Loving Willow
by Rin
8
[reviews]
Part VIII:
"It's called an Argonasis crystal. It's meant to control the intended victim, and pull all of their weaknesses and fears to the forefront, thus causing their bodies to eventually be controlled completely by the crystal's holder. Since we're not sure who the holder is at this point, I'm afraid that Buffy, you'll be in serious danger. I suggest that you no longer patrol alone. Take Faith or Angel with you, since they are capable of handling the situation better should your body decide to attack them." Giles stood by the stairwell, surveying the group huddled around the stacks of books lying on the table. He handed Willow the book that he was holding, and motioned for her to show Buffy the picture.
"Woah! This thing is gorgeous. You sure it's all evil because it would go great with the dress I have planned for the prom." She outlined the picture with her fingertip, showcasing the fine, light pink stoneto the others. "It would make a pretty necklace."
"Be that as it may, I'm afraid it has been rendered quite dangerous to your slaying. According to Xander, your patrol last night was sloppy, and gave no show of any formal training, leaving you open to simple attacks."
"Actually, I said that it was like watching a bad kung fu movie, where the lead fighter was trained by a singing hamster." After seeing the looks of admonishment on her face, Xander quickly leaned back in his chair, hiding from the glare.
"Yes, well, you do need to be careful, Buffy. At least until we find at who is controlling the stone. Apparently, somebody has gone to great lengths to make sure that you are not yourself."
"Actually, Giles, it's more like she is herself, just without the conscience. It's sort of like living as a vampire but not." Everybody looked at Fred as she blushed from the attention.
"What do you mean, baby?" Willow linked their hands together, and had a thoughtful expression on her face, waiting for her girlfriend's answer.
"Well, it's like...vampires are only shells of their former selves, right? The demon takes over their body, and they can do whatever because they feel no remorse or guilt because they have no soul. Buffy is like that, only she still has her soul."
"And she's not allergic to sunlight." Xander was starting to follow along, and leaned forward in his seat.
"Which it wouldn't hurt her to get some sun." Cordelia finally contributed to the group discussion. Buffy just glared at her, and shook her head, turning back to Fred.
"So, you're saying that my body has been taken over by my vampire self?"
"Not exactly. It's like, this crystal...it's controlling your body, actions, and sometimes reactions without listening to your conscience, your morality so to speak. The same thing holds true for vampires, only they're taking over a dead body."
"I see what you're saying." Willow smiled at her girlfriend, as she squeezed her hand excitedly. Buffy watched the interaction with a slight scowl.
"Well, could somebody clue me in? This is my body that's going all grr here."
"See, that's the thing, Buffy. It's not going grr...not yet. It's going in slow motion, which means that you're still fighting against the crystal's hold over you. According to the text, it takes over the person right away, and it's like they have to live with the consequences of something else telling your body what to do. There is something in your system, or mind control that isn't allowing the crystal to take over completely."
"So...this is a slayer thing?"
"It could be but according to the slayer journals that Giles has, this crystal has been used on slayers in the past, and they lost control completely all at once." Buffy still looked confused but it was more from how she was fighting it than not getting it at all.
"How do we find this thing?"
"We don't. That's the problem. Will and I could do some form of locater spell but according to the mystical background of the crystal, it appears not to exist."
"Okay, huh?" Fred sighed, and looked to Willow for help in the explanation.
"It's like this, Buffy. This crystal isn't supposed to exist, therefore it won't show up on any plane in any form. However, it does exist, which confuses the spell, and only causes a big boom." Buffy looked around at everybody, trying to process the information but still angry, just wanting to have complete control of herself once again. "I know it's hard to take but there's no way to trace this thing; we sort of just have to...come upon it."
"Why aren't things ever easy?" Bufy stood up, and began pacing, getting antsy but wanting to calm down. However, her body kept pacing, despite her many attempts to sit down. "See, right now. It's doing it. I'm trying to sit down but I keep going back and forth. It's frustrating."
"I know, Buffy but you need to understand that we are trying to help determine where the crystal would be located, and how to properly destroy the control it has on your body." Giles stepped down next to the table, grabbing the tome, and skimming over the page once more.
"Can't we just smash it, and have everything be okay?"
"I'm afraid it's not that easy. To destroy the crystal would only break it down into smaller pieces, giving more people access to your actions."
