One Last Shot
by Whedonist
Chapter 26
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Chapter 26
"You, back in." Buffy pointed to the bathroom and glared at both redheads. She shut the door and continued her stare. "Would one of you like to explain to me why I shouldn't be ripping the new girl's lips off and feeding them to her?"
Aradia ran her fingers through her hair. This wasn't the best way to endear herself to an ex-lover's mate. She mentally kicked herself for allowing her emotions to overtake her reasons. "It was a goodbye kiss. Willow and I were lovers at one point in time and well it was more stupidity than anything." She shrank back at the look the slayer was giving her.
"Willow?" Buffy was trying to remain cool, calm and collected, but she was slowly losing the battle. If her arms hadn't been wrapped around her in a death grip she would have thrown the girl threw the wall and then asked questions. She had up until this pointed opted not to trash the guest bathroom and wait on more of an explanation.
"Not intentional and bad bad lips?" Willow hopped the joking smile would work and stopped when Buffy's eyes welled up. She turned to Aradia, "Can you give us a moment please?"
Aradia nodded and left the bathroom. She took as much room as allowed to move past Buffy and felt the girl's eye's on her as she retreated to a safe distance around the corner.
Willow moved up next to Buffy, "Baby, it wasn't anything really. A sianora smooch is all. She wasn't thinking and caught me off guard."
"So you two were involved?"
"Yeah, on and off over the past few years."
"What about Kennedy?"
Willow looked down at her feet and tried to figure out how to answer that question.
"You cheated on Ken?"
"It's complicated Buff."
"Is?"
"Was complicated. I, yes okay, I was involved with Aradia while I was seeing Ken, but her and I never, it wasn't serious, just some comfort sex and understanding."
"So sex is like food?" Buffy placed her hands on her hips and waited.
"Putting words in my mouth isn't helping. Besides this isn't even an issue. It's a big fat non-issue."
"My ass it's a non-issue. Willow you slept with her while involved with a girl you supposedly loved, she just kissed you and I know I'm like a zillion in slayer years, but I'm fairly certain she just asked you to consider a threesome. Was I wrong?"
Willow blushed, "Yeah she did, but she won't press the issue and it is a non-issue. There is no more her and I. There's an us though and I intend to keep it that way. Please don't be upset? Buffy I love her yes she's a great friend, but she isn't you. I'm in love with you." Willow grabbed Buffy's hand and placed it on her chest. "You can feel it I know you can. If you can't trust my words than trust what you feel. You're it. The one. The ancient musty books even say so."
Buffy pulled her arm free and folded them across her chest. "I don't trust her."
Willow felt a small spark of hope, "You will. Give her a chance, please?"
"You guys are seriously over?"
"So over that when we were contacted about a comeback tour I didn't even take the call."
"She gets one more shot. She touches you or looks at you sideways; I show her the business end of Mr. Pointy."
"Check, no lookie, no touchie. I'm pretty sure she knows now."
"Good. So soul mates?"
"It would appear so. How you dealing with that?"
"Confused mostly."
"Like it's some huge joke that you just got let in on, but now it's way too late to see the funny?"
"Something like that. I mean no one could have clued us in say 9 years ago?"
"And we would have done what?"
"Probably the exact same thing we did except I wouldn't have had you by my side."
"Are we ok?"
"Yes...I don't know. There aren't going to be any more of your old flames arriving?"
"Not to my knowledge, but you never know." Willow shrugged and put her arms around Buffy. "You okay?"
"No. I'm retired. No longer involved in the night life. Can we just go on vacation somewhere, far away, like the moon far?"
"We could but then we'd just come back here and have to deal with it then. I say we kick some bad guy butt and then kick everyone out of the apartment and then we could go back to the routine we had gotten used to before the shit hit the fan."
"So you're saying the sooner we kick ass the sooner we kick everyone out?"
"That'd be the plan."
"Then we are standing in the bathroom for what reason?"
"I was getting in trouble and you were forgiving me."
"We'll work on it." Buffy turned to leave and was stopped by Willow's hand on her shoulder.
