Threads: Insomnia (Part 6)
Oct. 24th, 2010 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akainagiThreads: Insomnia (Part 6)
Author: AkaiNagi
Rating: R for language
Genre: X-over with Stephen King’s Insomnia. AU: does not adhere to season three cannon i.e. Faith, Angel’s return, etc.
Summary: Buffy returns from Phoenix carrying a curse, one she must face alone. But when she disappears again, will anyone, even her Watcher, keep faith in her?
Buffy jogged the rest of the way home. The auras had disappeared shortly after the little Bald Doc, and try as she might, Buffy was unable to bring them back. She felt like she was flying blind, what if the creature came back while she wasn’t able to see him?
God, what if there were more of them?
She opened the front door and made a beeline for the telephone. Giles would be able to help, she was sure of it. Now they had some kind of concrete entity to fight. She would provide the info, Giles would make with the research, she would make with the slaying, and all would be right with the world again.
[I’ll fuck you over! I’ll fuck your friends over!]
The memory of the malicious little gnome’s face as he threatened her friends made her shudder. But she couldn’t do this alone. She picked up the phone to dial Giles’ number. He might still be at the library.
“Buffy?” her mother called from the kitchen. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, mom,” she answered. “I’ll be there in a minute. I gotta call Giles.”
“You’re late. Is everything okay?”
Buffy concentrated on willing her watcher to pick up the phone. It went to the answering machine. Shit. He must have gone home already. She hastily dialed his home number. He picked up almost immediately. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief.
“Giles!”
”Buffy?” The voice on the line sounded surprised.
“Giles, I’m sorry about earlier. Look, I know who the baddie is,” she said hastily.
”Baddie?”
“The demonic little creep that’s been stealing my sleep, among other things,” she explained. “I met him on the way home from school. Nasty little S.O.B.”
“You had a run-in with a demon? Are you all right?” Concern filled his voice, even after she had been such a bitch this afternoon.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “He’s a little worse for wear, though. Look, I’ll explain everything. Can you meet me back at the library?”
Giles replied without hesitation. “Of course.”
Buffy’s mother appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. “You’re going out again, Buffy?” Her tone was exasperated. “You just got home. What about dinner?”
Buffy covered the mouthpiece of the phone. “I’m sorry mom. Look, can you give me a ride to the school?”
“At this hour?”
“Please, mom, it’s important,” she pleaded.
“It’s always important.” Her mother sighed a long-suffering sigh. “Fine, I’ll get the keys.”
Giles, still on the line, offered to pick her up.
“No thanks, mom’s got it covered. Look, I need you to start researching four foot tall bald demons with pointy teeth who like to play with knives … well, scalpels, really. I’ll be there pronto to fill you in on the rest.”
If Giles was taken aback by the odd description, it didn’t show in his voice. “Very well. And Buffy …”
“Yeah?” Buffy inquired.
“Be careful.”
Buffy grinned. “Will do, Watcher-mine.” She hung up the phone. Was boundless forgiveness and understanding a prerequisite for all Watchers, or had she just gotten lucky?
She spent the ride to the library listening to her mother lecture her about not letting slaying take over her life. She felt like telling her mom that if she had just witnessed an evil dwarf about to cut the lifeline of an innocent little girl that she would think differently.
Lifeline.
Buffy didn’t know where she got that knowledge from, but it felt right. Each person had an aura and the balloon string was their lifeline. The whole length of that little girl’s balloon string was her future, and that evil little lawn gnome had tried to cut it short.
She willed her mother to drive faster.
They reached the school in record time, just as dusk was beginning to fall. She gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek and an apology and practically leapt from the car. She was hurrying up the stairs to the front entrance of the school when she felt herself rising again. Only this time it was less like rising and more like being pulled. The auras blazed to life around her, more brilliant and detailed than ever before.
She didn’t have time to admire them now. She hurried towards the library, intent on her destination. She strode confidently through the library doors. And why shouldn’t she be confident, she told herself? Together they had defeated Masters and Judges and countless vampires. She would be damned if a four foot tall demonic dwarf was going to best them.
Giles was on the move, assembling volumes on the library’s large central wooden table, clearly in full-tilt research mode. Buffy was momentarily taken aback.
She had never seen Giles’ aura before, somehow she had imagined it to be tweed. But it was far from such a dull, nondescript color. Giles’ aura blazed a brilliant silver-grey, his balloon string rising, hale and healthy, from the top of his head. Buffy, even in her hurry, took a moment to admire her Watcher.
She strode the rest of the way in the library. “Okay, Giles. Full disclosure time,” she announced, parking herself in one of the library’s uncomfortable wooden chairs. Then something strange happened.
Giles walked away, not even registering her presence.
A sense of dread began to dawn over Buffy. “Giles,” she called, getting up and following him into the stacks. He continued on his mission, without so much as sparing a glance in his Slayer’s direction. Buffy reached out and tried to touch his shoulder.
Her hand passed through him. But not before she got a glimpse into Giles’ mind via his aura.
Short bald demons with fangs, he thought. Hopefully Buffy has a more complete description than that.
“I do!” Buffy yelled desperately. She bore down with her mind, trying to come down from whatever height she had been thrust to. Nothing.
Shit! Buffy though. I’m too high up. This is bad. This is way bad.
“Giles!” she yelled futilely, following him through the library. She made it all the way back across to the mahogany table before she realized they were in the doorway.
Bald Doc’s. Two of them. That answered the question of whether there was more than one. One carried a pair of sharp-looking long-bladed scissors.
And Giles can’t even see them. Shit. Double shit Buffy cursed inwardly. She moved herself in front of her oblivious watcher, coming between him and the two potential threats.
[Hello, Buffy Summers], the inside of her head echoed. [We have been waiting for you].
