Okay...here we go again! But first:
Willow~Rosenberg - I'm glad you enjoyed! No nervousness required, though - happiness and warm fuzzies are guaranteed, eventually!
DaddyCatALSO - Funny you mention that, actually - in my original draft, that was the end of the story - it probably would have stayed that way, but my muse keeps hitting me with my laptop, so the story goes on...
SallyMcFine - Actually, the Immortal was kind of a one-note joke in an Angel ep called "The Girl In Question." What I've done with him really has nothing to do with how they used him - to the show, he was some kind of immortal playboy who Buffy fell for in Rome. I co-opted him because it solved some creative difficulties, and changed his role significantly. As far as Xander - there was nothing canon implied, their reactions to him are part of a flashback that's still to come. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, there's much more to come!
tarebear - I hope that's speechless in a good way!
As far as w/t's new locale, the powers and lindsey, the answers are below!
JustSkipIt - Thanks so much! I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said about anything I've written. I'm just glad the emotion doesn't feel forced - that's always my biggest concern. Thank You!
Kaia - I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and actually I completely agree with you about assuming Tara is the one who loves the most. It's one of many flaws in what Tara's mother says to her...read on!
[hr]
Chapter 11 - The blood-dimmed tide is loosed
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Rating:
R I guess, for language.
Author's Note: Dedicated to Amy.
“What?” Lindsey screamed, throwing everything in reach at the wall. “What the hell do you mean, they’re still together? You assured me, promised me, insisted to me that your taking over the vision of Tara’s mother would get her to kill herself! Just herself!
The psychic across the table, having seen Lindsey gun down Riley earlier, fumbled for an answer that wouldn’t get him killed. “Sir, I – it should have worked! We overrode the first vision and told her to call on her mother when things got bad, and she did, and the second vision told her to jump - but I hadn’t counted on her letting the red witch go with her. Having two juiced-up witches hit the barrier at the same time…If she’d jumped alone, it would have killed her, but with both of them – we don’t know exactly what happened, but it shorted out the barrier.”
Lindsey rubbed his eyes. “Okay. Where are they?”
“We don’t know. They’re not in the nether realms, as far as we can tell, so they’re still alive somewhere. We’ve got every contact we have working on tracking them down, but there’re a lot of dimensions out there – and we’re having trouble pinpointing which one they’re in.”
Turning to the three psychics at the end of the table, Lindsey asked “so, what’s our status?”
The three turned to face him, speaking as one. “The plan is still in motion. But as long as the witches are alive and together, they are a threat.”
“Even if they’re in another dimension?”
“Yes.”
Lindsey pulled the .45 he’d used earlier and shot the psychic across the table in the kneecap. Listening to him scream didn’t solve the problem, but it did make him feel better. He turned back to the three. “How much more time do we need?”
“Three days,” the three answered. “In three days the process will be irreversible, even by the witches.”
[hr]
Spike stared across the table at Dawn. “Where’s big sis?”
Dawn shook her head. “In her room, Spike, the same place she’s been for two weeks. She’s hardly eaten, she never comes downstairs, all she does is sit up there and cry.”
“What about you, little bit? How are you holding up?”
“I dunno, Spike. I can’t even cry – and I feel so bad that I can’t cry. Every time I look at the door, I keep expecting them to walk through it. I just can’t accept that they’re gone – there was nothing about any of this in that stupid prophecy.”
“I know, luv. But prophecies aren’t set in stone – they never consider the human element. Xander was supposed to die, but that all got buggered when Faith decided to put herself in harm’s way. That wasn’t some ancient prophecy at work; it was just a good person doing what was right. And Willow and Tara…we don’t know if that’s what was supposed to happen, or if it was their decision. Either way, they saved us all, and that’s what we need to remember.”
“But we don’t know! There was no bodies after they went through the barrier, so isn’t it possible-“
“Don’t. Please don’t go down that same sodding old road, Dawn. That’s what Buffy kept trying to convince herself when we first got back, that maybe our witches’d vanished to somewhere else, but there’s just no way. The energy in that barrier – it would have vaporized them, Dawn. That’s why there’re no bodies. You need to let go of hope, or you’ll never move on.”
“But what about you? Weren’t you supposed to be human now?”
“Don’t know, niblet. Maybe I didn’t do whatever I was bloody well supposed to do, or maybe it’s not supposed to be instant, I don’t know. But I’m not going to get all torn up about it – not the first time I’ve been lied to, yeah?”
