CSI: Sunnydale
by Rin
Truth about Christmas
[reviews]
"I told you, I'm not cheating on you. There's nobody else. I'm just late because of work. That's all." Mr. Lamb was too tired to go over this again. It was an every night occurrence, and he was tired of his wife trying to play detective at home. Ever since she got the promotion at work, she'd hounded him extra hard about his whereabouts late at night. It wasn't easy being a lawyer, married to a homicide detective.
"The truth will come out eventually." Detective Lamb wasn't too happy about her husband's late night visits to some of his clients. Now that she was working more, she feared that he'd leave her. She needed to know the truth, and she would do anything to find it.
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Buffy had been in search engine after search engine trying to find this mystery girl. Whoever this fighting brunette was, she wasn't in missing teens; at least not in the United States. The case was already closed but Buffy just couldn't let her hunch go on this girl. She kept searching, staying after her shift to research. Two weeks of nothing, and it was starting to show in her body motions. She was stiff, her eyes burned, and she yawned more than usual. Whenever she was on an actual case, she would have to take breaks for yawning.
The office party was tomorrow night, and everybody was getting ready for it. The supervisors even sprung for a live band this year, instead of the cheap DJ from years past that Buffy had heard so non-fondly about for the past week. Dawn was going to go with her, since the blonde didn't trust her collegiate younger sister not to get into trouble during those hours she was alone at the house.
"Any luck today?" Willow peeked her head in the tech lab, and noticed Buffy sitting at the computer again. The redhead was worried about her, and wanted to see her well rested for the party. They all deserved it, since the solved crime rate had increased exponentially since Buffy had arrived on scene.
"None. I'm starting to think this girl doesn't exist. I've checked every major city, and none of the pictures match, not even juvenile criminals." Buffy was frustrated. She really wanted to know who that girl was, and why she was at the crime scene.
"Hey. Go home, and get some sleep. I don't want to see you until tomorrow night, okay? This can wait; it's not a pressing issue. What IS a pressing issue is your well-being, so go home, go to a spa, get a manicure, something, anything but work." Willow smirked behind her coffee mug as the image of Buffy in a terry cloth towel, and nothing but the towel, entered her mind. She hid behind the mug, hoping Buffy would think the red tint in her cheeks was from the sudden steam from the coffee hitting her face.
"I've got one more city I wanna check before I go home." Buffy accessed Boston's juvenile records, and let them pop up on the screen.
"No. You're to go home now." Willow walked into the room, and looked at the screen. "Boston can wait. There's no telling how many records there are, and what're the chances of you finding your mystery girl on this?"
"But..."
"No. Go home." Willow leant over Buffy, and turned off her computer. Neither would comment on the fact the redhead's chest was pressed into Buffy's back, or her growing red locks were tickling the blonde's cheek. "I don't want to see you until tomorrow, and that's an order."
"Yes, ma'am." Buffy took a deep breath, and instantly regretted it. Now, she had the scent of Willow all over her. Doyle was going to pick on her; maybe she could dodge him, and not go to her locker before she left. Then again, she'd need her keys and purse. Damn.
"I'm sorry I didn't call you back last night." Willow saw this as an opportunity to clear the air. "Detective Lockwood called, and...."
"Why do you never call her Kate?" Buffy was tired. How else could she explain the sudden urge to voice questions? It was time to save face, since she had to interrupt. "I mean...you dated, right? You know her name, you were...intimate. Yet, even when you're not at work, you never call her by her name. It's always Detective Lockwood. Did you call her that when you dated?"
"No...um...not that it's any of your business but no. I just try to establish to the force and other CSIs that even though we were intimate, Detective Lock...Kate is still a coworker." Willow was turning red all over. She really didn't want to explain her actions and reactions when it came to Kate, especially to Buffy.
"Yeah but you call Doyle by his name." Buffy knew Willow called her 'Summers' most of the time at work but did notice the occasional 'Buffy' or 'Buff' slip in there. It seemed she was the only one the redhead addressed casually in the office, not even former lovers got that privilege, or best friends.
"Doyle IS Doyle's last name." Willow smirked. She always loved revealing this little tidbit of information.
"It is? Then what's his..."
"Francis." Willow wanted to contain her laughter but when Buffy cracked a smirk, it was hard to keep it bottled. The chuckles took away some of the tension, and steered the conversation elsewhere. "Now, go home. Get some rest. Relax. Boston will still be there when you get back on Monday."
