Comfort
by Red
chapter 2
[reviews]
Comfort
Chapter 2
By Red
Joss' folk.
W/C R...BUFFY IS COMING, PROMISE!!!!!
Summary: Thanks to Cordelia, Willow stays in LA after telling the crew about Buffy's death...and winds up on stage at a certain bar.
"Please, Cordelia, do not make me do this."
"It'll be fun, Willow, I promise."
"Singing? Me singing? Where is fun? I see no fun."
The brunette waved the green demon over to the table.
"Trust me, this needs to be done. You are going to feel so much better after."
"Well hello, Princess and who is this lovely creature?" Lorne smiled at the redhead.
"This, is Willow, an old friend from Sunnydale. Willow, this is Lorne...the king of kareokee and owner of this fine establishment."
"Oh you're embarrassing me, Kitten." He reached out and took Willow's hand, bringing it to his lips and placing a soft kiss on it.
"It's a real pleasure, my Red Rose, welcome to Caritus. Please allow me to send over something fabulous to drink."
Willow smiled. He put her at ease.
"Better make it strong as well as fabulous," Cordelia noted.
"That's the only way I'm going to get her up on that stage."
"Darn tootin'," Willow added. "No offence, but singing, um, so not me."
Lorne smiled at her warmly. "Don't you worry, sweetness, I'm gonna take extra good care of you, promise. Now you just sit here, relax, try not to be offended by the butchering that Quasar demon is giving poor Karen Carpenter and I am going to fix you right up."
He gave Willow another warm smile, then turned his eyes to Cordelia. Nodding, he hurried away.
When Cordelia had phoned him earlier, telling him the story of Willow Rosenberg and the slayer's horrible death, his heart had wept. Now, seeing her face to face, meeting her, well, his heart was flat out breaking. The vibes coming off of her were enough to bring the biggest bad to his knees. The poor thing was dying inside.
"Amy, doll, two Sea Breezes, one extra breeze, over to that table." He gestured to where Cordy and Willow sat. "Make sure the redhead gets the one with the extra punch, ok? Thanks."
He sighed and turned back to them, dreading what he was going to see when Ms. Willow took mic in hand.
+++++1 Hour and 2 Sea Breezes Later+++++
"And I see your true colors, shining through...."
Lorne cringed as Willow sang. It wasn't her voice, no, not at all, even though, well, granted she was no Cyndi Lauper. But she sang pleasant enough, her voice more than bearable.
It was what he saw, as she sang...that was what had him working on his third drink since the first note. The pain...the guilt...it was killing him.
"So?" He jumped at the sound of Cordelia's voice. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
"It's alright, Princess, not you that has my skin on edge."
She frowned. "It's bad, isn't it? I knew it would be bad."
"That sweet thing is carrying around so much guilt, I don't know how she can walk. She blames herself for the Slayer's death, among a thousand other things. I honestly don't see how her head hasn't exploded."
"Will's strong, always has been."
"Strong or not, that child is in serious pain. Did you know she was in love with the Slayer?"
Cordelia sighed, feeling a slight twinge in her heart.
"Yeah, I kinda caught on to that awhile back. I was the only one, it seems."
There was something in her voice that made him turn to her.
"You love her."
"Well duh, she is my friend."
"No, no, love her. You care about her way beyond friendship, sweetie."
"What? Look, ok, maybe we have, gotten...closer...since she came here last week."
"Any closer and you'd be each other, Kitten."
"It was comfort, ok? I was trying to make her feel better."
"Well that you did." He turned back to Willow. "She feels the same, about you."
Cordy's brow shot up. "Wait, you just said she was in love with Buffy."
"Oh, she is, always has been, always will be. But the lady loves you as well." He looked at the brunette and smiled. "In a, more than friend way."
Cordelia's brain pounded. True, they had taken their friendship a bit, further the past week...many times...a day, actually. But it was comfort, for Willow mainly, although Cordy had to admit, she too found solace in their...comfort.
"I'm telling ya what I see, Princess...little Willow is in a world of pain and although she does in fact, love the Slayer, her heart has a place for you. Now, that being said, you my dear, are the only thing that is going to bring that child out of the dark hole she's hiding in."
Cordy tried to ignore the first of what he said, pushing it to the back of her head to deal with later.
"Ok, I'm all for that, the helping part...just tell me, what do I do?"
A huge smile spread across his face and he put a hand on her shoulder.
"Let's have a seat, shall we?"
+++++The next morning...+++++
Willow heard bustling around her room and opened her eyes. Cordelia was moving around, doing something, although what exactly, Willow had no idea.
"Hey."
The brunette turned around. "Hey, good morning, I didn't mean to wake you. Sorry."
"No, it's ok, you didn't. I was kinda waking up on my own."
She sat up and looked around the room. There were tons of candles, unlit, and a tray of food sat on the dresser.
"Um, Cordelia, what are ya doing?"
"Getting things ready."
"Um, for what?"