Willow pulled Buffy to her and placed a molten kiss on the blonde's lips. "I'm yours Buffy, body and soul."
Buffy pulled away, "I know Will I can feel it. I just don't think I'm worth that kind of commitment. It scares me."
"Me too sometimes, but fear is healthy."
"You keep telling me that, but I've yet to feel all the healthy side effects."
Willow moved her mouth to Buffy's pulse point and started a slow set of kisses towards the blonde's mouth. "I'm sure I can show some to you."
"Now?" Buffy gulped.
"Give me ten minutes of your precious time."
"Take as much as you want." Buffy let out as she flicked the lock on the door.
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They came back out into the living room 15 minutes later flushed and calmer.
"So Dawnie, how do I find and kill it?"
"Hey don't look at me. I just got the why and how not the when or the who. Willow?"
Aradia spoke up, "Willow we might be able to track back the magical signature from the warehouse."
Willow shook her head. "Can't tried. Too much, between my teleportation spell and the shield I had up. My signature is too pervasive. Any other ideas?"
Aradia sighed and shook her head no. Willow's phone vibrated in her pocket and she answered, "Hello." "Really that's great." "I'll let everyone now. Thanks...You too."
She smiled at Buffy, "Jimmy's being released and he's on his way over with Susan. Apparently they had a nice blow out at the hospital."
"You don't think he wants us to tell her about," Buffy pointed to everyone in the room, "Do you?"
"Doubt it. But he might have some words about your display in the room."
"Fuck."
Dawn, Xander and Giles just gave her a shocked expression.
"Yes I know, I've been around surly cops for to long."
Willow sat down next to Buffy and relaxed for few minutes. Their quickie in the bathroom just left her feeling more aroused and touching the blonde was the only comfort she could derive from the situation.
"Hey, B. I'm thinking we should do some canvassing. I could go with you, Red and Redder could go together, Dawn Ken, and G-man and X here. We could cover some serious ground."
"Solid idea, but Wills and you are together, Redder is with me,"
Aradia slunk down in her chair and huffed out. Willow poked Buffy in the ribs, but received a soundless "Mr. Pointy." That caused Willow's mouth turn up in a smile.
"Wills, when did Jimmy say he was coming?"
"Now pretty much. He can go with me and Faith."
Everyone made the preparations to leave with only Willow, Buffy, Faith and Aradia remaining to wait on Jimmy. Twenty minutes later they buzzed him up and filled him in. Luckily Susie wasn't with him so there were limited questions to the accusations the girl had launched at Buffy and Willow.
Willow, Faith and Jimmy had taken the bars in West and Greenwich Village along with Union Square. Buffy and Aradia had decided to take the Lower East Side, Bowery and Chinatown. The rest of the gang took the upper parts of Manhattan and decided to meet back at the apartment by midnight.
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Aradia and Buffy had just finished up at one bar and were working their way towards a demon night club that someone had told them about. Buffy had been quiet through their journey. She didn't really know how to talk to the girl. She was Willow's other woman in a weird way. She had touched her Willow and Buffy couldn't seem to get passed the "for my hormones sake, please consider the threesome." Not that she was seriously considering such an arrangement, but Aradia was stunning and Buffy couldn't help but feel a little bit of an ego boost that the girl would look at her like that.
Then there was the added, Willow cheated on Kennedy with this girl. She couldn't shake off the jealousy that Willow had never cheated on anybody with her. She would have gladly played the role of the other woman if it would have given her a better shot at Willow's affections. It irked her even further that some one somewhere knew that Buffy had found a partner in the redhead and was using that to undo her lineage. She sighed involuntarily and hunched her shoulders. She kicked herself for having Willow go with Faith. She wanted the redhead close by.
"Penny for the thoughts that are making your face go all scrunchy?" Aradia let out.
"Huh? Oh, nothing just irritated that this, to use a phrase from my partner, it's just that some mook wants to end the slayer line and on top of it is trying to use my connection with Willow to do it is just flat out pissing me off. Where the hell does he get off?"
