Series: The Hellmouth Chronicles
Title: Winter of Discontent 27/?
Author: Gileswench
Contact: gileswench@yahoo.com
Date: 2/8/04
Spoilers: From the usual points for this series: early S5 of Buffy (pre-Dawn), end of S1 of Angel
Summary: Buffy's not the only one facing her demons tonight Rating: Hard R for vampviolence, femslashy goodness, really, really bad jokes.
Pairing: Buffy/Giles, W/T, X/Anya, Joyce/Crystal
Distribution: If you've had my permission in the past, you have it now. All others, ask and ye shall receive.
Feedback: Constructive criticism always welcome. Praise abjectly sought.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc., etc., etc. I just let them have all the fun Joss won't. I own nothing except my twisted mind which you really don't want. Please don't sue.
Notes: I know the chapters are coming slowly. Sorry, but that's just how it is right now. Still, they will keep coming at whatever rate I can get them to come. Someday, I'll even finish writing about this one night.

"Anya? No, I haven't seen her for some time," Giles said.

"Great," Xander huffed. "Nobody's seen her for a while. You don't think Buffy...?"

Giles and his sister exchanged a look.

"You don't think she...?" Gertrude asked.

"I don't know. She might."

"Might what?"

"Might be with Anya," Giles explained.

"Okay, that's freaky," Xander said. "Usually you only do the mental instant messaging with Buffy. Please tell me this isn't an ex of yours."

"Hardly. Gertie, this is Xander Harris. Xander, this is my sister, Gertrude."

"Hi. Pleased to meet you. How long are you in town for?"

"I haven't made up my mind, yet. It rather depends."

"On what?"

"Quite a few things," Giles said. "Have you checked the kitchen? Might Buffy and Anya be having a Midnight snack?"

"Already looked." Xander nodded. The only person there was Leo. Does he actually live in there?"

"I'm inclined to think so, sometimes," Gertie said.

Xander looked oddly at his new acquaintance, but decided an answer to how she knew so much about Leo could wait until after Buffy and Anya were found.

"I can't think she'd leave the house at this hour," Giles said in a slightly distracted tone of voice. "Do you think they might be visiting with Willow or Cordelia?"

"Already checked that, too Big Guy. Tara's down one honey, too, and Cordy yelled at me to go away. I could hear Wesley trying not to laugh, so I'm guessing it was just the two of them."

"Angel?"

"Okay, now you're scraping the bottom of the barrel, Giles. But no, he's not here, either. I've checked from attic to basement, and there's no sign of them. This was sort of my last stop."

Giles crossed the room to Buffy's weapons chest and pulled out a crossbow.

"Oh, no it's not, Xander," he said with a determined air. "We're going out to find them. Arm yourselves, and let's go."

*****

"Which way?" Anya asked.

"This way," Buffy decided. "The Bronze is always top of the pops on the vampire snack bar list."

The little band headed toward the bad part of town.

"Better bloody be there," Spike muttered. "I want me some mayhem."

*****

Willow pulled away when Julia got too close. She still wasn't sure why she was so nervous. After all, they'd just gone to Julia's dorm room to look at spell books. And Julia knew about Tara. In spite of the obvious innocence of the visit, though, Willow kept feeling...wrong. It was nothing she could put her finger on, but something about the situation felt dangerous. Dark.

Potential.

She shied again when Julia sat too close to her on the bed.

"I won't bite," the girl said with humor. "Unless, of course, you ask me to."

"No, I'm not...that is...girlfriend, remember? Boundaries. They're good, sometimes."

"Boundaries are for people who don't trust their instincts. Why don't you trust yourself, Willow?"

"I trust me just fine," she bristled.

"No you don't. You're afraid of the power. You're afraid to disappoint anyone. You're afraid of who you really are." Julia leaned in closer. "You're even afraid to say who you are out loud. How can you expect your magic to be strong until you are?"

"I'm plenty strong." Willow wished her words sounded as confident coming out of her mouth as they had in her head just before she spoke. "Really."

