Reveal
by DawnBTVS
Chapter 11
[reviews]
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Mutant Enemy, Fox, Joss, etc.
Rating: PG-13 (think Buffy show for violence/subject matter/language)
Time Frame: Season 2 nearing "Halloween"
Pairings: G/J
A/N: I suggest you all read "Dead Witch Walking" by Kim Harrison. The 1st book of a fabulous saga featuring a female bounty hunter, male pixy, and female living vampire forming their own company. The relationship between Rachel (the bounty hunter) and Ivy (the vampire) is arresting in itself and worth the read alone. Complex characters and complex relationships... recipe for success, in my book.
Buffy sat on the carpet of Willow's bedroom cross-legged. She was wearing black jeans that cut off at her ankles, clearly something her mother had forgotten to throw out. Buffy's laundry was still piling up so the blonde had grabbed the first pair of pants her hands found. A little snug but Buffy wasn't complaining much, although her current position wasn't adding to the comfortable feel. Buffy shifted slightly, peeking over at the redhead who still hadn't stirred in the four hours they had been there. It would be growing dark soon and Buffy needed to get out to patrol.
Jenny said it would take at least the night for them to not only come up with the ingredients for the spell but to make sure it was done effectively between herself and Giles. Amy had offered to help but Buffy had quickly nixed the idea out of concern that she had been the one to harm Willow. Buffy had decided to bring Willow home a half hour later when the redhead nearly collapsed just trying to move around the table.
Buffy bit her lip, staring down at the bright computer screen reflected back up at her. She knew if Willow caught her, she'd have a conniption, and Willow was in no condition to have such a physical fit like that. Buffy shifted the laptop on her lap, wincing at how hot it was getting but she ignored the pain. The blonde had tried keeping herself occupied through scouring the pantry downstairs but their house was devoid of any good junk food and Buffy didn't feel good at leaving Willow alone.
"Hmm... spellcasttalk.com?" Buffy whispered to herself, catching sight of the fact that she had somehow missed this on Willow's list of favorites. Buffy snuck a peek over the top of the display monitor, glad Willow was still asleep and aware that there was no way Willow could feign sleep while Buffy poked around. Buffy clicked the link, surprised when the screen shifted to what looked like a board with text by usernames. The topic subject read, "Is there such a thing as a souled vampire?" and Buffy rolled her eyes. Where had they all been the past couple years? Buffy began scrolling down, seeing nothing useful in the few posts her eyes had skimmed over. She paused when she caught the word "Angel" before realizing it was actually "Angelus." Buffy quirked an eyebrow at what she was reading.
A username by the name of Romany13 had written, "My grandmother has said only one story to me and my sisters and brothers. A vampire ambushed a gypsy camp at the turn of the 20th century. Angelus, the Angelic one, had taken a daughter. For revenge, he was given a soul."
"Angel," Buffy stated softly. She scrolled down, her eyes quickly skimming over the text in the next few posts. Nothing important or even related to what she had read, just more questions, and speculation that she knew to be false. She jumped to page 2, ready to scroll again but her hand froze, and her breath caught in her throat.
"Only the Kalderash knew of this. I tremble at even typing this, but enlightenment may help. In addition to his soul, one moment of happiness would allow for the soul to be taken away... a return to Angelus. I always thought my mother joked when she would tell of this vampire. I pray somebody is keeping an eye on him," wrote a KalderJ. Buffy blinked, feeling blood pounding her ears. Happiness?
Buffy's eyes widened. Willow... Willow. Willow! Buffy could feel her hands tingling as she swallowed, shaking her head, trying to banish the thought Willow knew. Willow had remarked about the lack of intimacy but... no. "Bond physically," Angel remarked. It slammed in her head. They both knew? Buffy placed the laptop on the carpet, feeling sick to her stomach. The flush of anger at being duped of this news started to overcome her, the tingling in her fingers fading. Buffy pushed herself off the ground with a hand, her arms encircling her waist to rest on her hips. She stared at Willow sleeping in the bed. Willow knew. She knew and still she came after Buffy, knowing she could jeopardize the relationship Buffy had with Angel.
"So that was it?" asked Buffy softly, knowing Willow likely wouldn't wake up for a few more hours if not longer. Buffy lowered her eyes to her feet, the red nail polish sparkling beneath the light coming from the computer screen. The wind outside was dying down, only a brief burst of a howl here and there. "You had no regard for us, did you?" Buffy bit out, closing her eyes at the anger coursing through her.