“Are you going up to see Buffy?”
Spike sighed. “Yeah. I don’t know if she’ll talk to me – she hasn’t any of the other times I’ve tried – but someone’s got to try and get through to her.”
[hr]
“Buffy?” he called as he opened the door. “Can I come in?”
He could hear the music blaring from her stereo before he heard her voice.
And I can't stand the pain
And I can't make it go away
No I can't stand the pain
How could this happen to me
I've made my mistakes
Got no where to run
The night goes on
As I'm fading away
I'm sick of this life
I just wanna scream
How could this happen to me
“You don’t need an invite,” Buffy replied in a bleary voice.
“I know. luv, but it’s still considered polite to ask, I thought.”
“Come in, Spike.”
He closed the door behind him as he entered. Looking at Buffy, he noticed the wrinkled blouse and torn jeans she wore looked a little too familiar. “Are those the same clothes you had on last time I was up here?” He cocked his head. “Isn’t that the same bleedin’ CD that was on the last time I was up here?”
Buffy looked down at herself. “I guess so.”
“That was three days ago, Buffy, you’ve got to-“
“What, Spike? What have I got to do? Everyone’s been so great lately at telling me what I need to do. ‘Buffy, you need to eat, Buffy, you need to sleep, Buffy, you need to let go of Willow and Tara.’ You know what? I’m tired of being told what to do. If I want to sit up here for the rest of my damn life, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Spike sat down on the bed next to her, putting an arm around her and letting her head rest on his shoulder. “I know, Buffy. I know. I’m not saying it’s easy, but there’re still people here that need you. Your sister is still in shock so deep she can’t cry, and she could really use a talk with you. There’s potentials downstairs who are just wandering, without a clue what they’re supposed to be doing now, and feeling terrible that they couldn’t help you when it mattered. And I know Faith really wishes you’d talk to her.”
Buffy shook her head. “I’ve got nothing to say to any of them. I failed so miserably, and I don’t have anything to offer anyone. Is Xander still here?”
“Nope. About five minutes after we got back from…wherever the hell we were, he packed and left. I don’t think we’ll be hearing from him again anytime soon.”
“No loss,” Buffy snarled. “He was so much help – I’m glad he came back in time to help summon the creature that killed Willow and Tara. I wish you’d have told me he was leaving, though – I would have kicked him in the ass on his way out the door.”
“Buffy…what exactly happened between you and him, anyway?”
[hr]
“So…this isn’t what I thought the afterlife would look like, somehow. I thought it’d be more…glowy, or something.”
“Sweetie, I’m pretty sure we’re not dead. My wrist still hurts, and everything’s dirty.”
“So if we’re not dead, where are we?”
“I, um…I think that might have been some sort of portal we dove through.”
“A portal?”
“We should look around – this might be another dimension, or it might just be another place in the same one.”
Willow gave Tara a hand up, and wrapped her in a tight hug. “I don’t know where we are, but we’re still together.”
Stroking Willow’s hair, Tara smiled. “I…thank you for coming w-with me.”
“What, I was going to let you jump through that barrier alone? I don’t think so.” Willow grinned and snuck a quick kiss. “Okay, let’s take a look around.”
The two witches walked down the alley they’d found themselves in, taking careful stock of what they saw. The alley was dark and dirty, but that hardly made it different than any other alley. The smell of smoke and blood was thick in the air, however, and that was definitely out of the ordinary. They rounded the corner of the alley and stuck their heads out for a better view.
“Oh, no.” whispered Willow.
It was downtown Los Angeles – not far from Wolfram & Hart - but it wasn’t. The buildings were burned out and empty, the streets all but deserted. A sudden noise made them jump, and they pulled their heads back into the alley, watching as a single black car cruised the street, its windows open. Just when they were sure the car was going to pass them without incident, it stopped and the doors opened, disgorging four vampires in game face.
“Do you smell that, or is it just me?” The driver asked the vamp who’d gotten out from the seat behind him.
“No, that’s fresh meat, I’d bet my unlife on it.”
“Where do you suppose it came from? There hasn’t been fresh meat around here in months.”
“Who cares? Let’s just find it!”
Tara gasped as the vampires headed for the alley – straight for them. She and Willow began to back slowly down the alley until they heard a door open beside them and powerful hands pulled them into the building.