"Okay, so wait. You said the person that has this thingy decides what emotions to provoke through my body. I understand my fighting skills, that's perfectly explainable." Xander decided to add some witty commentary to ease the tension in the room.
"Right, cause if you wanna knock a slayer down, what better way than to suck at her job?" He received a glare from his girlfriend. "What? We were talking about her being a living vampire earlier."
"No, Xander, you're right. The best way to keep me from defeating somebody's plan is to make sure that I can't do my job. This thing would also give them control enough to where I myself would never be able to come near the crystal, right?"
"Yeah, that would make sense."
"Thank you, Xander. Now, the part that I don't understand...and I know this is still a touchy subject, even though it's been a month...I still think it needs to be discussed, though...the part that I don't get is why use my body's reaction to Willow?" Fred and Willow averted their eyes away from each other, and the rest of the group.
"She's right. That seems to be the wild card in this game of Buffy. I guess we just need to sum all of this up because what would somebody want with you that would make you practically hump Willow's leg every five seconds but also slay like you're a virgin to the sport?"
"Xander's right. The two don't seem to connect at all." She then turned to Xander with a scowl. "And I do not practically hump Willow's leg every five seconds!" Xander held up his hands in defense, and she backed off somewhat. Giles cleared his throat, Cordelia rolled her eyes, and Fred and Willow still wouldn't speak or look at anything but their laps.
"Then, that means that it's crucial that you have either Faith or Angel helping you to patrol. They can pay attention to your body's reactions more closely, noting if there are certain areas that you are avoiding purposefully. That could give us a starting point for the search. As for the connection, I'm not quite sure that there is one. We won't know until we discover something more. Right now, I'm afraid there's nothing to tie the two together logically into one motive." Giles laid the book back down on the table, and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose where they had slipped slightly. "Let's all just take a break for the night, and follow up with what you find on patrol tonight." Nods and agreements went all around, and everybody left the library with little relief, and even more tension. There was still too much work to be done.
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As she was removing the dirty dishes from the dinner table, Joyce heard a knock at the door. After laying the plates and glasses in the sink, she went to discover her visitor's identity. When she opened the door, all she saw was a young brunette woman, decked in black leather pants, and a dark jean jacket. Immediately recognizing the stance and figure, she smiled, and cleared her throat. Faith turned around, aware of Joyce's presence, and a little nervous at the discussion that she wanted to have with the oldest Summers woman.
"Faith, come in. It may be February but the night air still has a slight chill." With a little reluctance, and trying not to show her nervousness, Faith entered the house. "Buffy just left about ten minutes ago; you just missed her."
"Actually, I'm not here for Buffy."
"Alright, would you like something to eat? We just finished dinner but I'm sure if the chicken's not warm enough, we can stick it in the microwave."
"I'm five by five." Both women just stared at each for a moment until Faith decided to cut to the chase. "Look, I wanted to ask you somethin' if that's alright."
"Sure, Faith. You can ask me anything. Is something wrong?"
"No, no. I mean, I don't think it is. It's just...well, Buffy said you and she talked some about me maybe...well, movin' in..." She placed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, and shrugged a little, afraid to be showing so much vulnerability. She didn't want to get her hopes up but she had decided that the move was well worth it.
"Of course, Faith. You're welcome to stay with us if you'd like. I can move the things from my study, and we can set you a room up there. Would you like to move in?" Upon seeing the girl kick her foot at the floor, and her eyes go downcast, Joyce realized that this was tough for the girl. To be asking for a place to stay was like giving up her independence but Joyce realized that underneath the hard-ass exterior, Faith longed for a place to belong. She also knew that Faith would never forthright ask to stay. "Well, tell you what. How about I go about making the arrangements tomorrow, and we'll have a bed and dresser in there by this weekend. Meanwhile, you can either stay with Buffy, or sleep on the couch."
"I don't wanna intrude or nothin'. I just thought, you know...it'd be good for Buffy. Having me closer by, especially since she needs me to patrol with her more often. There's no sense in her trekkin' all over Sunnydale to find me."
"Of course, that makes perfect sense. Are you going on patrol now?"
"Angel's on Buffy duty tonight. Giles gave me a breather after last week's big mess. Said I could use a little down time, ya know?"
"Naturally. How are you since that demon captured you?"