Cordy moved to the bed and sat down. Taking Willow's hand, she said, "Last night, when you were singing, Lorne read you."
Willow's brow went up. "I'm a book now?"
The ex cheerleader had to laugh. Willow was adorable.
"Kinda, yeah. His talent, aside from that voice, is that he reads auras...while the readee sings." She paused, feeling somewhat guilty for not telling her friend the whole truth about their night out. "I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you wouldn't go and I needed you to go, Willow. I needed him to read you, so I can help you."
Willow pulled her hand away form Cordy's. "Help me? What, so I'm your new project now? Oh gosh, thanks, really."
"No, no, it's so not like that, I swear! I care about you, Willow, I do!"
"So that's what this is all about? Fuck Willow so she feels better?" She jumped from the bed and angrily paced the floor. "What was I thinking? I must be crazier than I thought! Actually believing that YOU could genuinely care about me...honestly want to help me, to help me. I should have known there was some, help Cordelia reason behind it. There always is!"
Cordelia's heart broke at the harsh words. And even though she knew deep inside, Willow didn't mean them, she wasn't going to take anymore. Standing up, she stormed over to the rehead and looked her in the eye.
"Now you listen and you listen good, Willow Rosenberg," she began, her voice leaving no room for argument. "Everything I have done since you got here, was because I love you, I care about you and I want to help you. That includes fucking your highly intelligent brains out as well as what I am about to do right now."
Willow's brow furrowed in confusion and Cordy answered by taking her hand and dragging her over to the bed. After sitting down, she pulled the redhead over her lap, positioning her so she couldn't move, trapping her under one muscled leg, pinning her arms under her.
"What...what are you doing?" Willow cried, even though inside, she had a pretty good idea.
"What needs to be done, for you...but I admit, I am so going to enjoy this!"
With her free hand, she yanked down the cotton, bunny pj pants so they rested around Willow's ankles.
"I wanna watch while I make this ass red!"
"Stop it!" Willow tried to free herself but it was to no avail.
"Save your strength, Will, there's no way you are getting free. I've learned a lot doing this whole, fighting evil thing. You'll get loose when I want you to and a not second before."
And with that said, she raised her hand high in the air and brought it down hard onto her prisoner's butt. Willow gasped, the sting making her breath catch. Cordelia followed with another hard smack, and again, and again, her conversation with the green demon fresh in her head...
"She has to get rid of the guilt, Princess...before it kills her. And you, sweetie, are the key...the only one who can help her do that."
"And how do I do that? What, make her cry it out? Dance it out? Do some sort of, guilt be gone mojo? Ya gotta help me here, cause this whole, being the only one, comforting thing, still kinda new to me."
"Crying it out, that's a start."
"So, like, a chyc fest movie marathon? Twenty-four hours of tear jerking enjoyment?"
"As delicious as that sounds, Pumpkin, no. Julia Roberts at death's door isn't gonna cut it, Kitten. Red Rose there has some seriously deep-rooted guilt and pain. Cinematic tissues ain't gonna do squat."
"Then what? Hello, I'm asking here. You tell me I'm the only one who can help her, which I find somewhat weird, cause hello, she has a girlfriend. But ok, so I'm the chosen one this time, fine. I accept my mission. Now just tell me what the hell to do to help her!"
"Spank her."
"I'm sorry, huh?"
"She has guilt issues, she feels she needs to be punished. You are the one that's gonna help her. Ere go, her over your lap, that sweet little bottom poised to heaven while you spank it raw."
"You're serious, aren't you?"
"Come on, Princess, I know how you feel about her. Not only is this going to free her, it's also going to make for some oh-so hot lovin' after. And please, don't waste my time denying your feelings. We both know what they are. And Red up there feels the same. Now I suggest that you take care of what needs to be done, so ya both can enjoy each other and the love that's there. After all, Princess, life is short."
Cordelia reached over, grabbed the oval wooden hairbrush from the bedside table and went back to work.
"Goddess, that hurts!"
"It's supposed to. You need to cry, Will...you need to get rid of all this guilt. It's not your fault she died."
"Shut up!"
"You did everything you could." Spank "You were always there for her." Spank "You were the best friend she ever had." Spank Spank Spank "And she loved you!" Spank "And if she was here, let me tell you, you're ass would be in a hell of a lot more trouble!" Spank Spank Spank Spank Spank "Slayer power and all."
She brought the brush down over and over and finally, the tears fell.
"Goddess, why...why did she have to die? Why? I need her....I love her....goddess, WHY?"
The ragged sobs tore at Cordelia's heart and she stopped immediately, tossing the brush aside and releasing the redhead. Easing her onto the bed, onto her tummy, Cordy slid in next to her and pulled her close, wrapping her arms around her.
"I know you do, sweetie, I know...and it's ok, it is, it will be...I'm here now, Will, I am...and I'm not going anywhere, I promise...I'm going to take care of you from now on, I swear."
And she meant every word, every syllable. As crazy as it was, she knew in her heart, with the redhead, was where she was supposed to be.