FF: Conversations 10

["Selenay" <selenay@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

The computers are still having 'issues', which is good for you (I have time
to write more than normal) but not so good for my poor intray. The little
plastic legs have bent under the weight of all the work I can't do *g*
Thanks for all the nice feedback and good wishes.

Title: Conversations 10/?
Author: Selenay
E-mail: selenay@xxxxxxxxxx
Summary: How can I put this? Someone is injured...
Distribution: This has no home yet, but please ask before posting it
elsewhere
Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Joss Whedon and those lovely folks
at Mutant Enemy, Fox, WB etc. Unfortunately I'm making no money from this.
The plot, what there is of it, is all mine.
Feedback: Praise, adulation, bribes (chocolate works best ;) etc can be sent
to the addy above or the list. I'm easy. Not easy in the easy sense, easy in
the...oh, I give up *g*


“This is . . . fun,” Willow said nervously. “How far down do we have to go?”

The young witch was following Buffy down a long, dark tunnel under a hill
just outside Sunnydale. Giles had tracked a nest of slime-demons to the hill
and the two girls were going in to flush them out. The plan had seemed like
a great one; Giles and Xander were waiting topside to get any that managed
to get past the Slayer while Willow was going in do a freezing spell on them
that would render most of the demons immobile. There had just been one part
that the Watcher glossed over – the dark dankness of the tunnel.

“Giles said the tunnel widens out after a hundred feet and leads into the
cavern where the slime-demons are,” Buffy answered quietly.

“Oh, great.”

Buffy held her lantern a little higher, trying to see down the tunnel. “Does
that look like a dead-end to you?”

Willow squinted down to where Buffy was pointing. “Yup. See all the rock? I’
d recognise a dead-end anywhere.”

“I’m going to kill Giles,” the Slayer fumed. “Wild-goose chases in dark
caves are not my idea of a fun Friday night.”

“Maybe it’s a false wall,” Willow suggested. “Or an illusion.”

The two girls cautiously approached the stone wall. Buffy held up her lamp
and Willow beamed her flashlight at over the stone, but it was a dead-end. A
*solid* dead-end as Willow discovered when she carefully tapped the stone.
Buffy listened a moment and then tapped it harder.

“Do you hear that? The rock’s really thin. If I just do this . . .”

Buffy moved back, spun and gave the wall a powerful roundhouse kick.

“Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea,” she said after a moment as an ominous
rumbling started.

“Ya think?” Willow said sarcastically.

“Ok, plan B. Run!”

The ominous rumbling followed them as they ran back down the tunnel,
frequently stumbling and nearly falling over rocks hidden in the dark. A
thundering crash suddenly echoed through the cave and Buffy glanced back in
time to see a large chunk of the roof behind them tumble to the floor. At
that moment Willow tripped on another rock and fell. Buffy stopped and ran
back to her.

“Will? Are you ok?”

“I think my ankle’s broken,” Willow said, her face contorted in pain.

“We have to get out of here. The whole tunnel is going to go.”

Willow nodded and allowed Buffy put an arm around her waist to try to get
her standing. The Slayer could hear her friend mumbling “ow, ow, ow,” as she
did so, but there wasn’t time to let her rest.

“On three,” she commanded. “One, two, three!”

Buffy heaved and Willow pushed with her good foot. They were almost up when
the roof above them began to groan threateningly.

“Come on!” Buff grunted, trying to get more leverage on her friend. “We have
to get you out!”

She managed to drag Willow a few feet before the roof gave way and began
falling around them. Something hit her head and she fell, dragging Willow
down with her. Automatically she rolled so that her body was protecting the
witch from the falling rocks. The air around her suddenly lit up with purple
light, forming a tiny dome around them, and she looked down to see Willow
muttering under breath.

Masonry continued to fall around them for several minutes but the purple
dome of light seemed to stop it actually falling onto them. Slowly the noise
died down until all that could be heard was the creaking and groaning of the
rock settling around them and the occasional skittering sound as a small
stone fell.

“Will, are you ok?” Buffy asked, looking down into her friend’s face, which
was tantalisingly close.

Willow nodded and her eyes rolled up into her head as she lost
consciousness.

The purple dome that had been protecting them flickered and dissipated.
Without its support the rocks above them shifted and several small stones
rained down on them, most falling harmlessly on Buffy’s back but one
smacking Willow’s temple. Buffy waited a few moments, hardly daring to
breath, but most of the stone above her seemed stable despite the loud
creaks echoing through their small hollow.

“Will?” she breathed.

The redhead did not answer.

“Ok, I’m probably squishing you so I’ll move now,” Buffy said, despite how
comforting it was to be so close to her.

She wriggled around, ignoring how appealing the curves beneath her felt, and
managed to position herself so she was half propped up with Willow cushioned
against her chest. The redheaded hacker had her head resting on Buffy’s
shoulder and for a long moment the Slayer simply sat there, softly stroking
her hair.

“I bet Giles and Xander are wondering what happened to us,” Buffy said to
break the oppressive silence. “They probably heard the crash and then a big
puff of dust came out, like it does on cartoons? Yeah, they’ll be getting
help right about now so we just have to sit tight until they come.

“We’ve been in worst spots over the years. Remember Malcolm? I thought we
were fried that time. And Adam came really close to ending my career.”

Silence.

“That bump is going to leave a nasty bruise, Will. I guess the next time I
do the body shield routine I should position myself better, huh? Good thing
your parents are out of town – we’d have a hard time explaining that one.

“Thinking of . . . what did you tell your parents about the time you ended
up in hospital? I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you then. I should have been .
. . I watched you all, that morning. I watched you all standing around – you
were in your wheelchair – and I wanted to go to you *so* much. But I couldn’
t. I was a mess. So I took off and tried to start over. But there wasn’t an
hour that went by when I didn’t think about you. When I didn’t wonder how
you were and wish I could be there. I’m sorry – I should have been stronger,
like you.

“Nothing seems to faze you anymore, does it? I mean sure, you get upset
about things and you get hurt, but you’re not afraid to stand up for what
you believe in anymore. I wish I could be more like that. You fell . . . you
fell in love with Tara and when Oz came back it wasn’t about you being
afraid of that . . . it was about you being torn between two people. Tara
being a woman never came up – you were simply deciding between two people
you cared about very deeply.

“Whereas I . . . I’m too afraid to tell the person I love more than anything
how I feel.”

Silence, broken only by the occasional falling stone.

“God, I can’t even say it when you’re unconscious.”