fighting for one common goal.
And it felt so different than the other times because it wasn’t magic built out of selfishness. It wasn’t bringing a Slayer back from the dead, wasn’t erasing the memories of a beautiful girlfriend who loved her, wasn’t hurting the little sister who just wanted to get ice cream and watch a movie.
This time it was magic built from protection. It didn’t matter to her that Riley had been so close-minded about her ability to self-restrain or even her ability to handle magic appropriately one day. What did matter was that it was her magic was keeping the enemy out, was holding them back. More importantly, her magic was keeping her and Riley safe.
“Willow, please...”
As much as she wanted to answer Riley, there was no way she could. She had to focus, even more so now that she could feel equal power coming from somewhere outside…which meant whoever it was, they were apparently smart enough to have back-up.
Wrinkles of concentration and tiny beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she repeated the proper Latin phrases over and over. She needed this moment to be her triumph, needed it be her victory. She needed to prove that she wasn’t going to fail at this. She needed to prove that she could be herself and no one had to fear her.
“Willow, please, you need to stop this.”
Riley’s strong arms wrapped around her waist, linking their bodies together as if he could bring her back down to Earth just by reminding her of his presence. This was not the Willow he was used to. This was not the girl who smiled brightly every time he let her mess with his laptop. This was not the girl who kissed him in the kitchen and made him promise to tell everyone about their secret. Instead, this was the girl with a secret. The girl who had tasted something raw and primal when her fingers first started to tingle with magical forces. This was the girl that General Huth was apparently so damn scared of. This was his mission.
He never imagined that he would come to hate that word, but somewhere between falling under the spell of Willow’s charms and learning about his sham marriage, it just felt cold. And it sucked even more so because he hadn’t even grown the balls to tell Willow everything. To tell her about his damn mission. To tell her why the army was standing right outside the door.
Under his fingertips, he could still feel the magic pulsing through Willow like a heartbeat, steady and constant. Stopping was not on her radar and he understood. He’d been experienced the heat of battle enough times to know that once the guns start firing, they don’t stop until they run out of ammunition.
But he had to keep trying because…Willow needed to know. Now. Before General Huth said it first.
“Willow, please listen to me. I need to tell you…” Riley said, pressing his face into her hair and smelling the sweet scent of lavender and patchouli for what could possibly be the last time. “I need you to know that I was sent here. I was sent here to watch you, to make sure you didn’t use magic, to make sure they didn’t need to hurt you.”
Willow blinked, swallowing down the bile rising in her throat. His message had gotten through, had interrupted the flow, had shattered the shield. Whoever was out there was going to be in here any second.
“Riley?” Willow asked, slowly turning around in his arms, looking at him eye to eye. She had so many questions to ask him. But they didn’t have enough time to play the interrogation game. Not when their lives were at stake. However, what they might have time for was the most pertinent question of all. “Who’s out there? And why are they trying to pull a National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on us? I mean, to the best of my knowledge, no one’s been screwed out of their bonuses and I don’t own an RV.”
It was really no small wonder that she was able to channel the spirit of Xander into this moment. He had, after all, been responsible for a very intensive holiday weekend where they watched that movie multiple times and it had benefitted her to learn every detail she could. Yes, there had, in fact, been a pop quiz…
Riley allowed a laugh to escape his lips, despite the severity of the situation. He wished he could offer some light-hearted explanation, something that could be wrapped up nicely with a bow and passed off as a major Hollywood blockbuster. But the world was unfortunately far messier than that.
Before he had a chance to say anthing, however, a loud thud and the crunch of shattering wood signaled that time had run out.
“Agent Finn!” Huth appeared in the door frame, his arms akimbo, and his lips stretched into an unpleasant sneer. Behind him were several soldiers dressed head to toe in black holding M240 machine guns. It was clear they wanted to overstate their visit.
Willow bit down on her lip, fighting the instinctual urge to cower in fear at the sight of the very intimidating weapons. No matter how many demons she faced or apocalypses she helped prevent, guns would always give her the worst wiggins.
“Hello General,” Riley said, taking a moment to step in front of Willow, his larger frame offering protection from the General’s scornful eyes. “If I’d known you’d be dropping by, I would have put out a spread.”