“Stay quiet!” a forceful voice hissed. “This building reeks of death – it should be enough to throw the flesh-eaters from your trail.”
The three stood silently until their unseen savior signaled the vampires were gone. Willow and Tara turned to find a familiar face – sort of.
“Fred?” Willow asked in shock. “What did you do to your hair?”
“There is no Fred,” came the reply. “Hers is simply the shell that contains me. You may call me Ilyria.”
“The s-shell that contains you?”
“Yes. We have no time for foolish questions. We must find a shelter for you.”
“Wait!” Willow exclaimed. “What happened to this world?”
“This world is the way it is,” Ilyria explained with a quizzical expression. “Ever since Angel fled the final battle, the armies of hell have ruled this city. There are few like us now, who have not been turned or killed. Enough questions! Stay quiet as we move, or the flesh-eaters may find us – and even I cannot protect you from all of them.”
[hr]
“Buffy?”
“I heard the question, Spike.”
“Are you going to answer it?”
“Fine,” Buffy snarled, pulling away from Spike to look at him as she spoke. “You want to know what happened with Xander? He ran. After we came to Rome to help the Immortal with his problem, he volunteered to help Willow and I with our part of the plan. He seemed all set to go, and then when things got hairy he screamed something about Anya and ran.”
“Well, it hadn’t been even a month since she died, right?” seeing the question in her eyes, he explained “I heard about it from Andrew later.”
“Oh. Well yeah, that’s right, it hadn’t been long. But that’s not why we don’t speak – I could forgive his running away, even though it made our job harder. What I couldn’t forgive was what happened after that.”
“Which was?”
“I…I don’t want to talk about it. I really don’t know where he’s been all this time.”
“It wasn’t his fault, Buffy. I don’t mean whatever it is he did to you,” he explained hastily when she glared at him, “I mean Willow and Tara.”
“Don’t say their names.”
“It’s not, Buffy. I know how easy it is to blame him for this, but he was a sodding puppet, just like the rest of us. We got buggered, but it’s not anyone’s fault. Willow and Tara-“
Buffy leveled him with a punch that left him on the other side of the room. She stood up from the bed and glared at him. “I told you, DON’T say their names!”
Spike stood up, rubbing his jaw. “Damn right,” he said. “You did. Did hitting me make you feel any better? If it did, come do it again! Right here!” he pointed to his chin.
Buffy was across the room in a flash and had him by the collar.
“Come on! Do it! Bloody do it!”
She let his collar go and went back to the bed, laying down on it. “Leave me alone, Spike.”
“Fine,” said Spike. “Just remember there’s a little girl downstairs who needs you more than anything – she’s all alone - and there’s a girl who loves you and thinks you’re blaming her. I’m going to go take a sniff around town, seeing as how we don’t apparently patrol anymore.”
He’d only just closed the door when the stake she’d thrown buried itself in it.
[hr]
“Keep up!” hissed Ilyria as she led the two on a convoluted path through the back alleys of Los Angeles to a familiar spot.
“It’s a bar!” exclaimed Willow. “But…it’s not,” she continued as she took in the sight. The place looked like a fortress, complete with steel plating covering its entirety and what looked suspiciously like some kind of stake-firing machine guns protruding from turrets.
Ilyria motioned them to wait as she performed a complicated knock on the side of the building, in a spot that looked no different than the rest. The spot she knocked on opened as she completed the knock, revealing a door staffed by four armed guards. “New acquisitions,” Ilyria explained to the guards, indicating Willow and Tara. The guards nodded and stood aside to allow them in. As the door closed behind them, they found themselves face-to-face with an old friend.
“Hey, Red. Hey, T. Welcome to Hell A!”
“F-Faith?” The slayer’s face was scarred in several places, and she carried herself much differently than the Faith they’d been fighting alongside no more than twenty minutes ago.
“In the flesh, T. You okay? You look like hell.”
“Faith? I hate to interrupt, but where are we? And how did you know we were coming?”
“One question at a time, Red. ‘Here’ is Los Angeles. I got here last month, after I cleaned up the mess in Cleveland. I guess Angel was supposed to lead Blue and the rest of the Angel Inc. crew against some kinda hell-army. Instead, he ran away, and no-one’s seen him since. The army he was supposed to fight took out Gunn and Connor, and spread across the state. I guess the vamps and the demon types pretty much own it now.”
