Reveal
by DawnBTVS
Chapter 28
[reviews]
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Mutant Enemy, Fox, Joss, etc.
Rating: PG-13 (think Buffy show for violence/subject matter/language)
Time Frame: December, 2nd Week.
Pairings: G/J, B/W, X/W
A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews. This chapter will officially kick off surpassing 150 pages in Word and well past 61,000 words. As for future production... I have 7 weeks of school so I won't guarantee anything. Imagine this but, a 30 page paper does cut into Wiffy time. Who knew?
Buffy exhaled, staring hard at Jenny seated at the tables, hands wrapped around her coffee. Buffy blew on the steam of her own coffee, internally thanking Jenny and admonishing herself for not keeping her emotions in check. Giles was standing with both arms folded across his chest. "I know that most spells, from what I've observed, need to be spoken complete with requests for safety and rotting herbs. Is this possible, Giles?"
Giles cleared his throat briefly. "Um, a-as you said, most spells need verbal recitation. Usually a spell is denoted if it can be silently enhanced but since Willow is somewhat new to spell casting a-and was reading for leisure, we mustn't discount anything." Buffy sighed, pushing hair away from her eyes. Well, it did explain the whispering but it still wasn't something she wanted to hear.
"Okay, so this mumble mojo is an option. How do we fix it?"
"We need a list of the spells that Willow skimmed. If she read the whole book, it will be more difficult to decipher which one is causing this." Jenny flickered concerned eyes towards Buffy, then Giles. "If it's a combination, Buffy, we'll be lucky if we can isolate the spells."
"Can it be that bad?" Buffy asked softly, turning to face the weapons cabinet to avoid letting Giles or Jenny see her worry.
Giles pursed his lips and nodded. "Insanity can often be the end result. The more experienced the practitioner, the longer it takes for the effects to overwhelm," Giles informed them. He stepped back, glancing down at the book open on the table next to Jenny. Both of them were still poring through any text they could get their hands on, trying to find out how to defeat any of the Caderyn or help with Willow's situation.
Buffy wrapped her hands around her cup, taking a small sip to try and steel her nerves. She did an about face to Jenny and scrunched her eyes in thought. "Giles wanted a book. Will said the author was Boudicca Harrell and made some mention like she was a demon or evil witch person."
"She worked dark magic, often for clients whom hired her but rumors are that she was a good witch at heart," Jenny supplied.
Buffy quirked an eyebrow and gave the computer teacher a look. "Stumbling on dark magic can happen to anyone with a kind heart," Buffy snapped, clearly not thinking that being good could correlate to being evil so easily. "I want more on her. I know the Caderyn should be moving in shortly, which is so swell, but Angel can barely find any information on her. All we have are rumors and maybes. I deal in absolutes."
Giles and Jenny shared a glance. "She's like Jesus among the witchcraft world, Buffy. There's so little known about her that it's nearly impossible to testify what's truth and what's conjecture," Giles pointed out.
Buffy gave him a cool stare. "You told me she was a colleague of yours. Will said she was a demon's apprentice. Something's up, Giles and I find it hard to believe that she just dropped off the face of the Earth after only writing one New York Times Bestseller book."
Giles flashed a brief grin and shook his head. "The demon world is far different from our own. Things often disappear with just a thought inside the other dimensions. With regards to the rumors, Boudicca would be lucky if disappearing was all that happened," Giles stated, wearing a serious expression as he glanced at the sunlight filtering in from the window.
"That still doesn't explain why there's next to nothing," Buffy said. She shook her head, staring at Jenny's white coffee mug with a red heart on it. "How long were you around her, Giles?"
Giles shifted next to the stairs. "Only a month. In terms of being in the same physical space, at most a week. I arrived the day after she presumed to go missing voluntarily. Quentin was livid that somebody could escape undetected. She seemed to have been working on something, a spell... infiltration of some sort."
"Infiltration?" Buffy and Jenny chimed at the same time. Buffy had perked up, thinking the whispering could be something trying to access or use Willow for its own gain. No way that was gonna happen under the Slayer's watch.
"Pondering something, Buffy?" Jenny asked. Getting a nod in response, she leaned back.
Buffy exhaled. "Infiltration doesn't have to be physical though. I mean, you, yourself say that there's all this emotional and psychological stuff that can reach others," Buffy remarked, gesturing at Giles with her empty cup. "Could this whispering thing be a form of something wanting Willow?"
Jenny pursed her lips and stared at Giles. "Willow does seem to be a bit more powerful when she hears this in her ear. It's possible we're mistaken that she's truly such a talented natural."
The bell rang as Buffy rolled her eyes in annoyance. She squatted down to pick up her backpack and gestured to Jenny in thanks for the coffee. Jenny lifted her own cup and smiled. "If we are mistaken, it's quite fortuitous that we learn just what Willow has done. You'll get the list, Buffy?"
"All yours, Giles," Buffy called out as she exited the library.
~~~BTVS~~~
Willow relaxed under the heat of the water, her mind still reeling about what Buffy had told her. What could want to use her for its own purposes? Assuming that was what was going on, instead of her just flubbing up witchcraft 101 and not reading the fine print in the first place. Willow ducked her head, letting the water cascade down her back over the white bikini top and towards the matching bottom.
