Down Twisted
by drkdreamer
Chapter 6
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Chapter 6
It was with a sassy flip of her hair that the dark woman made a deadpan delivery.
"I figured we'd wait until at least 5:30 but, if your simply standing there starving to death, now's a good a time as any."
They began with the potatoes, Willow peeling and Alex handling the job of washing and cutting the spuds into a large pot. The dark woman covered the tatters with warm water before adding a heaping helping of salt to the mix. After placing the pot onto the stove, it wasn't at all too long before the spuds began to boil. Alexandra Roberts, in the meantime, had retrieved the chicken from the fridge and began the preparations for frying time. She'd already asked the Wiccan to pour half the buttermilk into a big, plastic bowel. Willow found herself fascinated to watch as Alex, after first making damn sure her grease was hot, began to douse the chicken pieces into the cool milk. The dark woman then started to plunge them into her already prepared dry ingredients. The Wiccan was totally onboard with this process but found herself utterly floored by the dark Southerner, who was then putting the chicken back into the buttermilk!
"What...I mean...why did ya do that, Alex?"
The genuine note of curiosity in Willow's voice caused a huge grin to overtake the dark woman's face.
"It's really quite simple, Darlin'. I prefer my chicken to be on the outrageously crispy side, Hell, the brown has always been my favorite part of this meal. Know what? Ever since I was just a little squirt, I'd go back to the pan for the brown pieces I knew would be waiting back in the pan after Mom was done frying up our traditional Sunday supper. When I started doing my own chicken, I soon discovered that one dunk into buttermilk simply isn't enough for me. Hence the second dunking, you dig?"
Satisfied by her own explanation, Alex began placing the chicken into the wickedly, hot oil. As she waited for the first side to brown, she turned back to start the potato salad. After both draining and mashing the tatters, Willow was utterly surprised to see Alex then add yellow mustard, vinegar, raw onion, more salt-n-pepper and bacon grease to the pot. The older woman successfully resisted the urge to laugh after seeing the confusion splashed oh=so eloquently across the younger woman's expressive face.
"Let me take a wild guess, Willow. You're used to a different kind of potato salad, aren't ya? I'm guessing you've been eating the kind made with cubed spuds, apples, celery and Mayo, right?"
"Yeah, it's called German potato salad, Alex."
"That's what I thought you'd say. Well, sugar, this happens to be down home, Southern 'tato salad, an entirely different type of beast, if I do say so myself. Just let me say that it also happens to be one of my very favorite things on this Earth. All I'm asking is that you and Buffy give it a try before passing judgment, 'kay?"
Willow, who enjoyed trying new things, hurriedly agreed then, surprising Alex, grabbed hold of the tongs and flipped the chicken over before the older woman could even think about it. As the Southerner stirred the potatoes, her mouth instantly began watering after checking out the richly brown, crisp that was revolved to her eyes. The slender Witch, meanwhile, had walked back towards the table and taken a seat. As she looked around the kitchen, she wondered if there where something she could be doing in that moment.
"Alex, want me to set the table for dinner?"
A quick glance at her wristwatch confirmed that it was now 6:00 p.m. While it was true, dinner was certainly coming together quicker than even she'd thought possible, That particular job could certainly wait for a bit. Alex figured that the Slayer wouldn't be rolling in until well after 7:30 so, they had a little time to wait.
"Nah, everything's cool. I'm gonna put everything into the stove to keep it warm so, leave the table until seven. Don't know about you, but I really need to take a quick bath. Why dontcha go ahead a get yours first, I don't mind the wait."
Taking a look down at her sweaty clothing confirmed to Willow that Alex was right in this assessment. A nice soaking under warm water would feel really good right now, thought the girl to herself.
"Thanks, Alex, I really appreciate this."
An oddly sweet smile crossed the dark woman's face before she could make a reply.
"It's not a problem, you are my guest after all."
Alex turned back to the chicken completely missing the long, searching glance the teen threw her way. Willow Rosenberg left the kitchen, still puzzling over how the dark woman was just wholly unconcerned about showing the unexpected gentle side to her feelings. There seemed to be a huge, well spring of genuine caring that ran just underneath that woman's hard exterior and the Wiccan couldn't help but adore this aspect to Alexandra Robert's character.
Maybe, she couldn't help thinking, maybe this would be the way to how Buffy and I can, somehow, stop Alex from giving into whole sale slaughter.
It was an undeniably nice thought and Willow carried it back into the bedroom where she began to search for some clean clothes. Back in the kitchen, with the fried chicken now done, Alex placed the pieces onto a paper towel lined plate. True to her words, after spooning the potato salad into a ceramic bowel, the woman then put everything into the warm stove. She waited only until the Wiccan began to bath before starting to wash the dishes that where piled up on the counter. When she got to the cast iron skillet, Alex couldn't help but hoping that tonight would be both free-n-easy and that no tension would suddenly spring up between her and the teenagers. It was a viable concern because it had happened before but, uppermost in her mind was the very real fear that this would be the last time she would ever get to enjoy her very favorite meal.
Just once more, Alex prayed, please, God, let me have the honor of enjoying one of my Grandma's best dinners.
The dark woman decided to simply remain optimistic as she took a seat at the kitchen table. It was, therefore, with an entirely pleasant twist to her lips that Alex relaxed the hard lines of her body and awaited her time in the shower.