Lamplight

[JujuDeRoussie]

Hello watty

Nice update

I feel sorry for Wesley. Because he was used. He is used. He doesn't even know it.
I thought about the canavases ion the previous update. Classic. You take a big paint, by a great artist. You put a sort of thing on it (don't know the name in english for everything, sorry ), then you can paint on it.
You sell out the paint, and the owner had just to take the thing off and he has a paint from a great artist for a really good price.
Anyway... I feel double sorry for him because he has two hot women in his house, he drools all over willow, and they are soooo lesbians and together and lying to get informations. lol

Now... I hope there is not hiden camera for Wilkins to surveye him (you know in case he would discover by I don't know which way that he is actually painting over great paintings stolen and all) because if he saw Tara there.. it will be very dangerous.

Now I want more
Please?

Thanks for your update,

Julia

[WillowRulez]

Aha! Greenwich, Conn. Well, a lot of celebrities reside in the NY one as well!

Beautiful Creature frowned and cleared her throat. Ooops. "Ah, yes. This is he," he said pompously.

Too funny. I can't help but seeing Wesley here as Alexis and that doesnt help at all!

So he gives me canvases in various shapes and sizes and I, uh, do my thing.

How clever…

"Not all. But usually before an auction he gives me a few specific ones. For some reason those always fetch the highest price."

LOL! Genius I say

[AntigoneUnbound]

My dearest Lady of Watsonia~Having been woefully out of the Kitten loop for lo these many months, I had much catching up to do. And so I did.

There's much to say, and I want to do so w/ a reasonable semblance of coherence. Hmm...

OK, first of all, I love the class element. I'm a sucker for that. You make an interesting point about Willow's lack of awareness: she has the privilege of oblivion, doesn't she? She doesn't think of certain things b/c she doesn't have to. It's easy for her to hear about Tara's situation and feel bad for her; obviously, she doesn't want her friend to suffer. But I don't think she ever got the emotional aspect of it, the unwarranted shame. People who have money can reassure others that their lack of it doesn't make them any less worthy and yet they don't get how deeply it cuts, how excruciatingly aware Tara almost certainly is of how the hallway smells; how the furniture looks; how her clothes fit.

So--is Miss Willow's affinity for Jim Beam at an end? She was guzzling pretty righteously there for awhile, wasn't she? And Tara noticed it, too. That's an interesting note--perhaps Willow has an addictive personality across the board. I'm just so glad you didn't make her into some magic addict, because really--how lame is that? I mean, what the hell would you do w/ THAT story?

Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, I would like you henceforth to refer to me as Miss Moneyfuckingpenny. Thank you.

Your knowledge of the financial world gives this story great verisimilitude, Watty. I can barely balance my checkbook, but I'm following this w/ relative ease. I love the quasi-hidden nature of it; the way that a mere signature causes staggeringly large sums of money to change hands, and it's not even the signature of the person behind the transaction. Oh, and how much do I love the canvas deal? Poor Wesley, thinking that he's an important part of the art world. When I read his name, I was surprised b/c he was clearly in on the nasty side of things, and yet I couldn't picture him being malevolent. Turns out he's not--he's just stupid! And vain! And how often those two go together!

I've always found Wilkins to be a fascinating creature--appealing (in canon) despite his proclivity to kill people and eat large metallic spiders. Of course, here he crosses a line by trying to rape Tara, and I'm fascinated by why he couldn't. What did he see? I'm sure it wasn't her being a lesbian, since that would probably just inflame him. He's vile, but he's not stupid and I refer here not just to intelligence per se but also astuteness re: human nature.

Other little touches I loved: thank you for teaching me to brew Vietnamese coffee! Just when I think your excellence has reached its very zenith, you throw another log of brilliance on the fire. Oh, and could you ask Anya to take a look at my taxes? Actually, could you get her to take a look at the US budget? And poor Wesley, jerking off...I wanted to wash my own hands after reading that little snippet.

You have great descriptions, Watty. In my own writing, I often neglect to give people a sense of scene and you do that really well. One moment that jumped out at me: the lighting of the club and what it revealed.

In the inappropriate light, the golden sparkles looked cheap, not chic

. That was wonderful, and so symbolic. Take a close look at the good life Wilkins provides, and notice the emptiness beneath the veneer.

And then we have our girls...travelling such a tortured path and yet one that left them more able to deal with the ugliness they face. True, had Tara not left they might not have faced the ugliness in the first place, but somehow it seemed important that they have more than naive bliss to carry them. Both of them have learned to be survivors, and now they can help each other do more than survive. Tara's learning what the good life really does look like, and how not to run from it. (Oh, by the way--if you have video of her performances, I'd love to see them. Just to better appreciate her journey, you understand.) That feeling--I don't deserve this--is so powerful, and goes so deep. One of my earliest conceptualizations of Tara is of her as a girl, learning not to ask for various Christmas presents b/c certain things just aren't for her; in this case, Willow. I like how you've brought them together, Watty, and now they're working together, each one stronger by virtue of the other.

OK--before my fingers fall off, I close. I'm sorry for having been AWOL for so long, but thank you for giving me such a great story to come back to.

With boundless love and admiration,
Miss Moneyfuckingpenny

[Zampsa1975]

Wow! Another excellent update. Wesley doesn't seem to be the brightest person around

[LittleBit]

Great update .. this story keeps getting better and better! I like this new twist to the story. I particularly like how you've captured Wesley and his crush on Willow has so many possibilities!

[watty]

Debra -- I'm so happy that you found this chapter funny. I've always believed that AD was a great casting choice, he did buffoon really well in S3 and when he got tough in AtS he was believable (and hot!) also.

He's the type of bloke who thinks he is so cool but who everyone calls a wanker when he leaves the room.

Precisely! I must admit to having known a few people like that and I feel sorry for them because they're so clueless about their lack of ... everything. Yes, this portrayal of WWP is a caricature, but I think it's not so far from his character at least in S3.

Great work in spotting the shout-outs! Did you spot the Amber shout-out?


db -- giggling? Woot! My work here is done.

I find everything about WWP during his time on BtVS to be funny. AD did a good job of playing an idiot who is a closet perve. Look at his crush on Cordelia! He's a watcher for crying out loud, and an authority figure. The best thing for us writers, is that AD is married to AH, and we've seen enough pictures of them to give WWP's lusting substance.

Magic 8 ball o speculation is beginning to lean more heavily in the direction of counterfeit art or art smuggling

m8b may be right, as usual. They're some ways from the source, and there's quite a bit of plot left. What will Wilkins do when he finds out they know? Nothing nice, I can guarantee you.

