Switcheroony
by alicorn
Chapter 38
[reviews]
Cordelia instinctively reached for Faith's crouching form as the amber light began to spread towards them. Gripping the dark Slayer firmly by the scruff of her neck she pulled both her and the dumbstruck Xander towards the still open doorway. She wasn't too sure what the light meant, but she was pretty damn sure that letting it wash all over you was just taking an unnecessary risk.
Faith allowed herself to be drawn away by her wanna-be watcher Cordelia since she didn't really want to have that light switch her with anyone else's body. She liked hers just fine. 'Switching with Xander — yeeeccchhhh; or Cordelia — 'mmmm interesting' she thought staring at the cage and its very intimate contents.
Faith just couldn't take her eyes off the vision before her. Buffy and Willow — together, soooo together and, damn it - she'd been right - in love. Any other time she'd have barfed at and made fun of the 'lovey dovey' scene that was playing out before her eyes. But seeing them bathed in the same light that orby thing had thrown out back at the Bronze that first night, after all these two had been through... And here they were - tied, battered, hurt, scared, but fighting to be together. It just made her swell with pride and satisfaction. 'I'm getting soft in my old age.' The hand that had been at her collar released her, moving to turn her head away from the light as if she were a small child.
Frustrated she looked up at the hand's owner, "Hey?"
Cordelia's face was full of concern and annoyance. "I am not itching to switch with either of you guys, so let's just keep our distance and not take any risks. Okay?"
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Buffy could feel her heart bursting as she held onto her Willow - her dear sweet, gentle, passionate and loyal Willow. 'Oh my ... I'm holding her! My arms are holding ... My arms! These are my arms ... that's her face ...' Buffy's mind rambled as she opened her eyes slightly to squint through her eyelids at the face of her true love. 'We've switched back! I'm me, she's her.'
Then she felt it - the instinctual knowledge of power, the restrained muscles, the heightened and anticipatory senses of a slayer. And that slight knot in her stomach that told her that a vampire was near — Angel? Why had he come? Had Willow asked him to help?
Willow moved below her, only slightly but she felt it. "Willow?"
"Buffy?" Willow mumbled as she suddenly found herself thrown about in her own body, trying to reconnect physically and magically. She squinted. "Dizzy ... kinda bright."
"S'okay ... I'm here," Buffy assured her, as every corner of her heart screamed out to protect and comfort the unique and beautiful woman below her. As she tried to raise herself up, an overwhelming spinning began. 'Whoa', her mind, still believing she was bound, rejected the idea of movement while her body attempted to obey its orders to move.
Willow was faced with a new overwhelming impulse to cry. Swallowing noisily, she raised her head in an attempt to show Buffy just how much her words meant. But a surge of heat suddenly shot from her toes to the top of her head as the Magics welcomed her home.
Buffy felt it too. Her reacquired slayer senses picked up the surge of good as Willow once again became a Magic emitter and the blast of warmth almost made her release her true love.
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Hyatt Ramu drummed his fingers on the desk beside his telephone, impatient for news, yet at the same time preferring that there be none. No news was good news. Yeah, right. Since when? Not since the 1900's when international communications really took off. That would have been the era for him; he would have thrived during that boom time.
But reality came crashing back as without warning his office door flew open allowing a rather pretentious version of Maclay to burst through. "Now this is what I've been talking about, this is what I was born to know," he declared, brushing his hands affectionately over his proudly protruding chest, as he threw back his shoulders and strode into the room with total self-assurance. He showed no regard for the fact that Hyatt was occupying it.
Hyatt instinctively made a move to stand, causing his chair to creak, thereby drawing the sharp-eared attention of his visitor.
Glancing at him with a look of surprise as if he'd just that moment realized that someone else was present, Maclay raised an eyebrow. "Not that I owe Wolfram & Hart anything since I lived up to my end of the bargain. But for some reason despite having purchased a ticket back to Hicksville, I felt I needed to be here. So here I am. What's your excuse?"