"Five by five. It's all good. I mean, I was kinda trippin' at the time but I knew I'd get outta it somehow. Luckily, Angel was there to bust the guy's ass before those twelve vamps made a Happy Meal out of me."
"Yes, that is good. I'm glad to see that you're all right." Faith averted her eyes again, and Joyce decided to take the initiative again. "Tell you what, Faith. Why don't you bring your things over tonight, and we'll get you started here? Does that sound okay with you?" Faith just shrugged but Joyce knew that she would be back that night.
"You sure I'm not intrudin' because I don't wanna make things more difficult. I know it's just you and B here."
"Don't' be ridiculous, Faith. We'd both love to have you here, and not just for the extra strength." Joyce thought she saw Faith smile joyously underneath her slight smirk but she decided not to press...yet. There was still time to understand Faith's life, and she was determined to become a mother of two slayers if that meant that her Buffy would be safe. Having Faith around meant that both girls would have backup without having to find each other all over Sunnydale. "Now, go get your things, and I'll see you later tonight. Okay?" Faith just nodded, and left the house. Joyce stood there, watching Faith leave from the doorway, and she couldn't wait for her other 'daughter' to return 'home.'
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"Buffy! Lookout!" Angel was currently dodging and attempting to fend off four nasty looking vamps, while Buffy was poorly trying to defeat two. Her blocks and punches were off, and would narrowly miss each time, allowing the vamps the upperhand in the fight. Buffy found herself on the ground as one leather clad vampire threw a loud crack to her ribs. The two vamps were taunting her, while she lie clutching her ribs on the ground.
"What's the matter, slayer? Forget which end you're supposed to hit with?"
"Slayer my ass. You're pathetic." Just as Angel managed to throw the fourth vampire into a nearby tree limb, turning it to dust, he ran behind the other two, and kicked one to the ground from behind, and plunged a stake into the other. Before the first vamp could get up, Angel threw the stake into its chest. After that as finished, Angel moved down to check on Buffy.
"Buffy, are you alright?"
"Oh, I'm peachy. Just got a few cuts and scrapes, that's all." She tried to sit up but winced in pain as her muscles gave way to her weight, knocking her back down to the ground. "Okay, maybe that was an understatement."
"Buffy, we should get you out of here before more find you like this. I barely had time to get rid of my guys before the others made you a snack." He helped her stand up but her body kept protesting, so he had to pick her up gently, ignoring her pleas to walk on her own. "You can barely stand. How do expect to walk like this?"
"I just figured I would, you know...ease into it slowly. Eventually, slayer healing would go into effect, and we'd be running the 10K in no time."
"We don't have time for that right now. Those guys came out of nowhere practically. I could barely even sense them." He carried her out of the cemetery, and back to her house, where he managed to knock. Joyce answered the door, and quickly went into mother mode, taking care of her daughter, as Angel talked to Giles on the phone. When he hung up, Buffy was sitting up on the couch. "Are you sure you're going to be okay? Giles said he would come over if things are broken."
"Nothing's broken. Go home, Angel." She grabbed her side in pain suddenly as she stood up from the couch.
"You sure, Buffy?"
"Yes, now go before I start to feel antsy, and my body decides you're a bad guy." He nodded, and left the house, just as Faith was walking to the door, duffel bag strapped around her back.
"What was Angel doing here?"
"Oh, he brought Buffy home after patrol. Apparently, a gang attacked them, and Buffy wasn't able to control her movements again."
"Dude, that really sucks."
"Tell me about it." Buffy moved into the foyer to stand with her mother and Faith. "What do you need, Faith? I thought Giles gave you the night away from slaying."
"He did. I'm actually here because, well..."
"Faith is going to be staying with us now, Buffy. Isn't that nice?" Joyce's smile melted Buffy's heart, and she felt so lucky to have such a caring mother that she would take in a practical stranger because she could help her daughter with slaying. Sure beats kicking me out of the house. Now, she's adding to it instead. Glad that she's accepted that this is my life, and I can't escape it. This'll be fun.
"That's great, Faith. I'd hug you right now but..." She pointed to her bandaged ribs, and Faith held up a hand in a 'that's fine with me' gesture. "Um, mom? Not to state the obvious here but where is Faith going to sleep? I mean, the couch is comfy and all but after a while, it starts to be a moot point for the back."