Oh, I think you're gonna like the next chapter.


shiraz -- WWP on BtVS had great potential as comic relief, and he did a good job. Yes W/T are putting their fledgling detective hats on, more to come. Thanks.


binky -- *bigwave* hi my friend! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your usual insightful comments. I think this fic started off with a high angst rating, I wanted it to be a study on class differences and how the "haves" may not actually be better off than the "have-nots". Both end up severely scarred a) emotionally by each other; b) by their respective circumstances in life. If anything, the last few years in a club of some disrepute has been more real for Tara ... that's where she found a sense of community, which is ironic.

Interesting thing is, the plot of the story took over once I had them reunite. The fact that there was a 22 month gap between chapter 10 and 11 meant I changed and the hidden agenda of the story shifted. I'm not saying it's a better or worse story (only the readers can tell) but it ended up being slightly different from how I originally envisioned. I'm telling you this because I think you're quite interested in the mechanics of writing, and because you mentioned that you'd like to see a continuation of

the process of reconnecting after the hurt of their teenage years even as you work your way through the current plot-heavy part.

I will touch on that, but how they resolve the crime is going to play into how they grow as a couple. Thanks!


Julia -- WWP is used by Wilkins, but I guess he doesn't mind because he's getting a lot out of it. Personal luxury, recognition, people pawning over him. I didn't even think about hidden camera for Wilkins to spy on him, he's not really worth the mayor going to all that trouble. Good speculation about the painting and the painting over -- don't want to spoil the story further.


WillowRulez -- oh yes, many celebrities in Greenwich Village. Look at the house prices!

I can't help but seeing Wesley here as Alexis and that doesnt help at all!

I think that is why it works. WWP lusting over Willow vs real life AD/AH marriage -- it's ironic yet fitting. More about the crime to come.


dearest Miss Moneyfuckingpenny -- whoohoo! You never have to worry about semblance of coherence because you have tons of it.

Re: class element. The original intent of the story was to make this the underlying theme of the story. That there isn't much difference when it comes to love and emotion; yet the burden of having / not having money never leaves us. Example: who pays for dates? What about the big ticket items like cars and vacation? How credit is perceived and used? Like I mentioned to binky above, the plot of the story took over and I got more interested in the crime and its resolution. Not to say I won't touch on the W/T relationship and how it's developing, it will just become intermingled with the plot.

On the subject of credit and money, I'm glad the financial terms are not too intimidating. At the top echelon of the financial world it's true that money can change hands without much in the way of visual identification. Numbered Swiss bank accounts do exist, but they're not as common as most people would believe. Someone with the stature of Wilkins can call his personal banker and instruct them to make all sorts of monetary transactions, and all by phone. Open for abuse? In the banks' defence, there are security measures ... and I'm getting offtopic.

Thanks very much for the comment about little details. I'm a trivia junkie, and research gal of course. I like finding out information about many things, though I'm not so good at exploring concepts in detail. I've never had Vietnamese coffee but it looks interesting, no?

I'm just so glad you didn't make her into some magic addict, because really--how lame is that? I mean, what the hell would you do w/ THAT story?

*shudders* no way. I can't do anything with that story, I'm afraid.

As for the latest chapter, WWP is a hilarious creature. Early incarnations of him in S3 shows vast amounts of immaturity and mistaken self-belief. Perfect as fall-guy in this story. Buttering him up and using him would have been easy for someone as sophisticated as the Mayor. I found the whole premise quite believable myself. About Wilkins and his assault on Tara, as a writer I could not go through with it, to make him rape Tara. I haven't quite worked out, even myself, why he stopped. But I think it's believable that he did -- I'd like to think that it was his fatherly side doing the right thing for once. That it's remained as a thorn in his side is evident, and will be a useful plot device. It's not the last we've heard of it.

We're getting towards Act IV of the story, when the plot thickens. I'm very happy that you stopped by, thank you very much.


Zampsa1975 -- WWP is pretty much the village idiot in this story, thanks.


LittleBit -- glad you're liking the story. The last chapter was WWP heavy, I'm glad you enjoyed it.



[br]

[watty]

Title: Lamplight
Author: watty (hiddenwatson[at]gmail[dot]com)
Distribution: Chris and Susan have pre-approval. Anyone else please ask for my permission first.
Rating: R to NC-17
Disclaimer: BtVS characters, concepts and dialogue belong to Mutant Enemy, Fox, The WB, UPN and others.
Summary: Contemporary AU. Where demons wear human faces. Two lives drifted apart, can they find their missing half?
Notes: This will be long and angsty. It also changes direction more than once. I had planned for it to go in a certain direction, I didn't know it would go that far. Sometimes, stories have a mind of their own.


Part 32

"You, Ms Rosenby, are a natural," Ms Livingstone sealed her compliment by sliding down a most deliciously naked body and using the weight of her shoulders to push her associate's legs wide apart. She gasped as a heady perfume drifted up and caused her olfactory senses to switch to overdrive. She drew closer to the source of the scent and couldn't resist placing a tasting kiss on velvety soft parts.

The redhead in question squirmed underneath that brief kiss as she felt warm heat gush from a secret place inside her, coating her legs liberally. "You were equally magnificent, Ms Livingstone," she gasped, entangling her hands in the blonde hair of her associate and pushing her head down toward the apex of her thighs.

"Was I now?" The blonde found her way through neatly trimmed red tufts and gently licked the swollen clit that had been crying out for her attention. She heard her charge clench and groan, which spurred her on further. She continued to nip and tease the tense knob until she felt the body underneath her start to tremble spontaneously. Switching attention to other expansive parts, she lapped up the spicy-sour coating and eased her stiff tongue inside a welcoming passage, all the time ignoring the insistent throb in her own belly.

She set a slow rhythm and ventured deeper with every stroke. Her lover was making incomprehensible, but delectably throaty sounds. She slowed down, withdrew completely and placed strategically chaste kisses along her lover's quivering sex.

"Don't stop," came the plea.

She smiled. "You were so convincing with Mr Wyndam-Pryce today. Why, I do believe you were flirting with him. May be this jealous associate should stop."

"I wasn't flirting!" her lover huffed. "Well I was, kind of. But it was in character, to get information off him. You weren't exactly giving playing it cool either, I thought he was gonna suggest a threesome any minute."

She rested her head on her lover's thigh and pretended to think. "Hmm ..."

"No. Don't you dare! I do not want that image in my head right now."

"But Ms Rosenby distinctly told Ms Livingstone he was one of the most interesting newcomers she had the pleasure of interviewing."

"Ms Rosenby doesn't want Mr Wyndam-Pryce."

"What, Ms Rosenby, do you want?" she smiled tantalizingly.

A deep breath. "Ms Rosenby wants to write an exposé on how corrupt and misguided the art world is. Ms Rosenberg, on the other hand, wants Ms Maclay to go back to what she was doing because she's gonna be grumpy all day if she doesn't come within the next two minutes."

