Halfway to Anywhere
by JinHayte
Watermarks
[reviews]
TITLE: Chapter 3 - Watermarks
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-15
COUPLES: B/W, B/S, W/K
CHAPTER NOTES: This chapter takes place before and during 'Lies My Parents Told Me'. If you don't remember the episode, you might have a hard time following (though only one scene, really).
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.
* * *
High above, in the pale blue sky, white puffs of condensed air chased each other, pushed forward by a wind unnoticed down below. The early morning sun peeked in from behind the clouds, sending light down through the tree crowns, forming beams of warmth that illuminated the lush spring grass, still wet from dew. Flowers of various shapes and colours huddled together between darker weed and the occasional yellow dandelion, creating a vibrant plaid of nature.
It was all very beautiful.
And yet, the only thing Willow could focus on was Buffy.
How her figure demanded attention as she struck out with a leg or an arm, carefully executing a dynamic series of lethal blows to the air, her limbs moving in perfect harmony with each other.
Her proud stature as she turned to her students, commanding and advising, teaching them how to survive, how to prevail.
Small details, like her pink lips, shiny from lip-gloss, her blonde hair dancing around her as she spun and the way her black leather pants cupped her round ass perfectly.
Willow sighed.
'Ugh, will you stop already?'
Resolutely, she forced her eyes away from her friend, tried to focus on other things. Such as the magpies occupying the phone line, looking down on the activity below.
'It must be so easy to be a bird,' Willow philosophised. 'You just eat and fly around and tweet. No kisses or complications getting in the way of everyday life.'
Another sigh.
'Yep, easy.'
Losing interest in the birds, her eyes moved south, to a certain brunette, currently in the process of mimicking one of Buffy's more complicated moves along with the rest of the potentials.
She seemed so devoted, so determined. Her stance screamed of confidence - as it always did - but this was one of the few times when there wasn't even a smidge of arrogance present.
At least, in Willow's eyes.
Kennedy's confidence-slash-borderline-arrogance was at first very intimidating to the witch. Which wasn't a big surprise. She just wasn't used to the kind of boldness that the brunette carried around in front of her for all to see.
'But now, that's one of the things I like most about her. She can be so...stubborn,' Willow thought with a smile.
For the shortest of moments, not even for a second, her gaze moved a little to the right, just in time to catch Buffy's eyes looking straight at her.
Willow's smile faltered.
The Slayer turned back to her Potentials.
'So this is how it's going to be?' the redhead thought, a knot tightening in her stomach. 'Guess this is the next step in her Commanding Officer role; she doesn't talk to me anymore, and now she can't even look at me.'
"Hey, Will."
Xander's voice ripped Willow from her thoughts. Looking up, she saw her friend standing next to her, smiling down at her.
"Hey," she said, returning the smile.
Sitting down beside her on the porch, he looked at Buffy and her army of Potentials.
"Everything alright?" he asked without diverting his eyes.
"Yeah. Why?"
"You looked like you sold the horse and lost the beans."
"Cow," she corrected.
"What?" He turned his head to look at her.
"Sold the cow. Not horse."
"Oh. Right. So?" he pushed.
"Nothing's wrong. I, uh, just remembered I still had some dishes to do."
It came out as less of a statement and more of a question.
He kept his gaze directed at her for a second, then turned it back to the yard. "Ok."
His sombre attitude got on her nerve, for some reason.
"Why are you here?" she asked, with just a smidge of accusation in her tone.
He shrugged. "Came to ride the kids to school, as usual."
She studied his face for a moment, before his answer registered.
"They're going? I thought school was out today, what with the students going on a rampage last night."
Again, he shrugged.
"Buffy called, said they were doing clean-up. One of the benefits of being a student at Sunnydale High; you get to clean up the Hellmouthy mess," he jested.
She didn't acknowledge it. Turning her eyes back to the training session, she rested her elbows on her knees and cupped her chin in her hands, staring at nothing.