Author: AkaiNagi
Rating: R for language
Genre: X-over with Stephen King’s Insomnia. AU: does not adhere to season three cannon i.e. Faith, Angel’s return, etc.
Summary: Buffy returns from Phoenix carrying a curse, one she must face alone. But when she disappears again, will anyone, even her Watcher, keep faith in her?
Buffy jogged the rest of the way home. The auras had disappeared shortly after the little Bald Doc, and try as she might, Buffy was unable to bring them back. She felt like she was flying blind, what if the creature came back while she wasn’t able to see him?
God, what if there were more of them?
She opened the front door and made a beeline for the telephone. Giles would be able to help, she was sure of it. Now they had some kind of concrete entity to fight. She would provide the info, Giles would make with the research, she would make with the slaying, and all would be right with the world again.
[I’ll fuck you over! I’ll fuck your friends over!]
The memory of the malicious little gnome’s face as he threatened her friends made her shudder. But she couldn’t do this alone. She picked up the phone to dial Giles’ number. He might still be at the library.
“Buffy?” her mother called from the kitchen. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, mom,” she answered. “I’ll be there in a minute. I gotta call Giles.”
“You’re late. Is everything okay?”
Buffy concentrated on willing her watcher to pick up the phone. It went to the answering machine. Shit. He must have gone home already. She hastily dialed his home number. He picked up almost immediately. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief.
“Giles!”
”Buffy?” The voice on the line sounded surprised.
“Giles, I’m sorry about earlier. Look, I know who the baddie is,” she said hastily.
”Baddie?”
“The demonic little creep that’s been stealing my sleep, among other things,” she explained. “I met him on the way home from school. Nasty little S.O.B.”
“You had a run-in with a demon? Are you all right?” Concern filled his voice, even after she had been such a bitch this afternoon.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “He’s a little worse for wear, though. Look, I’ll explain everything. Can you meet me back at the library?”
Giles replied without hesitation. “Of course.”
Buffy’s mother appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. “You’re going out again, Buffy?” Her tone was exasperated. “You just got home. What about dinner?”
Buffy covered the mouthpiece of the phone. “I’m sorry mom. Look, can you give me a ride to the school?”
“At this hour?”
“Please, mom, it’s important,” she pleaded.
“It’s always important.” Her mother sighed a long-suffering sigh. “Fine, I’ll get the keys.”
Giles, still on the line, offered to pick her up.
“No thanks, mom’s got it covered. Look, I need you to start researching four foot tall bald demons with pointy teeth who like to play with knives … well, scalpels, really. I’ll be there pronto to fill you in on the rest.”
If Giles was taken aback by the odd description, it didn’t show in his voice. “Very well. And Buffy …”
“Yeah?” Buffy inquired.
“Be careful.”
Buffy grinned. “Will do, Watcher-mine.” She hung up the phone. Was boundless forgiveness and understanding a prerequisite for all Watchers, or had she just gotten lucky?
She spent the ride to the library listening to her mother lecture her about not letting slaying take over her life. She felt like telling her mom that if she had just witnessed an evil dwarf about to cut the lifeline of an innocent little girl that she would think differently.
Lifeline.
Buffy didn’t know where she got that knowledge from, but it felt right. Each person had an aura and the balloon string was their lifeline. The whole length of that little girl’s balloon string was her future, and that evil little lawn gnome had tried to cut it short.
She willed her mother to drive faster.
They reached the school in record time, just as dusk was beginning to fall. She gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek and an apology and practically leapt from the car. She was hurrying up the stairs to the front entrance of the school when she felt herself rising again. Only this time it was less like rising and more like being pulled. The auras blazed to life around her, more brilliant and detailed than ever before.
She didn’t have time to admire them now. She hurried towards the library, intent on her destination. She strode confidently through the library doors. And why shouldn’t she be confident, she told herself? Together they had defeated Masters and Judges and countless vampires. She would be damned if a four foot tall demonic dwarf was going to best them.
Giles was on the move, assembling volumes on the library’s large central wooden table, clearly in full-tilt research mode. Buffy was momentarily taken aback.
She had never seen Giles’ aura before, somehow she had imagined it to be tweed. But it was far from such a dull, nondescript color. Giles’ aura blazed a brilliant silver-grey, his balloon string rising, hale and healthy, from the top of his head. Buffy, even in her hurry, took a moment to admire her Watcher.
She strode the rest of the way in the library. “Okay, Giles. Full disclosure time,” she announced, parking herself in one of the library’s uncomfortable wooden chairs. Then something strange happened.
Giles walked away, not even registering her presence.
A sense of dread began to dawn over Buffy. “Giles,” she called, getting up and following him into the stacks. He continued on his mission, without so much as sparing a glance in his Slayer’s direction. Buffy reached out and tried to touch his shoulder.
Her hand passed through him. But not before she got a glimpse into Giles’ mind via his aura.
Short bald demons with fangs, he thought. Hopefully Buffy has a more complete description than that.
“I do!” Buffy yelled desperately. She bore down with her mind, trying to come down from whatever height she had been thrust to. Nothing.
Shit! Buffy though. I’m too high up. This is bad. This is way bad.
“Giles!” she yelled futilely, following him through the library. She made it all the way back across to the mahogany table before she realized they were in the doorway.
Bald Doc’s. Two of them. That answered the question of whether there was more than one. One carried a pair of sharp-looking long-bladed scissors.
And Giles can’t even see them. Shit. Double shit Buffy cursed inwardly. She moved herself in front of her oblivious watcher, coming between him and the two potential threats.
[Hello, Buffy Summers], the inside of her head echoed. [We have been waiting for you].
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(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-25 06:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-25 09:37 am (UTC)I've not read the Stephen King novel but I did cheat and look it up in wiki.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-27 06:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-08 11:34 pm (UTC)