"Does she now."

"Please. Anything."

"So Ms Rosenberg wants only Ms Maclay?"

"Oh gods, yes. Completely. No one but you."

Tara smiled and started tracing kisses up Willow's body. Navel, stomach, breasts, shoulders, cheeks and finally inviting lips. Her tongue entered Willow's mouth just as she reached down and entered her lover with two fingers. She didn't need to set a rhythm, as soon as she touched the sensitive walls Willow jerked off the bed and thrashed as she fell into a climax that didn't seem to end.

Tara slowed her exploration of Willow's mouth and brought her exhausted lover gently down from her orgasm. She could feel small spasms still tearing through Willow, and she cupped her hand firmly around Willow's sex until her lover sighed deeply and threw grateful arms around her.

"Thank you," Willow said sleepily.

Tara's body was humming but Willow was so tired. She gathered the sack-like form of her satisfied lover in her arms and showered her with small pecks.

Willow opened one eye. "It's all your fault. You're so good I can't move my arms or legs. How am I gonna touch you?"

Tara pulled Willow closer. "That's alright. It's enough to know you enjoyed it."

Willow shifted so she wasn't lying on top of Tara. "Come up here," she said.

"You're tired. We can do this tomorrow." Tara reached out to embrace Willow again.

"Oh no. You're not getting away with being considerate and nice. This is all about me. I want to taste you, I want to feel you," Willow twisted until she was on her back and pulled Tara toward her.

"Will."

"Get up here and sit on my face, Tara. Now."

Tara wanted to let Willow rest, but the hoarse authority in Willow's voice was completely turning her on. She had deliberately brushed aside her own arousal but now it returned with a force so hard that her stomach felt it would seize up if she didn't release it soon.

She rolled onto Willow and crawled up on her knees, feeling herself opening up with each step. Any words of hesitancy were stalled when she caught sight of Willow. Her lover was watching her progress with a wide-eyed wonder and a look so hungry it made her momentarily weak. She straddled Willow's head and lowered herself onto Willow's tongue. Although she was in the dominant position, she felt oddly helpless as her whole body surrendered control to Willow's mouth and hands. Willow grabbed her from behind and pulled her down, burrowing into neat folds and hidden valleys and warm pools of desire. Time slowed down as Willow leisurely yet firmly devoured her until Tara could stand no more and she came — and came and came and came, her insides turning white and then it was bliss, and soft screams, and muscles locking as she bounced wildly under Willow's touch.

She fell backwards and collapsed next to Willow, idly noting that her head was next to the most beautiful knees. She scrambled around and they were face-to-face again. When Willow kissed her she tasted both herself and Willow, a potent heady taste that had her wanting more.

They didn't move or speak for a long time, savoring the closeness and holding each other as they lay in mutual exhaustion.

Just before Tara fell into a deep slumber, she remembered to pull the duvet over their tangled bodies.

*****

They didn't want to get up when sunlight peered through the curtains the next morning. It would have been idyllic to stay in bed and enjoy the intimacy of the previous night all over again. But sobering thoughts of international art theft and Lily's disappearance propelled them out of bed and back to research.

"I didn't realize so much art is exchanging hands every day." Willow was already working on her laptop while Tara was getting breakfast ready. "Not only paintings but antiques, furniture and anything collectible."

"I guess only the big sales make the headlines but there's so much art out there," Tara agreed.

Willow clicked open the page for the auctioneer Wesley mentioned. "Travers & Son. Established 1921. Specialists in over 30 categories, representing virtually everything you may collect or need to have appraised," she read off the homepage. "This sale alone had 200 lots, going for a few hundred or thousand dollars. Perfect cover."

Tara was in the middle of popping two slices of bread in the toaster. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Uh huh," Willow said without looking up. "What better to hide stolen paintings than underneath another one? And if the piece is destined to go abroad, it's exported as —" Willow paused.

"A Wyndam-Pryce," Tara completed. "I bet the auctioneer is part of the scam."

"He'll almost have to be. Let me see if Buffy can find out more about this Quentin Travers." Willow was already tapping out an instant message to their FBI friend. "You know, I don't think Wesley is involved. He genuinely thinks people like those paintings of his," Willow added.

"You're right, he's too ditzy. If I were a master criminal I won't trust him to keep his mouth shut. He's the perfect tool. Talk about hiding things in plain sight," Tara remarked as she placed a slice of toast on two plates and spooned scrambled eggs over each.

"Say that again," Willow said suddenly.

"Wesley is a tool."

"No, after that."

"I was saying, talk about hiding things in —"

"— fuck! We're so blind! Lily, she put something in her account, it's an email address or website. Not a bank account or security deposit box like we thought. She even gave us her username and password. Shit," Willow slammed her hand on the keyboard in annoyance.

"But what?" Tara asked.

"It could be anything. I'm gonna try them all. Yahoo, hotmail, gmail, myspace, livejournal, eBay."

Cold eggs and toast for lunch then.

Tara watched as Willow brought up login pages for the most popular social networking websites. There were hundreds, thousands of possibilities, but her lover wasn't perturbed.

Then Tara had a thought. "Let me listen to her voicemail again," she said.

"What? Okay, wait." Willow quickly loaded the file. They listened in petrified silence at the message they had heard many times.

"Tara, it's Lily. I can't talk long, he's in the next room. I got something. Check your email, I put it on my account on you— fuck! Noooo ..."

"YouTube," they said simultaneously.

*****

There were three videos, grainy and full of static, as befit videos taken with a cellphone.

The first one showed Wilkins meeting with two middle-aged men. One an overweight, pale bald man they identified as Dmitri Balthazar. The other was more cultured but without a shred of warmth in his appearance or voice. It started with Lily being asked to leave the room, but the girl had obviously turned on her cellphone's video recorder and hidden it underneath a book.

The three men discussed prices, buyers and which pieces were to be bought by which buyer. They never referred to the artwork except by their dimensions. When Wesley's name was mentioned, it was with a derisive snort.

The second video was of a short phone call between Wilkins and someone named Dawn. Lily was in the room and was waved back when she made to leave. He was paternal and friendly, promising to pick up finished pieces in the evening. "I'll bring the originals, we can enjoy them for a few minutes while we slurp our milkshakes," he added.

The third video showed a shadowy form that was unmistakably Wilkins, captured in compromising positions on top of, underneath, and between unidentified naked females. They thought back to Detective Lockley's investigations into internet porn and wondered if this was the incriminating evidence she was looking for.

*****
[br]

[whatmakesyouhappy]

dibs great update as usual watty

[db]

Uh.

frack.



shnizabitzerblonk.

**************************
insert (semi) coherance here:
**************************

To steal a particularily eloquent quote from my brother (when he saw his wife in a lovely and quite, um, flattering dress):

"me likey likey"

A) Wow.
B) Wowzers
C) Duuuuuude.

