That's Life
by ITF
That's Life
[reviews]
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, and all them own
Buffy. Not me.
Rating: R. Eventually.
Spoilers: Everything is fair game. Takes place right after
6x11, "Gone"
Distribution: Just ask. I will likely say yes.
Feedback: I would love it. izualthefallen@hotmail.com
Summary: Season six. Takes place right after 6x11, "Gone".
Let's see what happens if the lives of Buffy and Willow
aren't completely eviscerated (at the least, no more than they already have
been).
Authors note: First fanfic I have written. Feedback would be
cool.
Speech: "Blah"
Thought: 'Blah'
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That's Life
By ITF
"Pretty neat, you finding the van," the slayer said as the
two friends walked out of the arcade and down the street. "So ... how did you
manage to ... do it exactly? I mean, to locate it?"
"The hard way. The spell free way. The
oh-my-god-my-head's-gonna-fall-off, my-feet-are-killing-me way." The redhead
replied with a grimace. She sighed and say down on the edge of the curb. Buffy
sat beside her. "I don't know how I got through this day."
"Well, the important thing is that you did. It's a ... good
first step." The blonde said, trying to cheer her best friend up.
"How are you doing, post-invisibleness?" Willow
inquired.
"Okay." Buffy replied, shrugging. "I still have some damage
control from my giddy fest. Dawn was pretty freaked out... The whole taking a
vacation from me thing didn't work out so well."
"Tell me about it," the hacker replied, nodding.
"Except ... when I got Xander's message ... you know, that I
was ... fading away ... I actually got scared." Buffy muttered, looking down.
"Well, yeah. Who wouldn't?" Willow
said, frowning.
"Me. I wouldn't. Not too long ago I probably would have
welcomed it. But I realized ... I'm not saying that I'm doing back-flips about
my life, but..." she nodded, "I didn't ... I don't ... wanna die." She looked
up at Willow, hoping she
understood. "That's something, right?"
"It's something." She reassured her friend. The two of them
sat silently for a moment, their faces grim.
"So I guess we both made good first steps." Willow
said, breaking the silence.
"I guess."
"Yay for us."
"Yay."
More silence.
"What happened to us?" Buffy asked, rhetorically. "When did
our lives get so screwed up?" She sighed again, resting her head on Willow's
shoulder.
"I don't know. I..." Willow
replied, resting her head against Buffy's. "I don't know."
Silence.
"I guess we should get home," the hacker offered.
"Mmnnn" Buffy replied in an almost audible fashion. 'No
home. Home means getting up. Getting up means moving. Willow
comfy. Me no move.' She thought to herself.
"Hmm?"
"I don't want to go home now. Let's go get lunch."
Buffy explained, compromising to herself. 'Me hungry. Lunch equals more Willow
time. Lunch equals good.'
"Okay. That sounds nice," Willow
replied with a tiny smile. 'I could use some Buffy time. I haven't had
enough lately.'
As the two of them stood up to leave, Buffy grabbed Willow's
hand, relishing in the rare feeling of being close to her friend. Willow
squeezed her hand lightly.
"So ... what do you want to eat?" Buffy asked, sounding more
cheery then she had in a while.
"I dunno. Wanna go to the Espresso Pump? We can have mochas
and banana bread or something..." Willow
suggested.
"It's a date." Buffy replied.
As the two of them sat down at their favorite table at the
Pump, Buffy sighed.
"What's wrong?" Willow
asked, her forehead wrinkling in worry.
'She is so cute when she does that...' Buffy thought to
herself. "I... I need to talk to you about something."
"You can tell me anything," the redhead replied, placing her
hand on top of Buffy's in a reassuring fashion.
"I know... It... It is kind of... Complicated though. Can we wait
until we get home?"
"Sure..." Willow replied, confused as to why her friend had
brought it up now.