"You'll feel guilty if it falls into a giant crater unexpectedly." Buffy smiled, as she made her way back to the lockers.
"Why do you smell like Willow?" Doyle peeked his head around the corner, and smirked at the blonde. He couldn't understand why neither woman acted on their obvious feelings for one another.
"I don't know why, Francis." Buffy put emphasis on his name, and watched him go speechless, while she just stood there, and smirked. His keen sense of smell never failed but this time, she had something on him.
"Okay, that information is strictly confidential." Doyle even covered up his first name when he showed his CSI badge on scene. Everybody always just called him Doyle.
"Well, this is the place where we solve crimes." Buffy smirked, as she got ready to leave. It was fun being the teaser for once. "And it was a crime to name you Francis."
"I'll have you know it's a family name." Doyle's thick brogue was harder to interpret than usual, as his nervousness increased. "What kinda name is Buffy?"
"My mother gave me that name." Buffy looked at him with mock distaste.
"So did mine." Doyle finally cracked a smirk of his own, and sat down on the bench. "Ready for the big party tomorrow night? I have it on good authority that a certain someone we both know is going solo."
"I'll have you know, I already have a date." Buffy closed her locker, and headed for Willow's office.
"Who? Your sister? Hardly qualifies as a date." Doyle walked with her, and was glad it was a quiet shift for once. That was a rarity in Sunnydale.
"No worse than bringing an escort." Buffy rolled her eyes in amusement.
"Former escort, emphasis on the former." Doyle sometimes missed the married life. One never had to scrounge up a date at the last minute, and especially didn't have to find one in a bar two weeks before the big party, present company bearing witness.
"Hey, ready to go?" Willow walked out of her office. "Are we talking about Doyle's hooker friend again?"
"FORMER. I'm not paying her. She is a legitimate business woman these days." Doyle was getting frustrated but everybody else at the bar shot him down.
"Yes, stripping is much more legal." Buffy chuckled, as the two women left Doyle pouting in the hallway. "So, are you okay for some coffee, or are you ordering me to go straight home?"
"Are you kidding? I'd never order somebody to do something straight." Willow couldn't help but smirk, and chuckle at Buffy's wide-eyed expression. "Coffee sounds good but I have an appointment this afternoon that I should prepare for. Besides, you need lots of rest. I don't think you've slept in five days."
"I slept yesterday." Buffy huffed, as they got into Willow's car.
"For like...five minutes until Xander sat on you." Willow started the car, and headed home. "Are you excited to see your sister again?"
"Don't remind me. The semester ends tomorrow, and she's staying with me. I already miss the peace and quiet." Buffy leaned back in the seat, and watched the trees go by outside her window.
"She's not ten anymore, you know? She's even legal to drink now." Willow smirked. She sometimes wished she knew firsthand about big sisterhood. She knew a little about little sisterhood because of Xander, him being older and super protective of her.
"Don't remind me. It's my right not to think of her as an adult...like...ever." Buffy took a deep breath, and yawned again. "Maybe I should get some sleep. Lord knows when she gets here tonight, I won't know the meaning of the word."
"Make sure you do. I'm afraid you're going to fall over if you stay up any longer." Willow smiled, as she pulled up to Buffy's driveway. "Now, go. Sleep."
"I'll see you tomorrow night." Buffy felt the sudden urge to lean over, and kiss Willow, as they sat there in her driveway. It was very after-date like, and the tension in the air had only increased with the drive. Just as she was about to grab Willow's hand, she yawned again, and deflected her actions, hoping the redhead didn't notice what she was doing. Getting out of the car, she cursed herself for the weak moment, and didn't even wave bye in the doorway like she did every morning.
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Detective Lamb was bound and determined to have the truth one way or another, so she visited a metaphysical shop, and found the perfect way to get what she wanted from her husband. All she had to do was add a little ingredient to his punch at the office party. It was the perfect opportunity. There was nowhere to hide, and no reason for excuses. If this truth potion worked, she'd have him confessing in record time.
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The party had started, and police officers, CSIs, and detectives all started to mingle in the hotel lobby, making their way towards the ballroom. The room was already in full swing, as the band was just beginning their first set. Kate introduced her father to some of her coworkers, and kept an eye out for Willow. She knew her dad would want to say hello, and maybe they could clear the air with him about their non-relationship.