Watty pants! Dude. I think you may have robbed me of words!

"Get up here and sit on my face, Tara. Now."

You do *too* write sex scenes.

... and also other stuff. Stuff which I *totally* read and paid attention to.

*nods*

Like art smuggling. It is soooo art smuggling, and Wesley is the perfect pigeon... and they have *proof*!!!!

Plus, they totally broke Lily's code(yay!!!!) and have *evidence* of many incriminating things, which is good (but not good enough). They need to get in touch with Kate as soon as possilble... and Buffy too. m8b feels strongly that Tara needs to get her "cover your ass" files in order, like *yesterday*. Wilkins has a ton of power and a *lot* to hold over Tara, and Willow too. Eeep.


Threesome with Wesley

*shiver*

db

[JujuDeRoussie]

Now I can go to work hehehe

I knew it!

Anyway...

Thanks...

Can't wait for more

Friendly,

Julia

[JustSkipIt]

Watty - What an excellent update. You know, I think this is the most NC-17 update I've seen to this story. There was the first time Willow made love to Tara which was quite beautiful and since then, really just references to their making love. This was the first real indepth one and it was lovely and sexy and fantastic.

Re: Wilkins and videos. Uggg. I don't have much of a visual memory but thinking of him in a video ... blech.

Art theft? Way to think girls.

[WillowRulez]

"Get up here and sit on my face, Tara. Now."

*thud*

"Uh huh," Willow said without looking up. "What better to hide stolen paintings than underneath another one? And if the piece is destined to go abroad, it's exported as —" Willow paused.

Okay, I thought they did something else with the paintings but this is even better!
Youtube! Cool idea.

When Wesley's name was mentioned, it was with a derisive snort.

Wait... I was in the video too?

[Zampsa1975]

Update-y goodness... excellent... it's good that they cracked Lily's "code"...

[AntigoneUnbound]

You know. Watty, people are going to think you enjoy writing porn. This reminds me of a lovely piece I read as part of a holiday project wherein our girls basically fucked their way to and across Scotland. Oh, wait--it's all coming (?!?) back to me now...

Nice smutterino, ho-Watty! I esp. liked the roleplaying, and the ways our girls used it to establish certain truths; e.g., Willow wants no one but Tara. I know that this was a cute little moment in a hot section, but I think there's also something behind it: they know they love each other, but they did lose a lot of time. I think there would naturally be moments of needing to ascertain that this is exactly where the other chooses to be. But then I'm in one of those pesky helping professions, where we always choose to see something else...

The youtube element was fantastic, b/c I absolutely never saw it coming. That may be b/c I don't spend much time on the computer, but I think it's b/c the sentence structure led the reader to believe that the "you" was the first part of "your." In terms of syntax, it has to be a possessive...unless it's a proper name. Nice work!

I'm wondering who the cultured, inhuman one is. Got some ideas, but then again I thought Ohio State would win the national championship.

I'm really enjoying this, Watty. B/w this and your piece on the RKT thread, your writing is looking very good.

Respectfully submitted,
Miss Moneyfuckingpenny

[binky]

Hey watty,

Interesting thing is, the plot of the story took over once I had them reunite. The fact that there was a 22 month gap between chapter 10 and 11 meant I changed and the hidden agenda of the story shifted. I'm not saying it's a better or worse story (only the readers can tell) but it ended up being slightly different from how I originally envisioned.

Ah, I gotcha. Yeah, I guess a story can have a mind of its own sometimes and you just have to let the muse tickle where it wants. I enjoyed the angst. It was intense. But the last two chapters have had their own charm, too. Funny as heck two weeks ago, then the first half of this one…. Hmmmhmmmhmmm… You do write some good girlongirl erotica, and it fit in quite naturally with the story as it’s been going along, I must say. The ending, with the youtube video of Wilkins, on the other hand... Ew. At least you kept it confined to just the one sentence.

Thanks for the behind-the-scenes insight—you’re right, I do enjoy it as much as the actual story itself—and for the regular updates. Love it love it.

b

[Emms]

wow, watty....

wonderful chapter.

xoxo
Emms

[watty]

whatmakesyouhappy -- thanks.


db -- oh my, I reduced you to making up words. Hahaha!

shnizabitzerblonk

I like this word, must think of ways of using it. Heehee.

You do *too* write sex scenes.

Um well, I guess I do. Though not from personal experience. So yeah, there's a lot of imagination there.

You're right, it''s soooo absolutely art smuggling. Wilkins has a lot of hold over Tara, but those shell companies aren't operational just yet so there's no immediate danger to Tara and her reputation. They do need to solve the crime and I'm introducing yet another twist into the story, Yep my mind is a tangled web.


Julia -- bonjour! Thanks for the support, glad you liked it. you can go to work after reading smut? Heehee/=.


Debra -- the last chapter was the most NC-17 this story; and most NC-17 I've written for a while. Their relationship has progressed hugely, and there's no doubt where their commitment lies now. I was just watching S4 and remember the video of Wilkins address just-woken-up-from-coma Faith? Creepy. Yes it's something to do with art. Another twist coming up next.


WillowRulez -- I'm thinking ... you liked the smut? And it's an art angle alright. Thanks.


Zampsa1975-- they're getting a little closer to rescuing Lily, but a little way to go yet.


Miss Moneyfuckingpenny-- first off, I typed Miss Moneyfuckingpenne -- now that would be an image worthy of eyeball-gouging. Hee.

people are going to think you enjoy writing porn.

Oh my! I have to rescue my tarnished reputation. Oh wait, kittens like por-smut. Then again there's a bit more to their lovemaking and you said it so astutely

they know they love each other, but they did lose a lot of time

They can never recover that lost time, and all the more reason to make the most of the future.

Hmm, I never thought about the you- being more "your" -- you may have spotted a small flaw in the writing. Nevermind, I stand by the plot! Like I stand by avocados, freedom from the grips of the paralyzing US domestic airline industry and the right to organize all my possessions in a spreadsheet.


binky -- the story did take a mind of its own. There's another twist coming up, I'm keeping y'all on your toes.


Emms -- hi sweetie! Thanks.

[br]

[watty]

Title: Lamplight
Author: watty (hiddenwatson[at]gmail[dot]com)
Distribution: Chris and Susan have pre-approval. Anyone else please ask for my permission first.
Rating: R to NC-17
Disclaimer: BtVS characters, concepts and dialogue belong to Mutant Enemy, Fox, The WB, UPN and others.
Summary: Contemporary AU. Where demons wear human faces. Two lives drifted apart, can they find their missing half?
Notes: This will be long and angsty. It also changes direction more than once. I had planned for it to go in a certain direction, I didn't know it would go that far. Sometimes, stories have a mind of their own.