"Actually, Buffy, I was thinking about transforming my study into another bedroom. I've been meaning to turn it into a guest room anyways, since I never use it, and now it'll serve it's purpose. Only, Faith is more than a guest."
"That's fine and all but what about now? I'd feel bad if she had to sleep on the couch until all of that gets taken care of."
"Well, then, why not share your bed with Faith? I'm sure she won't mind." Buffy's eyes widened, and Faith's smirk was in full force. However, Joyce was unaware of the implications behind the looks. She knew that Buffy had went out on a date with the girl but she was unaware that Faith and Buffy had already, literally, shared a bed...twice.
"Fine with me, Mrs. S."
"Yeah, mom. That's fine." Her features returned to neutral but Faith's smirk still lingered on in a predatory way.
"That's settled then. It's kind of late so I'm going to bed. I have an early day at the gallery with a new shipment. Good night, girls."
"Night, mom."
"Night, Mrs. S." Buffy hugged her mother before she retreated up the stairwell. "So, B...looks like it's just you and me."
"Yep. Looks like."
"Wanna help me get moved into your...bed."
"Faith, my mom doesn't know about that...she doesn't need to, either, alright...and besides, we already talked about this. It was solely for the need at the time, and nothing else."
"What if the...need...arises again?"
"Faith, please. I know you don't want to but please try and tone it down with the sex talk around mom. That's so not a conversation I'm prepared to deal with right now."
"No prob, B. Shall we, then?" Faith followed Buffy back to her bedroom, and laid her bag by the window. Buffy turned on her bedside lamp, and went to grab pajamas from her dresser. Faith took her jacket off, and laid it by her bag. "So, how you wanna do it?" Buffy turned around, and stared at Faith flustered.
"What?!"
"How you wanna sleep? You want the right or left? I can go either way: left, right, top, bottom...I'm not picky." Buffy started to breathe heavier, and was suddenly aware of the other girl's body in the room.
"Faith. We have a serious problem."
"What?"
"My body is starting to react to you...and it's taking everything to stop myself from doing anything stupid. Could you please not do this tonight?"
"Do what, B?"
"With the sexy...and the sway...and the...and the..." She trailed off as Faith took her pants off, and stood in nothing but a wife beater and her blue bikini underwear. She somehow managed to snap out of it, and shook her head in defeat. "No. This will not happen. I don't want this. I don't want this. I don't want this." She turned away from the other girl, and repeated her mantra with her eyes closed, and her pajamas clutched to her chest.
"Relax, B. I'll stop. Look, I even put on a pair of boxers so you'd manage to keep your grabby little hands off my bod." Buffy turned around, and relaxed a little when she noticed Faith had indeed put on a pair of boxer shorts.
"Thank you."
"Yeah. Just...don't worry 'bout it, okay? We'll figure this thing out. That's what you guys do right. Although, from what I hear, you and Red were gettin' pretty hot and heavy in the school." Buffy frowned, and shot a look of utter resentment towards Faith. "Just sayin'...from what it sounds like...Red was all about some of the ole Buffy flavor herself."
Buffy shook her head, and went to the bathroom, choosing to ignore Faith's last comment. Willow doesn't like me like that. She's my best friend. She loves Fred. It was just the heat of the moment, that's all. Don't let Faith get to you, and make you think it was something more because it wasn't. It never will be, and that's that. End of discussion. When she returned to her bedroom, she found Faith tucked into the bed on the right side, her body facing towards the window. Dressed in a pair of blue plaid pajamas, Buffy climbed in next to Faith.
"Good night, Faith. I'm glad you decided to stay. It means a lot to mom...and me."
"Yeah, no problem." With that, both girls attempted their nightly submission into dreamland.
