Happy Development
by Whedonist
Uncorking
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Chapter 11 — Uncorking
Willow followed in a van housing Faith, River, Zo', and Jayne with Buffy riding shotgun while Xander led the way in a Peterbilt they had procured for this little adventure Both she and Buffy had woken up and got ready barely speaking a word to each other. Willow's silence was due to her brain being in hyper drive and Buffy was too hurt to actually say much to the redhead. The blonde had been sulking all morning and was currently slouched down in the seat playing the part of the angsty teen tuning the world out with her MP3 player.
Willow for the past two and a half hours had continued to glance over at Buffy and resisted the urge to start babbling away. She desperately wanted to find out if there was any truth to Inara's words last night. The time she spent with the blonde naturally led to snuggles, handholding, and outing's that only the two went on, but that was stuff they did in Sunnydale so Willow had never thought about it. Although looking back at the time, she realized that if she had been an outsider looking in she would have assumed the two were a couple. She had also tried unsuccessfully to engage Buffy in conversation of the non-secret revealing variety, but the slayer had only responded in monosyllabic grunts and nods.
Refocusing on the road and mission ahead of them, Willow took notice of the time still left to travel; they were on the 25 heading north and still had another 6 hours to drive, to spend in awkward silence and tense small talk. Because of the time it took to drive up there it was close to 6 p.m. and according to the information Willow had gathered, all deliveries and shipments stopped at 5. The idea was to stay the night in Denver at a hotel close to the facility.
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Faith had followed Willow when the witch came out of the room she shared with Buffy. She made the tail a good distance back, but was not surprised when Willow spun around and asked what the brunette was up to. Faith avoided the guilty blush and jammed her hands in her pockets walking up to meet the other girl.
"Heya Red just thought I'd keep an eye on ya. B would pitch a fit if anything happened." She grinned at Willow hoping to rid the angry look marring the usually pleasant features of her friend.
"I'm a big girl Faithy, go back to the hotel." Willow turned and continued walking down the street when Faith stopped her.
"Red seriously. I don't want anything to happen to you. Let me come with. Where you headed anyway?"
The redhead nodded consent and shrugged, "A bar I think. I am in serious need of unwinding."
"Cool." Faith slapped her hands together and the two resumed walking.
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Mal stood outside Inara's hotel room door shifting from foot to foot. He hated being nervous in fact he hated every weak emotion Inara caused in him, but last night seeing Willow lead her away from the party had broken something in him. So here he was nervous, sweaty and nauseous trying to get the nerve up to knock on her door.
Zo' saw Mal as she walked out of her room to go get ice and she smiled. Her smiles didn't come as freely as they once had and certainly not as often, but Mal had usually been the one to get her to do it. She walked up to him and raised a brow.
His shoulders slumped and he motioned for Zo' to follow him down the walk way. Once clear of potential eavesdroppers, he started in, "What? Why do I get a look like that?"
"Sir," Zo' played with her husband's wedding ring that she wore on a chain around her neck. "Don't you think it's been long enough for you and our Inara to stop playing this game?"
"Zo'," He faltered and ran a hand through his hair. It was always her that got him to see reason, to let his guard down. "I don't know if I can. She mucks things up an awful sort and...and 'sides which who's to say her and Willow aren't in there right now. I don't wanna interrupt nothin'."
"Willow and Faith took off down the street an hour ago. River's with Xander at the pool. No one's there but her. Quit being yellow and go talk to her."
"Oh, and who you callin' yella?"
"You, you ni men (idiot). She hasn't worked goin' on a year and you're still in this ridiculous holding pattern. If I was her, I would have moved on. Now, girls might not be my first choice, but that Willow's got a charm about her that might make me consider differently if she were to look my way." Zo''s mouth turned up in a smirk at the look of shock on Mal's face. "You remember when Wash and I first started seeing each other or how he started all the askin' and eventually wore me down?"
Mal let a grin spread over his features remembering the death glares his Zo' would shoot Wash every time they had to be in the same room. In fact, at one point Zo' refused to even enter the bridge for a whole week to avoid Wash. "Well, he was a might persistent. Done him a world a good too if I remember rightly."
"Well, that's just it. I don't want to know the particulars and you and I, Captain, we don't talk much about it, but you need a kick. You two have something special and since I can't have my Wash anymore, one of us's got's to be okay in that department. Not gonna be me, so it has to be you."
"Zoe, it's not that easy."
"Of Course it isn't easy, you do remember the fights Wash and I had? But it ain't about easy; it's about loving them despite the fights or because of the fights. It's about knowing that even if you want to rap them upside the head, you still want to fall asleep next to them at night. Dong ma? (understand)?"
Mal could only nod. They never spoke much of Wash. It was too soon for his friend to really go down that road, but here she was dragging it all up so that he could find the courage to go talk to Inara. Trying to break the tension, he asked, "So's this where we're supposed to hug?"
Zoe instinctively moved her hand to where her gun usually sits and then glared; "Don't make me hurt you Sir. I'd be upset and Inara would be mad at me. Jayne might thank me though."
His hands went up to his sides, "Well, seein' as how we can't have none of that happin' I'll just be on my way." He turned around as Zoe walked towards the vending machines, "Zoe, we gonna keep this little pep talk 'tween us?"
"And ruin my reputation as the warrior woman of the group? Never. We'll leave the credit of the heart to heart talks to Jayne" Zo''s eyes lit up and she smiled at her friend.
