Down Twisted
by drkdreamer
Chapter 29
[reviews]
Chapter 29
Later on that same afternoon
"You did WHAT, Alex?"
Buffy Summers voice was quite loud as she asked that question to the suddenly silent older woman. The dark Southerner had been back less than 5 minutes when she'd dropped a bombshell on the teens.
"Guys, you heard correctly, I said that I went and had a small talk with your Mom."
Shocked hazel eyes turned to stare into a pair of equally, stunned, green orbs. It was, in fact, so surprising that for the moment, neither girl knew quite what to say. Alex, clearly reading the dismay on those familiar faces, laughed with absolutely no amusement.
"Ladies, perhaps I had no right to do so but, damnit, no one else around here seemed ready or willing to openly talk with Mrs. Summers. Quite stupidly, I'll admit, I took that decision on myself. She needed some answers, guys, surely ya'll are aware of That?"
Willow Rosenberg, who seemed to be the only other person with a brain stem still working, swallowed once before sending out her own question to the tired looking dark woman.
"How much...how much did you tell her, Alex?"
"Everything," said Alex as she shrugged her shoulders.
That little bit of news, quite naturally, left the blond to gape at her in twice stunned, astonishment. Buffy actually looked kinda sick to her stomach and the older woman was very much afraid she was about to see the vaulted Vampire Slayer sway upon her sneakered feet.
"By all the goddesses, Alex, why?" Willow pleaded with the Southerner.
Dark gray eyes became riveted upon the waiting red head as she attempted to form words that wouldn't have a sarcastic edge to them. It took more than a few minutes, Alex only talked when she thought she had total control of her emotions.
"God damnit, Will, she's asked all of you for the truth countless times and none of you would give Joyce an honest answer. She deserved that much, ya know? Buffy, your Mom is so not a stupid person. She has eyes, for God's sake, how long did you think you could keep the fact that you and Willow are a couple from that woman?!?!!"
"God, Alex," said the hyperventilating blond, " Mom knows the truth about me and Will?"
The older woman simply frowned over at the flabbergasted Slayer. Alexandra Roberts got that Buffy might be a little freaked by this whole situation so she, purposely, keep her voice gentle as she reiterated the news to the quite stunned blonde teenager.
"Yes, my friends, she knows about you. Christ on His throne, people, did ya'll really think Joyce has been blind to some of the things that's been happening between you two?!? I assure you, she hasn't. Ya'll are lucky you didn't hear everything she said to me when I was incoherent! Joyce was actually trying to talk herself into believing she was imagining all those sweetly, snazzy little signals you guys where throwing out since before she came back to Sunnydale. It was, quite honestly, beginning to tick me off. I can only imagine how frustrating it's been for your Mom, Buffy Summers."
"I get what your saying," said the compact blonde, "but, Alex, Mom will never be able to accept me and Willow as a couple."
The dark Southerner couldn't quite believe what she just heard coming out of the Slayer's mouth. She realized, of course, that it had mitigating factors from the fallout when Joyce had discovered Buffy's dangerous night activities.
"Sugar, you don't really know that yet. I understand you've been nervous about telling her anything, after that total fiasco a couple of years ago, it's perfectly natural. But, Buffy, you yourself have told me that your Mom never stopped loving you when you ran off to LA and that she's continued to grow since then. Joyce Loves you, and yeah that includes you too Willow, just give her the chance to witness the beauty of the love you two share."
The red headed Witch continued to frown over at the dark woman. While she appreciated that everything was now in the open, she simply felt it had been her and Buffy's place to explain things to Joyce Summers. After glancing over at the pasty white expression that was her beloved Slayer's face, she acknowledged the maybe, just maybe, Alex had did the right thing.
"I'm sure everything will turn out for the good, Alex, what's done is done. I've only got one question, what are we going to do later on this evening?"
The rapid change in topics left Alex's head reeling. Looking over at the blonde girl, she had to think this was the best decision for everyone.
"Darlin', I dunno. It's been fairly quite around here these days. Think I'll leave this design up to ya'll, I'm game for almost anything."
