FIC: Mind Games (2/?)

[angelina2006@xxxxxxxxxxx]

TITLE: Mind games (2/?)
AUTHOR: Angelina 
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. 
SUMMARY: What if Willow had something she didn't want Buffy to hear 
during `Earshot'?
SPOILERS: Earshot  some dialogue has been borrowed and the plot is 
basically the same 
AUTHOR'S NOTES: All feedback welcome. "Mochas?" "Yes please!"  
Thoughts are shown by <<&>>

For the first time in a long time Buffy felt happy. She had a cool 
new power and she had finally told Willow how she felt about her.  
OK, that made it sound like she'd bit the bullet and poured her heart 
out. In reality she had waited, and waited, and waited until today 
when, by chance, she had acquired the power to read thoughts and 
under duress Willow had `thought' that she loved her. Then, and only 
then, did big, brave Buffy find the courage to admit her own secret 
feelings. But the way it happened was irrelevant now. All that 
mattered was that they loved each other. And yeah, there were 
probably going to be some tough times ahead  the names Angel and Oz 
kept popping into her head  but for now she was content to be 
walking along, holding Willow's hand, hearing her think along much 
the same lines as herself, only with slightly more babbling involved.

They smiled at each other before pushing through the doors to the 
library.

"Hey guys! Find anything?" asked Buffy. Giles and Wesley jumped in 
unison and spun around wearing matching guilty expressions.

"Uh, no, no not yet," said Giles. "But I wouldn't worry, I'm sure 
we'll find something soon." << I'm Henry the 8th I am, Henry the 8th 
I am I am, I got married to the widow next door&>>

Wesley merely nodded. << Cordelia, Cordelia, Cordelia, Cordelia&>>

Buffy looked at the two men perplexed. "Ooooookay, I'm glad to see 
you're both really focused on the task in hand here." She shook her 
head at Wesley, noticing beads of sweat on his forehead. "I think 
we'll leave you alone with your deep thoughts. Lunch, Will?"  

"Sure," said Willow happily. <<Anything you want Buffy>>

"You're lucky I'm a lady and I won't take advantage of that thought!" 
Buffy whispered as she pulled Willow behind her out of the doors.

Giles and Wesley breathed a sigh of relief once they were gone.  
Wesley brought out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. "Mental 
discipline certainly takes a lot of effort."

"Yes," agreed Giles. "Look, we have to find something to help her, 
quickly." And they both hit the books intently.

*****

"So, what are our fellow students thinking about right now?" Willow 
whispered as they waited in the lunch line.

"Well, the girls are like Ally McBeal en masse  neurosis city!" said 
Buffy. " And the guys are all perverted." Buffy glanced at the 
person standing next to her.

<<Why is she looking at me? I bet she doesn't even know my name>>

Buffy frowned. She was no longer hearing single thoughts. Thoughts, 
voices were overlapping in her head. Two, three, four voices at a 
time. She couldn't even tell who was thinking what anymore. She 
walked away with her lunch tray, trying to clear her head. Willow 
followed, alarmed by Buffy's behaviour.

<<Why do I&>> <<&know she's such a&>> <<&won't he give me&>> <<&my 
life is so&>>

<<THIS TIME TOMORROW I'LL KILL YOU ALL.>>

Buffy dropped her lunch tray. The students around her applauded and 
whooped.

"Wow, that's a really mature response." Willow reprimanded 
them. "Buffy are you OK?"

But Buffy wasn't listening; she was accosting random members of the 
student body, trying to ascertain which one of them was having 
murderous thoughts. But it was no use. Thoughts were becoming so 
intertwined that she couldn't think straight. She put her hands over 
her ears to block out the noise but it didn't work. The last thing 
she heard clearly was Willow calling her name as she fainted into 
blackness.

*****

When she awoke, even before she opened her eyes she heard thoughts.  
It wasn't as bad as it had been in the lunchroom  there were fewer 
people around her now she surmised.

