North and South...and West
by Rin
Boston Law
[reviews]
A/N: Howard...I'm beginning to think you know me too well. LOL. Of course that's the reason...well one of the reasons...since Harvard Law school had just opened up during that general time period.
Just a short update to quell those NSW urges for the holidays...
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The semester was going by almost too smooth. The lawyer Willow worked for had taken on a new client, one that he was appointed to by the courts. He didn't get many cases like that but this one was interesting, and he wanted to show off in a courtroom. If he could win this case, he could be one of the biggest lawyers on the East coast. Willow just went along with him. After all, she was just his aide.
They were meeting with the client again today, trying to determine a new approach to her case. All the evidence was there to convict her, and any jury of her peers would hang this young girl in a heartbeat. Her crimes were against nature. It was uncommon for a girl to commit murder, especially murder of a politician. Mr. Law (as Willow had nicknamed her boss, since he breathed, slept, and ate law) was wanting to try for a crime of passion defense. He felt he could get her by on that without a problem.
"Here's the deal: you were attacked by this guy, almost had your innocence torn from you..." Mr. Law was interrupted by a sneer from the young brunette.
"Lost that long ago, Jeeves." Faith knew she'd killed the man. No need to try and hide the fact. It was an accident, even if nobody believed her.
"Well, we're going to convince the jury otherwise." Mr. Law openly admired the beautiful darkness that exuded from this woman. She was bold, brazen, and the leather corset she was wearing showed off her ample bosom. "We may have to hone your image first."
"Ain't nobody honin' nothing, got it?" Faith looked over at the redhead, and noticed his cheeks were a bright red. She decided to tease him about it later. "Look, it was an accident. How was I supposed to know? I went outside to get rid of the dogs that've been gettin' in my boss's trash. I jumped it, just wantin' to scare it, ya know? I was gonna throw the stake, so it would go fetch, and get out of the trash. How is that not clear?"
"A jury may not take kindly to your story. There's a major possibility that there won't be any sympathy towards your circumstances. After all, your boss had complained several times to the cleaning matron about your behavior around the house. The prosecution will use that, so we need to make you appear more sympathetic. Taking a sharp stake to a dog will not win you sympathy." Mr. Law steeled his jaw, as he stared at Faith with his cold, dark eyes. Willow had noticed that there were two faces to her boss: on and off. Whenever he was on, his eyes were this dark cold gray. He was fishing for a good defense, he was digging for a lie. When he was off, his eyes were a soft, charming slate blue. That was what Willow called his 'jury look,' since that was the only other time it ever appeared besides when his client was on the witness stand.
"Well, I don't care 'bout no jury. I just want you to get me off." Faith's leer could've been taken both ways, and Willow almost jumped out of her seat when the brunette stared at her. The room became warmer all of a sudden.
"Yes, well, that's what we're trying to do, if you would just cooperate." Mr. Law took a deep breath, and steeled his jaw even further. "We're going to clean you up, buy you a nice dress but not too nice. We might even have a matron come teach you a few manners, while we're at it." Mr. Law laughed, and all his aides except Willow laughed with him. Faith took notice of this small fact. It was a big one to her.
"Look, if you don't wanna help me fine but I'm not gonna sit here, and let you get your kicks at my expense." Faith stood but Mr. Law walked by her, and pushed her back in her seat. Willow noticed that the girl's eyes went hard and extra flamey. This girl had some serious issues. After all, who uses a sharpened stick to shoo stray dogs away from trash?
"Faith, I seriously doubt you have any choice in this manner. We agreed to take on your case pro bono but if you'd rather hang..." Mr. Law stated, as he ran a hand over his balding graying hair. Faith's silence said it all. "I didn't think so. Now, if you'll just be so kind as to do what we say, then we have a good chance of winning this case."
"Yeah, well...whatever." Faith's demeanor was relaxed but Willow could see a tiny speck of fear in the girl's eye just before she looked away.
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Buffy was stirring the laundry in the fireplace when Willow walked in the door. She accepted the quick kiss before watching her lover walk out of the kitchen, picking up Samuel along the way. She noticed a frown on the redhead's features, and decided to ask once she finished her task.
"Red. Good job!" Willow smiled this tired smile at Samuel, as he sat on her lap in the open front room. "What color is Mommy's hair?"
"Yellow?" Samuel scrunched his eyebrows in contemplation. That was a good question.
"Close enough but we call it blonde when it's hair." Willow kissed Samuel's crown before noticing Buffy walking into the room. "Hey, beautiful. Anything exciting happen today?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Dawn and Jenny are both upstairs packin'. I can't believe you're almost finished." Buffy hadn't even stopped to calculate how two years flew by so quickly. They had been together for four now, Samuel was on the verge of turning three, and Christmas was close. They had planned on moving everything back to SunnyDale to stay there until they found a house in Charleston they liked.
"Not quite. I still have to pass the exam. Then, I'm official." Willow was starting to look tired again but not from constantly running this time. It was more the work she was doing for the lawyer, especially this recent case. It was her first murder case, and she decided that murder wasn't the type of law she wanted to pursue if she could avoid it.
"Well, one month away. That's not bad. Jenny helped pluck the feathers from the turkey, and we have it sittin' in some water. I can't believe it's already Thanksgivin' again." Buffy sat down on the couch beside her family, and placed her hand on Willow's knee. "And I'm sure you'll pass without any problems."
"Yes, well..." Willow blushed at seeing the adoring gaze from her wife. Maybe tonight she'd get some nookie, since they hadn't been able to make love for two weeks due to a mutually feminine issue. They used to have the same schedule but Willow's weakness last semester threw them all off kilter: body, emotions, and mind. "How about I help make dinner, since I'm home early? We'll try to eat light tonight, save room for tomorrow's meal."
"Sounds like heaven." Buffy leaned over, and placed a sweet, wet kiss against Willow's cheek. She was finally one hundred plus percent comfortable with her husband again. Otherwise, they would've been lust bunnies again. There was no doubt in her mind. Whenever they got that house in Charleston, and Samuel had his own room...Buffy shivered in anticipation of their future together. "I'll let Dawn and Jenny know you're gonna help. I'm sure they'd like the night off."
"RJ is pink." Samuel looked up at his father for confirmation.
"His skin...is sort of pinkish. You're not wrong." Willow smiled before tickling her son. "You wanna help Mommy and Daddy in the kitchen tonight?"
"Oh!! Yeah!" His little eyes lit up in excitement. This kid was amazing, always wanting to help. When Willow was being nursed back to health, Samuel was always asking to do something to make his daddy feel better. It was so cute.
"I'll be right back, then." Buffy went to stand but was pulled back down on the couch. "What?"
"I love you. I haven't said that enough lately." Willow smiled before leaning close for a kiss but not quite sealing the deal yet.
"You say it every day, silly." Buffy smirked before meeting the redhead in a short, passion-filled kiss.
"That's not nearly enough." Willow smiled between their lips, and pressed in for another quick kiss. "It's still early. I could carry Samuel upstairs, and we could all take a nap first."
"That'd be nice." Buffy smiled before standing, this time pulling the redhead with her, who held tightly to their son. "How about dumplins for dinner? I could open a jar of beans, too, if you'd like."
"I'd love. Besides, I'm all yours tomorrow. No meetings, no classes. Just family." Willow followed Buffy into their bedroom before laying Samuel down on the bed. The little boy went to untie his shoes, mimicking Willow's actions.