“How’d you know we were coming?”
“I didn’t. Blue here said she could sense people traveling dimensions – we had no idea who it was, though. How’d you get here?”
“We jumped through a portal,” Tara interjected.
“Really?” Faith asked admiringly. “Impressive. What made you do that?”
“We were fighting this creature – someone needed to jump into the portal to kill it.”
“Yeah,” replied Willow. “We’re kind of surprised ourselves, actually. We kind of counted on being dead.”
“Disappointed, Red?” teased Faith.
“Not exactly, but it is a little weird.”
“Tell me about it – I should’ve been dead about a hundred times now, and it never stops feeling weird.”
“Um…if Ilyria can sense dimensional travel, can she get us home?”
The blue-haired figure in question spoke from the corner. “No. Once I could have created the portal myself, but no longer.”
“Don’t worry,” said Faith. “Stick with us, and we’ll find you a way. I promise.”
“Why did you leave Rome?”
“Rome?”
“Weren’t you living with Buffy?”
Faith’s face fell. “B’s been dead for a year. So’ve you guys, actually – there was a time it would have shocked me that you walked through the door, but ever since I met Blue over there, not much surprises me anymore.”
“We’re dead? How?”
“Someone or something planted a bomb on the school bus while we were closing the hellmouth. Killed you two, B, Xander and Wood, and a bunch of the potentials too. I got tossed out a side window from the force, and I saved Giles and a couple of the potentials. G wanted to go to Cleveland, so we went. Been fighting the hellmouth there for two years. Then I got a call from Wesley, asking if I could help with this bitch of a problem in California.”
“How do you plan on doing that?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care. I’m gonna help this little resistance take L.A., and then I’m gonna figure it out from there.”
“You’re going to take the entire state?”
“Maybe, but I don’t think we’ll have to do it alone. The leaders of this army bunk down right here in L.A. – and killing them should put a serious kink in their plans, and let some more armies like us spring up. I haven’t managed to get much more info on any other groups, ‘cause this ain’t exactly organized resistance.”
“Who’s leading their army?”
“Don’t know – we just know they’re here.”
“Well, let me introduce you to the crew,” Faith continued. She led them around the bronze, pointing out people as she went. “That’s Larry,” she said, pointing at the ex-football player. “He told me once that he went to school with you, Red.”
“He did. Hi, Larry!”
“Hi, Willow.”
“And this charming fella here goes by Numero Cinco.”
Willow and Tara took in the sight of the small man in a wrestling mask, and decided a simple “hello” and a quick move on would be the best course of action. Before Faith could get to the next person, Tara stopped her to ask a question.
“Where’s Wesley? I don’t see him anywhere.”
“He’s out – gathering intelligence. Moving on?”
“The guy with the bad hair in the corner is Lindsey. Don’t know much about the guy – just that Blue trusts him - but Lorne tried to shoot him once.”
“Is Lorne here?”
“Not so much. The vamps got him three days ago.”
Tara hung her head – the empath demon had been one of the kindest beings she’d ever met.
“And finally, we’ve got big Blue.”
“I’ve told you repeatedly not to call me that, human.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t take orders well, Blue.”
Tara gasped as something clicked in her head. “Wait a minute…are you THE Ilyria? The Old One?”
Ilyria smirked. “Finally, I meet someone among the humans who knows me.”
“How…um, how did you end up in human form?”
“It pains me. I was resurrected in this shell by someone who deemed himself my follower. Unfortunately this shell cannot contain my full glory, and my powers are now a shadow of what they were. The desertion of the vampire has left me to lead these humans, whether I wish it or not.”
“Why? I mean…why do you lead them?”
“Because Wesley wishes it. And I find myself oddly concerned with his desires.”
A complicated knock, different than Ilyria’s, sounded at the door. The guards opened it to reveal Wesley, whose jaw dropped as he took in the sight of Tara and Willow.
“Dear lord!” he exclaimed. “How…”
“They have traveled across dimensions,” Ilyria explained tonelessly. “They have not come here intentionally.”
“How did you-“
Tara threw her head back as blue energy crackled between herself and Willow. The room disappeared in a bright flash.
“Get here?” Wesley finished. Willow and Tara took in their surroundings, which seemed to have changed completely – they were in the Sunnydale High library, Willow decided – the old library.
