FIC: The Road to Recovery (10/?)

[~~Kimber <kacoe@xxxxxxx>]

Yeah. . .I'm an evil bitch. Looks like I tip my hand in this one. Please don't hate me
too much *VEG* Those of you who have been around for a while will know immediatly what's
going on...those of you who haven't...well...all I can say is read my past fics......LOL
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Title: The Road to Recovery (10/?)
Author: Kimber (kacoe@xxxxxxx)
Disclaimer: All BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
Summary: Part 2 in The Road series.
Spoilers: Everything is fair game.
Distribution: Pat Kelly, Rodrigo, Gary Thompson, Syrenslure and Serendipity. Anyone
else, e-mail me please.
Author's Notes: The more feedback I get the more fic I write. . .nuff said. Thoughts are
enclosed in < >
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Willow arrived at the heli-port within an hour. She planned on surprising Buffy and
Xander. The cab driver gave her a curious look when she asked him to drop her off at the
cemetery and she just chuckled to herself. Walking through the sea of headstones, she
heard distinct battle noises coming from beyond the last bunch of bushes. Not wanting to
intrude, she squatted down and watched.

?Buff! Over here!? Xander called out from under a vamp.

She was on him in no time and Xander was left under a pile of dust. She helped him up and
he coughed. ?Next time, you be the bait!?

?Oh, yeah. And what are you gonna do??

?I?m gonna slay some undead butt!? He noticed her expression and shook out his hair.
?Fine. Just call me squid. I?m gonna go catch a shower. You okay to patrol alone??

?Fine, Squid. I?ll see you in about an hour.?

They hugged and Buffy started to walk in Willow?s direction. She passed right by the
bushes Willow was hiding behind and stopped cold about four feet away. ?Okay. I know
you?re in there. Come out so we can get this over with. I don?t want to miss my favorite
show tonight.? She said without turning around.

Willow stood up and couldn?t help but smile. ?Since when are you such a couch potato??

Buffy whipped around, mouth wide open and pointed at her.

?Well? Are you gonna stand there and catch flies, or do I get a hug?? She dropped her
backpack. ?I didn?t come all this way to watch you do mime.?

?Ohmygodwillow!? She squeaked out before closing the gap between them. Their contact was
so sudden that they both overcompensated and fell to the ground in a fit of giggles.
?When did you get here?? Buffy had a firm grip on both her arms.

?I just flew in. I figured you?d be patrolling so I took a cab and you wouldn?t believe
the look I got from the driver. Ah, Sunnydale, everyone is a clueless as always. Good to
know.? She smiled.

Buffy pulled her into another hug. ?Xander is gonna have a cow when he sees you. You
just missed him.?

She smiled. ?I know. I was gonna come out sooner but he took off.?

Buffy pulled back and looked her over. ?I can?t believe you?re here.?

?Me either. It?s been a long time.? She got up and put her hand out to Buffy. ?Come
on. We have some catching up to do and I?m only here until Sunday night.?

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?. . .so then he quite that job and has been perfecting the couch stain look ever since.?
Buffy had filled Willow in on almost everything on the walk back. They climbed the stairs
and Buffy stopped before she opened the door. ?It might be a little messy.?

?Living with Xander, I don?t doubt it.? She smiled. ?It looks good from her though. I
still couldn?t believe it when you told me this was your mom?s idea.?

She nodded. ?She loves Xander like he was her own.? She put her key in the door and
walked in. ?Xander!?

?In the shower. I?ll be out in a sec.? He called from the bathroom.

She smiled at Willow and yelled back at him. ?You?ll never guess what I found on patrol
tonight.?

The door opened and he walked out in boxers, with a towel over his head. ?What ever it
is, we?re not keeping it. No.? He looked up and shock settled in his face. ?pets.?

Willow giggled then waved. ?Hi!? Color crept into her cheeks when she noticed what he
was, or wasn?t, wearing.

Buffy laughed and put her arm around Willow. ?She?s real, Xand. Moveable parts and
everything and I think she?s housebroken. Sure you don?t want to keep her??

?Will! Willow!? He pointed at her. ?Willow?s here and? He looked down and put the
towel around his waist. ?I?m kinda naked.? He gave her a goofy grin before crossing the
room to hug her.

