Loving Willow
by Rin
Loving Willow
[reviews]
A/N: Okay, so here's the deal with this one. It's going to be a series fic but this is just the first story. The title says it all b/c there's something going on in Sunnydale, making Willow quite the catch. Can't give too much away, so we'll leave it there. I will say that there are several Willow pairings, and that the eventual goal is to make it to the B/W relationship in the next story.
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Part I:
As the students of Sunnydale High arrived at school, they were all preparing for another exciting day of classes and regular high school activities. The football team had actually managed to win last weekend's game, and the cheerleaders and pep squad had a rally in the quad set for the afternoon. The cheerleaders and football players could be established from anywhere in the hallways, dressed in their jerseys and traditional short skirts (of course, players in jerseys, cheerleaders in skirts...otherwise, disturbing mental image). Charles Gunn, quarterback extraordinaire walked up to a locker that currently had a slender brunette hidden behind the door.
"Hello, Fred," he said, startling the young woman from her thought process. He tried to keep his cool by holding his backpack strap over his left shoulder with one hand, while the other leaned him against the lockers beside hers in a somewhat suave move.
"Oh, hello, Gunn." She pushed her Advanced Physics book into her satchel, and pulled her hair up clumsily into a ponytail, some loose strands apparent. He made a gesture like he was going to push the hairs behind her ears but she beat him too it, shying away from his attention. "I should get to class." She started to walk down the hall, and he followed her, much to her dismay.
"So...I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to Homecoming. It'd be fun. It's our last year and all. Thought I'd ask for old times sake."
"You ask me every year, Charles, and every year, I tell you the same thing."
"Yeah, yeah...you're going with Willow. I'm telling you, Fred...she's just gonna leave you eventually when she heads out to Harvard or Yale or Oxford, or wherever it is you smart girls go to school. Might as well let a brother in for once. Prevent yourself from getting hurt now." She turned towards him with a face of experience of the situation.
"You say that every time you ask me out, Charles. You could have any girl in school...well, sort of...but you keep insisting on me. Why? I mean, honestly...because you know that Will and I have been an item for two years now."
"Yeah but I've been asking you out longer than that. I'm just saying think about it. I'm not going to push. Just wishful thinking, let's say. It's what I wish for every time I blow the candles out on my birthday cake." They started walking down the hall again until Fred reached the physics lab. She turned to face him again with a smirk on her face.
"Doesn't telling me ruin the wishes? Kind of defeats the purpose." He gave her an 'oh crap' expression, and she gently smiled at him. "Look, Charles. Will would never hurt me, and you know that, as well as I do. Plus, who says that I won't go with her to the smart girl colleges? I love her; she loves me. It's that simple. I'm sorry." She looked past his shoulder into the classroom, spotting a head of red hair intensely going over her notes. "I need to get to class. The bell's about to ring. I'll see you later, Charles." She waved goodbye, entered the room, and he grumbled something under his breath as he watched her saunter up to her girlfriend.
As she was studying her notes intensely, Willow was suddenly surprised by a pair of slender arms wrapping around her waist into a gentle, loving hug. She instinctively leaned back into the embrace, and wrapped her own arms around the arms that encircled her. Fred kissed the back of her neck gently, glad that the teacher wasn't in the room yet so she could get away with this minor display of affection in the school. Will giggled as the goosebumps rose up and down her body, and the hairs at the back of her neck rose. Fred rested her head on Will's shoulder, and tightened her embrace.
"Whatcha doin'?"
"Outlining notes in different colors to indicate different points and topics." She smiled, proud of herself for this new idea of organizing her schoolwork. Fred giggled, and kissed the nape of her neck, eliciting a small sigh from Will. Then, she removed herself from her girlfriend, and sat down beside her at the lab table.
"Well, you'll have to show me later." She began removing her needed class materials on her desk, a little less organized than the seat next to hers.
"That brings up an interesting topic," Will said with a little mischief behind her voice.
"Oh? And what would that be?" Fred just smiled at her.