“Uhh…Tara?”
“Will? What on earth…”
“I’m sorry,” said Wesley. “I was just asking how you two got here. Is everything-“
FLASH!
“Okay?”
“Tara, is this Wolfram & Hart?”
“I think so. But how?”
FLASH!
“The Initiative?”
FLASH!
[hr]
In the darkness, a far more urgent conversation took place.
“What has caused this?”
“Free will – the eternal barrier was crossed.”
“The Red and the White are in flux.”
“Yes…free-falling between dimensions, tearing holes in the dimensional barriers and leaving a massive wake behind them. If this is not stopped, the damage to the dimensional barriers could be irreversible.”
“Can it be stopped?”
“Only by direct intervention.”
“Then let it be done.”
[hr]
“Dawnie?”
“Buffy? Is that you?”
Buffy rounded the corner into the dining room. “It’s me. I…Dawn, I’m so sorry. I’ve been so wrapped up in myself that I haven’t even thought about how you’re doing. It’s sad that it took Spike to make me think about my little sister.” She walked behind Dawn’s chair and put her arms around her. “How are you doing, Dawn?”
“I’m okay, Buffy. I was talking to Spike earlier, and like I told him, I just can’t seem to cry. I haven’t been able to cry since you guys came back. It…nothing seems real.”
Buffy nodded, kissing the top of Dawn’s head. “I know. It’s like you just keep expecting to wake up, to find out that it was all a bad dream and Will and Tara are safe and warm in their bed, like they should be.”
Dawn nodded. “Exactly! I’ve been in their room once a day since you guys got back – all I can think is that maybe one time I’ll open the doors and there they’ll be there.” Dawn’s lower lip began to tremble slightly. “Why did this happen, Buffy? It’s not fair and it’s not right. They’re-“ her voice cracked. “They’re the most wonderful people I’ve ever met, and the most perfect pair I’ve ever seen. It just isn’t fair.”
“No. It’s not fair, Dawn. Nothing about this is fair. It should never have happened, least of all to them…but there’s one thing you need to think about.”
“What’s that?” Dawn asked, a single tear making its way slowly down her cheek.
“Wherever they are now – whatever heaven they’ve gone to – they’re together. They went together – just like they would have wanted.”
Dawn’s face crumpled, and the shock she’d been in finally released her as she began to sob. Buffy turned her chair around and took her in her arms as Dawn’s arms beat weakly against her chest.
“It’s not fair!” she cried. “I want them back, Buffy – I just want them back.” She threw her arms around her big sister and let out everything she’d been holding in.
“I know, Dawnie” Buffy whispered, her own face streaked with tears. “I do too.”
[hr]
FLASH!
“Okay, this is just weird,” Willow said. “There’s nothing here – it’s just a big white nothing.”
“Hey, do you remember Quantum Leap?”
“Yeah…that’s it! We’re in the waiting room!”
“Ziggy!” they yelled simultaneously, and both of them burst out laughing.
“Okay…” said Tara when she’d regained control of herself. “How come we haven’t flashed again yet?”
“Because that’s been stopped,” said a voice from behind them. They turned to face the speaker.
“Mom?”
“Hello again, Tara.”
“What happened? I thought you s-said that barrier would kill me.”
“That wasn’t me, Tara. Someone used a powerful psychic to tap into the channel I was using to communicate with you and tell you lies – think about two radio stations broadcasting on the same frequency – you’ll only hear the stronger one, the one closer to you, and that was the false one. The last thing I said to you that you heard was that there would be a point in the battle where you’d know you’d lost.”
“Everything after that – telling me to call on you, making the imps disappear, telling me to jump – that was all lies?”
“Yes – I could hear what you were being told, but I couldn’t get through to you.”
Tara cocked her head, lost in thought for a moment. “You know, that explains a lot. Now that I actually have time to think about it, some of that made no sense. Giles has to have read the prophecy in Latin – he mentioned the poetry of it at one point – and he would have noticed a mistranslation like that. They must have pulled the bible verse from my head, too.”
“Yes – it was a powerful psychic, or maybe more than one, and they knew just what buttons to push and what memories to bring up to convince you to jump.”
“What about the imps? Why make them disappear if they were going to kill Buffy and Faith?”
“Because this was never about Buffy and Faith. It was about you. Well, you and Willow. The imps and even the Tok-Mageth were just tools to separate the two of you. The people behind this – who seem to have found a way to make themselves invisible to the powers - knew you were the only ones who could stop them.”
