Chapter 10
“We don’t need her, Giles,” Buffy said, pacing her Watcher’s small living room. “I mean, there’s got to be other witches out there that can do this. I don’t know, preferably one that isn’t screwing my ex?”
This argument had been one they’d had before, and Giles was quite tired of it; so he sighed, preparing himself to explain, yet again, why it was specifically Willow they needed and that Buffy, no matter her personal feelings, needed to let this play out.
“They’ve not shagged,” Spike said, poking his head out of Giles’ kitchen.
“How do you know?” Buffy asked, not convinced. They had been all over each other in the car. Holding hands, leaning into each other, giving those looks to each other. Angel was supposed to be giving her those looks, not Willow. He was supposed to be holding her hand and looking at her with pure adoration. They were soulmates!
“Could smell it if they had.” Spike came out of the kitchen, mug of blood in hand, and sat down on the couch.
“That’s just …,” Buffy said, her voice trailing off into a disgusted noise.
“Buffy,” Giles said, more to get away from the confrontation he feared was coming than to get back to the point at hand, “Willow is essential in this. All the signs point to her, and like it or not, she’s needed. You will simply have to put aside your feelings and let her do this. Otherwise …,” he trailed off. He couldn’t bear to say what would happen if Willow did not complete her duties as outlined by the prophecy. Once had been sufficient, and the reminder was enough to cut off anything else his Slayer had to say on the subject.
**********
“Talk,” Angel growled, putting a protective arm around Willow. He and Xander had never been close, in any sense of the word. There had always been some form of animosity between them, mostly due to Buffy.
Xander ignored him and looked at Willow. His best friend. “Could we do this somewhere a bit more private?”
Before Willow could answer, Angel had grabbed Xander by the front of his shirt, his vampiric features coming to the fore as he hissed his words. “Say it now.”
“Angel,” Willow said softly, placing a hand on his arm. She didn’t want this. Xander was her friend, and by the way he was looking when he’d come to them, he was on her side. “Please, let’s go to my house, okay? It’s closest.” What she didn’t say was that she didn’t want Xander knowing that they were staying in Angel’s old apartment, not her house. Right now, she was unsure of how much she could trust her friend … especially with the odd way everyone had behaved earlier.
Turning to her, Angel softened and released Xander who threw him a dirty look he didn’t see before taking Willow’s hand in his. The three of them walked in silence to her house. Willow made sure that she was between Angel and Xander the entire way there. Once at her house, she entered quickly, inviting Angel inside, and made her way towards the kitchen.
“Sit. Be nice to each other,” Willow commanded, and they obeyed, sitting at opposite ends of the room. “What would you guys like to drink? I’ve got water and … well, water. “
“Nothing,” they answered in unison, each scowling at the other. Willow made her way back in with two glasses of water, setting one in front of Xander even though he hadn’t asked for anything. He’d said he needed to talk. When he took a large drink, she smiled and settled herself on the couch, the side closest to Xander.
Moving to the couch, Angel sat next to her.
“So, Xander, what have you been up to?” Willow asked. She really did want to get to the heart of the matter, but Xander was so pale and his brows were knitted in worry. Hoping that small talk would loosen him up, she tried to be as casual as she could.
“I – I haven’t, I mean, I’m not up to anything,” Xander said, a little defensively. He’d misunderstood her question.
“What did you want to tell us?” Angel got right to the point.
“Not you, her.”
“Us,” Willow said. “You talk to us or you don’t talk at all.”
Confused, Xander looked up at Willow. She’d always been his friend, always been there for him. Granted, she’d never agreed with his hatred of Angel, but never in a million years had he thought she would put Deadboy over him. He hated to admit that a part of him, a large part, was deeply hurt by that statement.
“What’s happened to you, Wills?”
“I fell in love.” It was simple and she shrugged at his baffled expression.
“With him?”
“Yes.”
“A vampire.”
“Yes, Xander, a vampire.”
“Who’s also an evil one when he loses his not-so-permanent soul.”
“I’m quite aware of the status of his soul.” Now she was getting annoyed. Xander, of all people, should know what she had gone through to restore Angel’s soul a few years ago.
“Sorry, I just … don’t get it.”
“It’s alright, just know that I’m happy.” Turning to Angel, she smiled and he returned it.
“But he’s not, right?”
Willow couldn’t help it, she laughed. “No, he’s perfectly miserable and we’re all safe.”
“Okay.”