They sat in silence, watching Buffy giving the girls the obligatory "nice work" to wrap things up.
"Well, that's my cue," Xander said, standing up. "Sure you're ok?" he asked one last time, looking at her with concern in his eyes.
She smiled a half-smile, nodding.
"Hey, Xan," Buffy said as she came closer. "Amanda, go get Dawn," she called over her shoulder at the girl. "I'll ride with you, if that's ok," she told her friend. Getting a "sure", she pushed passed them, entering the house.
"Later," he said to Willow and turned to follow the Slayer, but stopped and turned again. "Oh, and Will? There's no dishes," he said pointedly.
Without waiting for a reply, he vanished through the door.
Willow turned her head in time to see her girlfriend approaching. Smiling, she patted the porch next to her.
Kennedy sat down with a sigh, giving Willow a kiss on the cheek.
"Had fun?" the witch asked, taking the brunette's hand in hers.
"As always," she confirmed. "You got school today?" she asked, immediately changing the topic.
"Nope. I'm study-free."
"Good. I figured we'd do something, I don't know, fun. Fun fun, not training fun," Kennedy smiled.
"What didya have in mind?" Willow asked, leaning into her girlfriends body, savouring the contact.
"I don't know. Movie, shopping. Whatever you do for fun in this town. Been so long since we did something that didn't involve monsters and despair from hell."
"That's the problem with living on the Hellmouth, though; fun often means monsters and despair from hell," Willow said jokingly.
"We have to get out of here!" Kennedy said with mock horror. "Seriously, though, you up for it?"
"Sure. Let me just get changed-"
"You're fine," Kennedy interrupted. "Let's go."
With that, she pulled Willow up with her.
"What, now?"
"The sooner the better," she confirmed, pulling the witch with her into the house.
"But, don't you need to, you know, shower?" Willow asked as she was dragged through the kitchen.
"Nah, I'm good. Come on."
* * *
"Ok, something's gotta give," Buffy grunted. "I've been trying, really trying, to get you to go away, but like the stubborn bitch you are, you refuse."
Giving it one more go, one last desperate attempt, she realized it was futile.
"Fine, be that way! I'll just have to paint all over you! How'd you like that, huh?"
Stepping down from the ladder, Buffy crushed the useless rag in her hands and turned around, only to be faced with the worried faces of Dawn and Amanda.
"What?" she demanded.
"You're talking to yourself. Never a good sign," Dawn informed her.
Buffy slumped her shoulders and sighed, turning her head and giving the persistent graffiti a venomous look.
"It won't come out. We'll have to paint over it."
She tossed the rag on the floor and went passed the two girls.
"Buffy," Dawn whined. "Why do we have to do this?"
Buffy stopped and sighed once more.
"Everyone's gotta do it, Dawn."
"But I'm your sister!" the younger Summers continued. "Couldn't you, like, pull some strings? Get me out of clean up duty?"
"Me too," Amanda filled in.
"No," Buffy said abruptly.
She was tired, stressed, agitated. Cleaning up the school felt like the most worthless thing. She had better stuff to do, more important things to think about, people she shouldn't be focusing on; scrubbing the walls made her mind wander to places they shouldn't be.
'Give me something to fight. That does a better job at clearing my mind than this crap.'
"Like I said, everyone's gotta do it," she repeated. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go find some paint."
With that, she turned and marched down the crowded corridor, turning to go outside instead of finding said paint.
With all the students inside, and the courtyard having been mostly spared from the vandalism, she found herself alone. She walked to the far most bench, sitting down with a deep sigh. She ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back, closing her eyes and letting the sun hit her.
As per usual lately, as soon as she closed her eyes and relaxed, images of Willow came to her. Images of Willow eating, doing magic, laughing. Mostly, though, the thoughts of her friend were less friendly, more coupley. Her lips, for example.
'Those lips...' Buffy thought, her heart skipping a beat.