"I just... I want to tell you, but it is hard. It's kind of
scary. Every time I try to talk to someone about it, I chicken out. I don't
want to any more though. I want to get this off my chest, so when we get home
please make sure that I talk to you about this." Buffy explained, almost as if
reading Willow's mind.
Several minutes later, they were munching down various
coffee shop foods and drinking mochas.
"So what are you doing tonight?" Buffy asked.
"Sitting at home. Possibly sulking myself to sleep."
"Heh. I had about the same idea..." the slayer trailed off, pausing
for a moment. "Wanna get a few videos? We can climb under a blanket and have
popcorn."
"Yeah. Ok. I'd like that!" the redhead replied, smiling. "No
depressing movies though."
"I think I should do that more often." Buffy muttered,
almost to herself.
"What now?" Willow questioned.
"Stay home with you." She replied. "And Dawnie." She added,
almost as an afterthought. "I mean, we live together, but I don't really see
you that much. Things have been rough lately, and I think I need to spend more time
with my family."
"Well, no complaints here. No sir-ee. Can't ever have too
much Buffy time. Not that you've been absentee lately, because you haven't.
Just that you're not always around. Which is okay, because you have your own
problems to deal with." Willow babbled.
'Mmm. She is so cute when she does that...' Buffy
thought to herself. "Right-o," she said, a semi-blank expression on her face.
"So, off to the video store then?" she asked, holding her hand out for Willow
to grasp.
"Sure." The hacker answered, accepting her friend's hand as
she sat up. "Lunch is on me," she said as they paid the bill and left.
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"I'll get the popcorn, you get everything else set up."
Willow instructed Buffy. "Dawn left a message. She is staying at Janice's for
the night, so we have the house to ourselves."
After the blankets were laid, and the popcorn made,
the two friends sat down beside each other on the sofa. Snuggling under the
blankets, Willow placed the popcorn between them and Buffy pressed play.
A half an hour and a bowl of popcorn later, Willow yawned.
"This movie is boring," she said, frowning. Buffy jumped.
"Wha? What? I'm awake," the slayer said in a sleepy manner.
"Yeah, well, anyways, you wanted me to get you to talk to
me..." Willow said quietly, remembering their earlier conversation at the
Espresso Pump.
"Let's talk about it in the morning. I'm sleepy," Buffy
muttered, trying to dodge her way out of it.
"Buffy, you said you wanted me to make you tell me."
"Yeah, but..." Buffy whined in response. Once she got a look
at Willow's resolve face, she sighed in submission. "Okay. Fine. Just.... Just
promise me that you won't hate me for this?"
"Buffy, I could never hate you. I love you, you know that.,"
Willow replied quickly, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You can tell
me anything, you — "
"I've been sleeping with Spike," Buffy interrupted.
"Oh. Well... Oh. That's... Wow. Oh. I... I um...Why?" Willow asked,
her manner calm and soft.
"I... I don't know. I just..." she trailed off, burying her face
into the witch's neck. "It just... it feels good. Feels at all. I haven't really
felt much since..."
"Buffy... it's ok..." Willow soothed, wrapping her arms around
the slayer and kissing the top of her head. "I mean, this is a bit surprising,
but... well, it kind of isn't my business anyways."
"'Course it is Will," came Buffy's muffled reply. "I...
I don't know why I do it. I hate myself afterwards..."
"Well, do you love him?" Willow interjected, finding herself
strangely worried at the answer.
"No. I just...can't say no." Buffy said softly, tears rolling
down her cheeks and soaking the shoulder of Willow's shirt. "Just... I can't help
it," she choked out between sobs. "Please help me Willow..." she begged, her
voice full of dejection.
"Of course I will help you Buffy... how can I though?"
"I don't know... just... can you come patrolling with me?
"Of course," the redhead replied.
"I mean, if I'm not alone with him, maybe I can stop," Buffy
continued, sitting up straight.
"I'll do anything I can," Willow said gently, slowly wiping
the blonde's tears away.