"Well...I was thinking...my parents are out of town this week. We have a date tomorrow night..." At Fred's look of hesitation, Will jumped in nervously. "Well, we do still have a date, right? I mean, we don't have to...if you have other plans. I know that you've been busy lately with all the university course work but you...I mean, that is...we...us...well, I'm just thinking that we could have a movie night after dinner." The last part was said a little quiet, and Fred smiled gently at her girlfriend's insecurity still, after two years. She reached a hand out, and touched Will's upper right thigh, squeezing slightly. It's just that they hadn't had sex yet, and they had been so close several times lately but one or the other pulled back nervous. Being alone brought awkwardness between them, and Fred was just trying to prevent one of those situations. She feared the awkwardness meant bad things in the relationship, and she didn't want sex to come between them. She'd had sex twice when she lived in Texas before she came here her sophomore year. Her one boyfriend was just casual because they had found a funk in their relationship, and thought it would help. They were wrong, and it was the end of that relationship. Later her freshman year, her first girlfriend and she had sex for the first time on impulse after a near death experience. Their adrenaline had been pumping too high, and their hormones were kicking too high, and they just dove right in to each other's emotions. From there, it just happened until her parents decided to move to Sunnydale to be closer to her mother's grandmother. Neither relationship had been nearly as intense as Willow. She loved Will so much that it hurt (really cliché but that's how it was with them). Willow was a virgin, and she just didn't want to scare her with her sexual prowess. Despite the fact that she really, really, really wanted to just tear off all of Will's clothes every time she saw her, she was scared at the same time because this wasn't just about sex, it was more...so much more. She came out of her trance as her love finished her babble...something about a dinner/movie night.
"I'd like that, Will. It sounds like fun, and no, I'm not busy...I'm never too busy for you. You have nothing to worry about for the umpteenth time. Besides...alone, with you...no parents, and a big, comfy couch...sounds like a heaven full of Willow cuddles." She was beaming with excitement. Both were at this point, and just as she was about to lean in to give her a peck on the lips, the teacher walked in with such horrible timing.
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As she looked around the library, she noticed that nobody was in sight so she proceeded to lay her bag down on the table, and try to find Giles in his office. When she couldn't find him there, she decided that calling for him was the next logical search engine.
"Giles?" She heard some scrambling from the bookcases above, and then an occupied Giles peered around the shelves.
"Buffy, I'm glad you're hear. I'm afraid I have a bit of new on the ascension."
"This sounds exciting. So what's the what? The mayor going to use a giant dosage of Viagra in order to "rise" to the occasion?" Giles cleared his throat, and pulled his glasses off, rubbing them rapidly.
"Actually, Buffy...the news that I have concerns prevention. The Watcher's Council managed to dig up some old tomes regarding a way to reverse the mayor's invincibility before the ascension." She hopped up on the table to take a seat as Giles came down the stairs to stand in front of her, while the library's doors swung open, revealing a happy Willow and Fred walking hand in hand, and a goofy Xander following behind, staring intently at their clasped hands. As they entered, and the doors began to swing shut, Cordelia entered with a dirty scowl that would make grown men weep.
"Rude much?" She entered, and let the doors swing shut behind her.
"Good news, guys. There's a plus in our column on the mayor's big arousal."
The others came to sit at the table. Willow leaned forward in her chair, and prepared to ask her question but Cordelia beat her to it.
"Eww..."
"I agree...scary visual place," Xander said from his chair. He leaned back in his chair, relaxing as best he could. He yawned, and that caused a chain reaction to Fred. Willow looked at her girlfriend, and took her hand again under the table.
"Aww...baby, are you tired? The day's still young." Fred beamed back.
"I guess I am a little tired. I didn't get much sleep last night because somebody kept me on the phone until two after she got back from patrolling." She smiled mock accusingly at her girlfriend who just in turn gave a 'sorry' shrug.
"Can't say that you were complaining too much because you were the one that was talking the majority of the time. 'Oh, Will...you'd be so excited. These equations are sooooo amazing. The professor is sooo nice, too. He likes to interact so he brings in all these props to demonstrate. I wish you could it with me.' Then, you start to talk about the equations. I swear my head was about to explode from all the numbers and theories you were throwing at me a mile a minute. I just called to say goodnight. My brain was already fried." She mock whined, and pouted dramatically. Fred rubbed her back lovingly.
