Is Life Meant To Be Like This?
by Acepilot
Chapter III
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Is Life Meant To Be Like This? (3/?)
Acepilot
Disclaimer - See Chapter 1
Rating - R (on its way)
Pairings - Willow/Buffy, Dawn/Amanda
Authors Notes - And so it continues...thanks a bundle to TheBear for helping me with the Uni thing - you're a prince! Dawn and Amanda attend South Bank University of London, Dawn is training to be a teacher and Amanda is doing a course in arts (photography and digital direction - I always pictured her the Arty type, really). The scene that takes place between them probably should have been in the last chapter, as it's set before the events of the B/W flashback in that chapter...oh well. Hope you're as confused as I am. Enjoy the chapter! (Oh, and I stole the "hypothetical" q/a from a Star Wars novel, and I'm not too shamed to admit it)
Dedication - to Kermit (no, not the frog).
---
LA July 20th 2006
"Can I ask you a hypothetical question?"
Wesley looked up from his desk at the redhead standing in the doorway. "If you don't mind a hypothetical answer, go ahead."
Willow walked slowly into his office. "Well, let's say there's this girl that you lo - like."
Wes put his pen down and lounged back in his chair, anticipating an interesting and probably lengthy discussion. "Alright."
"And say that, one evening, completely out of the blue, you two have the most wonderful and meaningful...uh...make-out session."
Wes grinned at the terminology. "Okay, let's say that."
"Well, then she kind of acts wierd towards you for a while...sometimes things are right as rain and the two of you...you seem to almost be a couple. But then at other times she just tells you it was a 'good time' and that we should just be friends." Willow took a deep breath. "You got all that?"
"Yes," Wesley confirmed.
"Right, well, then when you're forced to choose between a girl who tells you she really likes you and wants to take a chance with a relationship with you, and this girl who means more to you than anything on the planet but keeps insisting that its just a nice time. Who do you choose?"
Wesley peered at Willow over the desk. "Looking for some comfort in hindsight?"
Willow nodded sadly.
Wesley picked up his pen and resumed his translation. "I'd have chosen Buffy."
He didn't have to look up to know that Willow's eyes had bugged out of their sockets.
"When did this stop being hypothetical!?" The red-head practically squealed.
"When you asked me 'can I ask you a hypothetical question'," Wes informed her, "no-one actually starts with that when it's REALLY hypothetical. Remind me to tell you about the Cavemen and astronauts some time."
Willow gave him a puzzled look, before shaking her head and focussing. "Look, alright, so I was talking about Buffy and Kennedy. But why would you choose Buffy?"
"Because you love her. You didn't really *love* Kennedy. She was just comfortable. And she wanted you."
Willow glared. "I hate it that you're always right."
"It's just a cross I have to bear."
---
Sunnydale, October 10th 2002
Dawn gazed at herself critically in the mirror.
Right. So this was something new.
It hadn't really happened intentionally. Just...well, really when did anything like this happen intentionally. She just met someone she thought was cute, funny, a bit eccentric maybe ('but hey, you can't complain when your friendship circle consists of a Wicca, a Slayer, a vampire and a...well, builder,') but ultimately...intriguing.
So what if she was a girl?
It wasn't like Willow had been condemned for dating Tara. Well, maybe there had been some tension there for a while, but that had subsided quickly enough. 'If I date a girl, will it be different?'
Dawn chuckled quietly to herself at that thought. 'Yeah, big IF there, Summers. She's...well, she's probably straight, if you play the odds.'
She brushed her hair back behind her shoulder, gazed critically again.
'I'm not that bad looking. Yeah, I could win a girl over.'
'I think.'
The phone rang, echoing through the house, but Dawn ignored it, knowing her sister would get it. It was probably for her, anyway.
'No-one ever calls me.'
"Hey, Dawn!"
Dawn's head perked up.
"It's for you. Someone called Amanda."
Dawn smiled.
---
London, July 20th 2006
Amanda could hear faint strains of 'The Ship Song' as she walked past Buffy's room. She'd been hearing that a lot lately, and it was starting to concern her.
She took a deep breath.
She hadn't really had any true interaction with Buffy, aside from training and whenever Dawn was around. They hadn't shared any great heart-to-hearts or anything. Buffy had accepted her into the Summers household, sure, but there had always been that underlying awkwardness that Amanda hadn't been able to shake whenever she was around Buffy on her own.
It was...'hell with it. It's an in-laws thing.'
She knocked cautiously on Buffy's door.
