Start of a New Life
by Rin
Start of a New Life
[reviews]
A/N: This may be confusing at first. I apologize for that...but I promise things will be explained later. I'm back from my hiatus!! Yay!!!!
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"Well...here we are." Willow pulled up into the driveway, and placed the Jeep in park. Looking over at her wife, she couldn't help but kiss her tenderly again before they entered the world after their somewhat interesting honeymoon. Storms, friends, and lots of improvisation gave it that extra flair that seemed to always show up in their lives.
"Do you remember when things used to be normal?" Buffy smiled with a dazed expression plastered on her face from the kiss. Willow took a moment to ponder this, and let out a thoughtful sigh.
"Um...no." Then, she smiled, pecking Buffy on the mouth one last time before opening the car door. Right on cue, Dawn and Bubbles ran towards them, obviously hearing the car pull into the driveway. 'She must've been really, really bored if she was paying attention to that...'
"Hey guys!! Or rather girls. How was your trip???" The young brunette's enthusiasm caused the two newlyweds to groan. Since it was their last night as honeymooners, they had taken full advantage of that fact, and hadn't managed to get a wink of sleep. Even with lots of naked time, and release of frustration, a large lack of sleep caused for cranky lovers.
"Hey Dawnie. It was fun. Faith and Kennedy got stuck there in the storm. Long story; we'll tell you once we've had a little more sleep." Willow blushed as she explained briefly about the trip, and Dawn smirked in that 'I'll bet I know why you're tired' expression. Buffy came around her side of the car with her duffle bag in tow, wrapping her arm around her wife to save her from the embarrassing comments and questions that she knew were coming from her sister.
"Why don't we head inside, and get that sleep? We'll leave Dawn to bring the bags inside." Buffy smiled, and winked at Willow playfully, inaudibly asking her to play along. The redhead always was quick.
"Yeah. That sounds like a great plan. After all, I'm really, really tired, and don't think that I could lift more than...um...more than..." Willow looked around, trying to find something in her view to use.
"Right...and I'm sure sleep is really going to happen in that room once you get in there." Dawn crossed her arms, and took on a scolding stance. Buffy raised an eyebrow at the reversal of roles, and chuckled slightly, moving the duffle bag better on her shoulder. "I'll help so you don't have to make another trip but I'm not going to take everything inside so you can do the horizontal polka...probably for the umpteenth time this week." Willow blushed, which was all Dawn needed to know; there would be no more questioning. Thinking of her sister as a sexual creature was not high on her list of things that didn't gross her out, no matter how much she liked the redhead.
"Thanks, Dawnie." Willow opened the back hatch, and started pulling the various bags from the vehicle. Picking up a few, she followed the two other girls to the door, Bubbles following behind in her usual happy manner. Buffy, who was walking in the lead, suddenly stopped, causing a chain reaction of bumper babes; Dawn bumped into her sister, and that caused Willow to bump into the brunette. Shaking their minds free of what just happened, and laughing lightly at what they must look like, the two followers just glared at their leader for an explanation to their sudden halt. The blonde laid her duffle and bags down on the ground, and moved over to Willow, pulling the bags in her hands, and placing those on the ground. The confused redhead was startled, and taken off guard when Buffy scooped her up with supernatural strength, and carried her over the threshold of the house. When the blonde released her back to land, Willow rolled her eyes in amusement, and her smile was huge and pleased as she leaned over to kiss her wife.
"Told you it was my turn to carry you." Buffy wrapped her arms around her lover, and pulled Willow closer, planting numerous kisses all over her face, causing the redhead to giggle from the tickling, tingling sensations caused by the blonde's lips.
"Hate to break up the Kodak moment here but you're not officially home yet." Dawn inched her way around them, and started moving upstairs to distribute their bags to their bedroom. Once the two newlyweds picked up on what she was referring to, they grabbed their bags, and left the ones that held things for downstairs in the foyer by the coat rack, and followed suit behind the younger Summers.