"Next time, I'll keep that in mind. I just will say goodnight next time you call, and then I'll hang up with you. That'll fix that problem." Will's eyes lit up with a 'don't you dare' look, and Fred just smiled back.
"Okay, enough with the cuteness. Let's get on to this arousal thingy. Whatcha got for us G-man?" Xander asked, leaning forward, and rubbing his palms together.
"Please stop calling me that, Xander. And it's not an, um..." he cleared his throat, "arousal...it's an ascension. The mayor plans on becoming a rather large demon, and it's time you all started to take this situation seriously. If we don't stop him, there could be a major problem occurring, such as, another apocalypse that needs averted. It's time we started doing something about this, or we just might find ourselves in a rather unpleasant situation." He cleared his throat again for dramatic affect. They all just stared at him in a mixture between shock and horror.
"He's right, guys. We should start doing something about the mayor's arousal thingy, and I think Giles has found a good starting point." Buffy stood up by Giles, and overlooked her friends sitting around the table who had shifted into problem-solving mode.
"Um, Buffy is right. The Watcher's Council has relayed information that I feel may be useful. Ever since the mayor has cast that invincible spell, I'm afraid we have discovered that there is no way to harm him."
"Which is definitely of the bad," said Willow from her chair.
"Yes, well. They have found a way to reverse the spell, which would allow Buffy to attack the mayor, and destroy the threat before he has a chance to, er, rise." Giles once again cleared his throat.
"So, what do we need? I mean, the sooner the better, right?" Xander poked up from his chair.
"I'm afraid it's not that, well, simple. We'll need a vast amount of magical power, and I'm not sure that your experience, Willow, will be able to attract the amount of power we'll need. Even if you combine your essence with Fred's."
"We could call in Amy again. She did a good job last year with the whole love spell thing." Xander waved his right hand in a thought process.
"Yes, well, that's a thought. We'll also need some very rare ingredients that I'm afraid won't be found in the local magic shops."
"We could check ebay. I've found some awkward things on there that were required for some spells I've worked on." Willow perked up when she about to tell an interesting story about some of the items but Fred placed a hand over her arm, halting her before she realized the conversations that that would produce.
"Well, yes...despite the awkward source, anything could work at this point. We'll keep our options open at this point." Giles raised his hand to his chin in a thinking gesture.
"Well, I for one think that we just need everything laid out, get it over, and then we can move on with our lives. Easy as that, then I don't have to deal with you losers anymore than needed." Cordelia continued playing with her nails without another thought to the warning glances she was getting from the room's occupants.
"Despite her temperament, Cordy does have the right idea. So, let's get on with it. Will, you and Fred are research gals. Check the spell out, see what we need, and then Cordy and Xander, you're on retail duty. Find the ingredients. Ebay if you have to...do whatever you need. Giles, you and I will up training...you'll prepare me for the techniques I'll need to defeat the mayor. I'll call up Faith, see if she's up to the job, too." Buffy clapped her hands together in a 'that's taken care of' gesture, and the others moved to get up, while everyone grabbed their bags, and proceeded to leave the library in preparation for the rest of their evening. "Giles, I'm going patrolling. Call if you need anything." With that, Buffy followed behind the others. Giles just removed his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, dear lord."
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"No, you hang up."
"No, you hang up."
"If we keep up with this, we'll be forever scarred as stereotypical teenagers, you that right?" Willow moved the phone to her other ear, as she fed her fish.
"Will, I was wondering...about tomorrow..." Fred hesitated again. She was still nervous, and just wanted to be cautious, picking out movies that wouldn't arouse the girls any further than they already were.
"Oh, no. You don't wanna cancel, do you? We haven't gone out in weeks. I miss my Fred cuddles," Willow whined. She was still self-conscious about herself. Cordelia and her goons had really done a number on her self-esteem, and dating Fred was just something that she wanted so bad it hurt so when she heard Fred hesitate lately, she was afraid the other girl was starting to ignore her. She knew things were getting hot and heavy with them. It seemed that their make out sessions were starting to turn into the preparations of a teenage porn flick, and if she didn't stop, then Fred would. It seemed that one or the other would back off right before things went past the line of no return. They would get stuck between third base and home, and Willow found herself experiencing an unfamiliar feeling in her stomach afterwards: frustration. She decided this weekend that she was ready to go further with Fred but she still backed off, and Willow became frustrated, thinking that Fred didn't really want her, causing all sorts of negative thoughts to flow through her busy brain.