General Huth narrowed his eyes, not amused by Riley’s sarcasm. In clipped tones, he replied: “You know why I’m here, Finn. And you know I don’t appreciate waiting.”
“We’ve been having trouble with the locks,” Riley said, executing the most plausible excuse he could think of. “You know how those things get stuck.”
Huth’s nostrils flared and he raised his hand, showing off the prominent calluses he’d received during wartime.
“Got a question, General?” Riley asked. He knew he had gotten pretty deep into the flames by now, but he had to admit it was fun to see how far he could get before he got burned. Turns out that time was coming fast as another man materialized in front of the door frame. Unlike the others, this man was unarmed.
Willow took the opportunity to sneak a peek at the new addition and she immediately sensed the power burning within him. This was not your average Joe soldier. This was someone far more supernatural. Most likely a wizard judging by the power she’d been fighting against earlier. Though, to the wizard’s credit, he wasn’t half-demon, half-Terminator so the cavalry wouldn’t need to mind meld this time around. But it would serve them well to be cautious. There was no telling what he was really capable of.
“I will not stand for further impertinence, soldier.” General Huth said tersely. “You have failed in your mission and now it’s time for us to take matters into our own hands.”
Riley gritted his teeth, clenching his fists against his sides. “You’re not taking Willow.”
Willow nodded, as she stepped to the side and came into full view. She took Riley by the hand and entwined their fingers. There was no use hiding now. Not when she was the reason they were here in the first place. “Unless we’re being taken out for ice cream for all the good deeds we’ve done, I’m not going anywhere.”
The wizard smirked, and a hungry look flickered in his almost-silver eyes. It was the kind of look that made Willow shiver, the kind of look that reminded her of Rack. Not even the hottest of showers had ever really destroyed the clammy, skeevy sensation that had always left her feeling so dirty after a night with him.
“You are a danger to others and to yourself,” Huth said. “We are obligated to protect the citizens of this state and this nation…”
“Excuse me?” Willow asked, interrupting. “If anyone’s the bad guy here, it’s you and the fifty zillion guys with guns standing behind you. In here, it’s just me and Riley and we’re completely unarmed. Maybe it’s just me, but from where I’m standing two against fifty zillion is not a fair fight.”
“It’s really more like six against fifty zillion, Will. I’d call that an improvement.”
Willow brightened at the sound of Buffy’s voice. When Spike escaped, he must have gone to sound the alarm and his knowledge of the Summers’ floor plan actually came in handy for once, instead of just being…kinda creepy.
“If I were you, Mr. Government Guy, I’d stick my tail between my legs and go home. This is not a battle you will be winning tonight,” Buffy replied, stepping forward to stand next to Willow. As she did, Willow noticed Xander, Anya, and Spike joining the line as well. Part of her wished Tara was there as show of support, but she supposed someone had to keep an eye on Dawnie.
Her heart swelled knowing that her friends were in her corner. That she wasn’t a lost cause just because her magical prowess was being called into question. Her only concern, however, was the wizard who seemed so blissfully unfazed by Buffy’s take-no-prisoners attitude.
Huth grunted in annoyance and the soldiers stepped backwards, as if they were backing down. With the Scooby Gang distracted by their feelings of success, the wizard moved his long, spindly fingers, waving them across the door frame.
If Willow had been paying closer attention to his actions, she would have heard him mumbling in some sort of dark and archaic language, quickly creating a light barrier that separated her from her friends. If Buffy had been paying closer attention, she would have felt Willow’s body move beside her, would have grabbed her before the soldiers had the chance to descend upon her.
If Riley had been paying closer attention, he would have heard her scream.
Chapter 11
Also, Happy Birthday
countessmary!! I hope you will accept this as a humble offering. :)Title: Mission X (10/?)
Author: snogged
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Co. own the characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I don’t.
Pairing: Willow/Riley
Word Count: 1735
Overall Rating/Warnings: FRT-13/PG-13 (will be FRAO/NC-17 in later chapters); language, angst, drama, violence, het sex, sexual innuendo.
Setting: AU! Season 6. Parts of this story come from the established canon plot lines and others are my own desire to twist things my way.