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Xander stood in complete awe, unable to stop the whoop of elation that escaped his lips at the realization that he had just witnessed not only one of his all-time fantasies but that his two best friends had finally found each other. He felt the lump in his chest rise to his throat, stop and swell, just as a dangerous dampness rose within his tear ducts. The urge to cough, to sniff, to do something to hold back the unmanly emotion he could feel building overwhelmed him and he forced a trilogy of coughs in the vain attempt to prevent tears.
Glancing at Cordelia to check that she hadn't noticed his predicament, he was shocked to see a tear beginning to fall down her own cheek. 'I don't believe it - the ice queen is melting.'
Faith simply grinned the widest possible grin she had ever grinned, but although her eyes were also shiny and moist, she was damned if she would cry in public. She had never imagined how good it would feel to do something like this for someone because it was the right thing to do without expecting anything in return - no money, no shiny new knife, not even forgiveness — okay maybe a little forgiveness. Hell, it felt great.
She threw a good-natured punch at Xander's arm, which elicited a howl. "Owww! Hey, slayer strength. Watch it." Ignoring the young man, Faith turned to Cordelia, picked her up and happily swung her around. Cordelia's yelp of surprise shocked Faith who stopped short and looked deeply into the other her friend's confused eyes. Blushing for the first time that anyone could remember, the Slayer gently put the Seer down and mumbled "Sorry."
It was Xander's turn to grin as he looked from Buffy and Willow to Cordelia and Faith. 'Oh yeah, my fantasy life has just improved soooo much.'
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Although Angel knew he should be enjoying himself, throwing these mercenaries around like rag dolls wasn't helping to lower the heat that was rising in his blood. He had lost her. She would no longer be the perfect love he had surrendered. She had moved on. When had she given up on him, on them? When had she stopped believing in their love? When had he lost her? Vainly he searched his memory to try to pinpoint the exact moment, the pivotal event that had caused their love to die. No — her love to die because his feelings hadn't changed and they never would.
Two men launched themselves at him. Kicking one away to his left, he curled into and threw the other over his shoulder. But what he didn't notice or remember was that he was standing just in front of the hole in the suspended ceiling. When the satisfying thud of a body didn't follow, he glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the man falling to earth, just short of the cage holding the two clinging women who were torturing his thoughts. He was momentarily frozen by the image before him, bathed as it was in a residue of amber and by the look of them as they clung to each other.
She had been the one to change. Her one-time declaration of unending desire and love had obviously been false. She had lied to him. She had led him to believe that she would wait for him, that theirs was the love that would never be denied. He had placed himself in danger to protect her, given up his roaming ways, even helped her to vanquish his sire and the Master. Had she simply been playing him all along... to ensure his help?
A torrent of doubts suddenly invaded his total being, feeding the heat within his blood and weakening his hold on the demon within. He could feel it crawling into the corners of his mind, picking at his weakness, his love for Buffy. 'You've really got it bad for that girl. You think you're over it, you think you can just walk away, just let her go. But she's under your skin, in your blood. You've tasted her and yet she lives! She made you feel human and that's not the kind of thing I can forgive,' his demon murmured into the mounting insane emotions he could feel building.
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Willow couldn't take her eyes off the face before her; the amber light that had surrounded them just seemed to draw her even closer towards the woman she loved. "Do you know you're doing that thing you do with your mouth that boys like? Oh! I didn't mean the bad thing with your mouth that boys like ... the other thing that I like ... the nice thing that you do with your mouth that I like. I should just stop speaking now," she mumbled, closing her eyes.
Buffy found herself bathing in the sheer Willowness of the woman before her, so sincere and lacking in guile; and then there was the Willow-babble that she had missed so very much. The amber light had taken quite some time to dissipate and it seemed that while it was still present that time had stopped to allow them the briefest of moments to themselves. But an unconscious mercenary suddenly flying past the cage had quickly brought Buffy back to reality.
Glancing over her shoulder Buffy realized that she needed to get Willow out of this cage. She could hear gunshots above them. "Will, it's okay. I think I know what you mean but if you really need to you can explain it later, when we're ... alone. Right now we need to get you out of this cage," she explained, sensing that the sudden re-acquaintance with her Magical self had made Willow forget where she was and the danger that surrounded them.