"No you're not. Not yet. But you could be." The girl's voice was seductive and low. "You could be the most powerful person who ever lived. Wouldn't you like that? To be respected, listened to, never taken for granted again? There is so much untapped potential in you. None of the others understand. But I do."

Willow wasn't certain how her lips ended up so close to Julia's, but she could feel hot breath on her face and the trembling anticipation of a first kiss about to happen. She drew back slightly.

"Don't."

Still their faces were too close, her lips were parted, her eyelids heavy with desire. Julia touched her hair.

"Don't you want what I can give you?"

Willow closed her eyes.

"Yes."

She sank down under Julia on the bed, mouth to mouth, breast to breast, and allowed herself to be claimed.

*****

Buffy rolled her eyes and came to a halt.

"You guys have absolutely no imagination," she sighed wearily. "Did you really think we wouldn't find you?"

Hank looked up from the girl he'd been drinking. Buffy was revolted to realize he had a blood moustache. The vampire grinned.

"Who said we didn't want to be found?"

The hairs on the back of Buffy's neck began to tingle and stand at attention. A brief flicker of her eyes to either side was all she allowed herself, but it was enough to tell her she and her team were surrounded. Angel caught her eye and nodded slightly. Good. He would lead the attack on the rank and file vamps, leaving her free to concentrate on the one who wore her father's face.

Hank dropped his victim. She slid bonelessly to the street. Buffy adjusted her grip on her sword.

"Okay," she said. "I found you. Now you die."

"No," Hank said smoothly. "Now you do."

*****

"Where are we going?" Gertrude asked impatiently as she tried to keep up with her brother's long stride. "Do you have any idea at all where she went?"

"There's only a few options," Xander panted when it became clear Giles wasn't going to answer. "My guess is the warehouse district."

Giles turned sharply and headed in a new direction.

"Or," Xander wheezed, "possibly The Bronze."

He and Gertrude sped up still more to try to catch up with Giles.

*****

Willow knew she should stop things before they went any further. This was wrong. Even as Julia kissed her more deeply, she could see Oz and Cordelia's shocked expressions when they caught her and Xander kissing. She knew better then, and it didn't stop her. She remembered Cordelia lying pale and stoic in her hospital bed, Oz not speaking to her for weeks, Buffy's sincere, but somehow grating sympathy, Xander's attempts at self-justification that simply made her feel more guilty than ever.

And she couldn't help hearing the little voice in her head that said this was even more wrong than that horrible mistake.

Somehow, though, hearing and heeding were still two different things.

When she opened her mouth to tell Julia to stop, all that came out was a squeak of pleasure at the feel of the other girl's hand kneading her breast. Willow wasn't sure when her shirt had gotten unbuttoned, but flesh to flesh felt so good, she couldn't bring herself to say no. Her hand moved to the back of Julia's head, bringing the girl's face down so she could take the puckered nipple between her lips.

"Yes," Willow groaned.

*****

Angel pulled the stake from his coat pocket. Spike slid into game face. Anya gripped her battle axe tighter. Buffy faced off with Hank.

At first, everybody just watched as the two carefully circled one another. The silence roared in her ears.

"Well?" she demanded at last. "I'm here. Got something to say to me?"

"Yes, what do you want on your tombstone?"

"Pepperoni and cheese. You?"

"You know I won't have one."

"Nope. All you're gonna be is dust in the wind, just like the song says."

"Since when do you know anything about seventies rock?"

"Since I married a guy who was there for it. Anything else you want to know?"

"Yes. How much longer do you think you can fight in your condition?"

Buffy stopped in her tracks and glared at Spike.

"You told. You said you'd keep it a secret."

"I never bloody told him," the vampire defended himself. "Only one I said anything to was Harm."

"She sends her regards, by the way," Hank sneered. "And says to tell you I'm twice the man you are."

Spike growled and hurled himself at Hank. Moments later, he was sprawled on the ground. Buffy charged at Hank.

Then all hell broke loose.

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