FIC: I'll Love You For Eternity [1/1]

["Ophelia" <ophelia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

TITLE: I'll Love You For Eternity

Author: Ophelia

Address: Ophelia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, they belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant
Enemy etc.

Summary: Buffy visits Willow to show her that sometimes love really can
defeat death...

Spoilers: 3rd season, after Faith starts acting iffy but before Bad Girls.

Warning: Character death

Author's note: This is my introductory fic to the buffyloveswillow and
buffywantswillow lists, and is a little darker than my usual style. I have
written some happy B/W fics that I plan to post fairly soon. B/W is rapidly
becoming one of my fave 'ships, and since I'm a terrible feedbacker let me
take this opportunity to saythe fics on these lists are some of the best
I've read, and I promise I'll send personal feedback to the authors
eventually... <g>

Distribution: Ask and I'll say yes.

Willow heard the soft rap on her French windows immediately, and hopped off
her bed, padding over to the doors.

'Will, it's me,' Buffy said, and Willow opened the door, a wide smile on her
face.

'Buffy!' she exclaimed. 'What brings you here?'

'Just wanted to see my bestest bud of all my buds,' Buffy replied.

Willow was touched. She'd been feeling a little neglected lately, with all
of Buffy's Slayer-time with Faith, and just as she'd decided to say
something about it to Buffy, here she was.

'Come in, come in,' Willow said, ushering the blonde Slayer inside.

'Why, thank you, Will. So nice of you to invite me,' Buffy said, placing a
strange emphasis on the word 'invite'.

Willow's expression darkened, and her mouth dropped open in horror. 'Oh,
god, no!' she said, taking in her friend's unnatural paleness... and the
small trickle of blood by her jaw.

'You got a little..' she gestured to the side of her mouth, and Buffy swiped
at her own mouth, wiping the blood away.

'See, Will. That's why I love you. Always looking out for me, taking care of
me. Even when I'm a bloodsucking fiend about to kill you.'

'Oh, Buffy,' Willow sighed. 'What happened?'

Buffy realised she actually wasn't surprised by Willow's concern; she'd
somehow known that becoming a vampire wouldn't stop Willow's adorable habit
of mothering her. That's why she'd come here, instead of to Giles or
Angel... who would have undoubtably attempted to contain her until they
could perform the Spell of Restoration. Whereas Willow, dear, sweet Willow,
only wanted to sympathise. The thought of giving Buffy back her soul never
entered her mind.

Buffy sat down on Willow's bed and smiled self-deprecatingly.

'I screwed up,' she said. 'Big time. I thought there were only three vamps,
and when I staked the third, the fourth one jumped me, drained me, and
forced me to drink. I tried not to, but I was so tired, and I couldn't hold
my breath forever, so I opened my mouth, and though I tried to spit it out,
there was too much. I swallowed some, barely more than a drop, but it was
enough. And when I woke up, I was a vampire.'

'What happened to your sire? I thought fledglings had to obey their sire
unquestioningly. They just don't have the strength... of body or of will -
to defy their maker.'

'Yeah, well, I thought my sire was a jerk, so I snapped his neck. The stupid
idiot hadn't even got rid of my stakes; I guess he didn't know I was the
Slayer. Otherwise he would never have turned me. I found this book in Giles'
private collection once, about a Slayer who became a vampire. She was so
powerful, not even the strongest, oldest, smartest vampires could defeat
her. But she was mad, and she was too much of a liability. So the Watchers
made a deal with the vampires, and together they managed to destroy her. It'
s one of the greatest scandals of the Watcher's Council, hardly anyone knows
about it. I mean, negotiating with vampires? When the main reason they
manage to keep such control over the Slayer is because they make her believe
vampires are just evil, soulless demons that have to be eradicated? I wonder
what they'll do when they find out I'm a vampire.'

'Well, they won't find out. We won't tell them.' Willow sounded determined
to protect her friend.

'That's real sweet Will. But you forgot one thing.'

'What, Buffy?'

'I'm the most powerful vampire on earth. Heck, I'm probably more powerful
than most of the demons around. So why do I need to hide from the Watchers?'
Buffy smirked evilly. 'I'm gonna wipe 'em out. All of them.'

'B-buffy? Even Giles?'

'Oh, no. Not Giles. I'm saving him for you.'

Buffy growled and vamped out. Willow shrieked and backed away,
terror-stricken.

'Will, you never quite figured it out, did you? Vampires don't get friendly
with mortals. It just isn't done. But if you were a vampire... I bet we'd be
best of buds again. Forever.'

She advanced on Willow.

'B-but why, Buffy? Why me? Why not go after Xander or Giles... or Faith? I'm
sure she'd be a perfect partner in crime, especially since she'd be as
strong as you. You two could rule the world. Why change me?'