Pulling herself onto her knees Buffy moved her hands under Willow, careful to ensure that she didn't touch a "no-go" zone. She was pretty damn sure that Willow was finding this 'close, but not close enough' thing just as hard as she was, having an audience and all. They certainly didn't need to make it any harder. She could wait — as if she had a choice.
She couldn't feel anything holding Willow and so she attempted to lift her true love. But only half way to straightening her back, something pulled Willow back! "What the....?" Buffy questioned.
"She's still stuck. The rope's caught beneath the cage," Faith yelled helpfully.
Buffy threw Faith an instinctive 'thank you' look before she realized what she was doing. For some reason she didn't want to think about right now, the most bizarre grin was plastered across Faith's somewhat blushing face. 'What the hell is going on here?' she wondered, before turning her attention back to her beautiful Witch. She lowered Willow and rolled her onto her side so that she could take a look at the ropes binding her.
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"And you really think that's going to help? Okay, okay, if that's what you want and I can't talk you out of it. Not that I'd bother trying," Maclay quipped, disbelief apparent in his tone. "Right now?"
"No, not right this minute," Hyatt stated, and recalling his many previous meetings with this man, reminded himself 'be careful with the words — talk about literal.' He could almost imagine himself reappearing still seated, but with no chair beneath him. "I'll let you now when and where."
Maclay huffed in annoyance, raising one condescending eyebrow before retorting. "Take your time. I've waited two decades, what are a few more hours? You'd think that I'd learn patience during that long tiresome build up to my birthright, huh, wouldn't you? But I never understood what the big deal was about patience."
Hyatt tried to ignore his comment and pulled open his desk drawer but annoyance got the better of him. "You think this is over, don't you? You think you're now free of the firm but I have news for you. No one is ever free. Once you sign on, they have you — forever." There was no bitterness in his tone, just a matter-of-fact statement. However the hollow, empty feeling at his core was in distinct contradiction to his calm exterior as he pictured just what punishment would await him if this all fell apart, which it seemed to be doing.
Standing he nodded, "This isn't over. Despite your lackluster performance, this plan will work. Even if I have to finish things myself," he stated as he moved towards the source of his annoyance. "Why is it that only I can see the bigger picture? You just can't see it, can you? And you most definitely cannot figure it out."
Maclay threw his head back and laughed. "Oh trust me, sonny, we're not talking M.I.T here. Talk about a "paint by numbers" performance. A fourth grader could have told you why this wasn't going to work," he stated, scratching his ear. "You based all of this on one ill-conceived homophobic notion and that's what let you down. I, however, provided you with a fall-back based on some very real male norms. But do I hear a thank you, do I hear any appreciation? No. Why is that I wonder?"
"Indeed, a 'thank you' would just be good manners wouldn't it, Mr Ramu?" the Senior Partner, standing in the doorway, interjected.
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Xander moved forward eagerly, gesturing for Cordelia and Faith to join him. "C'mon. We need to tip the cage over." Realizing that he was right, Faith and Cordelia quickly moved to grab the bars of the cage nearest to them. "Buffy, try to hold her steady," he instructed before nodding to his companions.
Pushing with all their might, they felt the cage slowly begin to move, only to rock back. Confused, Xander stared at the problem through a deep frown. Glancing towards his two best friends, he threw Buffy a look of apology.
A quiet voice broke the momentary silence. "Pull it towards us," Faith offered, only to have Xander raise an eyebrow in her direction. "If we use our own weight...."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Xander acknowledged, bracing himself. "Ready? Go." This time the cage didn't seem to need much persuasion to tip towards them. "Okay, now step back. Come on or we're waffles."
Throwing an amused glance at Faith, Cordelia quipped "There's just no part of this that isn't fun for Doughnut Boy, is there?" as she quickly stepped clear of the now turning cage.
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Giles was starting to get more than a little upset. They had been gone far too long. He could sense Anya's temple twitching, as even the ex-demon began to exude her concern. Tapping the steering wheel with his thumb, he began to chew the inside of his lip while the throbbing of his leg grew worse and unwanted images of what might be going on began to form in his mind.