Aradia let a small smile play over her lips and shrugged, "Seems to me that some one somewhere is always trying to undo good work. I'm not saying the way the slayer line was started was good, but it had to be done. But it did save the world a couple hundred times so hey, can't really argue the why, but maybe the how."
"I guess kinda. Can't the forces of darkness take the rest of the millennia off though? Is it really asking too much?"
"Probably." Aradia said. She had let Buffy brood for an hour now and she really wanted to try and get to know the girl. She had heard a few stories from the coven and some of the slayers she had come across, but the best stories had come from Willow. Willow knew the blonde in ways no one did and Aradia wanted to see just a piece of that. Buffy Summers was a living legend to most of the people involved in this secret war, but then again so was the entire Sunnydale gang. Willow's story was known globally, Xander Harris although human in every way shape and form was one of the top watcher's in the world and then there was Faith Lehane and Dawn Summers. Whose life to date was nearly as interesting as the other three.
"Buffy, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. It was a foolish thing for me to do. I was sent to help and nothing more."
Buffy looked sideways at the girl, "So you didn't come voluntarily?"
"I did, but it was to assist you guys, not to make a dumb pass at the slayers soul mate. I'm assuming Willow told you about our relationship?"
"She did and I'll tell you what I told her, you touch her or look at her funny and I introduce you to the business end of my lucky stake."
"Ookkaayyy. I can adhere to that."
"Did you know that she was seeing someone when you were with her?"
"I did, does that bother you?"
Buffy shot the redhead a look, "Of course, doesn't it bother you?"
"No, why would it? Willow's a big girl and can make her own decisions. We were upfront with each other when we first got involved. See this is what gets me. Convention states that you are to find one person with whom you can spend the rest of your life with, but it's unrealistic to think that one person will meet every need that you have. Your partner will either lack something you need or crave something you lack and it's okay to be honest about that. Why must everything be so black and white when it comes to romantic entanglements? Life certainly isn't. If you go into a relationship with unrealistic expectations you are setting yourself up for failure, but if you go in with the knowledge that you are insufficient and so is your partner than it tends to clear up the confusing bits of the partnership."
"Huh? How does that make sense?"
"Okay let's take you and Willow for example. You love her and she loves you or at least I'm to assume. Now in order for you to understand you are going to have to be honest with yourself, does she meet ALL of your needs? And for that matter are you secure in the knowledge that you meet all of hers? Now let's go with the idea that you do not and neither does she. Is it such a bad thing? No it's not, but if you both know that certain needs are being unfulfilled than why not seek them out elsewhere in a mutually agreed upon fashion?"
"Where are you from?"
"London, but that doesn't change the fact that what I say makes sense."
"No it doesn't. Willow meets all of my needs; hell she meets needs I didn't know I had and I know that she's satisfied. She would tell me otherwise."
"Buffy please I didn't mean to upset you. The fact that you two are mates seems to be a contributing factor, but for the rest of us it's a fact that most don't want to face. If Willow hits to close to home, what about your past relationships. Were they as fulfilling as you needed them to be?"
"No, but..."
"It's not a bad thing to admit Buffy. I understand that you and Willow are special. The bond you two have is extraordinary. When I first met Willow, the only thing that even came close to making her smile were stories about you."
"When did you meet her?"
"When she came back for the cleansing after she had tried to end the world."
"Oh, when did you get involved?"
"About a month later. She was vulnerable and needed someone to help carry her burden. I took on that role."
Buffy just stared after the girl. The revelation not what she had expected.
"It was, how can I explain. She was shattered and I just couldn't not do anything. She needed to feel something again and I thought I could help her with that. I think I did, but I was a small piece in the puzzle. I was merely providing a service."
"Was that all it was to you?"
"No, not even close. Willow is a singularly unique creature and even when she was facing her own personal abyss I sort of fell in love with her." Aradia held up her hand and stopped the tongue lashing she saw begin on the blonde's lips. "I love her and am mildly in love with her. To know the bloody woman is to love her. It just can't be helped, but I am under no illusion that she is in love with me. We care for each other and have helped each other chase away the darkness. She belongs to you and I will do nothing to jeopardize that save my small indiscretion today. You make her happy and that is more than a friend can ask for."