When they entered their room, they had to sigh. Looking at the bed that they would share as wife and wife, they couldn't help but keep the longing from their faces. They were home, and now according to a few minor changes, it was official. They were married. The focus was no longer on their wedding, or the spontaneous honeymoon. Now, the two newlyweds could focus on their life together, and go through life day by day more than likely with smiles plastered on their faces. Such is the life of two people helplessly in love...
"Wow...we really did it." Buffy kept her smiling face glancing around the room a few more moments before casting her loving gaze towards her wife. 'My wife...Mom, this is it...the real thing. If you're listening, I'm happy, and this is my life. Willow's my life. Please watch over us, wherever you are...I know you always have before.'
"Yeah...we really did. Now what?" Willow averted her glances around the room to her slightly
shorter lover, and sighed deeply through her loving gaze.
"I'm exhausted. I say we sleep a little bit. Even two hours of sleep would be more than our average any night this week." Buffy chuckled, and Willow followed suit, knowing that her lover was correct. Sleep wasn't something that was on their agenda most of the time, even when they had other people in the house. There was even an hour or two that Buffy wanted to test how long Willow would be able to take it, where she walked around naked the entire time, daring her lover to say or do something...she was leaning towards the do, and she wasn't disappointed.
Dropping their bags unceremoniously on the floor, the two girls chucked their shoes off, and practically fell on the bed. Groaning, Buffy shifted up to the top of the bed until she could kick the covers down enough to slip under them. When they managed to find a comfortable snuggled position, the blonde could feel the sweat coming from her brow, and that's when she noticed that it was unusually hot in the house. When Willow felt her wife shift uncomfortably again for the seemingly thousandth time, she too elicited a groan. She hadn't been paying particular attention to the heat, and more on trying to help Buffy get comfortable while she was lying across her.
"What is it?" Willow moved over to her side of the bed, and Buffy sat up suddenly, kicking the covers down in a frustrated manner.
"Nothing...just a little hot. That's all." Buffy threw her socks across the floor...somewhere; she wasn't sure where they landed. Not something she was used to doing but her tired body was protesting organization at the moment, and she didn't think that Willow was in her usual organized manner, either.
"Do you want me to get the fan from the closet? I didn't notice before but now that you mention it, it is a little warm in here. Was it this hot outside?" Willow sat up, joining her lover, and kicked her socks off, as well. However, she watched where they landed, and smiled when they hit nothing but net in the laundry hamper. Then, she moved her attention back to Buffy, and started rubbing her back softly. For some reason, the heat had made the blonde tense, and it showed in her muscles.
"No...no. I don't think either of us is going to be able to take much more movement before we just pass out from exhaust. We'll just wing it. No big deal." Buffy sighed, and tried to calm her nerves. She felt that she was being ridiculous about being overheated, and didn't want to act silly. She was just cranky from lack of sleep, even if it was well worth the reason. In split nanoseconds, she ignored the dizziness, and the heaviness her head had taken, chalking it all up to exhaustion.
"Are you sure? I can get it...it's just down the hall, and your shirt is starting to soak from your sweat. It is really hot in here. Let me just get the fan really quick. It'll take just a second." Willow made to move but Buffy held her down slightly, willing her to stop. The redhead's sudden movement made the blonde a little dizzy, and she wasn't sure why exactly. "Are you okay? Buffy...Buffy? Baby...oh no...DAWN!!!"
Willow moved quickly in her panicked state, and tried moving her wife into a more comfortable position without moving her too much. One minute they were talking, and trying to get some sleep, and the next, Buffy's passed out, presumably from the heat. She tried to work through things but her frightened mind made her practically run in circles, trying to figure out what to do first. She continued to yell for her sister-in-law, and the younger girl ran up the stairs quickly, hearing the panicked cry from the redhead. Willow grabbed the fan from the closet, and was setting it up when Dawn made it into their bedroom.
"What is it, Willow? Is something wrong?" Dawn moved over, and tried to get the redhead to take calming breaths, and when Willow finally had a steady pattern, she asked what the problem was.
"We were...and then she...with the...and...oh, Dawn!" Willow flung the younger girl into a tight embrace, trying to find solace in anything. Sure, it was unusually hot, and they were tired but not enough to pass out. Something else was happening, and that made the redhead worry and panic more than usual.
