Halfway to Anywhere
by JinHayte
Coming To Terms
[reviews]
TITLE: Chapter 2 - Coming To Terms
SERIES: Halfway to Anywhere
AUTHOR: Jin Hayte
FEEDBACK: Always. Give it to me here, or at jinhayte@hotmail.com
SPOILER WARNING: Everything up to the end of the last episode of BtVS is fair game.
SUMMARY: With the final battle approaching, Buffy and Willow discover a connection between them that is something more than friendship. But Willow is with Kennedy, and Buffy is starting to feel something for Spike, whether she likes it or not.
DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles and all the other characters in the syndicated TV-show Buffy The Vampire Slayer belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy etc, etc. I do NOT own any of the official characters, their names or their backgrounds. This story, however, is mine.
DISTRIBUTION: http://www.angels-fall-first.com
If you want it, ask and we'll see
RATING: PG-13
COUPLES: B/W, B/S, W/K
CHAPTER NOTES: This chapter contains a few scenes tied in closely to those in 'Storyteller'. If you haven't seen the episode or it's been a long time since you did, you might get a little confused by the overall flow.
STORY NOTES: 1) If you haven't gotten it yet, this isn't a straight-to-the-goodness Buffy/Willow fic; Kennedy and Spike are also in the picture. Keep that in mind.
2) This fic will, mostly, follow canon from 'Get It Done' to the end of 'Chosen', but small things here and there will be altered to fit my needs. Also, some things have to change because of the new depth in the B/W relationship.
* * *
Willow slowly opened the door to Buffy's room and peeked through the tiny gap. Seeing that the hallway was empty, she opened the door further and stepped outside.
Voices could be heard coming from downstairs, but other than that, the house was oddly quiet.
She walked towards the room she and Kennedy shared with some of the Potentials, but stopped short of the door and turned around. Contemplating whether or not to face the music now, she figured it'd be better to wait a while.
'Not too eager to have the talk right now,' she thought as she made her way down the stairs.
"Morning!" she said cheerfully as she made her way into the kitchen. She stopped as the flurry of voices and laughs died down immediately as she entered.
'Ok, what?' she thought, but kept her happy face on.
Rona, Molly and two other Potentials stood around the kitchen island, eating cereal directly out of the boxes.
"Hey," Rona said, picking up a glass and turning around, putting it in the sink.
"Hey?" Willow said hesitantly, making her way to the fridge.
"Kennedy's not here!" Molly burst out in her cockney accent.
Willow froze in her steps, turning around slowly.
"She's walking Dawn and Amanda to school," one of the other two, a slightly overweight blonde, filled in.
"Yeah, she seemed eager to get out of the house," Rona continued accusingly, moving over to stand by the bench again.
"Oh," Willow said with a sigh, realizing that their argument must've been heard by everyone in the house.
Her eyes widened a little. 'Buffy! She must've heard it too!'
Turning back around to the fridge, she opened it and took out carton of orange juice.
She poured herself a glass in silence. None of the Potentials said anything, they just stood around looking uncomfortable, pretending to be busy with their breakfast. Except Rona who glared at the witch, her arms crossed over her chest.
Quickly finishing her drink, Willow put the glass in the sink.
"I'm gonna head out to, I have class," she said as an excuse and, not waiting for a reply, left the room.
After knocking on her bedroom door, only to find the room empty, she threw on some fresh clothes and left the house, even though her class didn't start for another two hours.
* * *
"Ok, class, that's all for today. See you next week."
Willow jerked, taking her eyes off the outside world.
'Huh, what?'
Around her the other students packed their stuff together and rose from their chairs, starting to pile out the classroom.
She looked down at her notebook, seeing a clean sheet.
'Oh, darn it!'
She'd been so deep into thought that she'd neglected to make a single note. She hadn't even put down the name of the class.
Frowning, she put the pad and her pen in her bag and stood up.
"Uh, Willow. May I have a word with you?" the teacher asked as she turned to walk out.
'Busted!' she thought.
Putting on a happy, innocent face, she turned towards the teacher. "Sure, professor!"
He leaned on his desk, his hands holding on to the edge. He waited until they were alone before speaking up.
"Are you alright? You seemed a bit...no, you seemed very distracted today," he said, frowning. "You didn't say a word."