"No, of course not. I was just wondering what kind of movies you were wanting to watch. I was thinking along the lines of something funny. I've been in the mood for a good laugh lately...oh! But not romantic comedy. I'm not really feeling like cheese ball comedy. Maybe something classic that's based more around the comedy than the love story."
"Oh, okay. That sounds fine. Do you want to pick up the vids then? Do you still want to go to dinner beforehand?" Willow nervously picked at the threads of her cotton pajama shirt. She bit her lower lip in anticipation of her girlfriend's answer.
"Of course, I do. I love seeing your yummy face when you bite into the desserts. What do you want to eat, since I'm picking out the vids?" Fred was nervously twitching the phone cord between her fingers. She decided that she was going to have to take a cold shower before the date. She was afraid her hormones would get the better of her.
"Maybe that new Mexican place that opened beside the mall. Does that sound good? I love seeing your yummy face when you bite into tacos, and Xander said that they have the best he's had in a long time."
"When did he go? It just opened this weekend."
"Cordelia wanted to go, and what Cordy wants, Cordy gets, according to Xander." They both shared a giggle.
"Well, I need to finish this homework for my university class before it gets too late again, since I didn't get much sleep last night."
"Well...okay. I'll see you tomorrow morning then."
"Can't wait!" They were both silent for a moment, neither one really wanting to leave the other. "Will?" Fred asked carefully.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry I haven't been all together girlfriend lately. I promise that things will only go up from here."
"No...no, I understand. You have to worry about your future. That's perfectly alright. I don't want to get in the way of your work, and you know that I'm here to help at any time, even though you don't really need it."
"Will, I hope that you are my future. You are amazing, you know that?" Fred could practically hear her blush from the other end.
"Good night, Winifred Burkle." Willow was beaming after that last comment. Fred always could say such amazing things, even when things were rough between them. She loved her, and that is something she never doubted.
"Good night, Willow Rosenberg." With that, both girls sighed, and proceeded to hang their respective phones up in their proper places. Willow lay down on her bed, and just sighed, thinking about how she was going to have to either 1. have a talk with her girlfriend about sex, although she really just wanted it to happen because the conversation would be a result of nothing but red, or 2. find a way to seduce her.
Meanwhile, across town, Fred slouched over her desk, full of papers, and books, preparing her homework for the next lecture at the university. She was allowed to take the college courses due to her high status academically. She far exceeded any requirements that were needed to attend the class, and the professor actually found himself envious of her raw talent for physics. Winifred Burkle was destined for great things.
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During patrol that night, Buffy felt a familiar presence, and immediately frowned as recognition set in to her senses. She sighed to herself, having already had a long day, and not wanting to deal with him right now. Ever since he returned from hell, she had to convince herself that he was good again, that she could trust him but there was something off. The problem was that she felt off more than she thought he was would forever be evil. His demon counterpart had tortured her life, her loved ones, and when he attacked Willow, that was the final straw. She had a major problem staking the man that she loved but when he attacked her life source, her reason for fighting, and then she saw how devastated Fred was in those days while Will was recuperating in the hospital from her injuries. Usually Fred was a happy, excited, innocent girl that had a tendency to babble like her Wills but those three days, Fred was nothing but a shell of herself. She was almost like a walking zombie without all the eww or need to eat brains, or whatever zombies actually did. It was seeing her dead eyes, and Will's body in the hospital bed that had sent her after Angelus with a vengeance. When she staked him, it had all seemed so simple, too easy but the damage was already done, and she had done her sacred duty. She had killed the man that she loved, and the bad part was that she didn't feel guilty, she only felt as though a load was lifted from her entire body. After Willow recovered, everything went back to normal, and Buffy had dated a few guys on and off again. She even went on a date with Faith recently but that was just a disaster waiting to happen. The only thing the girls had in common was the entire sacred duty thing. When Angel came back from hell, she felt that old familiar weight on her shoulders, and immediately went to Giles with the news, not telling the others at first in hopes that he would just leave since he had that brooding, remorseful thing going for him. Instead, he stuck around, attempting to stay a strong hand in the Scooby gang but found himself more and more unwelcome. The only ones that actually seemed happy to see him were Fred and Willow. They were so forgiving, so innocent, and that's exactly what Buffy fought for: their innocence.