"Okay...slow down again, Will. What happened exactly? Details would be nice this time." Dawn moved the redhead to the vanity chair, and helped her breathing calm once more.
"Oh, Dawnie. We were trying to get comfortable to sleep but we couldn't, and then, she just sat up, and was hot all of a sudden. I didn't notice until she said something but it is strangely warm in the house...and then, I wanted to get the fan, and she said no that we should just sleep, and then she passed out. Her shirt was wet because the sweat was coming through, and Dawnie...I don't know what to do...what..." Willow broke down into sobs, and the young Summers woman wrapped her in her arms, trying to calm her new sister down to some degree.
"It's okay, Willow. It's hot because there's some problem with the central air. The guy said I froze the pipes, or something like that, so I tried to fix them myself, and now the basement's flooded because I worked the wrong one. I wasn't going to tell you until you had some sleep...the guy's supposed to come today to fix it, so I was hoping I wouldn't have to...but it looks like it's too late. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you the air wasn't working. I opened the windows but forgot this room." Dawn held Willow tight, rocking her slightly in her arms, until the sobs subsided. It was silly really, and they both knew it. Buffy passed out from being overly exhausted, and overheated. The redhead just panicked because of the situation. They had just gotten married, and she didn't want to lose her so soon, especially not after the intense week they had spent at the cabin.
After her confession about Fred's near death experience, and finally opening up about Tara's death completely, they had shared stories and their pasts with one another. Buffy told about her relationship with Angel, and how she had loved him deeply but he turned into this whole other person after they had slept together. He had taken something from her that she could never get back, and turned it into a sick, twisted mind game. The older man had tormented her, and her family and friends, even going so far as telling her mom in his psychotic way that they had shared a bed. After that, relationships were hard for her, and the blonde always woke up the morning after, afraid that her lover would be gone, or crazy. Finally, Buffy had admitted her fear to Willow, and how the redhead had helped her conquer it by always being there, and loving her with everything.
Willow had shared her deepest, darkest secrets with her wife. Not only her emotions during Tara and Fred, but also how she felt guilty now about how she treated Kennedy, using her for solace. She explained how Xander had a hard time getting her out of bed even after Tara's murder, and that the company almost went under completely, and she almost went bankrupt. Then, she proceeded to go into her darker past with Fred, and not the sweet, deep emotions and constant love. No, she described some of their sex games, and how they both semi-enjoyed torturing by leaving the other frustrated, bringing them to the edge but not giving that final push. The hardest story to tell during that time was the videos, and the leather. Willow explained how Fred would dress up in blue leather, and take on her alter ego, Illyria, and she would put on black leather, and there would be a lot of kink involved. There was a lot of blushing during those parts of the conversation but finally, their dark pasts were revealed.
With the trust complete, and the darker stories told, Willow was too happy, and was scared that she would lose everything. That's how it happened with both Fred and Tara, why wouldn't it happen with Buffy? Especially with Buffy...her love, her life, her wife. All good things must come to an end eventually...but Willow wanted to curse the powers that be with everything she had if she lost her lover this soon. This was definitely too soon. They hadn't even had a chance to live their new life together after marriage. It was all honeymooners up to that point, and they were both looking forward to making a life together...especially after quelling the demons that appeared from their fears about the future.
"Will...Willow? Are you still with me?" Dawn gripped the redhead's shoulders lightly, hoping to bring her back from her slightly catatonic state. Finally, Willow blinked back her attention to the worried brunette, and there was an audible sigh heard from both parties.
"Yeah...sorry. Must've zoned out. I'm scared, Dawnie. What if something's wrong, and I can't help? I just...it's just..." Willow was on the verge of tears again, and her face was already tear-stained enough.
"I know. It'll be okay. Look, she's just sleeping." Dawn motioned towards the bed, and Willow nodded in acceptance. Getting up, she felt Buffy's head, and it was too hot for her comfort. Taking several deep breaths, hoping not to panic again, she moved swiftly, tending to her wife completely.