After a few moments of comfortable silence, Buffy smiled.
"I really screwed up, didn't I?" the smaller woman asked.
"Well, you're not the only one. I loved Tara so much... but I
screwed it up so badly... and now she's gone..." Willow said slowly, her eyes watering
up.
"Yeah, well, I guess we just need to stick together then,"
the Buffy said as she enveloped her friend in a crushing hug.
"Yeah," Willow managed to squeak out before Buffy let her
go. "Anyways, I'm kinda sleepy now. It's getting sorta late too. Do you need
anything?" she asked, wanting to make sure her friend was doing ok.
"Naa, I'm fine. Thanks!" Buffy responded, smiling at her
friend. Willow smiled back tenderly.
"Okay."
"I'ma try and sleep now too, I think. Um... Will... can I..." she
paused for a moment, staring into Willow's warm, green eyes. "...can I stay with
you tonight?"
"In my bed?" Willow replied, a bit surprised.
"Um... yeah, I am just kind of afraid of..."
"...being alone?" Willow finished for her.
"Yeah."
"Alright, you can. Just no snoring." Willow said, grinning.
"Thanks," Buffy said, smiling. "Okay, I'll go get changed
now," she said as she took off up the stairs and to her room.
Several minutes later, Buffy walked into Willow's bedroom.
"Cute jammies, Will." Buffy said, adoring the witch's cow
pajamas.
"Thanks," Willow replied. 'Hmm. Cute jammies yourself.
White panties and a white t-shirt. Very cute. Umm...is a t-shirt that tight
allowed to be called cute? Oh well, it looks good on her...' Willow internally
babbled, then blushed as she realized she was staring. She quickly turned
around and pulled the covers back. "Anyways, lets make with the sleeping
together." 'Oh no. Oh no oh no. I said that. Bad mouth. Bad, bad... uh oh,
still haven't corrected myself...' "I mean,
let'sacuallysleepnothavesexoranythinglikethat!" she said quickly. Buffy only
looked on with confusion and worry.
"Um...you okay there Will? You seem kind
of...hyperventilating-ey," Buffy said as Willow gasped down oxygen.
"What? Me? No, I'm fine!" Willow squeaked out before diving
under the blankets to hide. The slayer suppressed a chuckle at her friends
peculiar behavior.
"If you say so..." Buffy muttered. "Are you uncomfortable with
this?"
Willow poked her head out from under the blankets. "Nope.
Why would I be? It's not like I've never slept with girls before!" she said,
instantly wishing she was still hidden. "I mean, I have slept with you before
so it is not big deal." 'Uh oh. Uhohuhohuhoh. Getting bad again...' she
screamed to herself. "No, I mean, I... uh..."
"Will, just calm down. Breath. I can go to my room if you
want."
"No! No, it's fine... Really." the redhead replied, her cheeks
the same shade as her hair. She smiled as Buffy climbed in behind her.
"Okay then. Good. G'night, Will." Buffy mumbled.
"Night, Buff. Sweet dreams..." Willow said delicately, kissing
her gently on the lips. Buffy lightly moaned in response as sleep captured her
for the night.
Several minutes later, amidst Buffy's light breathing,
Willow was trying not to disturb her friend as she rolled around. 'Bleh. How
come I'm not sleepy now? I was before,' she thought to herself. 'Probably
has something to do with me being gay, and a very beautiful slayer laying a
half a foot away from me in her underwear,' she discussed internally,
continuing until she noticed Buffy shivering lightly. 'Damn. Left the window
open. Now I gotta get up... or I could not...' she decided, scooting closer to
her slumbering friend and wrapping her arms around her.
"Mmm...wha?" Buffy mumbled disjointedly.
"Shh... back to sleep..." Willow purred at her, kissing her
lightly on the forehead.
After a few moments of holding Buffy's warm body in her
arms, Willow drifted off to slumberland as well.
TBC