Summary: When Riley comes back to Sunnydale, he stays for a reason that’s not Buffy.
Beta: the amazing Gabrielle and the awesome
angelskuuipo.Previous Chapters
Banners by
rua1412: One / Two The magical energy intertwined with the blood that coursed through her veins, drowning her in its power, taking control of her thoughts, her feelings, her actions. But it didn’t feel like a demonic possession, it felt like reconnection, a reconciliation of her dual nature. The witch and the woman back together as one, fighting for one common goal.
And it felt so different than the other times because it wasn’t magic built out of selfishness. It wasn’t bringing a Slayer back from the dead, wasn’t erasing the memories of a beautiful girlfriend who loved her, wasn’t hurting the little sister who just wanted to get ice cream and watch a movie.
This time it was magic built from protection. It didn’t matter to her that Riley had been so close-minded about her ability to self-restrain or even her ability to handle magic appropriately one day. What did matter was that it was her magic was keeping the enemy out, was holding them back. More importantly, her magic was keeping her and Riley safe.
“Willow, please...”
As much as she wanted to answer Riley, there was no way she could. She had to focus, even more so now that she could feel equal power coming from somewhere outside…which meant whoever it was, they were apparently smart enough to have back-up.
Wrinkles of concentration and tiny beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she repeated the proper Latin phrases over and over. She needed this moment to be her triumph, needed it be her victory. She needed to prove that she wasn’t going to fail at this. She needed to prove that she could be herself and no one had to fear her.
“Willow, please, you need to stop this.”
Riley’s strong arms wrapped around her waist, linking their bodies together as if he could bring her back down to Earth just by reminding her of his presence. This was not the Willow he was used to. This was not the girl who smiled brightly every time he let her mess with his laptop. This was not the girl who kissed him in the kitchen and made him promise to tell everyone about their secret. Instead, this was the girl with a secret. The girl who had tasted something raw and primal when her fingers first started to tingle with magical forces. This was the girl that General Huth was apparently so damn scared of. This was his mission.
He never imagined that he would come to hate that word, but somewhere between falling under the spell of Willow’s charms and learning about his sham marriage, it just felt cold. And it sucked even more so because he hadn’t even grown the balls to tell Willow everything. To tell her about his damn mission. To tell her why the army was standing right outside the door.
Under his fingertips, he could still feel the magic pulsing through Willow like a heartbeat, steady and constant. Stopping was not on her radar and he understood. He’d been experienced the heat of battle enough times to know that once the guns start firing, they don’t stop until they run out of ammunition.
But he had to keep trying because…Willow needed to know. Now. Before General Huth said it first.
“Willow, please listen to me. I need to tell you…” Riley said, pressing his face into her hair and smelling the sweet scent of lavender and patchouli for what could possibly be the last time. “I need you to know that I was sent here. I was sent here to watch you, to make sure you didn’t use magic, to make sure they didn’t need to hurt you.”
Willow blinked, swallowing down the bile rising in her throat. His message had gotten through, had interrupted the flow, had shattered the shield. Whoever was out there was going to be in here any second.
“Riley?” Willow asked, slowly turning around in his arms, looking at him eye to eye. She had so many questions to ask him. But they didn’t have enough time to play the interrogation game. Not when their lives were at stake. However, what they might have time for was the most pertinent question of all. “Who’s out there? And why are they trying to pull a National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on us? I mean, to the best of my knowledge, no one’s been screwed out of their bonuses and I don’t own an RV.”
It was really no small wonder that she was able to channel the spirit of Xander into this moment. He had, after all, been responsible for a very intensive holiday weekend where they watched that movie multiple times and it had benefitted her to learn every detail she could. Yes, there had, in fact, been a pop quiz…
Riley allowed a laugh to escape his lips, despite the severity of the situation. He wished he could offer some light-hearted explanation, something that could be wrapped up nicely with a bow and passed off as a major Hollywood blockbuster. But the world was unfortunately far messier than that.
Before he had a chance to say anthing, however, a loud thud and the crunch of shattering wood signaled that time had run out.
