Resurrection is for the Unbelievers
By
Part Seventeen
All Previous Disclaimers Apply
Razz Me: shaych3@yahoo.com
~Chapter Thirty-Three~
Floating in a candy coated, sugary realm of chocolate dreams and soft kisses, Elizabeth dreamed that she was surrounded by arms made of gossamer and fairy dust. There was a deep, pulsing rhythm that drummed in her ear, creating a soundtrack to her sleep that made her want to reach out and take hold of the sound and keep it close forever.
It was life, pounding hard and steady, grinding away the memories of years spent surrounded by dead things.
Into her dream came the vision of threads, golden and silver, wound and entwined about each other in curly, twisting knots that were filled and fixed with wonder and beauty. The golden thread had a few blemishes, and in one place, had been broken and knotted back together, while the silver thread seemed, for the most part to be whole and undamaged. Here and there tiny bits of the thread had frayed, but as she stared, both threads smoothed and flowed together, becoming strong, and unblemished.
God, it was like watching a rainbow form. Basking in the warmth that flowed from the thick rope, Elizabeth slowly began to come awake. The heartbeat in her dream resolved into the reality of Kate Lockley’s strong pulse under her ear.
Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth opened her eyes. At first she thought that she was still dreaming. Curled in the detective’s arms, she wasn’t quite able to believe that the standoffish woman would be so ready to cuddle anyone, much less someone who had been a vampire.
Then she felt the soft flutter of fingers sifting her hair and nearly sat up in surprise. Instead, she held herself still and clung to the gentle touch as a dying man clings to life.
It was like… ambrosia. The caress, combined with the blaring fireworks of passion falling off Willow and Kennedy like water from a cliff filled Elizabeth with a longing so deep that she nearly burst into tears.
Her symbiote came awake and bathed in the emotions that flowed around her. Instead of taking what it needed, it seemed content to wallow in the overflow. Never had she been so sated. Hunger and thirst vanished under the joyful sensation of being filled with light. Hard on the heels of the wonderful meal of love came a delightful dessert – she shifted position and heard Kate whisper, “Shh, rest now. It’s okay.” With the words came a burst of emotion that was a confused package of concern and affection that was tied to a near overwhelming attraction.
Is that for me? Wonderingly, she slipped into the wash of feelings and let them stream through her. Held captive in the flow, she slid back into sleep.
%%%
With Willow and Kennedy gone, and Elizabeth passed out on her lap, Kate found herself feeling the draw of Morpheus. After her fifth yawn in as many minutes, Dersk stood and said, “I’m gonna help you get her into that bed over there, and then you’re going to crawl in as well. You will sleep. It will be good. When the wonder twins get back, I’ll wake you so we can confab about the warlock and his boys.”
“And how do I know you won’t get a video camera and try to sell sleep as lesbian porn?”
The half-demon chuckled. “You’ve got clothes on?”
“And that makes a difference? I thought men saw two women and just assumed…”
“Oh no, no, no… it’s gotta be two hot women and they’ve gotta be you know, naked…” The half-demon’s skin turned a brighter and brighter shade of blue as he blushed. “And maybe I should just shut up now.”
“Good idea,” Kate said, smiling smugly. She reached down and gave Elizabeth a little shake. “Doc – wake up for a minute. We’re moving.”
“Huh? Moving? Do you need me to get some boxes?”
“No, Doc. We’re moving from the couch to the bed. It’s naptime.”
“Oh, you go, I’ll stay on the couch.”
Kate eyed the small piece of furniture and then glanced over at her small bed. It would be easier on her mental state – her head was a whirl with a flock of emotions that spun like pinwheels in a hurricane – but terrible on either Elizabeth’s back or her ribs to allow either of them to suffer the springs and lumps of the couch.
“What’s the matter, Doc? Afraid I’m gonna bite you? Come on… this couch could do double duty as a torture device.” Too late, she thought about her words and wished that she could take them back.
Elizabeth shuddered. She was about to say no again when Kate’s fingers slipped through her hair.
“You take the bed, I’m good with the couch,” she murmured. Why was she disappointed? Sure, she would wake up stiff, but at least she would have the area to herself. On the bed, it would be cramped and they would have to sleep almost on top of each other.
I can’t let her sleep on this piece of crap. Elizabeth sat up, yawned, rubbed her eyes and said, “Hey, why don’t I just head back to my place and catch a few zee’s there?” If I stay, I won’t be responsible for my actions. God, what am I saying? I’m straight – I like guys. I was in love with Lowell, and Luke was so sweet and even Iscariot wasn’t all bad…
Don’t go. I don’t want her to go. It was so nice to hold her. To… care for someone. It’s been so long since I thought I could do that. Although the words in her head wanted Elizabeth to stay, what she said was, “Okay, whatever you want to do.”