Thoughts of kissing those lips also frequented her mind, obviously. Pushing aside a few strands of the red hair that framed her beautiful face, looking into her emerald eyes and leaning in for a kiss, a wonderfully soft kiss soon turning more savage. Hands wandering, caressing, seeking contact. Breathes coming in quick pants, body heat increasing, clothes being removed for skin to touch skin.
Buffy leaned forward and, with a grunt, placed her face in her hands.
'God! What the hell's wrong with me?' she thought, only to scoff at herself. 'No, I know exactly what's wrong: I'm obsessing over my friend. My best friend. My very female best friend. I have a friggin crush on her!'
She paused.
She stopped breathing.
Looking up with wide eyes and staring at nothing, she opened her lips as if to say something, only to close them again.
She breathed out slowly.
"I have a crush on Willow."
The ends of her lips rose, forming a smile, evolving into a chuckle.
"Great. Just what I need," she moaned, shaking her head.
* * *
People.
The sunbathed street was filled with them. Or, at least, as filled as it could be in a small town such as Sunnydale.
A grey haired lady walking her dog, a poodle. A man in a nice brown suit hurriedly making his way to the other side of a road, looking at his watch instead of checking for any oncoming cars. A group of young teenage girls, laughing, pointing at one of the display windows. A young man and woman, holding hands, enjoying a slow stroll with seemingly no concern other than each other.
Everywhere around her, Willow watched as people she recognized but didn't know go about their business. She searched a multitude of faces that didn't really mean anything to her, looking for one face in particular. A face that meant a great deal to her.
For each new person that passed by her eyes, she felt a pinch of disappointment.
Somewhere at the back of her head, she could hear Kennedy's voice, but the words didn't register.
"So, then, the magically enhanced sumo-wrestler walked up to me and said: you wanna buy some leprechauns?"
"Mmm," Willow said, nodding.
She watched a girl with long blonde hair come into view, and for a split second, her heart took a few extra quick beats, only to die down to its normal pace when she saw her face.
"Red. Will. Willow!" Kennedy called, her voice finally catching Willow's attention.
Blinking her eyes, she turned to her girlfriend.
"Huh?"
"Where are you?" the brunette asked, clearly irritated.
"Oh. Sorry. I spaced for a second there," the witch smiled, giving a slight head shake. "You were saying?"
Kennedy leaned back from the table and crossed her arms. "Apparently, nothing of importance. And you've 'spaced for a second' all day. What's going on?"
"I'm sorry, I - it's nothing. What do you wanna do next?" she asked, changing the subject. She definitely didn't want to talk about what was on her mind.
'Not that I could tell you, anyway. You'd go bananas for sure.'
Kennedy held her eyes for a moment, looking like she was going to press the issue. Then, the hardness in her face softened, her eyes falling down. Sighing, she pushed up from the chair.
"I think I just wanna head back. This 'fun day' didn't really go as planned."
Willow looked up at her, frowning.
"Sorry."
'I sound like a broken record,' she added silently.
"Hey, not your fault. You're clearly busy with other stuff. Besides, I bet some of the girls are just dying for some exercise," the Potential said with a shrug.
Turning and starting to walk away, she added; "I know I am."
'Great work, Rosenberg! Here you are, a day off with your girl, and all you can do is obsess about - argh! Why am I doing this to myself?'
"Kennedy, wait!" she called, standing up and going after her retreating girlfriend.
* * *
Willow was alone in the kitchen, staring out through the window of the backdoor. Her hands were busy wiping a glass that was long since dry.
Out in the yard, her girlfriend was once again going through her training process.
Things with Kennedy hadn't gone well. Though they hadn't had a fight like the one a few days ago, the brunette had completely blown the witch off.
'Not that I blame her. It's completely understandable after I spent the entire day pretty much ignoring her, not being able to take my mind off Buffy.'
With that thought, Willow's hands started moving faster.