"Daddy, I'm going to get some punch. Would you like some?" Kate turned to her father, who was enjoying the company of other policemen his age, ready for retirement themselves.
"No, Katie. Go. Enjoy yourself. Find Willow." Mr. Lockwood winked at his daughter, and watched her walk towards the punch table.
Meanwhile, Willow walked directly to the punch table, ready for something to drink already. She hated the politics of the job, and everybody seemed to have a million questions for her. It was supposed to be her night off, and she had originally planned on enjoying it, starting with Buffy (who was running fashionably late). She wasn't sure what happened in the car yesterday morning but she was pretty sure Buffy was about to kiss her again. Would it really suck if it had happened? Probably not but it would make her job a lot more difficult.
"Oh, hey, Willow." Kate noticed that the redhead was already frustrated. "Got an early start tonight, huh?"
"Don't remind me. If it's not my boss asking me about our progress, it's my boss's boss asking. It's like they don't see me on a regular basis. They even want to know how we're doing on the Parker Abrams case, and we're getting lots more slack because we had to close it." Willow walked with Kate to the punch table, and noticed a couple was arguing. "Detective Lamb. Mr. Lamb."
"Dr. Rosenberg. Glad you're here. I want to ask how the Abrams case is going?" Mr. Lamb was Senator Abrams's lawyer, and hadn't heard any news since the crime lab had closed the case.
"The case is closed as of now. If further evidence is revealed, we'll reopen it. You know the drill." Willow wanted to scream but Kate just laid her hand on the redhead's back to keep her from pulling hairs.
While nobody was looking, Detective Lamb pulled out the vial of truth potion. Her husband's glass was sitting right there. All she had to do was pour a drop, and all would be revealed. However, just as she was about to drop the liquid into her husband's glass, Doyle saw her, and smirked. Thinking fast, she emptied the contents into the entire punch bowl, making it look like she was spiking the punch, and not drugging her husband. Doyle couldn't say anything, since he'd spiked the punch earlier with a little Irish whiskey.
"If you'll excuse us, we just want to get some punch." Kate poured them two glasses, and noticed Buffy and another brunette walk in the door. Her deflected face caused Willow to wonder about the sudden mood change. "CSI Summers has a hot date tonight. A little younger than I would've expected, though. She looks like she likes the older ones."
"Huh?" Willow turned around, and saw Buffy and Dawn wave at her, making their way to the punch bowl. "Oh, that's Buffy's little sister. Well, not so little. She's taller but younger."
"Oh." Kate felt rejected again, and didn't know why. Whenever the other blonde appeared, it was as though she never even existed to Willow. "Hi, Summers."
"Heya, Kate. This is my sister, Dawn." Buffy smiled at Willow, and couldn't help but notice the warm glow coming from the redhead's face. "Heya, Wills. You look nice."
"You, too. Look nice, that is. You look nice, too." Willow swallowed hard. Buffy's black cocktail dress showed the blonde's cleavage. It was hard not to stare. "Um...punch?"
"Sure." Buffy smiled. It was obvious the effect she was having on the redhead. She knew she shouldn't have let Dawn pick out her dress.
"Punch, okay. Check." Willow turned around, and poured a glass for Buffy, and spun around really quick to give her the glass. "Here ya go."
"So, I'm going to talk to the really cute guy over there." Dawn pointed to Doyle, and before Buffy knew what was happening, her sister had disappeared.
"Willow!!" Mr. Lockwood made his way into the little group, especially noticing his daughter was uncomfortable and sad. "Good to see you again. How is your family?"
"They're down in Arizona visiting my aunt for Hanukkah." Willow was glad to see the older man, even though she never completely understood him.
"Well, would you ladies mind if I borrowed my Katie for a dance or two?" He looked around, and saw no objections. Kate was more than happy to get out of there.
"So...what about you? Did you want some punch?" Buffy held her glass in her hand, as she watched Willow grab her glass. "I think Doyle may have gotten to it already."
"I hope so." Willow took a big drink, and could definitely taste the bitterness of the whiskey. "Good ol' Doyle. It never fails."
"Well, at least nobody here is on duty tonight." Buffy noticed her sister flirting with Doyle. "If you'll excuse me, I may have to separate those two."
"Okay...just...promise me a dance later, okay?" Willow didn't know where the sudden boldness came from but it felt right. "I mean, if you'd like."