Buffy took a few steps towards the bed, a hand lowering to just yank the cover off the redhead her sleep be damned. How could Willow have avoided that issue with her? She hadn't even come out and said it. Buffy bit her lip, pulling her hand back up. Angel knew too. Such a realization caused Buffy to exhale slowly, counting to five in her head. One. Two. Three. Four... Buffy opened her eyes and grabbed the cover, yanking it off the redhead into a heap by the computer. Willow stirred, pulling her legs up towards her stomach, but didn't open her eyes. Buffy sighed, unclenching her hands at the sight of Willow now shivering slightly as the cool air from the air conditioning unit brushed over her skin like a caressing palm. Buffy could see the goose bumps rising. Buffy grabbed the cover off the floor, walking up next to Willow. Buffy flung the cover out, letting it drift through the air until it covered the witch up again. "Mmm," Willow mumbled, her sleeping way of saying thanks.
Buffy shut down the giggle rising in her throat. Here she was in Willow's room, entertaining the idea of... a bond and Willow had withheld information about Angel's curse. Okay, not withheld completely, Buffy rationalized but her ire started again at the realization that Willow knew such information would impede upon the relationship Buffy had with Angel and yet Willow was still going to go through it at the time, Buffy's opinion not warranted. She couldn't be mad at Willow though... Angel knew too. Angel knew and had never even told her. Not until he was breaking up with her. Buffy growled low in her throat. She had to patrol.
~~~BTVS~~~
Buffy growled, throwing a spinning backhand at the creature loafing towards her with speed that belied its size. While it was loafing, it was still moving fast, and had been able to send Buffy to the ground twice, leaving a nice grass stain on the seat of her pants that the blonde was not happy about at all. The creature swung its left limb, its claws swinging over Buffy's ducked head. Buffy wasn't sure it was really an arm although if a stub counted... Buffy leveled a kick at what she thought might be the creature's thigh. She connected but the creature roared, showing no ill effect from the kick. Buffy shrugged her shoulders, pulling her stake out. The creature dove at her, its jaws open for a bite aimed towards Buffy's throat. Buffy widened her eyes, rolling out of the way. Okay, enough of this. Buffy scrambled to her feet, diving as the creature spun around. The stake swung down, driving itself into the creature's skull. The creature let out a gurgle as Buffy backed off, waiting for it to fall. "Any time now," Buffy commented, her brows furrowing in concern as the creature remained standing, its limbs for arms pin wheeling as if he needed the balance. Finally the creature fell backwards, its body going limp, and still.
Buffy pulled out the disposable camera in her jeans pocket with a groan, seeing it was slightly dented. Willow had come up with the idea that Buffy should start documenting the kills. Giles had chimed in with agreeance immediately, despite his inability to handle her disposable camera without nearly breaking it. "That makes ugly stubby guy zero, Slayer one. Now, if you'll excuse the fact I can't be bothered to give you a proper return to Hell, I need to be going."
The walk back to Willow's house had resulted in a brief tussle with a vampire that Buffy had wished never showed up. While dispatching the vampire had not been a problem, what became a problem was the fact that it had managed to pull out a clump of the blonde's hair when its nails got stuck in her butterfly clip. Buffy was surprised her screech hadn't woken Willow. Buffy trudged up the steps, feeling utterly crappy. She pushed open the door, closing it quietly before facing the fact that she had to take a shower before seeing Willow again. Buffy grumbled, also facing the fact that she would have to borrow some of Willow's clothes. Not that she disliked wearing what Willow wore... something she would never, ever, ever admit to Will, but the redhead's taste wasn't the greatest in her neighborhood even.
Buffy tugged the shower curtain closed, testing the water on her hand to make sure it wasn't scalding but wasn't too cold either, before ducking into Willow's room. Buffy grabbed a pair of black dungarees and a pink top, wincing at the knowledge that this was happening. She sent a soft glare at Willow, silently blaming the sleeping redhead for the fact that Buffy felt like she was eight again choosing such clothes. Buffy closed the drawer and quickly skipped into the shower, doubting Willow would wake up in the time she had planned to shower.
~~~BTVS~~~
Buffy stood still, an eyebrow arched up at the sight of Willow sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes to get the fog of sleep gone. Buffy had the towel curled up in her arm, not wanting to just leave the wet object sitting in the shower. Buffy's eyes flickered to the laptop, mentally cursing herself at not remembering to log off the internet. Willow gave a small smile as she climbed out of bed, quickly turning a greeting into a groan as she bent over, her breath turning to a hiss of pain. Buffy walked forward, kicking the laptop closed with the heel of her foot as she turned around the corner of the bed. Willow had explained how her laptop turned off when the lid was closed and Buffy wasn't taken any chances Will would find out what she had learned. Willow took the damp towel, then gave a close lipped smile. "Buffy, that makes you look like you're-" Willow started but Buffy nodded her head.