"Here you go, baby. I'm going to take care of you. Don't you worry." Willow was stroking her wife's warm cheek, and rubbing a cold cloth across it while the fan blew on high towards their bodies, casting a decent airflow to sift through the room. After Dawn opened the window, and they had managed to get the blonde out of her clothes, the brunette left, letting the redhead take care of her naked sister. "You had me scared there. I know I was silly...really, really silly...but I was scared. This still isn't good, and I'm still worried but I'm okay now, and I'm going to take care of you. No problems."
When the once cold cloth was too warm, Willow went to the kitchen to get ice, and went back upstairs. Remembering times that they had used ice in the bedroom before was not helping her any, and she pushed those erotic thoughts down, and focused on helping Buffy, shaking her head, and squinting her eyes in hopes to keep awake. When the last of the ice was melted, and the blonde's body had a decent temperature again, Willow curled out of her clothes, and lay down close to her wife's body but not quite touching. She didn't think it wise to add her body heat, especially since she was trying to get it to go down tremendously. Finally, she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, and she let sleep take her, hoping that everything would be fine when she awoke.
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The first thing she felt was pain; a sharp, shooting pain that seemed to make her head heavy, and she felt like she couldn't move, or else it would get worse. When she moved her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose, she found out that her hypothesis was correct: movement is bad. When the pain went down enough for her to focus on one thing, she drifted her eyes open, and saw the worried expression on Willow's face, which was lying on the pillow next to her. Normally, the two would share a pillow, or would use each other as one but now, they were on separate pillows. This puzzled Buffy, and the pain she felt, and the look of concern etched on her wife's sleeping face made the blonde squint her eyes to will her brain to stop hurting enough just to remember something...anything.
After several minutes of heavy throbbing, Buffy tried to relax but found it difficult in her pained state. The last thing she could remember distinctly was feeling dizzy, extremely hot but with cold chills, and her heady becoming heavy; she had been talking to Willow, and then she wakes up next to her like this. 'Confusion, thy name is Buffy...ow...it even hurts to smile in my mind.' Taking deep breaths, and not letting the pain the long intakes were making overrule her need for oxygen. After what seemed like hours, the pain started to dull down some, and she moved her fingers to trace the worry lines etched on Willow's face, soothing away the thoughts in her slumber. The only thing that she did was cause them to grow when the redhead opened her eyes, and managed to focus on what had woke her.
"Buffy?" Willow's voice was quiet, and raspy from the lack of use during sleep. The blonde was awake, and now she could find out what had happened exactly. Things had settled, and her sudden, uncalled for panic attack was over; now, she could focus on the real problem at hand.
"Yeah...it's me." Buffy tried to smile but only bunched her eyes together in response to the pain searing through her entire head. It felt like it would never end, and she just wanted to get rid of it. "Why the worry, Will?"
"Hey...just worried about you. You kinda passed out earlier." Willow moved closer, and now more fully awake, she focused her attention on everything Buffy. She memorized every flinch, and the reason for the reaction, and she noted how dark, and heavily dilated the blonde's hazel eyes were. Being this close had its advantages, and being able to properly take care of Buffy was one of them. However, the redhead couldn't help but wish it were a perfect world, in which nobody ever needed mending. That didn't mean she still wouldn't do it.
"I'm okay. See? Still in one Buffy-shaped piece." Buffy rested her heavy hand on Willow's neck, caressing the baby soft hairs on the back of her neck, hidden under the mane of long, auburn locks. Her fingers barely moved but it still had the effect she was hoping to achieve. Willow was still worried but calmer now, not about ready to blow another gasket (even though she was unaware a gasket had already been blown).
"No...you're not. You're in pain...I can tell."
"You know me so well."
"Darn tootin'. Now, what's wrong?" Willow caressed the blonde's cheek, and rubbed her thumb in soft, gentle motions, trying to ease the pain somewhat just from that simple gesture. To Buffy, that was better than any pain medication. She was instantly cured...okay, not really; she was still in a hell of a lot of pain but at least she had a nice sensation to focus on instead of just the agonizing ones.