Willow adjusted the bag strap on her shoulder, avoiding eye contact. "Yeah, sorry, there's just a lot going on," she apologized, giving him a smile.
The professor nodded. "Something you wanna talk about?"
"That's ok," she dismissed the offer. "Thanks."
He sighed, and stood up straight, walking around the desk and started pushing papers around.
"Well, whatever it is, don't let it get in the way of your studies," he admonished sternly. "And remember," he added, more gently. "I'm always here, if you wanna talk."
"I know," she replied, still smiling. "I promise, next week, I'll be here. All of me."
"Glad to hear it."
Willow shifted her weight onto her other leg, waiting to see if there was anything else he wanted. When he didn't say anything for a few seconds, she again adjusted the strap, and started walking towards the door.
"Well, see ya," she said cheerfully.
"Bye, Miss Rosenberg." He didn't look up, just gave a little wave with his hand.
Willow quickly fled the scene.
* * *
"What's the point, though?"
"The point, Dear Rona," Andrew said, putting on his most patronizing smile, "Is to keep a record of what we're doing, what the Slayer's doing. You know, for future generations."
The boy stood in front of the coffee table in the living room. In his hands was a video camera, currently aimed at Rona and Vi sitting on the couch.
"Yeah, but, we're not doing anything that's worth recording, you nut," Rona said in her usual brash manner.
"Right, we're just...playing cards," Vi agreed.
"Ah, but isn't it important to show how you all can relax and play cards, for example, at a time like this?" Andrew asked rhetorically. "You know, when you've got the First Evil after you and there's probably an apocalypse coming, one which I'm sure we're all gonna d-" he trailed off when he saw the look on the girls' faces. "Uh, I mean, when, you know..." he backtracked lamely.
Right then, the front door opened and Willow walked in.
"Ah, Willow!" Andrew exclaimed, glad to be saved from that awkward situation. He turned the camera towards the witch, zooming in on her.
"Tell our gentle viewers what you've been doing all day."
Willow gave him a puzzled look before turning to the Potentials.
"Is Kennedy home?"
Vi and Rona looked at each other.
"In the garden," the redheaded Potential replied, nodding towards the back of the house.
"Thanks," Willow said, dumping her bag on the stairs before making her way through the house.
Andrew kept the focus on her until she was out of sight, and then turned it around so that he was in the picture.
"That, gentle viewers, was Willow," he started narrating. "The witch of our small little group of demon fighters. She and her girlfriend, the Potential Kennedy, had a big argument last night after Willow used Kennedy's life force to complete a spell. Now, I didn't hear the argument myself, but as you've all witnessed earlier, the other Potentials have been whispering about it."
He sat down in the armchair, still keeping the camera aimed towards him.
"It seems like Kennedy accused our dear Willow of having feelings for Buffy."
"Hey!" Rona shouted. "They don't need to know about that!"
She stood up and tried to snatch the camera from him. He refused to give it up, however, and a pulling fight over the device started.
"Hey, let go!" Andrew shrieked. "The generation to come has a right to know everything that goes on in here!"
* * *
Willow eased the backdoor closed, quietly sitting down on the porch. Ahead of her, in the yard, Kennedy was training, punching and kicking at an imaginary foe.
The witch just sat there for a while, a tiny smile on her face, watching the grace of her girlfriend, how hard she tried to be of any use for the group, to be ready.
'Buffy has grace too,' her mind reminded her. 'Yeah, but she's a Slayer. And I don't wanna give Kennedy up. Not that Buffy wants me that way, cause she doesn't. And I don't want her,' she tried to convince herself.
After a series of spinning kicks, Kennedy noticed her sitting there. She stopped all movement and just stood still, looking at her, their eyes meeting.
"Hey," she said after a moment.
"Hi," Willow smiled. "Sorry to interrupt."
"Ah, that's alright," the Potential said, walking towards the witch, brushing off her thighs. "Needed a break anyway."
She sat down next to Willow, looking out at the steadily darkening yard.
"School was good?" she asked, trying to make conversation.
"Yeah," Willow lied.
They sat in silence, neither knowing what to say. For every minute, the sun set a little bit deeper, the sky darkening, the shadows growing.
Finally, Willow'd had enough.
"Kennedy..." she started.