'What makes you think I'm not just changing you *first*?' Buffy grabbed
Willow by the throat, lifting her up until they were face to face.

'But I'll tell you why I picked you. Or rather, why I didn't pick Xander or
Giles or Faith. Xander's too boring, too bland. Can you imagine him as a
vampire? He wouldn't be anything special, just another evil bloodsucker. Not
exactly my choice for the person I wanna spend eternity with. And Giles? Who
knows how that would turn out? I could get a psycho vampire version of
Ripper - fun, probably, but he'd get tiresome after a while. The dark streak
is more of a novelty than something on which to base a long-standing
relationship - and I *mean* long-standing, we're talking *centuries* here.
And what if he was still Giles, only dead? Being with a librarian for a
millennia? Please!

'I guess there's Angel or Spike, but Angel would only want to give me my
soul back, and Angelus would only want to destroy the world or get in my
pants. And Spike? Like I'd want the psycho ho's leftovers. So that just
leaves you and Faith. And while Faith was a blast when I was human, that bad
girl attitude just doesn't impress a demon. Besides, if she was as strong as
me, you really think she'd want to be submissive to me? She couldn't beat
me, of course, but it would get tedious after a century or two, always
watching my back around her in case she got ideas above her station.
Besides, really, there's only ever been one person I want to spend my unlife
with. You, Willow.'

'Wow. I'm really flattered. And incredibly, mind-numbingly, terrified.'

'I love you, Will. I always have. I just regret that I never got the chance
to tell you when I was alive. But you know what they say.'

'What do they say?' Willow asked, fascinated despite herself.

'Say it with eternal life,' Buffy replied, lunging in for the bite.

Willow gasped. 'Buffy? I love you too,' she said as she felt her best friend
drain the life out of her.

'I know, Will,' Buffy whispered through blood-stained lips. 'Now drink,
baby, and when you wake up Buffy's gonna have a nice surprise for you.'

And Buffy glanced over to the body slumped outside Willow's room as Willow
sucked eagerly at her wrist.

'Loser,' she muttered at Faith's unconscious form.

Buffy settled Willow's body back on the bed, watching her redheaded friend
tenderly as she spasmed a few times, with death convulsions. Finally she was
still and Buffy settled down to wait the Change.

Willow opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was her best friend, the
woman she loved more than anything.

'How you feeling?' Buffy asked, bending down to brush Willow's lips with her
own.

Willow smiled, hardly believing Buffy Summers was actually kissing her.
'Better than ever,' she replied. 'But... hungry.'

'Mmmm. I know, babe. I got take out.' She helped Willow sit, and gestured to
the dark-haired girl trembling in the corner.

'You really mean it? I can have her?'

'Baby, you can have anything - or anybody - you want. Just say the word.'

'Does that mean... Can I kill Cordelia?'

'Oh, yeah. But first, eat. You don't wanna maim and kill on an empty
stomach.'

Buffy watched fondly as her beloved childe stalked over to the Slayer in the
corner, admiring her lithe grace.

'Baby, when you're done we really gotta get you a new outfit,' Buffy
commented.

Willow turned to face her, yellow eyes glowing with an unnatural light
beneath a heavily ridged forehead, and spoke through a mouth filled with
fangs. 'Will it have leather?'

'Oh, you can pretty much count on it,' Buffy promised, and Willow turned to
her meal with a self-satisfied smirk.

'See, Faith. This is why you'll always be second. Buffy's the real Slayer...
and you're just a pale imitation.' Once more she paused. 'Buffy? If I kill
her, there'll just be another one.'

'So we'll kill her too.'

'Yeah, but won't it get boring after a while? Having to kill Slayers all the
time? 'Cause there'll be two of them, you know? Now that you're dead too.'

'I hadn't thought of that. See, I knew there was a reason besides your
beauty why I wanted you. You're just so darn smart, babe.'

Willow flushed with pleasure... although it was a metaphorical flush. She
didn't have any blood to flush with.... yet.

'Okay, don't kill her. We'll just chain her up somewhere. That oughta give
us sixty-odd years Slayer free. So long as we make sure the other Slayers
don't get too uppity.'

Faith shuddered and tried to pull away, but Willow was hungry. She growled
and sank her teeth into Faith's neck, nearly swooning with delight at the
rich, warm blood that coursed through her. Regretfully, she released Faith's
neck before the girl died and stood up.

'So what now, Mistress?' she asked.

'Well, I thought we might pay a visit to some old friends,' Buffy suggested.
'Starting with my dear Watcher.'

Giggling wickedly, Willow and Buffy linked arms and headed out into the
night.

END