“Stop them f-from what?”
“Creating a hellmouth.”
Willow shook her head. “Sorry, you must have been talking into my crazy ear. A hellmouth is a natural occurrence, isn’t it?”
Mary smiled. “Yes, Willow, it is. But with the right ritual, a lot of time and a lot of sacrifices, one can be manufactured. That’s actually what Brother Frederick’s prophecy was about.”
“But the prophecy doesn’t mention anything like that – although that does explain the increased demonic activity in Rome.”
“Well, there’re two problems with the prophecy. Firstly, it’s vague, even for a prophecy. Second, the version you’ve been reading isn’t exactly right. Frederick wrote two prophecies that got mangled into one by a later scribe. The third verse – the one that actually mentioned the Tok-Mageth – was from the other prophecy. If it’s taken out, you’re left with the original.”
“Then Spike isn’t human yet? And Xander – he’s still going to die?”
“Most likely.”
Tara frowned. “But if the verse about the Tok was from another prophecy, how was it summoned when we were together?”
“Well, it’s a long story, but to make it short…the other prophecy was about all of you – and me – as well. It was a long, rambling prophecy about the battle you just fought. You sort of changed the ending by jumping through that barrier, though.”
“What was supposed to happen?”
“Well, the second half of my gift for you was going to be a spell to destroy the barrier. The ‘bend’ referred to in the prophecy referred to bending reality, not dying. Oh, and so you know, the second vision of me you saw didn’t give you any more power – it just made you glow brighter.”
“So what happened when we crossed the barrier?”
“Well, no-one had ever done that before. And if you’d been alone, it would have killed you like they’d planned. With two of you, though, both charged with the energy I’d given you, it transformed the barrier into a sort of super portal, which is why you’ve been flipping through dimensions like this.”
“What happens now?” asked Willow. “Can we go home and try to stop them from creating this hellmouth?”
“Well,” said Mary hesitantly. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”
Tara tensed, grabbing Willow’s hand.
“It’s okay, Tara, it’s nothing bad, just complicated. The Powers were stunned that you two chose to sacrifice yourselves to stop the Tok-Mageth – they never saw it coming. They’re so impressed that they’ve decided to offer you a choice.”
“What ch-choice?” Tara asked, moving unconsciously closer to Willow.
“You’ve proven yourselves as champions – even given your lives to save others. So…you can go home, back to the fight – or you can move on.”
“Move on?”
“To heaven, my darling girl. To your reward. A place where the two of you will be safe, and happy, and complete – and together for all eternity.”
Willow and Tara stared at each other, and Mary could see the questions and answers flying between them, communicated solely in their eyes. After a moment, Willow turned to her. “Can the hellmouth be stopped without us?”
“No.”
The two witches looked at each other for another moment, and Tara turned to her mother. “Then…I g-guess we’ll go back.”
“You’re turning down heaven?”
“Yes,” they answered together.
Mary beamed. “I knew you would. You’ve always made me proud, Tara. And Willow – there’s no-one but you I’d trust my daughter to. If both of you come over here, I’ll give you what you need to close the hellmouth.” They approached her, and she laid a hand on each of their heads, placing the knowledge they’d need into their minds.
“Wow,” said Willow as she stepped back. “What a rush!”
Mary smiled. “And Tara?”
“Mom?”
“Come closer.” Tara did, and her mother laid a hand on her stomach, which promptly began to glow. “Next time you want something of the light, don’t try and ask the dark for it.” Tara smiled, her eyes shining. Mary stepped back. “Okay, you two. Are you ready to go home?”
Tara hugged her mother and received a kiss on the cheek in return, and then linked hands with Willow. “We’re ready. Thank you, Mom. I Love You.”
“I Love you too. Both of you.”
A cool white light enveloped them both.
[hr]
Thus endeth the update. The next one should be up sometime early next week. Hope you all enjoyed, and thanks for reading!
ETA: Okay, two things I forgot - first, the song is "Untitled" by Simple Plan. Second, the whole set-up at the beginning of the chapter with a war-torn L.A. was pretty much a red herring - that's the last you'll be seeing of it. Okay, hopefully there's nothing else I'm forgeting...
That was fab! I really do love this story, and I wish I could have left feedback sooner!