"How long has it been?" Anya asked.
"Longer than I'd like," Giles replied, casting her a concerned glance.
Anya raised a questioning eyebrow. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
"What am I going to do about it?" Giles mouth fell open as he raised an eyebrow and glanced towards his wound. "Exactly what are you expecting me to be able to do?"
"Something ... Watcher-like," she stated unhelpfully before sighing, "Watching isn't really very action-packed, is it? No wonder you're putting on weight."
"I ..." Giles mumbled, losing the ability to speak in the face of Anya's tactlessness. Subconsciously, he tensed his stomach muscles and glanced at his midriff. 'Is it visible?' he wondered as he recalled the entire very large bread and butter pudding he'd absent-mindedly consumed only the other day, while researching the other watcher chronicles for anything useful.
Anya sighed heavily, before adding in her all-to-familiar "ex-vengeance demon" reminiscing tone, "Men just stop trying when they reach a certain age. Why is it okay for a man to let everything sag and wrinkle? What's really sad is when they somehow manage to surround themselves with young nubile women, forcing them to hang on their every word. If I've seen it once, I've seen it a thousand times."
Giles could feel his blood beginning to boil and the only thing that kept his hands from her throat was the thought that somewhere in another dimension, Anya was really being strangled and people were cheering.
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Angel, oblivious to the joyous events below him, allowed the rage to rise as two of the remaining mercenaries tried to box him in, one from the left, the other from the right. 'Oh Please! Is this the best they can do?' he wondered. His eagerness for a real challenge was obviously not about to be satisfied.
Okay, so he'd known what they were sending Faith to do, Cordelia had been pretty clear on that issue. He'd known that it was the right thing to do, that Buffy and he could never truly be. He'd known how much Willow loved Buffy. He'd known he could trust the Witch to never hurt his Slayer, but he hadn't been prepared for the reality of acknowledging that this was what Buffy wanted too, that Buffy was deeply in love with the woman, that his role had been taken. He was no longer the greatest lost love of Buffy's life. He was no longer the one she would compare all others to, the only one who had truly shared the Slayer aspect of her life, the only one she would always regret losing.
Buffy hadn't thrown him anything more than a confused look. There had been no happiness at seeing him. There had been no request for his approval. Why should he have expected one? She'd always challenged him, always fought to be true to herself and he'd respected that. But he'd been her confidant, her confessor — and she'd never confessed this, not even an inkling!
And now he and Buffy were truly finally done.
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As Buffy untied Willow, she allowed herself to look around, concerned that she had no idea where they were, let alone which way was out. She didn't like not knowing exactly where she was or how they had gotten to her. Were they going to have to fight their way out? As she glanced towards the open doorway, she couldn't help wondering with concern where Giles and Anya were. Finally releasing Willow's hands, she suddenly became tense as they flew back towards her.
"Buffy?" Willow questioned, reaching for her beloved's face. Concerned by the look of doubt that she had just seen, Willow drew the Slayer's face towards her own. "Hey, it's okay," the Wiccan assured her beloved.
Realizing that Willow was the reason she was free and that this had all been part of a plan made without her did little to quiet her nerves, as she tried to recapture her self-confidence and calm. Her newly reacquired Slayer strength and power did nothing to remove the feeling that she had somehow lost control.
Willow offered her beloved yet another reassuring smile before turning to their audience. "Xander, where's the car?"
"Out front, engine running," Xander replied, trying to hide his concern at the silence that had suddenly overtaken Buffy.
When neither on of them appeared ready to start moving, Cordelia sighed and raised an impatient eyebrow. "I'm not sure how long Angel will be able to hold them back," she pointed out in her best 'annoyed and know-it-all' voice. "We need to get moving. NOW!"
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"So you want me to take you right to her, no matter where she is or who's with her?" Maclay asked the young man. His questioning arched eyebrow supported by a glint of mischief helped to cover his inner irritation at having orders barked at him by this upstart. There was something about this cocky young man that almost reminded him of himself, all those years ago, eager for quick success, ready to take risks, ready to skim the edge. Time and his family had taught him a painful lesson, one he'd never forgotten. And for some reason a lesson he was itching to pass on — 'someone always wants it more than you do — so get rid of him or her first.'
