I only have eyes for...
by Lil\'Witch
[reviews]
TITLE: I only have eyes for...
AUTHOR: Lil'Witch
RATING: PG-13
SPOILERS: "I only have eyes for you"
SUMMARY: An AU version of "I only have eyes for you"
STATUS: Complete
DISCLAIMER: Me: Owns nothing. Joss, Mutant Enemy, Fox: Own all recognizable characters and places.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This has written itself without consulting me for most of the part. I could not do anything else before I had it written down, so here it is: Finally OFF my brain. The perspectives are weird and I'm not sure if it works the way I intended it to work (so PLEASE feedback me on that), but it's been a fun experiment!
~*~
-The Summers' home
Buffy had been gone for a while now and Willow was starting to worry. The whole thing with Angel and their school's poltergeist weighted heavily on her friend and she had no idea how to make it all better. The one thing she knew for certain was that just sitting there waiting for her to come back wouldn't help anyone.
She walked into the kitchen, already starting the question that interested her the most. "Hey, Buffy, are you... okay?" she trailed off. There was a piece of paper on the counter, a flyer from the Sadie Hawkins Dance from 1955 and Willow knew without a doubt what it meant.
"Oh, God," she whispered and called for Giles who had already been on his way to the kitchen. Thrusting the flyer into his hands all she could do was gasp, "She went back."
~*~
-Outside of Sunnydale High
The swarm was just as terrible looking as it had been before. The gang had followed Buffy back to the High School, unfortunately they had just run out of plans on what to do next.
"So what now? Not even a mega-vat of Raid's gonna do the trick here." Xander voiced what everybody was thinking. More or less.
"I don't get it. Is she trying to be a big loner hero or something?" Cordelia asked.
"No. I believe she's under the spirit's thrall. He's, he's calling her," Giles explained.
"But why?"
Giles looked as if he wanted to explain further, but Willow interrupted him. "He needs us." Her voice was flat, emotionless and with awkward looking steps Willow walked towards the school's entrance.
The rest of the scoobies took a second to just stare at their friend uncomprehendingly before Giles took action. "Willow, what are you doing?" he asked and took a step after her.
"He calls me. I have to go." She'd reached the swarm and to everyone's astonishment the wasps parted before her, allowing her entrance. Xander started to run after her, but as quickly as the swarm had opened it closed again and the demonic insects' angry hissing made him step back.
"What the heck is going on?"
Giles looked speechless, but it didn't stop him from talking, "James needs her and Buffy to re-enact everything that happened on the night that he, he killed Ms. Newman. He wants to change things, make... make a happy ending."
Cordelia turned to the watcher and stared at him, "Doesn't he know that it can't ever happen? It always ends the same, which means Willow and Buffy just went in there to get shot. And why them? Who is going to play James in tonight version of 'Killing Mrs. Tingle'?"
"You are right, the school's deserted. There's no way for James to...
to play his part. There's, there's no man inside for him to possess."
"So Buffy and Willow should be safe until we find a way to get them out." Xander needed to make sure he'd understood him right and that his friends were in no danger.
"Yeah. The scenario should not start the way it did the two previous nights. Except..."
"Except what?" Both Cordelia and Xander asked.
"What if they play it out together?"
~*~
Angelus had had no problem overcoming the wasp-barrier and now strolled through Sunnydale High in search of an already dead slayer who just needed him to bring the news of her demise. He could smell her. She was around the next corner. He had a good opening line to deliver, all he had to do was walk up to her and finish her once and for all.
Just as he was about to step out of the shadows another person appeared.
~*~
Buffy waited in the hallway. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for, but it would happen soon.
The voice came from behind her "What are you doing here James?"
"You're the only one. The only person I can talk to," she answered quietly and turned around. In front of her stood Grace Newman, the woman she loved more than life itself. The woman who'd broken her heart by leaving her.
~*~
Angelus remained in the shadows as Buffy and Willow stood facing each other and all he could think was that soulboy's girlfriend was really pathetic. Whatever was going on here was weird; he could feel the supernatural presence in the room. He'd just wait and see what the slayer had gotten herself into and then finish her off like he'd planned.
~*~
"You can't make me disappear just because you say it's over," James screamed at Willow and she winced in sympathy. She felt his pain, it was her own. But she had to do this, for his sake.
"I just want you to be able to have some kind of normal life. We can never have that, don't you see?" she pleaded with him, but he could not follow her reasoning.
"I don't give a *damn* about a normal life! I'm going crazy not seeing you. I think about you every minute." Her heart broke just a little more at his love. It was all for her and it had found a mate in her own heart, they had found each other's love, but it could not be. She could never allow it to be. In a moment of weakness she allowed herself to ouch his cheek and his hand immediately covered hers. They could never be.