'Why is it so hard for me? Why can't I just put her out of my mind? Nothing's ever gonna come out of it, least of all something good. Like, for example, snuggles and kisses.'
She smiled at that thought before catching herself.
'Stop it! It's never gonna happen, no matter how much you wa- stop right there. Ok, so maybe I want to kiss her senseless, like, all the time, whenever I see her and whenever I don't. But I don't want her that bad. It's not like I'm in love with her.'
Her hands froze.
'Is it? No. It's only been a few days since we kissed, and I never felt like this for her before that. So it can't be.'
She swallowed.
'Please?'
"Hey, Will!" Dawn greeted as she came in to the kitchen, toting two grocery bags, looking at the witch with a quizzical expression as Willow turned around abruptly with wide eyes. "You okay?"
"Uh, sure. You startled me," the redhead said, lifting her right hand to brush some strands of hair from her face. She stopped the movement when she noticed the towel still in her hand. Staring at it for a split second, she quickly put both it and the glass on the counter, looking up at Dawn with a smile.
The younger Summers observed her erratical movements with a raised eyebrow, then put the bags on the counter.
"Had a fun day at school?" Willow asked, more to kill the silence than because of any genuine interest.
"Oh yeah," Dawn answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Cleaning up the high school, that's fun alright."
"Right," Willow nodded, leaning her back against the counter.
"Dawn, can you get the last bag?" Buffy called from the hall. Moments later, she appeared in the doorway.
Willow's eyes shone up at the sight of her friend, though she quickly averted her eyes.
Dawn faced her sister and placed her hand on her hip. "Clean up duty, shopping duty, and now I'm fetching bags - which you could've gotten yourself, by the way. What will you make me do next, tidy the Master's bedroom?" She said the last part in a bad British accent.
Buffy put the three bags she was carrying on the counter next to the others.
"You're funny," she said with a voice completely devoid of humour. "Now go," she added, tilting her head in the direction of the car.
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Fine."
Buffy gave Willow the shortest of glances, saying a short 'hi', before focusing on unpacking the bags and stuffing the groceries in the cupboards.
Dawn came back, put down the last bag and stretched her back, sighing.
"There. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I need a shower. I've got dirt and soot in all kinds of weird places."
She turned and disappeared out of sight, quickly making her way up the stairs.
Willow watched as her friend continued with her chore, the occasional rustle from the bags as she sorted through them the only sound in the otherwise quiet room.
'She still won't look at me,' Willow frowned. 'Much less talk to me.'
She straightened her back.
'Well, if she can't, then I will!'
She opened her lips, trying to force the words - any words - to come out, to break the silence that was getting on her nerves. With a sigh, she closed them again.
'What would I say, though? Hi, how was your day? Oh, and by the way, I wanna throw you up on the kitchen island and ravage your lips? Simply won't do.'
Once more, she tried saying something and once again, she gave up, blowing out a gust of air.
* * *
Buffy was sitting on her haunches, putting a box of cookies in one of the lower cupboards, when yet another of Willow's sighs reached her ears.
'That's it!' she thought, letting out a sigh of her own, a frustrated one.
She stood up and looked straight into Willow's surprised eyes.
'Those beautiful green eyes...I think I could lose myself in their sparkle.'
"What is it, Will? What do you want?" she asked, putting her left hand on the kitchen island and leaning on it. "Hmm? You wanna know what I'm thinking, what's on my mind?"
Not waiting for an answer, she pushed off from the counter and took a few steps closer to her friend.
"Ok, I'll tell you. You. You are on my mind, Will. Every second, I think of you. When I close my eyes, I see your face. Ever since we kissed, I can't seem to get you out of my mind and all I wanna do is just take you into my arms and kiss you again!"
She was now standing directly in front of Willow, but a few inches away.
Willow stared at her, her mouth a silent 'oh'.