Those word's caused the grass eyed Witch to link hands with her shell shocked lover before sending Alex a sweet little smile.
"I believe, right now, me and Buffy just need a little time together. Later on, maybe we can order dinner in and watch one of your movies. Sound good, Alex?"
By now, the Southerner was smirking, quite openly, at the red headed teen.
"It's pretty groovy to me. I'm thinking I may lay down too, I'm feeling just a little tired myself."
Willow couldn't stop herself from being, instantly, concerned by that short little speech. The dark woman was supposed to be regaining her strength by now and to the Wiccan, it just didn't appear that way.
"Alexandra Katherine Roberts, are you truly feeling okay? I'm kinda worried, you don't quite act like yourself anymore."
It was with no real surprise that the slender Witch watched a brashfully, cocky grin spread over the dark Southerner's face. Willow thought it was nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction on the older woman's part and she mourned the easy camaraderie that used to flow so easily between herself, Buffy and Alexandra Roberts.
" Babe, I'm right as rain, just a little played out. You two go on, I'm cool."
The only problem was that the dark woman repeated the exact same sentence each and every time they now talked, the Witch suspected that Alex hadn't yet truly recovered from her self imposed sabbatical. Acting only on instinct, Willow dropped the Slayer's hand and strood over to position herself right in front of the genuinely surprised Alexandra Roberts.
"Alex, please don't be like this anymore. You've been distancing yourself from us and it hurts. Don't you know that Buffy and I care way too much about you to allow such a thing to happen without some fight? Why won't you permit us back inside your heart, what did we do that was so wrong in your eyes? Do you know you don't talk to us anymore, Alex, you talk at us instead. What happened, why don't you love us anymore, Alexandra Roberts?"
Those clear gray eyes darkened even further as the older woman acknowledged the truth of Willow's statements. There was a widening rift between herself and the teens and she knew it was wholly her doing. Alex hadn't meant for it to go this far and sought to explain herself to the obviously distraught teenager.
"I know ya'll care. God, Willow, everything you and Buffy did four nights ago literally pounded that knowledge into my head. It was, in all honesty, an insanely beautiful thing to witness and I shall cherish it for the rest of my days here on Earth. I can never hope to repay you for those moments but, Willow, I'm also truly sorry that it was the only prudent course of action you and Buffy felt ya could take. I would have never asked ya'll to do such a thing and, I think you should know that I was trying to make it back to you on my own. I just hate like Hell that neither of you where aware of that fact because it would have made life a whole lot simpler for all of us. Do you think I don't know what it cost you, Willow, to make yourself that vulnerable in front of my eyes? I'm sorry, sweetheart, so very sorry."
The clear disdain in Alex's voice left the red head floored by the whole conversation. It explained so much, including why she had been picking up on the fact that the Southerner had been slightly closed off, since her reawakening. This was the reason that the teenagers words where quite rueful when she spoke again.
"God, Alex, of course we knew that. I wasn't really all that wigged simply because it was you. Not really, anyways, it had more to do with the fact of how I was raised. That doesn't mean, however, that I regret anything. Buffy and I desperately wanted you back with us, we simply chose the path of least resistance. Tell me truthfully, Alex, if our situations had been reversed, wouldn't you have taken the exact same course of action?"
Since the brainy Witch had her by the proverbial short-n-curlys, Alex Roberts gave gracefully into defeat.
"Well, Hell, Will, you got me ten ways too sunset! I would, most likely have did the same thing, I won't even try and deny That. While this conversation is quite stimulating, why don't we cease and desist for now?"
Once the agreement had been reached, both parties silently began to go there separate ways. However, just as Buffy and Willow reached the back bedroom, Alex's husky voice stopped them cold.
"My code of honor took care of this one, guys, but the next five are all up to you. 'Kay?"
Upon receiving conformation, Alex gratefully lay her exhausted body back on the all too comfortable couch. It was with a smothered groan that the dark woman shut her eyes and tried to catch some much needed Z's. Sleep, when it came, was a blessed relief to Alexandra Roberts.