Buffy tried to hide her blush, sneaking glances at her girlfriend as the two of them got the rare opportunity to shower together without having to deal with the usual shortage of showerheads and time constraints demanding five minutes per girl. Buffy giggled as she met the eyes of her best friend, before the blushing cheeks turned away gone. Buffy scrubbed the soap over her shoulders, wondering if entering the shower naked after Willow had stepped in was pushing things too far.
All Willow had done was gawk at the blonde and drop her soap. Buffy had chuckled, given the soap back, and whispered into Willow's ear, "Slow is good." That was a reminder to both of them just how sudden the relationship had unveiled itself but Buffy had followed that up reminding Willow that she wasn't afraid to change the pace if Willow decided to dictate such a desire.
Willow had smiled softly and nodded her head but she didn't say anything.
"Am I slowing things down too much, Buffy?" Willow asked, glancing at Buffy in worry. Buffy smirked slightly as Willow's eyes lifted from her breasts.
Buffy stared at Willow, trying to ascertain herself what the true pace of the relationship was. The two had kissed, with and without tongue, and there had been some very brief fondling but nothing more. Buffy was used to taking charge but she wanted to help Willow see herself as an equal and was patiently waiting for Willow to be firm in voicing her needs. "Will, if I have to write it down for the rest of the calendar year in your datebook I will. Your pace is my pace."
Willow nodded her head but didn't look that reassured. She squirted a dollop of shampoo in the palm of her hand, scrubbing both together before moving through her hair. "I just feel like you're waiting for something and I'm standing here being a doofus for not giving it to you yet."
Buffy frowned at the open admission. "I don't want our relationship to be giving and taking. When you're ready then I'll be happy to meet you," Buffy stated. "Don't think about rushing the sex just to meet some arbitrary goal designed by society. Wow. That was kinda smart," Buffy said, grinning at Willow's grin.
"About time I rubbed off on you... I-I mean my intelligence. Not that physical isn't bad but book smarts," Willow stammered. Buffy sighed and shook her head at how Willow could still be shy at sudden sexual innuendo unless there was forethought behind it. That thought made Buffy quirk her eyebrow, wondering just how often Willow thought of the perfect situation to use innuendo. Buffy peered at the back of the redhead before continuing to rub her upper back.
"Are you excited about Christmas Vacation? Only a few more days," Buffy remarked, trying for a sexually alluring tone. She had her side to Willow but caught the trail that the redhead was making up her body and smiled to herself. Point, Buffy.
Willow nodded her head eagerly. "How can one not be ecstatic at the prospect of finding the perfect tree and seeing artwork with snobby... um, there will be more than just us there, right?" Willow asked. Her eyebrows were furrowed in thought and Buffy joined her.
The town had dwindled, now almost 40% of the residents were still there but most of them were older citizens in their upper seventies if not older given the nature of a Hellmouth. Buffy gave a quick smile and offered, "Sure. Mom has some new artwork in from Nevada, supposedly by a tribe of Native Americans. She's really been trying to get the word out, flyers, and everything."
"Cool," Willow responded. A smile flashed across her face as she shut the water off and stood in place, watching Buffy apply shampoo. The redhead wasn't sure whether to get changed or play voyeur but Buffy's smirk caused Willow to blush and move towards the box of clothes. She undid her combination lock, not surprised to see Buffy step up beside her.
"So..." Buffy drawled, unsure of what to say given the close quarters and the fact that she was in the process of drawing a pair of panties up her legs. Willow's eyes had widened briefly when coming face to breasts and Buffy had taken a small step away to give her some space.
Willow pulled a blue top on and glanced at Buffy out of the corner of her eye. "I like the bravado, Buffy but is this gonna be a common theme during Christmas Vacation? I keep thinking that you're hinting at sex but I don't think I'm ready for that leap."
Buffy lowered her eyes as she quickly pulled a grey sports bra on and buttoned her black jeans. She glanced at the shower and grimaced. "Going in the buff, I didn't mean to imply that I was ready. Fact is, I'm probably as unready as you are, Will."
"Oh, good," Willow commented. "Jumping into the fire could be bad and since I don't have much experience..." Willow trailed much to Buffy's amusement.
Buffy rested her head on the palm of her hand as she positioned the elbow against the wooden window. "Nor do I, Will. What feels good to me will be attempted but as a warning, inexperience usually leads to badness all around," Buffy confided. Willow glanced at Buffy and raised her eyebrows in question. "My first time roller skating resulted in a scraped knee and the other boy had a busted nose. My first swim in the pool had my Dad learn the hard way that catching a girl isn't smart."
Willow giggled and clapped her hand over her mouth. "Sorry but I did the same thing, just with Mom. Should I wear knee pads and elbow pads?" Willow teased softly, half smiling as Buffy gently glared.
"I have other fetishes," Buffy smoothly announced. She saw Willow's glint and groaned inwardly. Buffy pulled a t-shirt on and deftly sneaked up, hugging Willow around the waist. The redhead stiffened but relaxed just enough to lean her head back.
"I'll need prep time," Willow whispered. Buffy smiled, pressing her cheek against Willow's before releasing the hug and stepping away. "I'll see you tomorrow morning?"
Buffy nodded her head. "Library?"
"Yup," Willow answered with a grin. With that date set, Buffy winked and bounded off towards the gym door. Willow smirked and sat down on the bench to pull her shoes on, wondering just what was in store for them over vacation.
TBC