He watched her disappear around the corner and headed to Inara's door. It was going to be a long night.
Buffy came out of the hotel room and watched as Inara greeted Mal and ushered him inside. She looked in further and couldn't see Willow, but that's where the witch had said she was going. Buffy ignored the oddity and went off in search of the pool to meet Xander and River.
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"See now that's what I'm talkin' about." Faith drawled out. They had found this dive a few blocks down from where they were staying and had racked up a hefty tab. Faith looked at the table and noticed the ten or so empty beer bottles mixed with the 15 or so empty shot glasses. Red had impressed her. The girl could hold her own.
"What were you talking about Faith?" Willow's head was spinning, but this small outing was proving to be at least entertaining and mind numbingly...numbing.
"I was sayin' that B. B she just don't get it sometimes is all. I mean there you were. Granted not the epitome of sexiness your senior year, but you made me look twice and there she is bein' dumb moonin' over Angel. Now don't get me wrong, Angel definitely a hottie, but 'ello" Faith rapped on the table top, "vampire. That had disaster of the serious nature written all over it before it even began. What the hell was she thinkin'?"
"Huh? And do you know what the word epitome means?"
"I mean I was there and available, okay 'so not so much with the sane, but I could have gotten better. You were there with the unending support. She's was thick and stupid and and..." Faith stopped at the look Willow was giving her. "What?"
"So you did have a thing for Buffy?"
"Of course, you did even if you didn't know what the hell you were feeling or are feeling..." Faith's face screwed up as she looked at Willow, "Speaking of which I've been meaning to talk to you about that."
"About what?" Willow was slowly slipping into a confused daze and Faith seemed to be talking more to herself than to her.
"You and B." Faith took another long pull of her beer and continued... "B, man, she's got it something terrible for you Red. Last night nearly killed her seein' you walk off with Inara. That's another thing, why did you? I mean sure she's hot and sure getting her to scratch that itch isn't totally un-appealing, but B's so damn in love with you she can't see straight. Were you not wondering why she hasn't said more than boo to you all damn day? I was gonna strangle one or both of you on the trip up here."
Anger flashed inside of Willow at the thought of Faith knowing more about what Buffy was feeling for her than herself, "Just what exactly do you know?"
"Well, I know that B's awful confused right now, she's hurt and she's more than scared. Cut her a break Red will ya? If you can that is. Sleepin' with Inara proly threw a wrench in the works though seeing as how you don't throw down unless you're in love or close to being..."
"I didn't sleep with Inara." Willow's head was spinning faster and she put down the beer in her hand.
"No?" Faith rocked back on her chair and tried to stand. She stumbled grabbing the table for support. "Whoa, 'k so sudden movements ain't my friend. B's gonna be so jazzed!" The brunette fished in her pocket and pulled enough money out to cover the tab and a decent tip and threw it on the table. Her smile stretched ear to ear as she grabbed Willow and tried to pull her up. "C'mon slow poke. We need to tell B."
Willow pulled her hand free, "Faith, just stay out of it okay? I'll talk to Buffy, but I don't think it's going to happen tonight. Now is so not the right time."
The brunette blew hair out of her face and narrowed her eyes at Willow, "Now look here Red, you two need to have it out, however it ends, but talks need to be had. What is it with you fuckin' Scoobs? Christ it was your problem in SunnyD and you'd think that after all the shit you guys put each other through you'd learn."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means Red," Faith poked Willow in the chest, "that if you haven't caught on, we don't get the luxury of takin' our sweet time. You really think we're gonna live to see little old lady hood? Shit if that's the case you're more delusional than I ever was."
Willow tried to stand, but stumbled back into the chair. It was then that Faith took her shot. She righted herself and moved quickly, throwing Willow over her shoulder to muffled protests and punches to her backside, Faith exited the bar to stunned looks and threats of dismemberment from her friend. She nearly ran to the hotel and frowned when she was getting ready to climb the steps.
Speaking more to herself than to the drunken witch, she said, "B's not in the room...hmm" Scanning the area she felt the tingle Buffy caused and walked towards the back of the hotel. "She's that away!" Faith pointed in the direction of the pool and stumbled forward. The slayer rounded the corner to see Buffy, Xander and River sitting by the edge with their feet in the water talking. "Heya B! I brought somethin' for you. I know I promised talks and shit, but well...there's good news!" Faith went near them and began talking trying to set Willow down, "Seems your girl didn't make i..."
Faith finally managed to put Willow on her feet, but the redhead lost her balance. She watched in horror as Willow's arms wind-milled and she went backwards in to the deep end of the pool. Buffy jumped in first followed closely by Xander. Both of them pulled Willow, sputtering and cussing, to the surface.
Buffy turned cold eyes to Faith, "What the fuck Faith?!"
"I..." Faith watched as they dragged Willow out of the pool and the slayer did an internal fuck it, "you know what. Red here's way too chicken right now to say shit and I talked to you and I made a promise. Since both of you are too damn emotionally constipated to deal, I'm helping: Red, sorry about the pool thing. Didn't mean for it to happen. Buff, your precious Willow didn't sleep with Inara. So get over yourself and tell her you love her so I can quit butting my nose in where it sure as shit don't belong." Faith saw all jaws drop and a self satisfied smirk crept in to her features. It was then that her world started spinning and the last four beers she had come back up.