I think I want to kiss you. “Yeah, well… I guess I’ll be back in a few hours then.” She stood, wobbly at first, but slowly she found he balance. Taking a step toward the door, she was surprised when the world began to spin and she dropped to her knees.
Lightning fast, Dersk was there to catch her. “Oh, Doc, I don’t think you are going anywhere except to the boss’ bed. And I mean that in the ‘sleep’ fashion. You are wiped like a newly changed baby butt.”
Suspended in the half-demon’s arms, Elizabeth struggled to stand but found that she could only lean on Dersk. “Okay, I guess bed it is.” She looked at Kate. “But I’m not putting you out of a comfy place to snooze, Dick. We’re both pretty small – it’ll be a tight squeeze, but I bet we can make it work.”
“No, no, its okay, Doc. Sleep. I’ll be fine over here.” To demonstrate her willingness to put up with the sofa, Kate stretched out, tucked her good arm under her head and closed her eyes.
Damn. Quietly, Elizabeth allowed Dersk to help her to the bed. Lying down, she slid over as close to the wall as she could get and turned on her side. With her back to Kate, she could not see the pretty detective, but she could hear her.
“Good rest, ladies. I will return,” said Dersk softly as he exited the apartment.
%%%
Toss. Turn. Shift. Soft sigh. Toss. Turn. Shift.
It would have been amusing if it wasn’t filtering through every effort Elizabeth made to sleep. The couch really was a terrible place to rest and Kate’s attempts to find a comfortable position were laughably unsubtle.
Toss. Turn.
“Dick, get your ass up and get in this bed before I go and carry you here.”
Absolute, dead, silence.
Soft sigh.
Shift. Stand. Footsteps. The covers were thrown back and a body slid into the bed and pressed up against Elizabeth’s back. Kate quickly tried to find a comfortable position but couldn’t seem to figure out what to do with her casted left arm. To solve the problem, the vampath took it, pulled it around her body and cradled it against her chest.
Yawning, she said, “Good. Now go to sleep, Dick.”
Just before she drifted off, Elizabeth swore she heard Kate say, “I should have bought the double and made room.”
~Chapter Thirty-Four~
Hands on the wheel of their sensible yet cute bright yellow VW Bug, Kennedy calmly and efficiently worked her way through traffic.
“So, are we really going shopping for stuff, or did you just want to get me out of there before I really made a fool of myself?”
On the radio, soft strains of Celtic music played while Willow toyed with the end of her hair. Chewing the amber strands absently, she said, “Oh, I can get some things – there are a couple of different compounds that will help Liz and Kate heal faster.” She turned to face her lover and smiled. “But we don’t have to get them now, if you had something else in mind?”
The suggestive tone to the witch’s voice made Kennedy smile.
“Well, there’s this place – it’s kind of my favorite spot in Chicago – and I thought that maybe we could have a picnic and you know, talk and stuff.” The rolling shrug did nothing to hide the sexy smirk that rippled across the slayer’s face.
Reaching across the seat, Willow slid her hand onto Kennedy’s thigh. “I could go for that… stuff.” Her cheeks were pink, but her tone indicated that she was more than willing to enjoy an afternoon with her lover.
%%%
Whistling tunelessly, Dersk cheerfully pushed a shopping cart through the store. The basket was half full of various items that ranged from standard mealtime fare like steak and chicken to boxes of bandages, gauze and medical tape. Canned vegetables, fresh fruit, and jumbo sized boxes of ibuprofen – the variety was amazing in its complexity. One thing seemed certain – the half-demon was buying enough to feed and care for a small army.
There were even three large containers of bottled water stacked on the cart’s undercarriage.
Others had more, of course, but he wasn’t looking to feed teenagers, just a couple of accident prone women. Those he passed seemed quite amused to see an apparently young man pushing around so much food, but he just smiled and nodded politely as he went by them. Once again, he blessed his chameleon-like ability to disguise his demonic nature.
At the register, he even flirted
with the pretty cashier.
The total bill was staggering, but he just whipped out the credit card that Kate had given him, paid and walked his now packed groceries to the sidewalk. Just as he was about to pull out his smokes and light up, something grabbed hold of his shirt and dragged him into the alley beside the market.