"I know," she whispered. And she knew all about his pain. "But it's over. It has to be!"
She turned around and started to leave, but he chased after her shouting at her angrily. "Come back here! We're not finished!"
He grabs her by the arm and turns her back toward him. "You don't care anymore, is that it?"
Willow started sobbing, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter what I feel."
Then he spoke the words that hit her the hardest.
"Then tell me you don't love me!"
~*~
Buffy was angry. Grace did not react the way she'd hoped for. "Say it!" she screamed through her hurt.
"Is that what you need to hear? Will that help? I don't."
Buffy gasped as her heart broke, but she wouldn't give up! They were meant for each other; she'd make her see it. Their love was real.
"No. A person doesn't just wake up and stop loving somebody!"
~*~
Angelus felt that this was his perfect opportunity to make an entrance. The line was just too good to pass up. He took a step and suddenly the lockers behind him opened and strong arms reached for him, holding him to the wall. An eerie voice drifted through his demonic mind "No interruptions."
All he could do was watch as Buffy pointed a revolver at Willow. Well he could watch AND enjoy the show.
~*~
It was her father's gun. He locked it away, but she'd found the key years ago and took it tonight. It was her weapon. It was strong; if anything could make Grace love her again it was the gun. Or it could just end it all. Whatever happened tonight her heart would stop hurting before dawn.
"Love is forever. I'm not afraid to use it, I swear! If I can't be with you..." Her voice was but a small whisper tainted with trembling anger.
"Oh, my God!" her lover gasped, but then she turned around and started running out of the hall toward the balcony.
Buffy saw red. "DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME..."
~*~
"...BITCH!"
Willow's heart beat a hundred miles a minute as she came to a halt. James words echoed not only through the hall, but also through her whole body. Fear made her run, but James was chasing her. She barged through the door out onto the balcony, James close behind her.
"Stop it!" he screamed as he followed her into the open. "Stop it! Don't make me!"
She stopped, breathing heavily with fear. "All right. Just..."
~*~
Angelus reeled against the claws holding him back, he would not stay there and miss the breaking of the slayer. If she really killed the little tree... He knew with certainty that it would destroy his nemesis.
And he would watch. With a satisfied scream and a grin he broke free and followed he girls through the doors.
~*~
"You know you don't want to do this. Let's both... just calm down. Now give me the gun." Grace out her hand as she pleaded with Buffy, but she wasn't responding.
"Don't. Don't do that, damn it! Don't talk to me like I'm some stupid..."
Several things happened at once. The gun went off just as Angelus burst through the doors, which crashed into Buffy's shoulder. Startled, Buffy taked a step forward changing the bullets path. Her motions those of instinct, she crouches and uses Angelus momentum to hurl him over the balcony's railing. With a deafening thud he lands on the stairs below.
~*~
Buffy stared at the spot the body had just been, too afraid to do anything she just whispered, "Grace?" After two painful heartbeats she took two steps to the railing and peered down. There lay her love, killed by her own hand.
~*~
Willow felt dazed. What had just happened? She looked around herself. She was lying at the floor of the balcony in exactly the spot James had shot Ms. Newman. Memories assaulted her. She'd followed Buffy into the school, drawn there by James. They'd acted out the final moments of two lovers and then... then it had changed, Buffy's shot had missed because of Angelus' entrance and instead of Willow the vampire had gone over the railing.
For the first time she noticed Buffy standing next to her. The look on her face was unreadable as she slowly turned and slowly moves back into the hall. Willow heard her murmuring. "I killed her. My Grace, my love."
The doors closed behind the slayer and Willow hurriedly got back to her feet. The shooting of the gun had startled her so much that she had tripped backwards, landing on the floor of the balcony. She looked over the railing a shudder going through her body as she thought what could have happened to her had she been standing a few steps closer to the railing.
She saw Angelus on the steps. He seemed dead, but she since she knew that that was usually the case for him, she did not judge his potential danger by his appearance. Just as the thought passed through her mind she saw him stir. She had to warn Buffy. She quickly turned and followed her friend through the door.
"Buffy! Where did you go?" she called, but the only answer she got were the lyrics of an old song.
My love must be a kind of blind love
I can't see anyone but you
"Oh my god, the music room! Buffy still thinks she is James, she's going to kill herself." With that startling realisation the redhead started to run.
~*~
Buffy stared at the gun. Everything else vanished. She needed to end it. Be a man and face the consequences of your actions like her father always said. Slowly she raised the gun.
~*~
Angelus woke up slowly. He felt disorientated. For a moment he'd been possessed and he knew it. He could still feel the traces of the ghost's mind in his body. His soulless body convulsed at the amount of love that he had felt just a minute ago. With a cry of hatred and disgust he ran off into the night to do something really violent until he felt better.
