Hoping these mild panic attacks when I post these go away. I know why they're happening, and I can hear myself telling me how stupid I am, but I have to beat them or this whole thing will happen all over again.
So this was also, as with the previous story, written some time in the weeks/months after 'Seeing Red' and the original pages that I scribbled it down on are now in
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elisi 's possession as I sent them down to her a few weeks back; as soon as I saw them I knew I wanted her to have them, and probably only delayed as long as I did because I could not, at first find that first page that I wrote down whilst half asleep in the middle of the night; the expanded version that evolved into what is posted here, and took a bit longer to get right. In my head, I have decided over time, they are in Siena and Willow was 'tricked' into a vacation because her wife knew Oz would be there.
Hope you enjoy.
TITLE: ...IT'S EASY TO BE NOBLE (WHEN YOU'RE NOT) IN CONSTANTINOPLE
AUTHOR: kerk hiraeth
FANDOM: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (post-series)
LENGTH: 611;
CHARACTERS: Willow Rosenberg; Daniel 'Oz' Osborne; OC's & regulars implied.
'SHIPS: Willow/OC; Willow/Tara & Willow/Oz (implied); Oz/OC; other canon pairings implied.
A/N: It's that blue-haired meeting in Istanbul, mentioned in 'New Moon Rising'; only they're in Italy, and it's twenty years to the day after the laundry room scene from 'Hush'.
...It's Easy to be Noble (when you're not) in Constantinople
by kerk hiraeth
Half a lifetime,
Half a lifetime ago, half a world away,
she had finally been able to say goodbye,
cried tears of sadness, tears of passion,
cried tears of joy, tears of grief and loss.
Half a lifetime away, half a world ago,
Crossing a square,
The noise of remembered voices,
speaking a thousand tongues,
of battles fought, foes vanquished,
lovers kissed, couples dancing,
laughing children, whispered dreams.
All in the steps it takes... crossing a square.
Sipping a cup of joe,
Sipping a cup of joe,
Sat, all but alone, in a near empty square,
with two (other) musicians... In an empty square.
The sun was bright, which somehow seemed right.
There was the smell of baking bread,
garlic and coffee beans roasting in the open air.
Sipping a cup of joe.
Nights making love,
Nights making love... and days...
and nights... and days...
of caresses and exploration...
of lips and salty wetness...
of passions shared... and memories...
of the one she was never without...
Forever... Always... Everything...
Crossing an ocean,
Crossing an ocean
… with you watching the skies, while they sleep.
… with you smiling at his snores, while she sleeps.
… with you watching day become night... while they sleep.
… with you caressing her breast, while he sleeps.
… with you tasting her... while he sleeps, and she smiles.
Sat at a table, she smiled,
At a table, Beneath a tree, On a couch,
On a chair, On a bench, At a wheel.
Stood on a stage, At a tree.
Beneath a tree, she smiled...
Beneath a tree, he smiled...
Once more with feeling...
Beneath a tree.
In a corridor, At a door, Beneath a tree.
Sat at a table, she smiled.
Peaceful faces,
A daughter, at home, friends on the couch.
A lover, asleep, a son at her breast.
Friends, asleep, twins on their laps.
A joy watching them all.
Gentle faces, beautiful faces, spotty faces.
Scarred faces, scared faces, smiling faces...
Peaceful faces.
Crossing a street,
One step at a time... to the grocer.
One step at a time... to the school.
One step at a time... to the park.
One step at a time... to say goodbye.
One step at a time... crossing a street...
To say... hello?
Scarlet, auburn, red,
Eyes that glittered, smiles that glowed,
Hairs that flowed, gently caressed.
Hair, now short, now grey,
now multi-colored, now grey... or was it silver?
Daughter - hair scarlet...
Son - hair auburn,
Lover - hair red,
Wife - forever stained black...
Should be blue.
A piper... playing; a woman sings,
A piper on Northumberland pipes,
playing a jaunty tune, from foreign shores, on foreign land.
A woman sings a song of love,
between people of stranger faiths born.
Children playing, children dancing, children sleeping.
We were floating, always floating, here we're floating.
A woman watches a piper playing,
A woman sleeps, while another sings.
Crossing a sidewalk,
A cup leaves a mouth, once so familiar,
A soul leaves a body, finally at peace,
The cup comes to rest; gentle applause,
A face turns, eyes twinkle, a gentle smile,
Boy wears jacket, girl a coat,
Son wears diapers, daughter..?
Naked... BETTER NOT BE!
Men in kilts, woman in trews.
She sniffs... He stands... She nods... He smiles...
“You're sitting down,” she sniffs.
“It's not Istanbul,” he replies; he stands.
“You're not around the corner,” she nods over his shoulder.
“Your hair's not blue,” he smiles.
Half a lifetime, half a world, half a promise.
Half a world away, half a lifetime ago.
Hug and hold him. Kiss and love her.
Bury your dreams and love the rest as best you can.
Barely a word. Never a sight.
We're early, their eyes said, not blaming.
But... (return to title)
kerk hiraeth