"Come in," came the voice from inside.
Amanda pushed the door open.
Buffy was sitting at her desk, a book open in front of her but plainly not being read. There was a bundle of tissues sitting on the desk, and her eyes were red and swollen.
She'd been crying.
"Hi, Amanda. You need something?"
The younger slayer exhaled the breath she'd been holding. "No...I was just..." 'How do I put this...' "wondering if you needed someone to talk to."
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "No, thanks. I'm good."
Amanda smiled grimly. "Buffy...you've been on a love-song fix for weeks now, and its mostly depressing love songs. I didn't know you could wear out CDs, but Dawn's copy of "Love Your Way" is going to need replacing."
Buffy chuckled, but quietly.
"I just want to know what's up, that's all."
Buffy sized her up. "How long did it take you to work up the nerve to do this?"
Amanda smiled. "Two days."
Buffy nodded slowly. "Take a seat."
Amanda sat on the bed.
"Essentially, this is...well, it's nothing, really. I just feel extra depressed at the moment."
"Dawn thinks it has something to do with Willow," Amanda stated, matter-of-factly.
Buffy let out an exasperated sigh. "Dawn should probably keep herself out of this."
"I do, too," the younger slayer continued. "You've been like this ever since you heard that she and Kennedy broke up."
Buffy looked at her somewhat appraisingly again. "Well, the two of you are observant, at least. God only knows how, with the two of you making googly-eyes at each other twenty-four hours a day."
Amanda glared amusedly. "We're talking about your love life, not mine."
Buffy nodded. "True. Well...the whole thing with Willow is - and I don't mean for this to offend you - but it's kind of private. But, yes, this is all about Willow. You were both right on that count."
Amanda nodded. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but if you ever do..."
"I'll come and see you, for sure," Buffy assured her.
As the other girl nodded and went to leave, the older slayer called, "Amanda?"
"Yeah?"
Buffy took a deep breath. "Has this been an in-laws talk?"
Amanda grinned. "Not really. It was good, I think. Very deep."
Buffy smiled. "Good. I'm glad you're here, you know. You're the best thing that ever happened to Dawn."
Amanda smiled shyly. "Thanks. That means a lot."
Buffy nodded. "It'll be the best thing that ever happened to me if you both pitch in to buy me some earmuffs."
---
Sunnydale, October 24th 2002
Willow took another spoonful of ice-cream and rammed it aggressively into her mouth, narrowly avoiding chipped teeth thanks only to reflexes honed by years of patrolling by Buffy's side.
'It was just a good time.'
***Buffy's hand slid across her brow, wiping away the sweat from the recent fight, trailing down her cheek ever so delicately. A complete contrast from the aggression and violence she had imparted on a few vampires only moments ago.***
'Let's not read too much into it.'
***She pressed her lips to the blonde's, adrenaline driven and desperate for contact. She dragged her fingers up the side of Buffy's ribcage, brushing gently against the side of her breasts, causing the slayer to arch her back away from her, giving the Wicca more access to do as she wished.***
'I mean, Will, I care for you a lot...'
***She slid her lips along Willow's neck, reclaiming the dominance that she'd momentarily surrendered. Everything Willow had given her she returned tenfold, unbuttoning the top few toggles of the redhead's shirt and dragging her tongue across the impossibly smooth and creamy skin at her disposal. The fact that they were in a crypt that had, until recently, been occupied by a half-dozen vampires bore no importance to her. To either of them. That was then, this was now, and the now won out convincingly.***
'Why risk what we have?'
***Buffy looked up into her eyes, hazel flecked with gold meeting emerald green and drilling in deep. Willow clutched at her top and hauled her back up to eye-level, kissing her again and running her hands through her hair even as Buffy's own fingers were nimbly sliding beneath the hem of her shirt and upwards towards her breasts. Dexterous nails scratched at nipples through lacy fabric, causing them to stiffen almost painfully. Willow felt her knees begin to buckle, knowing that if she didn't sit soon, she was going to collapse entirely...***
'I mean, would you really want to get into this with someone with my history, anyway?'
***Collapsing won out, and she dragged Buffy down with her, pulling her on top of her and hooking her legs around the Slayer's waist. Their hips were thrusting in some kind of instinctual (if reproductively uselsess) dance, and neither seemed inclined to stop...***
'Maybe we should pretend it never happened...'
Tears spilt into a bowl of ice-cream.
'...it never happened...'
(Ta da! You all hate me now, don't you? Oh well, please review anyway! (really, please!!!))