~*~
The moment Angelus woke fully and had shaken the remains of his ghost possession Willow felt how her mind's freedom was taken away from her again, but there was nothing she could do. Without stopping she ran to the music room to safe her beloved James.
~*~
"Grace!" Buffy shouted as the doors opened to reveal the panting woman.
"Don't do this," her lover pleaded, but Buffy was too confused to understand the words. She could only stammer.
"But-but I killed you."
Grace closed the distance between them and gently pried Buffy's hands off the gun. "It was an accident. It wasn't your fault." Grace's voice was calm and soothing and Buffy felt how she was drawn to the lips she'd tasted so many times.
"Oh, it *is* my fault. How could I..." she protested weakly, still unable to let go of her guilt.
~*~
Willow felt James' guilt and despair. It was her fault for letting him believe that he was not worthy of her love, that he had indeed lost her.
"Shhh. I'm the one who should be sorry, James. You thought I stopped loving you. But I never did. I loved you with my last breath."
James started sobbing and Willow could feel how he let go of his guilt about her death. There was only one thing left to do.
"Shhh... No more tears."
She leaned in and her lips were met half-way.
~*~
James kissed Grace and drowned in her love. It cleansed him and he fell into her as she fell into him. Their souls merged as they expressed a love that had suffered for nearly half a century. The room glowed as their love finally set them free.
~*~
They continued kissing as they felt their ghostly possessions leave them free. Innocent close-mouthed kisses were exchanged as Willow allowed Buffy to heal — to take comfort, to be weak, to be needy and to be lost and to just be.
Buffy gently broke the kiss and looked at her best friend. "How?"
"I was drawn to you. Just like James needed forgiveness from Grace you needed it, too. No matter how many times we told you that what has happened to Angel wasn't your fault... you never really believed us, did you?"
"No," Buffy admitted. "I always felt that by loving me he was somehow poisoned- it's stupid, really."
Willow smiled serenely at her and then leaned in to kiss the blonde softly on the lips again. After the quick peck Willow's hands came up to hold Buffy's face. "Take it from somebody who loves you: There's nothing poisonous about your love or about loving you. Loving you is the most precious thing to me."
Buffy gasped, "How do you always know what to say?"
"I look at you and I love you and then I know."
"When did this happen?"
"When did what happen?" Willow asked and smoothed Buffy's hair back.
"When did I fall in love with you? My feelings for Angel were so... intense. How could something like this happen without my knowledge? First I loved Angel and now I hate Angelus... but you. You inspire feelings in me- it's indescribable."
"I know, baby. I feel the same way," Willow admitted.
"But you seem so strong, so calm. I'm about to fall apart, Willow. I don't know what to do." Buffy let her head fall forward so it rested against Willow's shoulder and started crying softly.
"Hush, Buffy. There's no need to feel lost. I don't know what to do either. All I know is that this is right. Don't you feel it?" She wrapped her arms around the frightened girl, for once being the one who protected and not the one who needed protection.
"Yeah," came the muffled reply and Buffy's arms rose to encircle Willow's slim waist. They stood in each other embrace for long blissful minutes. There was no space between their bodies until Buffy leaned back to search Willow's eyes hesitantly.
"Tell me," Willow encouraged her.
"Can I kiss you again?" Buffy dashed through the question as she was afraid to lose her nerve in the middle of it.
"Of course." The last syllable had barely left her mouth as Buffy closed the space between their lips. This time they left 'innocent' far behind them. Neither was sure when they'd opened their mouths, but both enjoyed the way their tongues brushed against each other. Their bodies became as entangled as their mouths were as hands found their ways under clothing to touch soft flesh.
"We have to stop," Willow moaned after she'd almost painfully pulled her mouth from Buffy's.
"Too fast?" Buffy asking between panting breaths.
"No. Giles and the other will be here soon. I need to talk to Oz before we can tell them. Is that okay?" the redhead asked as she withdrew her hand from under Buffy's top.
"Oh god, Oz! I forgot about him. Willow, I'm sorry. I never should have kissed you! I didn't mean to ruin-"
"Buffy! As I recall there was quite a lot of kissing going on and you couldn't have done it all your own. I need to talk to Oz. I like him and given time I'm sure I could fall in love with him, if I had ever gotten over you, that is." She winked at Buffy and the blonde audibly sighed.
"I just feel like all I do is taking from you while you give and give and give... Willow are you sure about this?"
"Even if I wasn't Buffy: I have no choice. My heart has made its decision and all I can do is hope it has chosen a place were it's safe. Right now I feel very safe. Let's go find the others and tell them that we're all right, then we'll go home, okay?"
Buffy nodded and slowly they each took a step back until their bodies had separated, except for their clasped hands that seemed to stubbornly remain interlocked.
With a soft tug, Willow encouraged Buffy to follow her and the two made their way to their friends.
The End.