Part 33

Buffy confirmed the identity of the third man as Quentin Travers. The Travers auction house came out clean in her investigation. It was not unexpected: if the enterprise was following the "small deals, don't rock the boat" operating model, the vast majority of the company's transactions would be legitimate.

The identity of Dawn was more difficult to ascertain, with no image, no voice and no last name to go on. Buffy sent Willow a list of possibilities based on geographic and temporal proximity to Wilkins, Balthazar and Travers as well as link, however tenuous, to the art world.

Willow spent many hours at her laptop while Tara returned to work. Her time off was coming to an end and she requested an extension, which Patrick approved far too readily. She realized her first task when she returned to work was probably to pre-empt Patrick and hand in her resignation letter. Truth was, she couldn't face going back to the desk. The world of high finance and gambling other people's money had lost its luster and excitement. She had a good idea what she could be doing with the rest of her life, and it involved spending as much time as she could with Tara. With everything that had happened in recent weeks, work was the furthest from her mind.

She opened up the webpage for Travers & Son, it was her daily check on whether Wesley's paintings had been added to the catalog. Only once she had an idea of the dimensions could she match them against online databases of missing art. She and Tara talked about what they could do to bring Wilkins and gang to justice. It seemed like the best way was to figure out which of Wesley's paintings were fronts for stolen works and tip off Buffy so she could get the FBI involved. Buffy wasn't sure she could convince her superiors but she would give it her best shot. They had no idea how to rescue Lily, but the head cook was still sending two trays of food a day, so she was probably safe in a way. Tara tried to ask Luke casually, but the silent big man was not forthcoming.

The Wyndam-Pryces hadn't been added although there was a teaser to the effect that several lots would be available. Willow absently surfed the site to look for anything new. Her eyes came to a stop further down the page and she did a double-take. Interesting.

By the time Tara got home Willow was so restless with waiting that she pounced on the blonde before she even stepped over the threshold.

"Ooof. You really missed me, didn't you?" Tara said, shedding her coat and throwing it onto the chair in the hallway.

"No. Oh no, no, I don't mean no. Um well, of course I missed you," Willow backtracked.

Tara's eyes narrowed. "But?"

Willow bounced in excitement. "I saw something interesting. Not exactly pertinent to the case, well it could be. May be, I dunno. Anyway it's interesting, in an interesting sort of way."

Tara took Willow by the hand. Willow was obviously up to something, her distracted babbling attested to that. "Lead the way, Sherlock."

It was the same website Willow had been checking. Tara thought that finally Wesley's paintings were in the catalog. But it wasn't the case. Willow scrolled down and indicated that she should look at the page. She didn't see it immediately, but when she did and couldn't help but slump down on the nearest chair.

"Oh my god," was all Tara could utter.

"I take it you haven't been in touch?" Willow asked directly.

Tara shot her a look that said 'what do you think?' "No," she clarified. "But it could be nothing. She is an antiques dealer."

"There's a viewing tomorrow, may be we should go. Case the joint," Willow's excitement hadn't abated.

Tara sat up in mild alarm. "But we don't want them to see us."

"Travers doesn't know who we are. If Wesley is there, we're his favorite reporters following up on his article," Willow reasoned.

Tara felt a little uneasy, but couldn't see any flaw in the logic. Perhaps her apprehension wasn't at the case, but at the prospect of facing yet another unknown. There had been too many unexpected events lately. She stared at the screen glumly.
[br]

[blockquote][center]Upcoming events: Charity Auction
Following the success of the inaugural "Art for All" Charity auction hosted by Travers & Son last year, we are very pleased to announce the catalog for the next auction. This auction features paintings and sculptures from 17th Century classics as well as a stunning collection of antique jewelry brought to us by Hallie, Duchess of Albemarle, one of the highest regarded expert in antique jewelry either side of the Atlantic. Viewing will be over two days at ...
[/center][/blockquote]
[br]


"Wow, Aunt Hallie. What a blast from the past."

*****

The auction house was more casual than they expected. As the world transitioned from old money dominance to new money influence, many of the traditional pretensions were falling by the wayside. The scruffy twenty-something in everyday work shirt could easily outbid the gentlewoman in a three-strand pearl necklace. Perhaps even several times over.

The display of items for sale, however, reflected the opulence and craftsmanship of the era they were produced. A crowd had gathered around the highlight of the evening's viewing — diamonds, gold, silver, sapphires, emeralds were housed under large glass cases, an impassive security guard standing next to each one.

Tara had searched the room for Hallie upon arrival but it was too crowded to pick out individual faces. She hadn't seen her aunt for so long, she wasn't sure if she would recognize her or vice versa.

Willow's comforting arm at the small of her back saved her from turning around and leaving. "Let's try to enjoy ourselves. Get a feel of the atmosphere," Willow suggested.

Tara nodded and they mingled and listened to the small talk of collectors and dealers proliferating in the room.

She shouldn't have worried. Her aunt hadn't changed. A little plumper and with more gray in her hair, but her commanding presence turned heads wherever she walked.

They kept in the background, observing and learning.

Hallie was smiling and talking to a group of dealers when her eyes looked across the room and locked with Tara's. A smile of surprise came unbidden to the older woman's face and she waved at Tara to come over.

"Tara! Dear lord, is it really you?" she exclaimed.

Tara blushed. "Yes it's me."

"Look how you've grown. And so beautiful." Hallie pulled Tara into a tight embrace, then letting her go, appraised her with a broad smile. "I always knew you'd do well for yourself. What are you doing here?"

Tara couldn't help but warm to the older woman's obvious affection.

"We've never been to a charity auction before and thought it'd be interesting." They had talked about their cover for the event, and decided the truth was always the best option.

Aunt Hallie's eyes twinkled. "We?"

Willow was standing unobtrusively behind her, and Tara pulled her forward. "You remember Willow?"

"How can I not? It's been a long time, Willow," she said, just as warmly, and shook Willow's hand. Tara took Willow's hand and kept it in hers.

The intimate gesture didn't escape the eagle eyes of Hallie. She smiled pointedly at the two young women. "You two?" And laughed at the matching blushes that erupted on their faces. "I'm so happy to see you. We must catch up," she continued.

Other people were lining up to talk to her, so they arranged to meet the next day. She invited Willow and Tara to her hotel for tea, just like all those years ago.

*****

Different time, different place, but nothing had changed. The china was still from England, the cutlery was from Germany and waiters paraded about in penguin suits.

Hallie listened intently as Tara recounted an abbreviated, older-relative-friendly, version of her life's progress since they last met. It was like coming full circle. The last time they had tea together, Hallie opened up a whole new world for two fifteen year olds. Now, almost ten years later, they were living in that new world.

