Conversations 11

["Selenay" <selenay@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

Thanks as always for the kind words and encouragement. The computers worked
again this week, which is why this part took longer to write... <sigh>


Title: Conversations 11/?
Author: Selenay
E-mail: selenay@xxxxxxxxxx
Summary: Riley needs to talk to Buffy...
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*


"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"

'But I do get afraid!' Willow wanted to shout, but she was groggily aware
that something felt wrong and she couldn't get the words out. 'I was so
afraid that you'd freak about Tara, and I didn't want you to!'

"Whereas I . . . I'm too afraid to tell the person I love more than anything
how I feel."

'I though you broke up with Riley?'

"God, I can't even say it when you're unconscious."

'Huh?'

"Will, I love you. I love you so much it hurts sometimes, only I was too
blind to realise it. And now I'm too afraid because . . . you're with Tara .
. . and you're happy. I can't interfere. I love you, but I don't want to be
rejected again. It's crazy, huh, that I can only say this when you haven't
got a chance to hear me."

'Wait, I can hear you. I can't talk, but I can hear. I love you Buffy. It
would be so much easier if I could figure out telepathy. Actually, it
wouldn't. But you know what I mean . . .'

Slowly, everything faded to black again.

***

"Will, honey, come on. Please wake up. I can't do this without you. Please?"

Buffy sat in silence for a while and listened to the sound of the occasional
falling rock or creak from the stone piled over her.

"Well, this isn't how I planned to spend Friday night. I had a movie rented
and I thought we could order in pizza. Ooh, that was not a good thing to
think. How long ago was lunch? Right about now we should be rescuing the
food from Xander and watching the opening credits to a chick flick while
Anya and Giles make fun of it.

"They'll find us. We aren't that hard to find - just look for the big pile
of rocks and we're under it."

Buffy was silent again. A distant tapping sound came, different to the rocks
falling, and then the faint sound of voices.

"Will, do you hear that? We're being rescued."

The faint voice came again and she recognised Giles' voice calling her name.

"We're in here!" she yelled, as loudly as she could.

"Buffy? Is that you?" Giles shouted, the voice sounding closer.

"Who else would be in here? Martha Stewart?"

"Well . . ."

"Let me handle this," Xander said, his voice sounding almost as though he
was sitting next to her. "Buff, are you ok? We're going to get you out but
the firemen have to make sure nothing else will fall first."

"I'm fine, but Willow got hit in the head. She's unconscious. Could you
hurry it up out there?"

"We're hurrying as much as we can."

"Can't you hurry faster? This is a really small place and I don't do small
places well."

She heard the low rumble of voices and then Xander said, "They think it'll
be another half hour. Can you hang in there until then?"

"I'll try."

***

An hour later the rescuers finally broke through the stony prison and
released the two trapped girls. Willow had begun to stir as the last of the
rocks were pulled away, although she was still groggy, and Buffy hovered
near her as the paramedics worked on her. They both had to go to the
hospital to be checked out and during the ride over the Slayer sat beside
Willow and quietly held her hand.

It took the combined efforts of Giles, Xander and Joyce to get her to leave
the young witch and be examined by the doctor and by the time he was
finished Willow had already been sent up to a bed for overnight observation.

Buffy crept into the room and watched Willow sleep for a while before
curling up in a chair in the corner. A nurse found her there, asleep, and
took pity on her. She found a spare blanket and tucked it carefully around
the blonde girl, and then closed the door gently behind her.

***

"Buffy?"

A pause.

"Buff? Are you awake?"

No movement - not even a twitch.

"You look really uncomfortable."

Still nothing.

"Buffy?"

Finally the Slayer stirred and looked at Willow sleepily.

"You're awake!" the blonde girl exclaimed groggily. "How do you feel?"

"Bit of a headache, but otherwise I'm fine. How are you? That chair doesn't
look too comfortable to sleep in."

Buffy moved and groaned. "It's probably even less comfortable than it
looks."

"You didn't have to stay, you know."

The Slayer gingerly stood and stretched, wincing at her stiff muscles. "I
wanted to. You looked so pale last night . . . and I don't think your
parents are coming back so I could hardly leave you alone, could I?"

"Thanks." Willow scooted over a little and patted the side of the bed. "Come
on, this thing is plenty wide enough."

Buffy grinned and gratefully sat down. "Do you want me to get a nurse? You
could probably get something for your head."

"Nah, I'll cope."

"Are you sure? I mean, head injuries can be really bad and you were out for
a long time . . ."

"Buffy, I'm sure." Willow paused and tried to work out what she wanted to
say next. "That rock fall was pretty-"

"Stupid?"

"I was going to say scary, but that works just as well." She smiled wryly to
show Buffy she did not mean it.

"I'm sorry Will. I should have known better. I didn't think that one kick
would bring down half the hillside. I didn't think at all."

"Buffy, how could you have known? I didn't think that little bitty rock was
all that was holding the tunnel up. I probably would have stopped you if I
had."

"Stop being all reasonable. I almost got you killed so I have to feel
guilty."

Willow shook her head at her friend's stubbornness. "You're crazy, you know
that?"

"Uh huh."

They sat in companionable silence for a moment before Buffy began shifting
uncomfortably.

Willow gestured to the empty space next to her. "You could sort of . . . uh,
lie next to me? I'm sure the pillows would prop you up much more comfortably
than you're sitting now."

Buffy carefully wriggled up so she was propped against the pillows next to
Willow and smiled as her abused muscles began to relax. "Thanks Will."

"No problem." Willow paused. "Did you mean what you said last night?"

The Slayer froze, her heart suddenly feeling as though it was choking her.
"Last night?"

"While we were trapped. You said . . . you said you love me. Is it true?"