That seemed to put Xander at ease … a little at least, and he leaned back in the chair, rubbing his face with his hands. He knew he was stalling the inevitable. The problem was he didn’t know where to start. How did one go about telling their best friend that they were expected to save the world and possibly die trying? He felt a hand on his knee and looked up to see Willow smiling softly at him.
“What did you want to tell me?” she asked, the picture of patience.
“Well, there was this demon who came to town …”
**********
The tale went on for most of the night and with each word, Angel pulled Willow closer to him. He couldn’t believe the audacity of Giles and Buffy. They hadn’t said a word of this to them. A small amount of respect for Xander wormed its way into Angel’s heart. The Watcher, however, was going to get it from Angel. He imagined all the ways he could hurt the man without killing him, because he knew his girl wouldn’t allow him to end her mentor’s life. But, he wanted to satisfy that part of him that wanted to slash and tear and make Giles bleed.
“That’s why they thought you could read it, or expected you to be able to,” Xander said, finishing his tale.
Willow leaned back into Angel, taking comfort in the fact that he was there. She wasn’t sure she would be able to keep herself upright at that point. Xander had told her exactly what Giles and Buffy expected from her.
A sacrifice.
Her death if need be.
That wasn’t something someone took lightly. Even Xander admitted to not knowing everything. Steadily, Angel had begun growling through the tale and Xander was glad that the hatred in the vampire’s eyes wasn’t aimed towards him for once.
“When?” Willow asked, her voice small and distant.
“It doesn’t matter when because you’re not going to do it,” Angel said, holding her tighter still.
“In two days, maybe less, I don’t know. I only know they’re prepared and the only thing they were waiting on was you,” Xander said answering Willow’s question. “But – and I hate to say this – I agree with Deadboy. It doesn’t matter. Willow, you can’t do this.”
There wasn’t anything Willow could say. She agreed with them, she didn’t want to do this. But, if she didn’t …
“What happens if this prophecy isn’t fulfilled?”
“I – It doesn’t matter, Buffy will have to deal with it. It’s what she’s chosen to do!” Xander was frantic. He could already tell that Willow was considering it, preparing herself to do the unthinkable.
“But it states clearly that’s it’s me in this battle,” Willow said, the far-off look in her eyes slowly disappearing.
“Please, Little One,” Angel said softly, nuzzling her neck and holding her close. “There’s other witches, I know of three sisters that are powerful and owe me a favor. I could contact them and you won’t have to do this.”
Leaning into Angel, Willow turned her head and placed a soft, sweet kiss on his lips before pulling away and standing up. She walked to the front door and opened it, looking out into the night.
Growing up in Sunnydale had been hard, even without the threat of vampires and demons. As a child she’d been ridiculed for being smart, and shunted aside by her parents because they were simply too busy with their careers to ever notice her. Xander had come into her life, and he had changed it. And then there was Jesse; sweet, silly, Jesse, who had joined their group, and Willow had been happy, surrounded by people who didn’t hate her simply for being who who she was. High School came and it was still the same, smart did not equal popular and she was once again the butt of jokes, but she was protected by her friends who needed her and wanted her around.
Then, it had all turned upside down. Vampires, who, until then, hadn’t existed for them, had killed Jesse. Sure, there had been mysterious deaths and odd disappearings, but none of it had registered. They had more important things to care about, like each other. Willow and Jesse took care of Xander when his parents were incapable of the act. Jesse and Xander took care of Willow when her parents forgot her birthday and didn’t sent her a card. And Xander and Willow took care of Jesse when his parents had divorced and the fight over him had begun. They cared about each other. They kept each other safe, or had tried. Jesse’s death had hit them hard, and once they met Buffy and found out about what went bump in the night, they had both silently vowed to help.
A tear slipped down her cheek and she felt strong arms come around her. Angel whispered softly into her ear.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said again. “This isn’t your fight.”
“But it is, Angel,” Willow said. This tow, this street, this house, it was all she had ever known. Would it all be destroyed if she left?
“Since when?”
“Since Jesse.”
“Who?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Willow said softly, turning in his arms. “I’m tired. Can we stay here tonight?”
“Whatever you want, Willow, you know that.”
Smiling, she pulled back and looked at Angel. He was all she could have ever hoped for and more.
“I want to help.”
Pain crossed Angel’s face, but he nodded his head. “You won’t be alone.”
Willow hadn’t thought she would be.
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