"You work for Richard Wilkins?" Hallie asked. Both Willow and Tara noted her dark cloud that passed over her features at the mention of his name.

"Yes. He offered me a job in New York. I'm a general administrator for his organization. Aunt Hallie, is there something wrong?" Tara asked, concerned at her aunt's look.

Hallie thought for a long time before answering slowly. "I don't want to be disrespectful to your boss, Tara. But you do know what business he is in?"

Tara nodded. She wanted to add that she was one of the people who contributed to his success in New York.

"Be careful," Hallie said. Something was clearly on her mind, but she wasn't sure how much she could reveal.

Willow raised one eyebrow at Tara, whose thoughts had retreated far away.

An unbidden air of unease descended upon them.

"Is, is there some history between you and him?" she asked.

Hallie took a sip of her tea before answering. "Let's just say there is no love lost between us," she said simply. "The world of business is full of thorns, it's when things turn personal that makes it harder to stomach."

Tara looked back at Willow and her mouth pursed as she made up her mind. She indicated her left arm, still in its plaster cast. "He did this," she said.

"Broke your arm?" Hallie's eyes raised in alarm. She frowned as a myriad of different scenarios flashed through her mind. "He's unscrupulous, but doesn't strike me as the violent type. You weren't his ..." she left the question handing in the air.

"Well, he doesn't get his own hands dirty," Tara snorted ruefully. "Um, Aunt Hallie, can I trust you?"

The older woman leaned forward and placed one hand gently on Tara's. "You've already decided you can. I know I've been badly derelict in my duties as your aunt, I intend to remedy this as much as I can. Do you need something, child?"

"Are you really the Duchess of Albemarle?" Tara blurted.

If Hallie was taken aback at the sudden digression, she was too poised to show it. She did, however, laugh heartily. "Dear girl, no. The peerage has been extinct since 1688."

Willow's curiosity finally snapped. "So you're pretending?!"

"Why of course, my dear."

The matter-of-factness of that declaration stunned them into silence.

After a few seconds, the tension broke and they burst out laughing, attracting irritated looks from the other patrons at the posh hotel.

"So tell me about what Wilkins did to you," Hallie turned serious after the laughter died down.

For the second time that afternoon Tara found herself playing narrator for her life's story but this time without the careful edits. She told Hallie about Willow's suspicion about Wilkins' activities, Detective Lockley's warning and how she was beaten up because she was nosing around. After a brief wordless affirmation from Willow, she described how they followed the money trail and their hunch about the true nature of Wesley's paintings.

Hallie again listened with rapt attention, but without interruption. After Tara finished, she poured herself a cup of tea and took a few sips before regarding first Tara, then Willow, with a penetrating gaze.

"You need my help," she remarked.

Pause.

"Aunt Hallie?"

"Without reasonable doubt and suspicion, the FBI won't get involved. They may take your allegations seriously, but they'll handle the investigation their way and this means rushing into it like a bull in a china shop. They may as well hang bells on their necks. You'll be lucky if they find a shipment invoice," Hallie said.

"But ..."

"Wilkins and his cohorts need to be caught red-handed. This means they almost have to be holding the stolen paintings in their hands when the feds come through the door."

"That's our plan," Willow pointed out.

"There's a difference. Your plan is to inform the FBI after the sale. They'll then have to intercept the buyers and search them. They can't do that without a warrant — who is going to get that for them? Even if they believed you, by the time they get a judge to sign off, the buyers would have taken the paintings to Belgium already."

"We'll think of a way," Willow said with determination.

"What do you mean by we need your help?" Tara asked.

"You need someone to outbid his buyers. And when the successful buyer demands an inspection of the paintings, they accidentally discover the real contents and call the police."

They were smart, they understood what Aunt Hallie was offering straight-away. "No! We won't put you at risk, Aunt Hallie," Tara insisted.

"Why would I be at risk? It's perfectly reasonable to ask for a viewing after purchase."

"Are you sure? They're dangerous people. If they discover what we're up to —"

"— but they won't. And don't underestimate this old broad. I have a few tricks up my sleeve," Hallie smiled. "Besides, I have my own grudges to square with Wilkins. This is as much for me as for you."

"We won't argue," Tara said. She took her aunt's hand in hers. "Thank you, Aunt Hallie. Thank you."

Hallie placed her other hand on Tara's. "We're doing the right thing, Tara." She reached out to Willow. "And for you too, Willow. I'm happy you have each other, take good care of my niece."

Willow felt a lump in her throat at the older woman's words. "I will," she choked.

Hallie gathered them close to her. "There's one more thing. After this, you'll never be able to go back to him. Are you ready for this?"

Tara answered without hesitation. "Yes. There was a time when I would gladly follow him without question. But he abused my trust. I want nothing to do with him anymore."

It was settled then. They spent the rest of tea making plans before the conversation turned to other topics.

*****
[br]

[JujuDeRoussie]

DIBS! but I will let a feedback after work or I'll be late
Wow.. I am actually going to love Hallie... I thought she was a bad guy... but... here it seems she isn't... At least !I hope, otherwise they're going to be in big big trouble.
I still wonder what was this inheritage Tara had... you know during her trip to New York? Someone told her about? ... But maybe I already have asked for this

Yes I can work after smut... for a good reason: I am so concentrate, lacking so much time, I can't think of something smut...
Also sometimes it makes me start slower than planned.. like last week! Lol

Willow leaving her work is nice.. But what will she do after that?

Thanks for your update,

Can't wait for the sale to happen.

Friendly,

Julia

[Kaia]

I want more! asap!!




ETA: ok, sorry for the outburst. took a while to remind myself that i'm 29 and not 7yo. i'll behave and wait like a good kitten.

ETA2: you're still evil.

[WillowRulez]

"Wow, Aunt Hallie. What a blast from the past."

Yay, a new partner in crime!
Short but sweet update

[JustSkipIt]

Watty - I probably need to go back and reread. Were we familiar with Aunt Hallie before? I know that she was in the april fool's update but other than that, was she in the story? I just can't remember. Anyway, how refreshing to see a new partner in non-crime for W/T. Still, I'm concerned about their new adventures in crime fighting. I mean they're just two normal people with no special powers who seem to be going up against a crime syndicate. Not very safe or smart. Good for them but I'm worried...

[Zampsa1975]

Excellent update-y goodness.... Aunt Hallie is a nice touch... I hope she is more help than hindrance.

[Fin]

Hi Watty
I have just caught up on your tale and am really enjoying it, the twists and turns are keeping me wondering how this story will end, so look forward to that, and also, the spicey parts with the gals are an added bonus too
Not to mean that is required in a story (says a prude who blushes at the thought of trying to write one's own smutty prose), if you've got the skill, write it
Thanks for sharing and updating often,
Cheers Fin

[db]

Watty-pants!

