TITLE: Secrets and...
AUTHOR: Claudine
EMAIL: claudine423@yahoo.com
PAIRING: W/G
RATING: PG
FEEDBACK: Yes, please...I am a junkie.
NOTES: AU - This story takes place in the future, when the majority of the gang has reached the age of 30. Buffy died at the end of "The Gift" but she was never brought back to life. The explanation of what happened between that year and the time of this fic will unravel in the story. It starts off a little slow, but I promise all the characters will be introduced.
DISCLAIMER: Permission to use these characters relating to BtVS & AtS has not been given. Joss, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB & Mutant Enemy own TM and copyrighted them. This is purely for fun, and no copyright infringement is intended.. Oh how I wish Giles was mine, though. Sigh...
"I don't know if I can do this," Willow whispered.
"You can. We have to," Xander replied, taunting her like a drug dealer would. "It's the only way and we both know it."
"I just...with Giles...it's....what if it's wrong...it's been too long....she might not be..." she was sobbing, unable to speak or think clearly as she stood in the hallway just outside Xander's bedroom. She never went in, not on this occasion, not on any. There was too much history between them and the lines became too blurred where Xander was concerned. Not for Willow, she knew her love for Giles was strong. But she always kept a safe distance for fear of giving Xander the wrong idea. She'd made the mistake of comforting him after Anya's death, never realizing he still harbored some of those old feelings from their childhood. It broke her heart to turn him away when he was in need, but her heart and soul were with Giles. Always. Forever.
"It's ok, just relax. You're scared, I am too." He touched a finger to his own lips signaling her to hush when he heard something stirring around them. After a moment of silence he thought to himself, 'paranoid much?' "We're almost there," he began. "This is what we've been working for for ten years, Will."
She could never take the pressure. She always caved. "I know, it's just...Giles would never allow it. Xander, he'll leave me, I know it." She shook her head no repeatedly. “I can’t live without him, I won’t live without him.”
"Forget the what-ifs, Will, and think about the big picture. If we accomplish what we set out to do will it be worth it? " Xander asked.
"You know it will," she said.
"Are you strong enough? With the right books and charms, are you able to do this?" He looked deep into her eyes.
"Yes," she finally said.
"Good. Then there's nothing else to talk about." He felt bad. He knew he'd pressured her a bit, but he thought of it more as though he were 'keeping her on the right track’ or ‘keeping her eye on the prize.’ "Dawn should be calling soon, I'll let you know what she and Faith found out, ok?"
Willow took a deep breath and sighed. "Ok." She didn't even feign a smile, she just turned to head back to her room, never noticing the figure that was watching from the shadows.
"Ok, you know what, you two are creeping me out way too much, I'm just gonna go to bed," Dawn said and stood up to go.
They were in Ethan's dining room. He had prepared a meal for the three of them, but only he and Faith enjoyed it. Dawn refused to eat. "Oh, so soon," Ethan teased when Dawn rose, "But you haven't even touched the absinthe."
"Well, first of all it's not 1820. And second, I keep saying it and yet you never seem to hear me - I don't trust you," Dawn said. "I don't want anything from you, Ethan. Not food or water or magic or shelter. Not now, not ever. However...I'm traveling with Faith and she's into this little detour that you so conveniently happen to be a part of, so I'm stuck. But that doesn't mean that I have to like it, I just have to endure until the morning." All she wanted to do was get out from under Ethan's watchful eye so that she could snoop around for the journal.
“Chill out, D,” Faith said. “Why don’t you go make some calls and find out about Spike and I'll stay here and keep Ethan company.”
He felt a chill run down his arms. “There’s a phone in the…” Ethan began.
Dawn rolled her eyes and whipped out her cell phone before he even finished. “See above re: don’t need anything from you.” She huffed one final time and then left the room.
“Alone at last,” Ethan whispered in Faith’s ear.
Where did he come from? He was across the table only a fraction of a second before. How did he move so quickly? If it hadn’t been for the chills running down her spine she might have questioned him about it, but her mind had turned to mush. “So,” she began, “You live here all alone?”
“Just me and my rather tall, dark shadow,” he replied before lowering his lips to her neck and kissing that magic spot oh-so softly.
“I know a thing or two about being alone,” she said, tilting her head to the side exposing more of her neck for him.
Ethan kissed her ear softly and slid his hand lightly down her arm until he met her wrist. He encircled it and drew her arm up, enticing her to stand. When she did he wrapped her in his arms and lifted her off the ground, her body flush against him. She sank into his kiss, every inch of her body tingling with excitement and nerves. After all, it had been a long time.
"Dessert?" He managed to ask between passionate kisses.
"Maybe later," she replied, breathlessly.
"You read my mind," he whispered as he guided her body down to the black velvet chaise in a dark corner of the room.
"No, it's just me. Faith's...." Dawn searched for the right word before deciding on, "...busy."
"Busy doing what," Xander asked.
"You don't want to know," she said. "But I pretty much have free rein of the whole house. I know the journal's here, it's not up for sale until tomorrow."
"Well, find it and get back here, we need you guys and we need the spell. Willow's ready but she's faltering. I'm afraid she'll back out if we don't do it soon, you know how she's been going back and forth about this."
"I know. Ok, I gotta go," Dawn said.
"Be careful," Xander said.
"I will." She clicked her phone off and headed down the hall, trying desperately to ignore the sounds billowing from the dining room. "Ewww...."