"No, don't," the Potential interjected, turning towards the redhead and putting up a hand. "I'm sorry. Sorry for yelling at you and for kicking you out. It's just...Buffy's shoes, they're hard to fill."
Willow took Kennedy's hand gently in hers, looking her straight in the eye.
"Kennedy, you don't have to fill Buffy's shoes. You can't. We have never been anything more than friends. She's my best friend, and you're my girlfriend. And I want you as my girlfriend," she insisted.
Kennedy smiled, looking down at her shoes.
"Ok?" Willow asked, getting a nod from her girlfriend. "Good."
"I'm still sorry, though," Kennedy said, looking up. "Hope the couch didn't treat you too badly."
Willow gave a fake smile.
'I'd be able to answer that question if I had slept in it and not in Buffy's bed. Oh, and kissed her, as well. Buffy kissage, mmm-no! Bad thoughts!'
She shook her head to rid her mind of those thoughts.
"It wasn't too bumpy," she covered, the smile still plastered on her face.
"Aw," her girlfriend pouted. "My baby's got an achy body?" she said, scooting closer, putting an arm around the witch.
"Mmm, got a cure?" Willow asked.
Kennedy let the kiss speak for itself.
* * *
"So, what official Slayer business did the Slayer take care of today?" Andrew asked as he followed Buffy around the house, the camera rolling.
Buffy looked over her shoulder, giving him a poisonous look.
"Didn't I just tell you to shut that thing off?" she asked, making her way out of the kitchen.
"Any monsters killed?" the nerd asked, ignoring her. "Perhaps a-a demon masking as a student, collecting various organs - like hearts, brains, livers and the like - for some kind of obscure ritual?"
Buffy scrunched her noise in disgust.
"No," she sighed, deciding to humour him. "No demons today. Just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill, non-Hellmouthy school..." she trailed off as she entered the living room, walking in on Willow and Kennedy kissing on the couch. "...day." she finished quietly.
The pair broke off as they realized they weren't alone anymore.
"Oh!" Willow squeaked. "H-hey, Buffy."
The room was dead silent for a moment; only the low buzzing from the camera could be heard. The camera that was recording every second.
Seemingly shrugging it off with a neck twitch, Buffy continued walking.
"Hey," she said as she passed the couple, heading directly up the stairs.
Andrew stood in the hallway, filming as the Slayer made her retreat. Then he aimed the camera towards Willow and Kennedy, the witch looking sadly after Buffy and Kennedy squirming a bit, looking uncomfortable.
Willow kept looking at the stairs, oblivious to the look on her girlfriend's face.
Minutes later, as he heard footsteps on the stairs, Andrew turned again, this time catching Buffy in different clothes; crimson jeans, black leather jacket and a black cap.
She ignored him as well as the pair on the couch, exiting the house through the front door.
Not really knowing what to do, Andrew switched the focus of the lens from the front door to Willow and Kennedy and back to the door. Finally, he switched off the camera, put on a jacket and headed out after the Slayer.
* * *
'Focus on the monitor. Focus on the monitor,' Willow chanted in her head. She was in the dining room, sitting in front of her laptop, researching the dagger that Andrew had used to open up the Seal of Danzalthar.
Leaning over her shoulder was Buffy, reading what was on the monitor, a bit too close for Willow's comfort.
'Not that I mind, cause she smells very nice and her hair is kinda tickeling my - No! It's bad. Bad. She shouldn't be this close,' she thought, glancing at the Slayer. 'Oh, I could just turn my head and lean forward a little...argh! Stop that! Focus on the monitor, research the evil dagger, the instrument of evil.'
She tried her best to stay focused, but she didn't fare very well. She couldn't stop glancing at Buffy, who seemed oblivious to her predicament.
"Wait, go back up," the Slayer suddenly said.
"What?" Willow yelped, pushing the mouse forward making the page scroll up to the top. "Oh, right, sorry," she apologized, scrolling down more carefully.
Buffy looked at her with a slight frown, then realized how close she was.
Clearing her throat, she backed off a little bit.
"There," she said, pointing at the screen.
Willow leaned forward a bit and read aloud, "The Remorse of the Releaser shall flow and cleanse the Blood of the Words."
"Releaser?" Buffy asked.
"Andrew," Willow explained.
"So, what? He has to say 'I'm sorry' to the Seal?" the Slayer asked incredulously. "Doesn't make any sense."