I am terrible... things have gotten away from me and this is going to be pathetically short feedback -- but OH MY GOD!!

Excellent twist running into Hallie!

I wonder what *her* beef with Wilkins is?

I hope we find out!

She's a kick ass auntie! I heart her!

(and now I must run, sorry)

db

[binky]

Hm. Well, I admit I was never much of a Hallie fan—I guess I just didn’t see enough of her to have an opinion good or bad, but I guess you can never have too many allies/friends. The story’s really taken on something of a “caper” feel to it. Is it time to fasten our seat belts?

b

[watty]

Julia -- I think you will like Aunt Hallie, she will make her contribution and I hope you'll find the sale interesting

I still wonder what was this inheritage Tara had... you know during her trip to New York?

not sure what you mean by heritage, don't think it's mentioned. If you're referring to chapter 7¾ (the Hogwarts chapter) -- it's not part of the story, it was an April Fools Day joke.


Karinna -- coughcrybabycough. Heehee. I'm evil. Hugs!


WillowRulez -- yes, a new partner in crime / against crime. They'll need financial muscle and this is where Aunt Hallie comes in.


Debra -- Aunt Hallie appeared when they were 15, took them out to a posh hotel and gave them some life pointers that both took to heart. I always intended for her to return to rescue Tara somehow, and she's kinda doing it now. You're still right, they are just two normal people going against a crime syndicate that is bigger every time they discover something new. Ordinary folks like you and I probably won't do what they're doing, but it's all for the story. You are right to be worried, and I can't promise this is the end of the angst, rest assured we'll have them safe and sound at the end.


Zampsa1975 -- Hallie will help definitely. No hindrance.


Fin -- smut is nice, but in the right place I always believe. Thanks for your comments and there are still more twists and turns would you believe it?


db -- you're not terrible. You've been travelling and what-not. I don't think I'll go into too much detail about Wilkins and Hallie's history, but there is animosity between the two of them. If that wasn't enough, helping Tara would have been a good reason for Hallie to pitch in. Take care.


binky -- I guess this incarnation of Hallie is an interesting one, I have her voice and intonation as Hallie but there's a bit of old-world elegance that comes more from Cecily than Hallie.

Is it time to fasten our seat belts?

All I'll say is, if your seat belt isn't already on it's definitely time to check that it is.

[br]

[watty]

Title: Lamplight
Author: watty (hiddenwatson[at]gmail[dot]com)
Distribution: Chris and Susan have pre-approval. Anyone else please ask for my permission first.
Rating: R to NC-17
Disclaimer: BtVS characters, concepts and dialogue belong to Mutant Enemy, Fox, The WB, UPN and others.
Summary: Contemporary AU. Where demons wear human faces. Two lives drifted apart, can they find their missing half?
Notes: This will be long and angsty. It also changes direction more than once. I had planned for it to go in a certain direction, I didn't know it would go that far. Sometimes, stories have a mind of their own.

Notes 2: Good things come in threes. I keep including shout-outs to Debra.


Part 34

Wesley had six paintings in the auction. Willow matched three against possible missing pieces — a pair of 60" x 20" that came to a point and a small 3" x 3" — hundreds of thousands of paintings were lost or stolen and many of them had the same dimensions, it was like trying to find a needle in several haystacks.

"It's easy. I'll buy them all," Hallie announced when they updated her. She silenced their protests by simply pointing out that they couldn't let a single one get away. She declined Willow's offer to fund the purchases. "No. The money can't be traced to you. Besides, if we guessed right and even one contains a stolen painting, the finder's fee will cover my outlay on all of them."

The auction couldn't come soon enough, the days leading up to it were nightmarish in terms of waiting and apprehension. They debated whether to attend the auction in person, and decided they couldn't not go. Willow called Wesley to ask the artist to pretend he didn't recognize them, insinuating that they were working undercover for the event. She sweetened the request by dropping hints that she might be open to a dinner invitation if he played his cards right. Wesley, ever so gullible and with visions of himself as a tuxedo-clad James Bond entering Casino Royale with Ms Rosenby on his arm, enthusiastically agreed.

They slipped into the auction room at the last minute and found seats at the back, out of the sight of Wilkins and his cohorts. Aunt Hallie was seated strategically in the middle of the room, in direct sight of the auctioneer.

The auction itself was professional and quick-paced. A beginner would be caught completely unawares at the speed at which various lots were sold. They held their breath, trying not to move a muscle, until they realized the auctioneer had the uncanny ability to distinguish between an involuntary twitch and an imperceptible nod that signaled a competitive bid. Aunt Hallie was less subtle, as she slipped easily into her eccentric Duchess persona. Her bids were vociferous, and she turned to talk to her neighbor constantly, earning her irritated glances from Wilkins. He visibly scowled when she made her first bid on a Wyndam-Pryce and an uncharacteristic angry red flush spread over his face and neck when she won. She, on the other hand, gave him an icy look that would wither lesser men.

The second painting was the 3" x 3" and bidding was fierce. It was soon clear that Hallie's competition was a clean cut man in his late-twenties, who, by the third round of bidding, was perspiring freely and was talking fiercely into his cellphone. Innocent onlookers were oblivious, but Willow and Tara noticed Wilkins quietly shake his head at the auctioneer in some sort of secret signal. The auctioneer in turn caught the eye of the bidder who slumped dramatically to indicate he had reached the top of his bid. Aunt Hallie won that round.

Plus two subsequent paintings easily. Probably decoys with nothing hidden.

By the time the twin panels were brought out, the tension in the air was so palpable that there was a collective intake of breath when the two pieces were uncovered. Bidding was intense, bordering on frenzied.

"I don't care if they look horrendous. If the Duchess of Albemarle is after them, I need to try to get my hands on them too," one dealer was overheard to be saying.

The auctioneer was giving his introduction when Willow's cellphone vibrated. She growled inwardly, annoyed at the timing of the caller, until she saw Buffy's name on the caller display. She excused herself and quickly made her way to the outside lobby.

"What's up, Buffy? The auction is getting to be interesting," she said.

Buffy's voice was apologetic. "I'm sorry Will. I tried, but they can't get a warrant to search the premises."

Willow felt disappointment hit her like a ton of bricks. "Well, hopefully Aunt Hallie can do better. She's bought all the ones so far, so if they have hidden treasures she'll call the police immediately," she said. It wasn't perfect, because there would be inevitable delays after the auction was finished.

"I have something else," Buffy said. "Remember Wilkins was talking to someone called Dawn? It may be a coincidence but he was the legal guardian of one Tyrol Dawn Knudsen. She's nineteen now, and lives in New Jersey — apparently they still keep in touch."

"Wow, he sure likes them young."