She wiggled after a few moments. ?Xander, you?re still wet!?

?Sorry.? He held her at arms distance and gave her the once over. ?You look good! I see
England has done wonders for your complexion.? He pulled her into a hug again. ?Pale as
a sheet. . .just like I remembered!?

?Xander. . .pants!? She ordered.

He gave her a hurt look. ?Geez, and just when I thought this was gonna be a fun visit.?
He walked into his bedroom and shut the door.

Willow shook her head. ?He never changes.?

Buffy agreed. ?Nope. Not our Xander. You want something to drink? You must have had a
long trip.?

?Sure.? She took her coat off and hung it up by the door. ?It was a pretty long trip.?
She turned around and noticed that Buffy was looking at her funny. ?What??

She handed her a glass and motioned to the couch. ?Are you taking fashion tips from Angel
now??

Willow sat down and smiled. ?No. I have to be inconspicuous, that?s all. I can?t be
running all over England with flashy colors and a sign that says ?hey, I?m a Watcher in
training, ask me how?!? She settled back and relaxed. ?I?ve gotten used to it. Besides,
it?s warm.?

Xander came out of the bedroom and looked at them on the couch. He opened his mouth to
say something, but Willow cut him off.

?Don?t say it, Xander.? She held out her arm. ?Would you like to check for a pulse??

He reached out and took her arm. ?Yeah, it?s there.? He grinned and flopped down next
to her.

?I can?t believe you?re here.? Both Buffy and Xander said at the same time. They all
laughed.

Willow noticed Xander give Buffy a look, and before she knew it, she?d turned into a
Willow sandwich. ?Guys. . .air. . .lungs.?

Buffy pulled away. ?Sorry.?

Xander was still hugging her from behind. ?Well I?m not. I got my Wills back and there
ain?t no way I?m letting her go.?

?You?ll have to let go sometime, Xand. She?s going back Sunday night.?

He frowned and turned her to him. ?Say it ain?t so.?

?Sorry, Xander. I?m on temporary leave. I?m lucky they gave me this long. . .I almost
had to go back tomorrow for a meeting.?

?Meeting shmeeting. . .they?re a bunch of slave drivers.? Buffy chimed in.

?Okay guys. . .I?m here. . .let?s talk about stuff other than the council. I live it day
and night and I want to make the most of the time I have with you.?

They agreed. Xander volunteered to go get a movie and pizza while Buffy and Willow got
ready for a long night of catching up.

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?. . .It went this far just recently.?

He nodded, but didn?t turn to face her.

?Angel.?

?Do you know why she?s here??

?Yes. She told me everything BEFORE anything happened.?

He turned back to her. ?I just don?t understand how. . .? He shook his head. ?She has
to go back soon.?

?I know.?

?Soon.?

?I know, Angel. God! Must you rain on my parade? Look, were both in this with our eyes
open.?

He looked at her a moment then nodded. ?Okay.? He walked to the door and let himself
out.

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Buffy and Willow were sitting on the couch watching the end of the movie. Xander hit the
sack early because he had an interview in the morning at a construction company. The
movie ended and Buffy yawned. ?That was good, don?t you think?? She looked over at the
form leaning against her and realized she was talking to herself. ?Gee, look who still
can?t make it through an entire movie late at night.?

Willow stirred a little then snuggled closer. ?Mmm. . .warm.? She mumbled.

Buffy looked down at her friend?s smiling sleeping face. She touched her arm and woke
her. ?Will? Come on. . .let?s go to sleep, in a bed I mean.?

She blinked and looked up startled. ?Buffy! I?m sorry, I must have fallen asleep.?

?It?s okay. It looked like you were dreaming about something, or someone. You were
smiling.?

She sat up and yawned. ?Was I? I don?t remember.? She got up and went to her
backpack. Grabbing some pajamas, she went to the bathroom and emerged a few minutes
later and sat back down on the couch. ?I?m really tired. I think I?m gonna fall asleep
again really fast.? She spread out on the couch and sighed.

?You don?t have to sleep here, Will. You can have my bed.?

?Don?t be silly. I don?t want to put you out of your own room.?