"I would love to dance with you." Buffy wasn't sure where the sudden boldness came from, either but she didn't mind. It was cute to watch Willow squirm.
"Okay, I'll talk to you later then." Willow waved awkwardly as Buffy departed her company. With a sigh, she couldn't believe the bold move. Maybe a little more punch would help, in case Buffy came to collect that dance, and she lost her sudden nerve.
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"Shit. I can't believe...argh!" Detective Lamb cursed in the stall, as she noticed people at the party were being more honest. 'Maybe it'll do them some good.' Then again, she already watched two couples storm out in anger, and there were only more arguments, tears, and laughter around the ballroom. Whoever drank the punch got an extra kick.
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Willow was enjoying the company of the wall, as she watched all the drama going around. She was glad she chose to hide from all the bosses. Now didn't seem like the time to talk to people.
"You looked awfully cozy with a certain blonde..." Xander showed up, and noticed his best friend talking to Buffy. His wife, Anya, immediately picked up on the sexual tension between the two, and of course had to comment.
"Yes, you are very flirty with her." Anya always had to comment.
"Well, she's beautiful." Willow couldn't believe she'd just said that. Maybe she had too much punch. "...and funny, and smart."
"Woah, Wills. What's with the sudden outburst of emotions? Did the truth spell hit you, too?" Xander and Anya had noticed the outpouring of emotions inside the ballroom, and had come up with only one theory, albeit a made up one.
"I didn't get hit with anything. All I had was punch, and I've tried to avoid confrontation since I saw Supervisor Hamm's wife storm out. Now isn't the time to play politics, as I've said all along." Willow took another sip of her punch.
"Well, you're definitely in lust with the blonde girl. You want to be her orgasm buddy." Anya always did get on Willow's nerves, and normally, it was easy to ignore her.
"Of course I want to have sex with her!" Willow slapped a hand over her mouth, and turned the color of her dress.
"That's great, Wills! You need to get out more...but don't you think casual sex might be a little...I don't know...awkward in the work environment? Look how it turned out with Kate." Xander was happy and worried at the same time. He hadn't seen his best friend this happy since college but he was also worried because it was because of a coworker.
"I see more of a future with Buffy than just sex." Willow wanted to smack herself now. Where was her mind at tonight? She hadn't been this honest with even herself.
"What's holding you back, then?" Xander was surprised at his friend's honesty. Maybe it was a truth spell.
"I'm her superior. It'd be weird at the lab." Willow sighed. It was a good question. "You know what...what is stopping me? It wouldn't be that weird. I mean, Kate and I dated, and it was only weird when we broke up but I never really saw a future with Kate."
"Wow, Wills. Harsh." Xander was taken aback. "I mean, you two were together for what, two, three years?"
"Yeah, we started dating when I interned at the crime lab for my doctorate." Willow saw Kate walking towards them.
"Which you got before we even got our bachelors." Xander loved that his best friend was a genius. It meant he always had a free tutor, and she would help him through.
"Hey, mind if I talk to you for a minute?" Kate interrupted the conversation, and noticed Willow was wide-eyed, and blushing. "Alone."
"Oh, um...sure." Willow looked to her friends, and silently asked them to leave. They left without a word, which surprised everyone there that Anya hadn't said anything. "What's up? Your dad already tired?"
"No, he's having a blast, actually." Kate took a deep breath. They walked a little down the ballroom, and came to an entrance. "Actually, I wondered if you'd noticed all the weirdness going on tonight. Do you know anything about it?"
"No...but I have noticed people are being more honest than usual." Willow was silently referring to herself. "I just chalked it up to the Christmas spirit...or maybe the alcohol."
"Anyways, my dad asked me something, and I wanted to lie but I couldn't. It's like...like my mind wasn't listening to my voice." Kate looked at Willow, and couldn't help but remembering last year's Christmas party, and how they'd broken up not long after.
"Oh, yeah?" Willow swallowed hard. She was hoping to talk to Buffy soon before she lost her nerve.
"I was just...it's just...I loved you, and I don't think that you ever did love me." Kate couldn't believe she was actually doing this but she had to know. It'd been eating at her for too long now.
"Of course I loved you, Kate." Willow was shocked at the question.
"Yeah...but not like I loved you, right? I mean...you were always distracted. I always thought I was the reason." Kate knew dating a genius was going to be difficult but the initial attraction between them when they met at that first crime scene was hard to ignore.