Watching Hyatt Ramu with the same interest he usually reserved for his thoroughbred Arabian stallion, Holland Manners wondered if instinct or arrogance would win out. "I believe that's exactly what this young man's after," he asserted, somewhat amused by the almost manic determination in the eyes of the man. 'How quickly will the seams appear to split; no one tailors young suits like they used to. So unless I'm gravely mistaken, he will have to be rebuilt like all the others.' But perhaps this would be the one who would be worthy of his position, perhaps this one would not have to be rescued and restored by him.
"Just make sure I'm facing her and there's no one between us," Hyatt ordered. "Give me twenty seconds, then pull me right back," he reminded the Mage as he reached into his desk drawer for the equalizer before moving towards Maclay and nodding.
Holland Manners hid his grin at the cocky tilt of the young man's chin and the dismissive way he ordered Maclay around. Having no fear was one thing, thinking that you will never need someone you've just walked over was quite another. He liked what he saw.
But Maclay didn't seem bothered, as he nodded in return and gestured briefly, speaking under his breath. There was no immediate discernable change to their surroundings and Hyatt Ramu stared at him in irritation for the briefest of moments, then the shimmering began.
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Just ahead of them Cordelia and Xander shot through the exit as gunfire broke out somewhere nearby, but Buffy was unable to tell where it was coming from. She ground to a halt and pulled Willow back from the exit, her instincts taking over. The look of surprise and annoyance on her true love's face shook her slightly. "Sorry, Will."
"Giles and Anya are out there waiting for us. We have to hurry," Willow declared impatiently.
"I know, Will. But we don't know who else is out there waiting for us," Buffy explained, reaching out to hold Willow's shoulders as if that would somehow make her listen more intently. "I've no intention of taking unnecessary risks when we don't need to. You could cut the lights," she suggested. But upon seeing the slight confusion still evident on the witch's face, Buffy found herself adding "I don't want to risk losing you, when I've only just... when we've only just... Will?" she pleaded, hoping that her true love would simply accept and understand what she was struggling to put into words.
The concerned appeal for understanding that was unmistakably apparent in Buffy's loving face and voice forced Willow's eagerness to dissolve. "Okay. I'm just scared that if we hang around any longer... I just want to get you away from here, away from them," Willow explained leaning closer to her Slayer. "Somewhere less... precarious to our health, where we can... continue our... talk."
Reaching up to gently stroke Willow's cheek, Buffy smiled. "Talk, mmm... Okay but no fair if you're gonna use big words, or even a lot of little ones."
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Cordelia threw a look over her shoulder as they approached the fence and the waiting car. Anya had the rear door open and ready, a look of annoyance on her face that left no doubt she was pretty pissed at having been kept waiting. Realizing that no one was following them, the Seer slowed, allowing the bulkier, 'not so much a sprinter' that was Xander to overtake her.
As Xander launched himself over the car hood and towards the passenger side of the car, like something out of Miami Vice, certainly scratching his paintwork, Giles was too distracted to notice his actions. He'd been focused on Cordelia's almost skidding halt. Looking past her towards the warehouse, he realized they were alone and his heart sank.
Xander dove into the front passenger seat, by lifting Anya onto his lap, leaving the back seat free, only to be greeted by a glaring Giles. "Where are they?"
The young man knitted his eyebrows momentarily confused until he realized that Cordelia wasn't in the back seat and that no one else was arriving to board their getaway car. "They were right behind us."
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Having stopped just behind Buffy and Willow, Faith shook her head and smiled warmly as she watched the brief tender scene before her. She knew that she should break them up; that this was neither the time nor place, but she just couldn't. And she couldn't believe the softie she was turning into.
Then she heard the click.
Faith instantly knew what it was and a shiver ran down her spine. Catching a slight movement to her right in that darkened doorway, she knew that she didn't have time to warn them. There was only one thing that she could do. She had to protect them at any cost. She launched herself and flew through the air towards their mysterious attacker. Her arcing trajectory brought her between the loving couple and the would-be assassin's hiding place, as a muzzle flash momentarily illuminated a familiar face.