Taking a step forward, Buffy placed her hands on each of Willow's arms. She looked into her eyes, seeking for anything resembling a protest. Seeing none, she leaned forward and fused their lips together, pushing her body tighter to Willow's, moaning at the much wanted...
"Buffy?"
With a start, Buffy returned to reality. Blinking her eyes she looked around.
'Good god!'
She was standing at her place by the counter, facing Willow. Willow who looked at her with concern clear on her face.
"You ok?" the redhead asked.
Buffy breathed out. Rubbing her forehead, she nodded.
"Yeah, just..." she trailed off and gave a little chuckle. "Some serious zone out, there."
'Seriously wonderful. Wow, it was so vivid, felt so real.'
She looked up at Willow again, smiling.
"You have something on your mind?" she asked.
"What? Me? No, what makes you think that?" Willow answered, clearly lying.
"Well," Buffy said, leaning back against the counter. "Either that, or you've found a new exciting hobby involving a lot of sighing."
She looked at the witch with a humoured expression, one of her eyebrows raised.
"Oh," Willow sighed, then chuckled. "It's nothing really, I just..." she trailed off, having no idea what to say.
"Just say it," Buffy pushed.
Willow's face turned serious. She straightened up and took a few steps closer to Buffy.
"Buffy, we need to talk," she said determinedly.
"Do we have to?" Buffy said, also taking a few steps closer.
She looked into Willow's eyes, the same green eyes that had just a few minutes ago caused her to soar into space. Her gaze drifted down to the lips she had wanted to taste for days, unwittingly moistening her own. Her eyes returning to emerald green, she took yet another step closer.
"Can't we just..."
Willow took a shuddered breath.
"Buffy..." she whispered.
"Bloody hell!"
At the sound of Spike's voice, both girls snapped out of it, jumping apart.
"Spike?" Buffy asked, her eyes wide as if she was caught doing something bad. She pushed her hair behind her ears.
The vampire slammed the basement door closed and leaned against it with a groan.
Looking up at the ceiling, he started ranting; "Can somebody please be so kind to tell some of the girls that I'm a vicious, dangerous fiend, who might, if he's asked too many questions, do something utterly horrible?"
Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you on about now?" she asked, her voice annoyed.
Spike pushed up and sighed, rubbing his neck. "Oh, some girls are down there, playing 20 questions with me. It's not hilarious."
He fished out his pack of cigarettes and popped one in his mouth.
"I think I preferred it when they feared me," he said, looking at Buffy before lighting the cigarette. "So, what were you two talking about?" he asked, blowing out a puff of smoke.
"Nothing!" both girls said simultaneously.
Spike cocked an eyebrow.
"I gotta..." Willow said, pointing upstairs. "Yeah."
With that, she swiftly made her way out of the kitchen.
"Alright," the vampire said. "What's up with Red and what did I do?"
He looked at Buffy, clearly wanting an explanation.
"Spike, not in here," Buffy said, nodding at his cigarette.
"What?" He looked at the object in his hand. "She doesn't like it when I smoke in the house?" he asked, confused.
"No! I don't know." She shook her head. "Just put it out. I don't want you smoking inside."
He held her gaze for a moment, before giving a nod.
Still looking into her eyes, he crushed the cigg in his left hand, his face showing no reaction what so ever. With a smile, he sauntered into the hallway, careful not to step into any spots of sunlight.
Buffy rolled her eyes at his display, but couldn't help smiling. Her smile faded, however, as she looked in the direction Willow had retreated.
* * *
"Kun'ati belek sup'sion. Bok'vata im kele'beshus. Ek'vota mor'osh boota'ke."
As the last word of the incantation left Willow's mouth, the golden stone shimmered into a liquid form, wriggling in its place in the box.
Giles looked at it warily, leaning away from it. Keeping his eyes on it, he held the box up to Spike.
"Oh, you have to be joking!" the vampire exclaimed. "What now?"
"It has to access the cerebral cortex via the optic nerve," Giles explained.