“Agent Finn!” Huth appeared in the door frame, his arms akimbo, and his lips stretched into an unpleasant sneer. Behind him were several soldiers dressed head to toe in black holding M240 machine guns. It was clear they wanted to overstate their visit.
Willow bit down on her lip, fighting the instinctual urge to cower in fear at the sight of the very intimidating weapons. No matter how many demons she faced or apocalypses she helped prevent, guns would always give her the worst wiggins.
“Hello General,” Riley said, taking a moment to step in front of Willow, his larger frame offering protection from the General’s scornful eyes. “If I’d known you’d be dropping by, I would have put out a spread.”
General Huth narrowed his eyes, not amused by Riley’s sarcasm. In clipped tones, he replied: “You know why I’m here, Finn. And you know I don’t appreciate waiting.”
“We’ve been having trouble with the locks,” Riley said, executing the most plausible excuse he could think of. “You know how those things get stuck.”
Huth’s nostrils flared and he raised his hand, showing off the prominent calluses he’d received during wartime.
“Got a question, General?” Riley asked. He knew he had gotten pretty deep into the flames by now, but he had to admit it was fun to see how far he could get before he got burned. Turns out that time was coming fast as another man materialized in front of the door frame. Unlike the others, this man was unarmed.
Willow took the opportunity to sneak a peek at the new addition and she immediately sensed the power burning within him. This was not your average Joe soldier. This was someone far more supernatural. Most likely a wizard judging by the power she’d been fighting against earlier. Though, to the wizard’s credit, he wasn’t half-demon, half-Terminator so the cavalry wouldn’t need to mind meld this time around. But it would serve them well to be cautious. There was no telling what he was really capable of.
“I will not stand for further impertinence, soldier.” General Huth said tersely. “You have failed in your mission and now it’s time for us to take matters into our own hands.”
Riley gritted his teeth, clenching his fists against his sides. “You’re not taking Willow.”
Willow nodded, as she stepped to the side and came into full view. She took Riley by the hand and entwined their fingers. There was no use hiding now. Not when she was the reason they were here in the first place. “Unless we’re being taken out for ice cream for all the good deeds we’ve done, I’m not going anywhere.”
The wizard smirked, and a hungry look flickered in his almost-silver eyes. It was the kind of look that made Willow shiver, the kind of look that reminded her of Rack. Not even the hottest of showers had ever really destroyed the clammy, skeevy sensation that had always left her feeling so dirty after a night with him.
“You are a danger to others and to yourself,” Huth said. “We are obligated to protect the citizens of this state and this nation…”
“Excuse me?” Willow asked, interrupting. “If anyone’s the bad guy here, it’s you and the fifty zillion guys with guns standing behind you. In here, it’s just me and Riley and we’re completely unarmed. Maybe it’s just me, but from where I’m standing two against fifty zillion is not a fair fight.”
“It’s really more like six against fifty zillion, Will. I’d call that an improvement.”
Willow brightened at the sound of Buffy’s voice. When Spike escaped, he must have gone to sound the alarm and his knowledge of the Summers’ floor plan actually came in handy for once, instead of just being…kinda creepy.
“If I were you, Mr. Government Guy, I’d stick my tail between my legs and go home. This is not a battle you will be winning tonight,” Buffy replied, stepping forward to stand next to Willow. As she did, Willow noticed Xander, Anya, and Spike joining the line as well. Part of her wished Tara was there as show of support, but she supposed someone had to keep an eye on Dawnie.
Her heart swelled knowing that her friends were in her corner. That she wasn’t a lost cause just because her magical prowess was being called into question. Her only concern, however, was the wizard who seemed so blissfully unfazed by Buffy’s take-no-prisoners attitude.
Huth grunted in annoyance and the soldiers stepped backwards, as if they were backing down. With the Scooby Gang distracted by their feelings of success, the wizard moved his long, spindly fingers, waving them across the door frame.
If Willow had been paying closer attention to his actions, she would have heard him mumbling in some sort of dark and archaic language, quickly creating a light barrier that separated her from her friends. If Buffy had been paying closer attention, she would have felt Willow’s body move beside her, would have grabbed her before the soldiers had the chance to descend upon her.
If Riley had been paying closer attention, he would have heard her scream.
Chapter 11