Something ripped into her lower right thigh, like a searing red-hot poker, but her Slayer momentum kept her going. However, just as she almost managed to reach the dark shape of their attacker, certain that she could wrestle whoever it was to the ground, the shadowy figure seemed to shimmer and then disappear. "What the...?" she exclaimed as she hit the doorframe hard.
Hearing the gunfire, Buffy and Willow released each other and turned in shock as they witnessed the dark-haired Slayer's actions. Once she had landed, they raced to her side. As Willow knelt over Faith searching for her wound, Buffy rushed through the darkened doorway.
Faith shook her head, trying to remember what she'd just done and why her thigh felt like it was on fire. Looking down she saw that she was bleeding profusely from her wound. Looking up at Willow and regaining her senses, she barked out her instructions, "Get Buffy and get out of here," she ordered, "He may come back."
"Let me take a look," Willow insisted, attempting to determine the severity of Faith's injury through all the blood.
Hearing footsteps coming down the hall, the dark Slayer's brows knit together. "There's no time. You have to get out now. I'll only slow you down," Faith insisted, as Buffy returned only to shake her head, indicating she hadn't found their attacker.
Willow glared at Faith. "Are you kidding? Do you have any idea what Cordy will do to me if I leave you here?"
"And not just to you," Buffy added, supporting Willow and now a little less concerned that staying here was really any safer than charging out into the open and sprinting for the car.
"Trust me, she's not that scary. I'll be... unnggh... five by... five. Just get outta here," Faith ordered through gritted teeth. "I'll be right behind you. OK?"
"Oh sure. And having you behind me is meant to be comforting? I don't think so," Buffy stated in a no-nonsense voice. But seeing the honest disappointment and hurt in Faith's eyes, she realized that her attempt at humor had been badly timed. "Besides... we never leave any of our own behind."
At that, Faith raised her head and gave Buffy an intense look filled with quiet amazement and gratitude. Willow cast a quick holding spell to slow the dark slayer's loss of blood and then without thinking she tried to lift her. When she hardly managed to move the woman, she huffed in annoyance before remembering that she'd lost her borrowed Slayer strength.
"I think that's my gig," Buffy said, as she gently moved Willow out of the way. "Check the door and get that lights mojo-thingy ready. We're gonna get moving the minute I have her," she added as she squatted and raised Faith easily onto her shoulder.
Willow moved to the exit and taking a quick glance outside, located the car. "Okay, all clear." Holding her hand out towards Buffy, she added "I've spotted where the car is, so I'll lead the way." Seeing Buffy stare at her hand in confusion, Willow added "I'm gonna need to draw a little Slayer magic for this."
"A little slayer what?" Buffy questioned, still gazing intently at her extended hand. For a moment she'd thought Willow was just being really sweet, if a little inappropriate, considering their current circumstances and the bleeding Slayer on her shoulder, but apparently she'd missed something.
"Watch out B. It kinda tickles and tingles the first time... in a nice way though," muttered Faith from her less than dignified position on Buffy's shoulder.
"It what?" Buffy exclaimed.
Willow thought that her beloved's eyebrows were going to shoot up and off her forehead, and despite the gravity of the situation she smiled. "I need to draw Slayer magic to turn the lights off, and to do that we need to hold hands. And, Faith's getting to weak with her injury"
Casting her mind back to their arrival, Buffy remembered that she had seen Willow and Faith holding hands. She recalled how jealous it had made her, but now realization dawned. 'Willow had been drawing Magic from Faith.' "Wait! I have Magic??"
"Give that girl a prize. Yep B, you got Magic. I got Magic. We all got Magic. Yippee Deee. Who'd'a guessed?" muttered Faith, any patience for this explanation game having long since disappeared now that she was oozing blood and getting quite lightheaded. "Get over it and grab your girlfriend's hand before some smart ass takes a shot at mine."
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Thanks to Lilly the Treasure
NB: Thank you for nominating this story for a 'Willowy Goodness Award' - Category Best Willow / Buffy Fic
http://wga.hairy-eyeball.com/nominees.html