Buffy snapped her mouth shut and tried to wrap her head around the girl.
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"So Red, you feel like tellin' me about our visitor?" Faith asked swinging her arms back and forth as they walked through Greenwich Village.
"Nothing to tell. She's a friend from the coven."
"Sure and I'm Mary Queen of Scott. You guys bumped naughties didn't you?"
Willow's face burned bright red and shook her head no.
"C'mon you can tell me. Does Buffy know? Is that why you guys were in the bathroom for so long?"
"Did I miss something while I was laid up in the hospital?" Jimmy asked looking back and forth between both girls.
"Yeah. That Aradia chick and our little Willow tree got a history. I think maybe Buff found out and had some words."
"Faith." Willow warned. "Enough. The only version you get is Aradia and I are close. That's it end of story."
Faith just shot Willow a look and shrugged. Jimmy looked between the two girls and was wondering which one was going to come out swinging first.
Trying to switch the topic, he asked, "So that warlock what'zamit guy said that we need to hang a right at Redford and then look for a black and red door with some type of sign?"
"Yep. Hopefully this guy know's what he's talking about. My feet are going to revolt soon and quit working." Willow whined. She still hadn't shaken off the kiss from Aradia and Buffy wasn't doing as good as she hoped. Sure this was kinda big, but the redhead had hoped Buffy would be handling all of this a little better. The last few nights she knew her girlfriend hadn't slept despite the faking and reassurances. She had also noticed the distant look Buffy was showing. Willow had only known that look to exist their last two years in Sunnydale and it never ended well. Sighing she followed the other two in her group. They had followed the directions and had ended up looking at the door described by the warlock they had left in West Village. Willow looked at Faith and saw the brunette shrug. Willow pushed the door open and let the other two follow her in.
The bar was dark and lush. Velvet and deep color with low lighting allowing for a person to either adjust or for creature's with excellent night vision to be a customer. There were only a few people seated throughout the place and Willow let her senses stretch out and felt more demon activity below. Not bothering to say anything, she went straight to the door at the back. They went through the door and down a flight a stairs. At the landing stood a very tall, about 6 and a half feet tall, demon, Willow knew she had seen the species before, but couldn't recall the name. She didn't even smile as she attempted to brush past the thing. It stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder. She let some energy play through her body and into the demon stopping her. He withdrew his hand quickly and granted them access.
They walked in together and Willow scanned the area before her. It kind of reminded her of Willy's, but a little more upscale. Honestly it was the poshest demon bar she had been to and she had been to a few in her travels. A few of the demons looked up at the three and some of the few that had looked made to leave. She stepped to up to the bartender and waived him over.
He approached her with a jovial smile and then faltered as he saw the color of her eye's and the two people behind her. Nervously he asked, "What can I get you three?"
Willow placed her hand over his and leaned close, "Information. I'm looking for a guy that may have come in to town a few months ago. Strong with the magic and talking about the slayer."
He removed his hand and stepped back. "No one like that's been in here. 'Sides there is no "The Slayer" anymore. Way I here it is there are lots of slayers."
"Tsk, Tsk, lying to me is going to get you anywhere but where you want to be. You know who I'm talking about when I say The Slayer." Willow was really in no mood to play and this guy was testing her patience. She let a tendril of power out and pulled the guy close. She had him bent forward over the bar and grabbed a handful of hair. "Are you really going to make me ask twice?" She raked a fingernail down his cheek and left a trail of broken skin and blood. "Has the man I'm looking for been in here?"
She felt him shake his head yes and Willow relaxed her grip slightly, but still had him pinned to the bar. "Does he come here regularly?" Again she felt him shake his head yes. "Do you know when he will be back?" She felt a tremor go through the bartender and then a slight shake of the head no.
"Red," Faith warned.
"Does anyone here know where I might find this man?" She pulled up on his hair in emphasis and followed his shaking hand to booth in the back.