Last Request
by Raine H.S.
Introductions
[reviews]
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Title: Last Request
Author: Raine H.S.
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Spoilers: Up through season 7 - 'Chosen'
Pairing: K/W for a bit, eventually B/W
Summary: Post-Chosen, Buffy and Willow meet after 2 years.
Note: ~~~ denotes indeterminate time passage. Italics are Buffy's thoughts.
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The doorbell rang just as Buffy was finished straightening up the apartment. Living by herself, the Slayer wasn't all that motivated to be neat. But when entertaining guests Buffy felt it should at least be presentable. Since Willow had mentioned that "we" were showing up at Buffy's apartment, the elder slayer assumed that the younger slayer would be with the redhead. Buffy and Kennedy hadn't really been the best of friends, but they were comfortable with each other. For the most part.
Unlocking and throwing the door open wide, Buffy greeted her guests with a huge grin.
"Welcome to..." Buffy trailed off and stared. Not at Willow, though her best friend was a sight she had sorely missed but at the small child with dark unruly hair that was holding a small package and rocking back and forth on her little feet. Willow's hand was on the child's shoulder in an affectionate and protective way but Buffy's mind spun and all she could think was who's the kid?.
Buffy snapped out of her stupor and just barely stopped from defending herself when the child abruptly thrust her package in Buffy's direction. A small green and white box with a colorful logo appeared before the Slayer and she looked at Willow questioningly. Her friend smiled softly but didn't say anything.
"New shoes!" the child exclaimed, ignoring the fact that the two adults hadn't said anything in a full minute. Buffy looked more carefully at the child. She looks about...2 Realization dawned upon Buffy Oh this must be-
"Look!" The child was insistent and started waving the box up and down as Willow smiled slightly. Watching Buffy trying and failing to politely look at the box while it was moving, Willow gave up and laughed out loud. The sound was musical and Buffy realized just how much she missed the sound of laughter. Her quiet apartment didn't have much laugher anymore. Her-
Buffy resisted the urge to smack herself upside the head. Being alone a lot had its disadvantages. Like forgetting common courtesy. Gesturing quickly she ushered the two guests into her home.
"Come in, and I see your shoes" Buffy directed at the bouncing girl, and "would you like something to drink" at Willow. Buffy shut the door and snapped the 3 heavy duty locks into place. Willow declined the offer and the child continued bouncing up and down.
"Wear now?" An adorable set of puppy-dog eyes was directed at Buffy. Confused, she looked at Willow, who gave a small smile.
"I told her she could wear them if you let her, I didn't want her messing up your" Willow glanced around "...nonexistent carpet". Buffy's entire apartment had hardwood floors. Buffy recognized a stall tactic. Probably didn't want the shoes getting dirty on the streets outside. How cute
Buffy grinned, and shrugged, then bent down to the child's level, "I'll tell you what, if you can tell me your name I'll let you wear your shoes"
Oddly enough the small one looked at Willow for a second before grinning widely.
"I'm Alex!" and with that the child sat down on the floor and pulled off her 'old' shoes, setting them carefully to the side and proceeded to put on her amazing 'new' shoes.
Buffy and stood back up, she noticed Willow had found the sofa and sat down. Willow's entire attention was on the child, which surprised Buffy. It's almost like she's the child's
Chalking up another point on the dumb-blond-board, Buffy offered her hand to Willow, "Would you like to tour the Casa De Buffy?"
Willow gave a small smile at Buffy's attempt at Xander-speak. She took Buffy's hand but the Slayer noticed the slight tremble in the small pale hand she held. Somethings wrong Buffy thought, and frowned, but quickly smiled when she noticed that Alex had stopped mid-shoe-tie to look at her.
Willow instructed the girl to be good, and Buffy bit back a laugh when she saw that Alex's new shoes had little Scooby-Doos on them. That can't be coincidence Buffy lead her friend gently through her apartment.
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"And that concludes our tour" Buffy's apartment was spacious, with three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen and laundry room, and a family/living room which she converted into a tv room. All one level, with a good view of the city. Though technically one of the bedrooms was a study. During the first year after the destruction of Sunnydale, a lot of young slayers ended up at Buffy's house because they needed a place to crash so she decided to give up the pretense that she was a studious person and stuck an extra bed in the room. Nowadays all the new slayers were being given rooms in large houses set up around the world, if they didn't already have a place they could stay.
Buffy thought about Willow and Kennedy's original mission, even though she still hadn't gotten the full story on the child she had enough clues to make a hunch. And as the Slayer, her hunches were usually correct. Most of the time.
Willow had been quiet throughout the tour, only asking a few polite questions despite the slayer's best efforts to throw in some humor and silliness into the tour. Buffy needed to talk to her friend, and soon. Something was definitely not right.
"Willow" the child -Alex Buffy corrected herself, launched herself out of the chair she had been patiently, or as patiently as an almost two year old can, waiting. Attaching to Willow's legs, Alex looked pleadingly up at her.
"Food!"
Was that a question or a demand? Buffy laughed at the embarrassed look Willow developed and realized that Willow probably hadn't thought that far ahead. Which was slightly disconcerting. But Buffy had just assumed.
"You two are staying here, right? I mean, I have the space, and you're welcome to the fridge when I'm gone and..." Buffy trailed off and was relieved when Willow actually smiled.
"That would be nice, thanks Buff"
"No probably...Will" Buffy opened the fridge and looked inside. She grimaced, without Giles around her meals had pretty much consisted of anything that didn't require cooking. "We have...any frozen dinner you can imagine"
"Macaroni!" Alex piped up from her place on Willow's leg.
Buffy checked her fridge. "Okay we have one vote for macaroni, anything else?" She gestured dramatically to the fridge. "Take your pick."
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A/N: R&R if you want (please?)
Next chapter: Some questions answered, others raised.