?Then we?ll compromise. The bed is big enough for the two of us.? She got up and put her
hand out.

Too tired to argue, she got up and followed Buffy to her room.

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A man picked up the phone a continent away. ?Hello??

?It?s me.?

?And??

?She?s here.?

?I thought as much.? The line was silent. ?Can you handle this??

He sighed. ?I don?t have much of a choice, now do I? Every time I do it I feel like I?m
betraying them.?

?You know what the consequences are. They mustn?t be allowed to do this. Not yet.?

?I just can?t wait until this is over so I can crawl to them on my hands and knees begging
for their forgiveness.?

?It won?t come to that, but if it does, you?re not in this alone. I?m as much to blame as
you are.?

?Gee, I?ll try to take comfort in that.? His voice was level.

?If you?re not up to it, then. . .?

?No, I am. I?m an old hand at this, remember? Besides, what are you gonna do? Hop on a
plane and do it yourself??

?Quite true. Do you still have the crystal??

?Yeah.?

?Wait until tomorrow night, then you know what to do.?

?I hope this is over soon. If the guilt doesn?t kill me then they will for sure.?

?Take care of yourself, and them. I?m counting on you.?

?As always.?

Xander Harris hung up the phone and sat on his bed. He placed his head in his hands and
sighed. The most frightening statement of the entire conversation repeated itself in his
head. <If the guilt doesn?t kill me then they will for sure.>

He reached into his shirt and pulled out a black cord with a teardrop crystal attached to
it. It all came down to this ? it was the bain of his existence since the summer after
they all graduated ? the summer his life changed forever. Well, it would all be over
soon. That thought was the only thing that kept him going this long.

---------------

?Buffy??

?Hmm??

?Are you okay? I mean . . .is everything alright with you? You didn?t sound like
yourself when we talked last week.?

Buffy sighed and turned on her side to face Willow. ?I?m okay. Nothing new, I?m just a
little lonely sometimes I guess.?

Willow turned her head. ?I?m sorry.?

?No, Will, it?s not your fault.?

She shrugged. ?I miss you, you know. More than you realize.?

Buffy smiled and reached over to hug her. ?I miss you too, Will.? She whispered. ?I
never thought I could miss someone so much.?

?You?ll have to come visit me soon.? She said through a yawn. ?England is beautiful.?

She pulled back a little. ?I can imagine. I still can?t get over it ? you, big Oxford
girl, soon to be Watcher.?

?But I?m still me.?

Buffy brushed a strand of hair away from her face. ?Yup, same old Willow. Only a little
older.?

Willow blushed a little and pulled away. ?We should go to sleep.?

Buffy wasn?t sure what was going through her mind, but it had to stop quickly. This was
Willow. Her best friend, shy hacker and future witch extraordinaire. ?I?m sorry Will. I
don?t know what came over me.? She leaned back against the pillows and sighed.

?It?s okay, I?m just. . .jumpy from the plane ride I guess.?

They both laid there for a long time, deep in thought. So many things went unspoken that
night. And so many questions went unanswered. Buffy wondered about what exactly came
over her to feel like that for Willow ? even if it was only for a brief moment. There
were so many hazy images in her mind, like she?d felt like this before, but long ago. As
she drifted to sleep, fragments of pictures flashed in her mind. A plane ride. . .a
sunrise. . .a foreign place she?d never seen before. . .The Grotto on New Years Eve. .
.mistletoe. . .

Chat room. . .a tiny Christmas tree. . .Camelot. . .a fire-demon?s lair. . .all the images
blurred together and Willow couldn?t figure out where they?d come from. She remembered
when they came up against the fire demon and she was burned, but nothing significant stood
out in her mind. She recovered at Giles? house and was back at the dorm within a month.
Buffy visited her everyday to keep her in good spirits after they had that little fight
about Buffy blaming herself for it all. . .and Xander was there every day too so he could
drop off her homework. And doing spells with Tara. . .why was she suddenly thinking about
Tara and the time they spent together in college?

And what was with Buffy anyway? She wasn?t acting like herself on the phone and that
whole awkward moment just now. Willow had enough experience with Cordelia to know when
something was going to happen ? and she?d stopped it. For the life of her she couldn?t
figure out why. . .

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