"I don't know...I can't remember. One minute, I'm talking to you...the next, I wake up next to you...like time passed, or something. Went all wonky. I'm not sure. I could've done something really dangerous...like...killed a person, and wouldn't know it. Or, I could actually be in a mental institution somewhere, and I'm dreaming all of us this. It would definitely make sense; being with you is a dream more than come true." Buffy barely smiled, wanting to smile bigger, and kiss her wife but knowing that if she did, it would have serious, tortured consequences. She would endure all the pain in the world to be with Willow...now, she was getting a chance to prove it. 'Okay...I know...overly dramatic...but give me a break here. I feel like I've been thrown against a brick wall, and said wall has fallen on me...repeatedly.'
"Sappy Buffy even shows up during times of pain?" Willow smirked, relieved to feel the tension leave the room slightly. She felt like she hadn't smiled in days...even though she had a permanent smile plastered on her face more than 10 hours ago.
"Well...she'll always show up when you're around. What can I say? It's like a gimme." Buffy's eyes felt heavy again, and she was struggling to keep them open. Willow noticed this, and gently cupped Buffy's cheek, moving forward to kiss the hazel eyes shut completely...one at a time.
"Buffy...tell me. Please? I hate when you close up on me like this. You know I'm persistent, and will force it out of you one way or the other, so you might as well just tell me now." Willow had full resolve face, and Buffy took another painful, deep breath, trying to relax but having the opposite reaction.
"I'm not sure exactly. I've had migraines before...but this is different somehow. Like I'm in and out. There's a constant throbbing going through my head, and every move seems to trigger another harsh pain. I don't usually cry from pain...hell, when I was little, the first time I rode my bike without training wheels, I flipped the bike completely over my body when I was going down a slight hill...but I still got up, and started to ride again. No tears...just cuts, scrapes, and blood. This, though...I don't know...I want to cry; it's hurts so much but I'm afraid that if I do that it'll make it hurt worse. Wills...I'm hot...why am I so hot?" Buffy's voice was on the verge of choking up, and she could feel the tension in her brow start to rise even stronger. It was hard to explain but she needed to if she was going to fix the problem. "Baby...make it stop...why...why am I so hot?"
"The air is broken; I'll explain later. Dawn and I opened the window earlier, and turned the fan on blast. Feel?" Willow brought Buffy's hand from her cheek, and raised their hands together, allowing the blonde to feel the attempted strong breeze sift through the room.
"Yeah...I feel it...but I'm still so hot...it's like...like I'm in a fire but I'll get these cold chills." Buffy's tortured eyes sought out her lover's, and Willow's brow furrowed even further in concern.
"I cooled you down earlier with a cold cloth, and even ice. I must've fallen asleep." Willow gave a sheepish grin, inaudibly apologizing.
"Wills...you need to sleep. We both do. I still feel like I'm about to pass out, or retch." Buffy looked away thoughtfully for a moment, narrowing her eyes...partially in thought but mostly in response to the sudden jolt of discomfort behind them. "Maybe scream...although, I don't think it'll...okay...yeah, crying seems to win." When her lids opened completely again, she could feel the seemingly cold, salty liquid pooling down her face, as the tension in her forehead increased from the tightness in her throat. Her sobs came next, and she was full out crying in pain. Willow leapt immediately into action, and enveloped the blonde into a tight embrace, trying to move too much but rubbing her back in soothing gestures, and cooing softly in her ear for comfort.
When Buffy's sobs finally diminished, Willow felt the girl's breathing slow, and realized that the blonde had fallen asleep in her arms; something that happened a lot but not usually in these circumstances. 'Oh Buffy...we'll make you better. I promise.' The redhead continued her soothing actions, and kissed the top of her head, and then her forehead, realizing that her wife honestly was warmer than normal, even for a regular fever. Settling her lover into a semi-comfortable position outside of her arms, Willow wriggled out of the bed, and made her way downstairs.
She found Dawn in the kitchen, slaving over a hot stove. When she looked over, she had to wonder what in the world the girl was doing. Shaking her head slightly, she pulled the emergency phone list from the drawer by the phone. As the young brunette sizzled in the pan, the redhead dialed the number for the doctor. After five rings, she left a message on his machine to call her back when he had a chance. He was a family friend, and she knew that he would make house calls on occasion, especially if the circumstances were pretty severe. After her initial panic was over, and she managed to assess the situation more carefully, Willow realized that now was a good time to take the older man up on his offer. He had offered to help her any time, day or night, after her father died but she had never called, opting to nurse herself back to health.