Roughly thrust up against a wall, Dersk’s demonic nature morphed into being as fear overrode his will. He was struck twice, each time the hard, granite-like fist of his attacker purpled his eyes.
“So, Ssilligorth slime, you ally yourself with sunwalking humans who would use you to destroy your own people. Pathetic.”
Dersk gasped in pain as he was sucker punched in the gut. Doubling over, he said, “What do you want, Reevis?”
Two massive hands lifted him up and slammed him against the wall. Reevis’ rock-like face was pressed bare inches from Dersk’s. Thin, gray lips split into a mocking grin, showing off the demon’s broken, jagged teeth.
“What I want, scumbag, is my money!” He shook Dersk vigorously. “You owe me a thousand bucks, man and it’s time to pay up!”
Oh is that all? Gee, and here I thought that I was about to become the next contestant on “Caruso’s Crusades”. Well, that’s a relief.
“I don’t have it right now, but I can get it,” he babbled. “I swear, I can – I just have to, you know… “
“Do what you do, yes, Ssilligorth, I know the lines. I’ve heard them before and this time – this time, I’m not going to wait for the empty promises to become outright lies. I want my money – and I want it now.” His smile became feral and he said, “You know, word is that the bitch you’re bootlicking these days is poking her nose into Mr. Caruso’s business. I wonder what he’d pay for that information, plus access to one of her number one flunkies?”
Guess I spoke too soon. Dersk licked his teal-toned lips and said, “Look – I’ve got about six fifty in change, but it’s not on me, I swear. Let me go and I’ll meet you later with it, and whatever else I can scrounge.”
Reevis appeared to consider the
idea, and then with a disgusted sigh, he dropped the half-demon. Bending over, the bulky,
gray skinned creature growled, “If I don’t see you by
It took Dersk ten minutes and two cigarettes to calm down enough to regain his human appearance. Thankfully, his cart was still where he’d left it.
“By all that’s spiffy and shiny, I hate Barokka demons,” he muttered as he flagged down a cab.
%%%
They did stop at Wic’s Haven. Willow even promised to only spend thirty minutes browsing the books, and for the most part, she kept her word. Forty-five minutes later, they paid for their purchases and headed for the nearest KFC.
One bucket of crispy goodness later and they were headed for the lake.
Kennedy talked as they drove. “When I was a kid, my father would come here on business and sometimes he’d bring me.” She smiled, lost in nostalgia. “We’d play hooky in the afternoons and go to the lake – mostly just to look at the birds or watch the boats, but occasionally, he’d buy lunch and we’d sit and talk for hours.”
“Sounds like you were close to him.” Even after two years, there were parts of Kennedy that Willow had only begun to know.
“I was.” The clipped tone was filled with shards of pain.
“Is he? Did he…” Willow bit her lip. “I remember when Joyce died,” she said softly. “It felt like a piece of my heart had just turned to glass and shattered into a billion tiny little fragments.”
Kennedy’s grip on the steering wheel became so tight that her usually bronze knuckles turned white. “My father is not dead.”
Blinking, Willow said, “Oh.”
“But I’m sure he wishes I was.” The expression of utter broken-heartedness that fractured Kennedy’s face made Willow cry out in sympathy.
“No...”
“He’s not exactly thrilled by my choice of profession,” the slayer said softly. “In fact, I think his words were, ‘If you leave now, don’t come back’.”
“But they let you use the apartment –“
“That’s all Mom. Dad retired last year, so he doesn’t need it anymore.”
“Oh, honey…” Willow frowned sadly. “I love you, you know that right?”
Ignoring the tears that threatened to fall, Kennedy said, “Yeah, I know.” Her smile was wryly anguished. “I – I just want you to see this place. It was happy for me, once.” Taking her eyes off the road for just an instant, she looked at Willow and said, “It’d be nice if it could be that way again.”
Willow captured Kennedy’s hand and pulled it to her lips, placing a soft kiss in the palm. “We’ll make it that way.” Brushing her cheek against the slayer’s knuckles she said, “It’ll be our place and we’ll fill it with kisses and country fried chicken yumminess.”
Kennedy chuckled and said, “That’s my Willow.”
“Yep, that’s me – just like you’re my Kennedy.”
“Forever and ever?” Kennedy said with a shy, innocent smile.
“Forever and ever, and beyond.” She twined her fingers with the slayer’s. Unspoken, the memory of Willow’s first love sat between them - a comfortable spot for the ghost of Tara Maclay – a place that she would stay, beloved and befriended by the two living women whose love had carried them through dark times.