"I don't think she is involved in the club side of his business, otherwise Tara will have come across her before, right? Someone went to a lot of lengths to cover her background, even in the FBI databases. But I found out she's the daughter of Heinrich Knutzhorn. He's a master forger, now serving thirteen years in a Virginia prison."

"A forger. Do you think it's a coincidence?" Willow asked, though she knew it was a rhetorical question.

Buffy laughed as she too thought Willow was asking the obvious. "In the FBI we are trained that coincidences don't exist. If there is no correlation between Richard Wilkins, Dawn Knudsen and the art Tara's aunt is about to own, I'll eat my hat. And you can choose which one."

Willow's mind was again at work. "He said something about bringing the originals and enjoying them. Buffy, do you think that he has Dawn Knudsen making forgeries and selling them to his buyers as originals? The buyers can't do anything because they're stolen. It's the perfect scam."

"If that's true, Tara's aunt is about to pay thousands of dollars for fakes."

"I have to warn her. I'll call you later."

Willow hung up and hurried back to the auction room. She quickly told Tara the developments and they tried to catch Hallie's attention. To no avail, she was on the verge of winning the current bid, against stiff competition from the young man. A few buyers had entered the fray but had dropped out.

The room erupted into spontaneous clapping when, with a dejected shake of his head, the young man conceded defeat to a clearly triumphant Hallie. She beamed amid the whoops and whistles unbecoming of a posh auction room. Wilkins by that time looked like he was about to implode. He had to swallow the explosion when the defeated bidder marched up to within inches of him and started gesticulating furiously. Wesley, standing on the podium next to Travers, had the drunken look of someone who had just won the lottery. Quentin Travers looked confused and, in the absence of instructions, rapped his gavel repeatedly to restore order. No one listened and he declared a recess to anyone who was paying attention.

Hallie strode confidently to the podium and held out her hand. It took Travers a few seconds to gather his wits before taking it shakily and touching the knuckles stiffly with his lips. She turned to Wesley and his greeting was so exuberant, he looked like he was about to fall on his knees in supplication.

Tara took Willow by the hand and started to make their way closer. Even from halfway down the room they heard the loud "What?" from Travers followed by Hallie's "NOW, Mr Travers."

Travers hummed and hawed, and finally caught Wilkins' attention. The ex-mayor deflected the young man's attention toward Balthazar and joined Travers and Hallie.

"Is there a problem?" Hallie the Duchess asked condescendingly. "It's perfectly reasonable for a buyer to view art they just acquired, Mr Travers. Especially art that one bought out of, shall we say, a whim. They do look awfully frivolous, but one felt enormously drawn towards them."

"I understand, Your Grace. It's just that we, um, our regular facilities are out of commission today. Um, we had a failure in our, um, air conditioning system and we don't want to place such valuable pieces in those condition. Why don't I arrange for your acquisitions to be brought to your hotel today?" Travers said, desperately trying to backpedal.

"I'm quite sure we can do the inspection in your storage facilities. I brought my own expert with me," she indicated a tall unsmiling man in a three piece tweed suit, monocle firmly placed over one eye. The man had been sitting next to her throughout the auction. "Professor D'Hoffryn from the Bucharest Academy, I'm sure his reputation precedes him."

"Pleased to meet you, professor," Travers muttered and held out his hand.

Professor D'Hoffryn snapped his heels together and greeted the auctioneer in a stiff, Central European accent. "Charmed."

Hallie pushed just a little more. "The professor's time is valuable and so is mine," she said imperiously.

Travers wrung his hands together, looking very flustered. Lucky for him, Wilkins interrupted. "Gosh Travers, you should agree to the Duchess' request. I've been back to your storerooms, they're quite acceptable. In fact," he turned to Hallie, "with Your Grace's permission, I will accompany you to the inspection. I have the pleasure of being Wyndam-Pryce's sponsor and I'd like to tell you a little more about what I think of his work."

If Hallie was surprised at the development, she didn't show it. She smiled curtly at Wilkins. "Do lead the way, Mr Wilkins."

*****

"I wish I can go with them," Willow said as she watched Hallie, Professor D'Hoffryn, Travers, Wilkins and Wesley disappear into the back corridors of the auction house.

"It'll be too suspicious. We'll just have to wait this out," Tara tried to commiserate. She shared the same feeling, and on top of this she was worried about her aunt's safety. She didn't know if D'Hoffryn was friend or foe. Hallie said she would bring "an acquaintance" but didn't elaborate on the identity of the tall man with her.

The auction room was nearly empty now. Shortly after the defeated bidder and Dmitri Balthazar also made their way inside; their altercation seemed to have come to a peaceful conclusion.

The minutes dragged on, with no activity. The wait was pure agony.

Willow paced.

Tara leafed through a brochure but couldn't take in a single word.

They discussed calling Buffy but decided against it.

They strained their ears for the sound of sirens. If Hallie had discovered the real paintings according to plan, she would call the police.

More minutes passed.

Everything was quiet.

Finally Willow's patience wore out. "I'm gonna die if I don't go see what's going on."

Tara bit her lip and cautioned. "It's dangerous, Will."

Willow put on her resolve face. "It's not like it's Fort Knox. Worse case scenario is someone tells us off for going into private facilities. We apologize profusely and leave," she said.

Truth was, Tara was impatient too. "Okay, let's go."

They went through a door that said "Private — No Entry." They peered into offices and work rooms, finding nothing suspicious. When they heard sounds of approaching footsteps they grabbed a file and pretended to be having a discussion. The employee didn't give them a second glance.

They came to a door marked "Storerooms — Temperature Control in Operation" that opened up to a modern corridor lined with steel doors with sophisticated looking keypads at the side wall.

One of the doors was ajar and they shared a look before pushing against it gingerly. It was dim but what they could see caused them to drop all sense of stealth and rush inside.

An unconscious Professor D'Hoffryn was lying on the floor, broken frames and wooden crates all around him. There was no sign of Travers, Wilkins, Wesley or, most importantly, Aunt Hallie.

*****
[br]

[db]

DIBS!!! Dibby dib dib, DIB! (dibs).

Eeeep! There is badness afoot! Wilkins has kidnapped Hallie! Tara and Willow and Hallie and Lily are all in Danger. Magic 8 ball o' Speculation is stumped!!

Where have they gone? Are they forgeries or stolen pieces? What exactly is that evil shit smear Wilkins up to?! ...and when do we get to the part where Faith gets what's coming to her+

*glares in Faith's direction*

This story is *so* good.

I'm enthralled.

db

+ponders*

I wonder if Buffy or Kate can help at this point, with the missing Dutchess scenario? I wonder if Lily is where Hallie is? I wonder who this Dawn person is and if she is where she is of her own volition? I wonder if cheese is the miracle food?

[Zampsa1975]

Excellent update-y goodness...