"What in the world are you making?" Willow wrinkled her nose at the hideous mixture of aromas permeating the air.
"It's my new invention." Dawn beamed, as she flipped the soft, flat bread over in the pan using her fingers, inching back when she would feel the usual burn of a hot pan.
"And that would be..." Willow went to grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator, and sat down at the island counter, taking a huge swig while waiting for Dawn to answer.
"It's a peanut butter quesadilla. Want one?" Dawn flipped the concoction on a plate, and moved to sit by Willow at the counter.
"No. I think I'll pass." The redhead crinkled her nose in disgust, as she watched her sister-in-law take a huge bite from the disturbing food.
"Okay...you don't know what you're missing." Dawn took another bite, having not completely chewed the last bite. Some people just keep habits from their childhood. This was one of
Dawn's.
"Um...well, if you ditch the...um..." Willow cocked her head to the side, noticing the tannish colored, creamy substance oozing from between the folded tortilla. "that, then I'll buy you a pizza."
"Oh, thank God." Dawn threw the food back on the plate, and with a disgusted look of her own, got up, and tossed the concoction in the garbage can. "Remind me to never invent that again." The brunette rinsed her plate off, and placed it in the dishwasher. "I thought you were tired."
"Yeah...but nothing a little Dawnie time won't fix. Buffy's not feeling too well, and I'm waiting on a phone call from a doctor. She's sleeping now but I'm worried." Willow's face contorted into a mixture of emotions: worry, unconditional love, sadness, anger, frustration...there were just too many, and she couldn't settle on one.
"She'll be okay, Willow. Buffy's strong. She can handle things...remember? She's the Slayer." Dawn grinned, and chuckled slightly at the reference. Touching her sister-in-law's forearm gently, she took on a more serious tone. "You take good care of her. You're amazing...you know that?"
"I just want her to get better. Anybody else would have..."
"No. Nobody has cared for Buffy like this before. Well, Mom...but that's like...in a rulebook, or something. Moms have to do that; it's written. You don't, though. You could have been like any other guy or girl that she's ever...well, dated sort of...but you aren't. You honestly love her, and take care of her without question or even hesitation, and that automatically makes me love you by default. I don't think I've ever told you that." Dawn's face was full of sincerity. It was awkward timing, and she felt guilty about the whole pipe and air incident...but she had called the man again, and he would be there in an hour or two...at least she hoped.
"Wow...I mean...it's...yeah, I love her so much, and there isn't anything I wouldn't do. If anything happened to her...I don't know. I think I'd go all black magic mama, and destroy the world." Willow smiled tightly, and held the tears back as well as she could. Dawn had never said something like that to her; it was so open, and caring that the redhead felt another bout of crying coming to the surface that day, only this time in happy tears. Somehow, though, it felt wrong to cry happy tears when her lover was just upstairs in so much pain, so she held off, and opted for the big, sisterly hug instead. "Dawn...that...what you said about the others not taking care of her." She paused, and swallowed heavily, still fighting tears, only shifting from happy to concerned for her wife again. "They were idiots. Angel, Riley...Spike..." He was still a sore spot, and she still couldn't help but spit his name out in disgust. "They were all idiots. If they knew Buffy...really knew her...then they would hate themselves. She's more than worth it, and it's not a question when it comes to taking care of her. I love your sister, Dawnie. I wouldn't have married her if I didn't, and I was never the marrying type." After a few moments of silence, and a comfortable contemplation, Dawn spoke up again.
"I believe you said something about buying me pizza. If you get me anchovies, I'll even sing you my song." The brunette smiled warmly, and moved to the phone, ordering the food. As Willow giggled slightly at the younger woman's little dance through the dining room, she followed, and made her way back to Buffy, listening to the song as she ascended each step. "Anchovies, anchovies, you're so delicious. I love you more than all the little fishes."
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There it is...things will be explained better. I promise!!