Buffy just kept walking, trying to ignore his presence as long as possible. She hated when he played the role of stalker, ex-boyfriend. However, she knew that she would need him in the fight against the mayor so she finally stopped, signaling that she was ready for him to come out of the bushes, and show himself. When he did, he wasn't stealthy, mysterious guy anymore. He had been trying to win over her affection again the past two months, and she only ignored him. He was so whiny sometimes, and Buffy was repelled at the things he would do to try and win her affection. This newest phase was a new wardrobe, attempting to dress in casual, colored clothes, which only succeeded in bringing about a disturbing image.
"Angel, the pastel is really you. I must say, it really screams brooding vampire." She turned to continue walking through the graveyard, and he just followed closely to her side, trying to brush up against her side 'accidentally' but she had caught on, and moved further away. After quietly walking, the two came upon a group of five vamps, and quickly dispatched them with ease. He really was an asset in the fighting department but she just couldn't get over the whole formally an evil demon set about ruining her life thing. She didn't hate him, she still cared for him but the love they once had was ripped apart, and she had been gradually learning to trust again in that department.
When she decided that patrolling was taken care of, she decided it was time to talk to Angel. They had been putting their conversations off, mainly because Buffy was being all avoidy girl, and he was being all stalkery guy. She sat down atop a tombstone, wiping the dust off her jeans. He followed suit, and took the stone next to hers. He tried to be all smooth, suave guy but only came off looking even sillier than his outfit.
"Angel, we really need to talk about this." She sighed, laying her stake down beside her. He leaned forward, and dropped back into his normal, brooding Angel mode. In fact, it reminded her of a time when she did love him, which was why this was so difficult. "You really need to stop with the whole stalking thing. It's just creepy."
"Well, I am a vampire. We're known for that sort of thing."
"Look, dressing..." she said, while looking up and down at his outfit once more, trying not to laugh at the brown and white oxfords. "Dressing like this isn't going to make you normal, Angel, and it's definitely not going to get us back together. I mean, come on, I wouldn't even date a live guy wearing golfing oxfords."
"I don't know what you want here, Buffy. Do you want me to just leave town?"
"That's the thing, Angel. I don't know. We have a big thing coming up with the mayor's ascension, and Giles may have found a way to take care of the problem before it goes any further, which is definitely of the good. It's just hard with you here. I need you to be here to help with the fighting but..." She turned her head slightly, not really wanting to say the words. He caught on quickly, thankfully.
"But you don't want me here." She sighed, and slumped her shoulders. She leaned forward towards him from her stone seat.
"Look, Angel, it's just hard, and I've moved on, and so should you. It still hurts, and part of me will always love you but it just can't happen."
"I've only ever loved you, Buffy...that has to mean something." He almost sounded pleading, whining in his tone.
"It does mean something, though. Don't you see that. You have all the wacky vampire senses, well...sense me! Argh....it's just so frustrating. You being here is practically driving me crazy. I'm trying to form some semblance of a normal life, and with you, that could never be...no matter what either of us feel. Can't you understand that?" They both were silent for several minutes, the only sound was the slight breeze rustling the fallen leaves. The smell of freshly placed dirt and grass making both vampire and slayer still hyperaware of their environment when they would close their eyes. Finally, he had come to a decision.
"Ok, Buffy. I'm leaving. After the thing with the mayor, I'm gone, and that'll be it because you're right. It's just that I don't want you to be right. It hurts to know that we can't be together. I won't even say goodbye, okay? That'll make it easier for me to leave because I won't second guess myself." He sighed, stood up, and made for the entrance to the cemetery. She stood up, and followed him. When she reached him, she stopped him, and hugged him.
"Thank you, Angel." He only nodded in response, and both parties went their separate ways.