"I did love you...but it was more of a convenient love than everlasting." Willow wanted an anvil to drop on her at that point. She never wanted to say that to Kate. Hadn't she hurt her enough already? By the look of tears forming in her eyes, Kate was hurting even worse now. Before the tears started to fall, Kate stormed out of the room, and Willow wanted to cry now. What was happening?
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"I don't get you sometimes, Buffy." Doyle snuck up behind the blonde, and noticed her watching Willow and Kate, just as the detective stormed out of the ballroom. "You're obviously smitten with the boss lady. What holds you back?"
"Did you not see what happened right there?" Buffy wasn't eavesdropping, she couldn't hear the conversation but it was obvious what just happened. Kate made an advance for Willow, and was shot down. Buffy didn't want that to be her, pining over Willow if something didn't work, and having to face her everyday at work. She liked this job too much to give it up for a potential relationship. "Willow treats Kate like she doesn't exist most of the time. Matter of fact, she does that to almost everybody."
"She doesn't do that to you, Princess." Doyle really wanted to see his coworkers get together. "It's obvious there's chemistry there between you two. If that's the only thing that's holding you back, then..."
"It's more complicated than that, don't you think? We work together, everyday. What happens if it doesn't work? You see how she treats Kate now, even a year or so after their breakup. That's going to affect the crime scenes if we get stuck together, and I'm not willing to lose our friendship." Buffy noticed Willow felt guilty. It wasn't completely the redhead's fault. Kate just wasn't the person the redhead wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and she knew that, so she ended it before she hurt Kate worse. The woman just didn't know how to act with a breakup; she was always the breakee, never the breaker.
"I get it. You don't wanna get hurt...but I've known Willow, and I've never seen her this happy or focused on anything other than her work. Isn't that worth the risk?" Doyle was surprised Buffy was being so open with him, and it was obvious from the look on her face that Buffy was, too.
"I don't want to get hurt, you're right. I really do want Willow but I don't want to be convenient. I don't want to be another Kate to her." Buffy swallowed hard, and cursed herself for being so honest.
Willow walked up, ready to ask Buffy if she just wanted to get out of there, get some coffee but without warning, she heard the last part of the conversation. Having just said that to Kate, it bothered her more than she was willing to admit...but in her current state of mind, she couldn't ignore it. She was even being honest with herself. Another Kate to her? Did Buffy really think that?
Before Doyle or Buffy noticed Willow walking towards them, she was gone, and Buffy just wanted to get out of there. First, she had to find Dawn. As she was searching, she saw Willow sneaking out of the ballroom, and felt her heart start to hurt.
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Monday came faster than anybody expected. The events of the party caused the entire crime lab to be in a standstill, and eerily quiet. Willow was steeled to her work, and didn't pick Buffy up for the carpool this morning. Once she realized the redhead wasn't coming, Buffy drove herself to work, and found Willow in her office.
"I thought you were driving this morning." Buffy didn't know what to say. After Saturday night's awkwardness, she hadn't heard from the redhead. Dawn said not to worry about it but how could she not? She'd admitted that she wanted Willow, something she refused to do before, and in the same breath, admitted why she was afraid to be with the redhead.
"I did." Willow didn't look up from her notes, and just kept scribbling.
"Yeah...but you kinda forgot about me." Buffy saw Willow pulling into herself, and wondered about the coldness.
"Yeah, about that. Maybe we shouldn't carpool anymore. People are starting to get the wrong idea." Willow still wouldn't look up from her notes. She knew if she would, if she saw Buffy's hazel eyes staring into hers, she wouldn't be able to do this. She had to be the boss. She had to establish that she was her supervisor. If she expected Buffy to want to be with her, they couldn't be friendly at work.
"Wills? Is everything okay?" Buffy didn't want to start crying but what she feared was happening. Willow was blowing her off at work.
"Everything's fine." Willow swallowed hard. She was about to lose her nerve.
"I guess I'll just get to work, then." Buffy took a deep breath, and held it, hoping Willow would start laughing.
"You and Doyle are paired tonight. You're also first in rotation, so you'll need to leave the mystery girl research as soon as a call comes in. I'll meet everybody in the lounge later for assignments." Willow still couldn't look at Buffy, and heard the blonde storm out of her office. She'd been getting that a lot lately but if she really wanted Buffy, she'd have to change somehow...but how?