"Well..." Willow started, but didn't continue.
"What?"
"I guess, if blood opens it, then tears would close it? Remorse plus flows means tears, right?" The redhead looked up at her friend.
Buffy nodded hesitantly.
"How are you gonna make him cry, though?" Willow asked.
"Oh, that's not a problem," Buffy said, shaking her head. "But we don't say anything about the tears thing, he can't know."
Buffy pursed her lips.
"Will, are you sure it's the tears?"
Willow looked back at the monitor, reading the line a few more times.
"I think it's got a shot," she said, turning around.
Nodding, Buffy made her way towards the living room, Willow following.
"Guess what, Andy," the Slayer said, getting everyone's attention. "You just won yourself a free vacation to the beautiful downtown Hellmouth."
* * *
Buffy pushed the front door open, holding it open for Andrew. Not saying a word, the boy walked passed her and up the stairs. She looked at him with a serene expression before closing the door.
In some strange way, she felt sorry for the boy. Despite everything he had done, all the chaos he had caused in her and her friends' lives, he was still so naive, so innocent. She found it harder and harder to not think of him as such.
'Though he sure rubs me the wrong way sometimes.'
After shrugging off her jacket and hanging it on the coat-hanger, Buffy walked into the unlit kitchen.
She opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water, uncorking it. Leaning against the sink, she took a sip, closed her eyes and sighed.
"Seal all closed?" Willow asked as she walked in from the dining hall, flicking on the lights.
Buffy opened her eyes, giving a small nod. "Yup. Tears worked like a charm."
"So, what you do to make him cry?" the redhead inquired as she leaned forward on the kitchen island. "Threaten his DVD collection?"
"Put a knife to his throat," the Slayer deadpanned.
"Oh. That would work, I guess." Willow didn't seem all too shocked.
"It did," Buffy said, taking another sip of her water. "Why are you still up?" she asked.
"Kennedy's asleep. I figured I'd wait up, see how things went," the witch explained.
"Oh."
Neither girl knowing what to say next, they stood in awkward silence, Buffy taking small sips from her bottle and Willow playing with a grape, pushing it around with her fingertips.
'Why is she still here? Can't she just go away? She should be upstairs with her girlfriend, not down here with me,' Buffy thought, part-grumpily, part-jealously and part-happy.
"Well," Willow sighed, standing up straight. "Good night."
She turned and started walking towards the dining hall.
"Willow, wait!" Buffy exclaimed, pushing off from the sink and putting the bottle on the bench.
The witch turned around.
"What?"
"Look, about the other day," Buffy started, walking around the kitchen island.
"Yeah?" Willow said, her pulse increasing. She took a few steps closer to the blonde.
"I...I'm sorry. I never should've kissed you," Buffy apologized, putting her hands on the bench, leaning backwards. "I was just so into the dream, I thought you had died, it was so real."
She looked down at the floor, getting lost in the memory. Shaking her head, she lifted her head, looking into Willow's eyes.
"It won't happen again. It was just a fluke, and I would never do anything to ruin things for you and Kennedy," she insisted, her voice stable.
Willow stood still for a moment, just taking it in.
'A fluke? That's it?' she thought disappointedly. 'Of course that's it! She doesn't like me that way. How could she? And I don't like her that way, so it's all fine,' she decided.
'But if it's all fine, then why do I feel like crap?'
Pursing her lips and releasing a sigh, she nodded.
"Ok."
Turning around, she walked out of the kitchen. "Night, Buffy," she threw over her shoulder, leaving the Slayer alone.
Buffy released the breath she had been holding.
'Ok, that went well. I think. This is good. No confused feelings. Willow's with Kennedy, and I'm with...who, Spike?'
She shook her head and walked back around the island, picking up the bottle and pouring the water into the sink.
'This is good, right? Yeah.'
She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling.
'Then why do I feel like crap?' she asked herself as the first tear fell despite her best efforts.
Upstairs, Willow silently crawled into bed, trying her best not to disturb Kennedy or the Potentials sleeping on the floor.
Her head resting on the soft pillow, she looked at the sleeping form of her girlfriend, her face barely visible in the moon light.
Biting her lip, Willow did her best to keep the tears from coming, to hold them in, but soon her shoulders started shaking as the first soft sob shook her body.
* * *
- to be continued -