<<Come on Buffy, please wake up, you're scaring me.>> Willow's 
mental plea pulled at her heart and she opened her eyes to find a 
pair of green ones directly above her. She was rewarded by a torrent 
of relieved thoughts from Willow.

Glancing around she saw Giles, Oz, Xander and Cordelia. All were 
thinking variants of <<Phew, thank God she's OK>> Well, all except 
Cordelia who thought <<Finally, can we go in now? My hair's getting 
all messed up>>

Buffy slowly sat up, supported by Willow. "Are you alright Buffy?  
What happened in the cafeteria? You fainted." Giles was very 
concerned.

"I&I heard all this stuff, all mixed up together." Buffy tried to 
remember. Then it came back to her. "Oh God, there's a killer in the 
cafeteria!!" she blurted out. "I heard them, they thought `This time 
tomorrow I'll kill you all.'"

"Are you sure it was a serious threat?" asked Giles.

"Yeah, I mean, I've thought that a couple of times but I've never 
actually done it!" said Xander. Everyone stared at him. "Oh, come 
on, are you telling me that you've never&." His voice trailed 
off. "OK, shutting up now."

"They meant it, I'm sure of it," said Buffy, firmly.

"Did you recognise a voice?" asked Willow.

"No&no it was all distorted, so full of hate and loathing. I don't 
even know if it was male or female." Buffy abruptly stood up and 
headed toward the school building. "I have to go back and find them."

She only got so far before a wall of noise appeared from nowhere and 
she reeled back covering her ears. Giles caught her. "Come on, I'm 
taking you home."

"No! I have to stop the killer," said Buffy.

<<Poor Buffy>> <<This must be so weird for her&.hey, I can see down 
Cordy's top>> <<Now my hair is wrecked AND I'm freezing>>

"SHUT UP!" Buffy screamed. She looked at the stunned faces around 
her. I'm sorry, it's just, could you guys not think so much&or at 
all?"

"Come on Buffy, the others can handle the situation here, you need to 
be at home." Giles urged.

"OK," Buffy relented. "You guys have to make a list of everyone in 
the cafeteria, and pick out the suspicious ones." She turned to 
Willow. "Will you come home with me?"

<<Do you even have to ask?>> "Of course I will." Willow linked her 
arm through Buffy's and turned back to the others. "E-mail the list 
to Buffy's mom's computer. I'll do some cross-referencing and try to 
come up with suspects for you."

"Sure thing Will, feel better Buffy." Xander added, nodding to his 
friends. Then he, Oz and Cordelia turned back and walked toward the 
school.

"This thing is getting scary Giles, I can't turn it off," said Buffy 
as they headed to Giles' car.

"She's gonna be OK though, right Giles?" Willow looked at Giles with 
such trusting eyes that he couldn't bring himself to tell her the 
whole situation.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," he said forcing a 
smile. <<If we don't find a way to reverse this soon she'll go 
insane.>>

Buffy stopped in her tracks.

"What's the matter?" Willow asked, concerned.

Buffy tried to smile for Willow's benefit. "Nothing, I'm fine, let's 
go." Willow made a mental note to ask Giles in private. "No don't!"

"Why not? Buffy please don't keep things from me." <<She doesn't 
trust me>>

Buffy sighed, "Of course I trust you. OK, if you really want to 
know&.Giles thinks that I'll go insane if they can't reverse this."

Willow was shocked. "Oh." Her eyes filled with tears but she blinked 
them back. "Then we'll just have to find a way to reverse it because 
there's no way you're going crazy without taking me with you!"  
Resolve face was firmly in place. Buffy smiled and pulled Willow 
into a brief hug.

"Thank you."

"Are you two coming?" shouted Giles from the car, and arm in arm they 
walked across the grass, ready to face whatever they had to.  
Together.

TBC  Coming next - Angel and Willow duel to the death to win Buffy's 
fair hand (Just kiddin')