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"I'm glad we decided to do this tonight. I've had a lot of fun." Willow stood nervously in front of Fred, not sure what she should do next. The entire month after the 'incident,' the two girls had been taking it slow, trying to reconnect and heal from the unexpected occurrence of Buffy's lips on Willow's, and the fact that Willow liked it. After they had talked, Fred still seemed to avoid her somewhat, only talking to her at lunch, and on the rare occasion when she would call. It had taken Fred time but she eventually decided that they should start seeing each other again. Now, after two years of dating, Willow wasn't sure what to do next. She was leaving it up to Fred, since she felt she deserved the other girl's treatment. Sure, the talk seemed to clear things up regarding the 'incident,' and everything seemed alright over the phone that weekend but when they returned to school that Monday, Fred saw Buffy and Willow together, and had told Willow that she wasn't sure she trusted her just yet, that she needed more time. Finally, after a month, Fred called Willow, and mentioned going on a date. Willow quickly took the opportunity, and the two had gone to see a movie, and ended up talking at the Espresso Pump for two hours, losing track of time as their conversation kept getting deeper (plus, the fact that their feet were connected under the table, having a little fun of their own). After that, Willow walked Fred to her door, and now she didn't want to do the wrong thing. She felt that if she did the wrong thing, then the rest of the relationship would be based on her giant urge to just grab her girlfriend and take her on her porch. Willow didn't want that, though, so she was struggling because she didn't want to not kiss her, either. She waited for Fred to say something but she just bit her lower lip, and turned her gaze up at Willow from underneath her lashes.
"Yeah. I had fun, too." Both girls were quiet, neither wanting to make the first move but neither wanting to leave, either. Finally, Fred decided to take control. "Willow?"
"Yes?" She practically jumped forward, heart pounding rapidly, with her breath coming in short pants, staring at Fred's mouth in hopes of just a little taste. She realized her response was a little loud, and snapped out of her Fred-induced haze. "Hmm?? What?"
"Would you...I mean that is if you want...maybe, if you're not too tired...like to come in? My parents should be asleep, and I was thinking we could continue that talk from earlier in the Espresso Pump. I know we're kinda mocha free now but I still thought that you'd like..."
"Yes." Jumping in a little too excitedly, she decided to tone it down. "I mean, I'd love to...come inside...to talk."
"Yeah, talk." Fred found herself staring at Willow's mouth now, wanting to taste which lip gloss the redhead had decided on that particular day. Instead, she ushered Willow inside, taking residence on the cushion next to her on the couch, forgetting to turn the lights on, leaving the only illumination in the room to be the half moon shining through the windows. "So..."
"Yeah..."
"How was your English exam today? Did Mrs. Botts make another ten page test?" Fred kept inching towards Willow's body, feeling drawn to its once familiar warmth.
"Um, no. She only made us do two essays this time, and there were only 50 multiple choice. As long as you read the book, you were fine. I thought it was easy. Poor Xander, though...he kept fidgeting throughout the whole thing. I thought he was going to cause an earthquake because his legs were twitching so fast." Both girls giggled, and Fred bit her lower lip again as she continued inching towards her. Willow noticed this, and her breathing was faster, and her heart was racing, while her mind screamed for the girl to hurry up and kiss her before she exploded. "Fred..." she whispered as the girl's body was practically on top of her, and their faces were mere inches apart.
"Hmmm??" She wasn't paying attention to what her girlfriend was saying, she had one objective, and that was to take those pouty lips against her own, and maybe even find a few nice places to put her hands on the other girl's body while doing that. She leaned in slowly, making sure it was okay for her to continue, even though she didn't have to ask, both girls had been begging for this since the movie ended. It took Fred a half an hour to grab Willow's hand in the darkened theatre, since she wasn't sure if the other girl was ever going to take the initiative. Then, from there, all she wanted to do was go back to the way things were before...when she could taste every square inch of her girlfriend's body. She had been longing for it for weeks now, and decided she could no longer hold out, which prompted her to set the date up in the first place. Touching herself was nothing like having Willow touch her, and she was growing increasingly frustrated as the days passed. Now, all she needed to do was lean in a little, and her frustration would be temporarily eased. "I want you so bad..." she hissed between their gently touched lips. Finally, Fred couldn't control herself any longer, and she positioned herself to where she was straddling Willow on the couch, and completely devouring the other girl's mouth with her own. "God, I've missed you..." She returned to her lover's open mouth, and decided to end the 'fight' once and for all. She did the one thing she knew that would signify this plan.
"Mmmmm..." Willow moaned into Fred's mouth as she felt Fred doing that thing with her tongue that she loved so much. Then, Willow knew that they were back to where they were before the whole kissing Buffy thing happened, and she felt herself relax into the couch, bringing Fred with her. How does she do that? It's like she's twisting it but then she's sucking at the same time. Yet, she's somehow managing to wrap my tongue around hers. Mmmm...Fred... Finally, things were perfect again. Well, almost perfect.