"Eight, I know," she interrupted with a small smile.
"I don't look like I'm eight when I wear that, do I?" Willow asked, the worry of being a laughingstock showing in the concern in her green eyes. Buffy bit her lip and shook her head, instead looking down at herself to keep herself from blurting the thought out anyway. Willow stared at Buffy with a skeptical look but shrugged, glancing at the clock on the nightstand by her bed. "Jeepers. It's almost nine! Want me to make dinner?"
Buffy shook her head, glancing at Willow's hand currently sitting on her should for support. "It's alright, Will. I can go for something light, cereal, or whatever. The creature encounter was enough to rid my appetite for a week... maybe two weeks."
Willow frowned, not sure if Buffy was being truthful, or just being considerate given the fact that Willow felt like she'd fall over if Buffy moved at all. Willow blushed, not used to being in this state around Buffy. Buffy usually didn't allow Willow to reach this state in the first place. Willow placed the towel by the foot of the bed. "Well, I'll make you coffee at least 'cause we both like coffee and besides, I'll be up all night now anyway after well, the badness of the spell that I kinda hid from you, and you aren't mad, are ya?"
"You had me concerned," Buffy admitted, keeping a hand on the small of Willow's back as the redhead carefully skirted around the laptop, leading the blonde out into the hallway. Willow exhaled, stumbling over herself as they maneuvered down the stairs. Willow let out a squeak of fear when she tripped on the third step from the bottom, clutching at the railing. Buffy helped keep her steady, encircling her arm around Willow's waist. Willow swallowed, not daring to glance back at Buffy as she nearly dashed into the kitchen.
Buffy pulled her hand back to rest against her hips, suddenly feeling cold at what was intended to be something instinctual that suddenly was coming off as a further development that had never entered Buffy's mind. Buffy had never committed verbally to Willow and was still teetering on the ladder placed by the hedge. Buffy entered the kitchen, keenly aware of Willow's skittishness. The redhead's eyes flashed to hers briefly before focusing back on the coffeepot she was setting up. "Kay so the coffee should be done in about five minutes. So... did you patrol?"
"Shower, Will. Are you sure you're good? I mean when you, uh, we came into the library... Is this magic stuff?" Buffy asked, seeing Willow flinch at the unasked end to her question. Willow cracked a smile that was meant to relieve Buffy, but Buffy tensed a little more instead. Willow's smile faltered and she gave a small shrug.
"It's usually good, even if Giles isn't exactly approving of my... meddling as he likes to call it. I think it's more just testing. You know, like skipping a stone over water. Barely ripples at that."
Willow moved towards a cherry cabinet door, tugging it open, and setting two coffee mugs on the counter. Buffy frowned, not liking that Willow was being somewhat flippant with the serious nature and Giles' lack of endorsement wasn't helping. "So this after effect was a one time deal? I don't like it if you're gonna hurt yourself," Buffy remarked, watching Willow pouring the coffee into a white mug covered with a picture of a leprechaun and a pot of gold. Buffy glanced at the other mug, noticing it was a sterile blue mug with an imprint of the logo from UCLA. Buffy quirked an eyebrow at the cup choices but didn't say anything, instead just pulling her coffee mug towards her, spinning the leprechaun to face outwards at Willow.
"Don't worry, no hurting... aside from this thing. But Jenny's been working with me and Amy did warn me of the aftereffects. I knew what I was getting into when I did this," Willow commented, taking a sip from her coffee. Willow's eyes flashed at the coffee hitting her tongue and she all but moaned out loud. The corner of Buffy's mouth lifted slightly as Buffy took a sip of her own coffee, wincing at the bitterness.
"Uh, Will. Any sugar?"
"Oh!" Will answered, doing a pirouette upon trying to remember where the sugar bowl was placed in the kitchen. Upon spotting it by the stove, she grabbed it, and set it before Buffy. Buffy inclined her head in thanks before taking a couple scoops and stirring with a spoon Willow had just retrieved. Buffy took another sip, flashing a smile of appreciation.
"Amy wasn't setting you up?" Buffy asked, still not pleased at the fact that she had known what could happen to Willow and nobody told Buffy what could happen. Buffy wasn't used to see Willow so defenseless and she didn't like seeing it.