"Oh, bollocks," Spike cussed. "With all the rubbish people keep sticking in my head, it's a wonder there's any room left for my brain.
Rolling his eyes, Giles pushed the box closer.
"I don't think it takes up that much space, do you?"
The stone slithered out of the box onto Spike's cheek, up to his right eye. As it entered, Spike twitched.
"Ow. Oh, ow!" he yelled, recoiling.
"Spike!" Buffy called out, running forward and sitting down on the cot. "Spike, listen to me."
"Yeah," came the vampire's response.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"How am I supposed to know if this bug-ugly's doing its job?" he asked, before turning silent, staring into thin air.
The room was quiet for a moment, everyone waiting for some kind of reaction.
"Spike?" Buffy said, searching his face. The Vampire's eyes were frozen in place, looking into the distance. "Giles?"
"I think the spell's working," the Watcher answered.
"What do we do?" she asked with a frown.
"Wait. Shouldn't take long."
Buffy put her hand on Spike's shoulder, clearly concerned.
A few feet away, Willow watched them with a frown. Sighing, she closed the book she had been reading out of, holding it to her chest.
It didn't take long for Spike's reaction to the spell to show. Soon, his eyes turned yellow and the ridges of his eyebrows bulged out, his face taking on its true form.
After that, things happened so fast.
Grabbing a surprised Buffy by the throat, he held her up in the air.
Willow, acting on instinct, rushed forward to do something, anything to help.
A split second later, it was Willow who was in the clutches of the raging vampire, Buffy having been tossed to the side.
The fingers of his hand held her throat like a vice, while his fangs closed in on her shoulder, piercing flesh.
Willow's brain shut down. When she could've easily pushed him away with a spell, or even incinerate him on the spot, all she did was scream.
She heard her name being called, and not a second later, she was yanked away, landing hard on the cold basement floor.
Though her sight was slightly blurred, she could still see Buffy kicking Spike in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall, falling down on the cot.
Grunting, both the vampire and the witch collapsed in their respective places.
"Willow!" Buffy called, running to her friend's side. "Talk to me, Will!" she yelled, her voice terrified. One of her hands cupped Willow's cheek.
Willow opened her eyes and shook her head. "I'm ok," she coughed, trying to sit up.
Helping her up, Buffy continued to support her once she was sitting. Checking the wound on Willow's shoulder, she breathed out in relief.
"It's just a scratch," she said, smiling at the witch, softly caressing her cheek with her fingers.
"Funny. Didn't feel like just a scratch," she scoffed, but returned the smile.
Spike screamed, drawing the attention back to him. He was standing, his head tilted back. The stone fell out of his eye, turning solid before hitting the floor.
His face turning back into its human façade, he blinked, looking around him confused. The accusing stares didn't bother him.
'Not like it's my fault, I can't control it.'
But when he saw Buffy, and the way she held onto Willow, his jaws clenched.
* * *
Buffy was leaning against the stair railing, her eyes fixed on Spike and his stubborn struggles against the chains.
"Buffy?" Willow said, coming down the stairs.
The Slayer turned around, facing her friend.
"Hey, I, uh, just got a phone call," the redhead continued. "I'm gonna have to take off for a while. Maybe a day or two?"
Buffy's eyes widened.
"What? No, you- why? Are you ok? What's going on?" she babbled, putting her hand on Willow's shoulder.
"I'm ok, Buffy," Willow ensured. "And it's nothing you need to worry about. I'll give you the full scoop later. Maybe I'll even bring back some good news?"
Buffy's shoulders slumped, her hand falling to her side. "Could use a little of that," she conceded. "Are you sure you're ok?"
Willow just nodded.
"Ok. Just, hurry back?"
"Will do," Willow said, smiling. Hesitating for a second, she turned around and went up the stairs.
Buffy stared at her retreating form, a small frown creasing her forehead.
- to be continued -