"I don't think so," Willow replied, face scrutinized in thought. "She told me Ms. Calendar had helped her and I was in need of something to cope. Giles wanted me to research some stuff and well if it was gonna help you..." Willow trailed off, eyes focused on the leprechaun staring back at her. Willow shifted her eyes away to the coffee maker. Buffy nodded her head quietly, making a mental note to threaten Amy if Willow thought it fine to contact her again. Buffy moved to lean against the sink, crossing her legs at the ankles.
Buffy exhaled and lifted her eyes to Willow, but she wouldn't maintain eye contact. "Thanks. Uh, you knew about Angel's soul, didn't you?" ventured Buffy, seeing Willow go pale at the question. Willow spun to face Buffy, instantly taking a step backwards as well.
"O-of course. Everybody did, 'cause he's a souled vampire," mustered Willow, trying to go for a cheerful grin but it came off more as a panicked look of a girl being hunted by a sociopath.
"No, Will. About the... contact issue. Sex," Buffy whispered, staring hard into Willow's eyes, seeing the fear in them. Willow shuddered, as if splashed with a cold bucket of water, and began to look around for a way to escape answering the question. "Will," Buffy pressed.
"I tried to tell you, Buffy."
Buffy took a step forward, a flush of anger warming her face. "Even though you knew, you were still willing to break me and Angel up?"
Willow shook her head, wiping a strand of hair covering her eyes. "No!" implored the redhead. "I just needed to tell you, Buffy. I did. I never wanted you and Angel to break up over me. That's the last thing I wanted."
"God," Buffy exhaled, running a hand through her hair. Willow's face was transitioning to one of terror, and Buffy could almost see the thoughts Willow was running through her head. Buffy wasn't sure if she wanted to stop them or let Willow continue to think them. Buffy lowered her eyes, upset with herself at even wanting to see Willow hurt because of her. Buffy grabbed her coffee mug off the counter beside her, taking a quick sip to try and calm her nerves. "I don't know what to think here. I mean, you knew! You knew and barely told me at that, Willow." Willow ducked her head, knowing Buffy rarely bit her name off like that unless she was really upset. "You couldn't even say the word intimacy," Buffy whispered, confused at how to react to the situation.
"Buffy," Willow pleaded. She took a step forward, her foot not even lifting off the floor. "I..." Willow trailed, not sure what to say in the face of this... accusation? It was all true, too, making it hurt even more. Willow's hand trembled despite the warmth of the coffee and Buffy frowned, really not liking where this conversation was going, but not knowing how to stop it either.
"I know you wouldn't have split me and Angel on purpose, Will. I know that. When did you find this out?"
Willow noticed the soft edge in Buffy's voice despite the blonde's posture trying to convey calm. "Just before I told you, Buffy. A couple weeks, maybe."
"A couple?" Buffy asked, a bitter laugh coming out. Willow's lip trembled but the redhead bit down, not wanting to let the sob building in her throat loose. Buffy sighed, holding the palm of her hand to her forehead. "How are you feeling?"
"Terrified you'll run away," Willow admitted, lifting eyes to Buffy's. Buffy felt cold, anger vanishing at the fear the redhead held in her eyes. Willow lowered her eyes away, still biting down the sob, waiting for Buffy to just walk out.
"I won't," Buffy whispered. Willow nodded her head, keeping her eyes down. Buffy took a step forward, watching Willow stiffen at the closeness of the two now. Buffy's arms stayed by her side, the need to comfort the redhead warring with the feeling of hurt, and Buffy just wanted to stop being confused about anything relationship.
Willow swallowed, her lips feeling dry suddenly. "Are you gonna... stay the night?"
Buffy lifted her eyes to the stairwell behind the redhead. Buffy wasn't sure if Willow could manage the night alone, given her condition, and what she had been battling. Willow's hand was gripping the counter, and it wasn't just because of the tension between them. "I'll take the floor," Buffy volunteered. Willow nodded her head, her skin starting to feel clammy.
"Okay. I think I'll head up. Starting to feel a little faint again."
Willow turned as Buffy lifted a hand, dropping it back to her side again. "Need any assistance?" Willow shook her head, walking unsteadily towards the stairs. Buffy bit her lip, tensing to step forward but knowing Willow would be upset that Buffy didn't trust her. Willow managed to make it to the base of the stairs and began heading upstairs. Buffy turned, resting her forehead in the palm of her hands. Every time she made a step forward, it seemed something happened to cause Buffy to take a step back.
TBC