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Birthday Fiction Challenge Response Title: Second Chances Chapter: Two Rating: R Pairing: Willow/Buffy Timeline: Last seen episode Spoilers: Only for aired episodes Beta Readers: Drakes Shadow < the cute bat > and Dark Gremlin Summary: With Willow's 21st birthday coming up, she's haunted by past mistakes that cost her the only real family she's ever had. But in the process of dealing with her own medical problems and searching for answers in her brothers apparent death, she might find that sometimes what you're searching for is right in front of you. Note: Shadow and Gremlin were huge helps in the writing of this fiction. In fact, you could say they tag teamed me. Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Paramount Studios. <-------> W illow stared at the ex-vengeance demon behind the counter. She wasn't sure if she should trust the blonde or not. She was Xander's ex-fiancée, and therefore, not all bad, but she was still....Anya. Blunt, way too honest, more than a little unnerving, Anya. " Should you be here? You haven't relapsed have you? If you have you better be here to spend money, otherwise I'm going to tell Buffy that you're dangerous. " " Actually I needed to talk to someone." She said, walking over to the research table. " I don't know where Xander is and Buffy's not here. I also haven't heard from Tara since the wedding was called off, so shoo?" " I don't want to talk to them. I want to talk to you." The blonde eyed her with a dark suspicion that reminded her exactly why she was a vengeance demon. " You're not going to proposition me are you? I'm not into women anymore, although there was that princess that could..." " Anya!! I'm not coming onto you. I have a problem that I need help with." The ex-demon gaped at her in surprise. " And you came to me? Why? I thought you hated me. " " I don't hate you, I just...don't understand you sometimes, but I really think that you're this cool, talented, smart woman. " The ex-demon let out a choked sob and ran across the space between them, yanking the red head into a tight bear hug. " Um..Anya..." " I thought you didn't like me, I mean Xander used to tell me that you guys liked me, but I always thought that you guys hated me. Everyone is always giving me this looks like how dumb can you be and telling me to be quiet and..." " Anya..." The blonde stepped back with a glare. " Wait, you weren't just saying that because you need my help were you? Because if you were..." Willow wearily sat on a nearby chair, unable to stay on her feet any longer. She was just so emotionally tired from everything she'd lived through. " No. I meant it. " Anya nodded in satisfaction, and practically bounced into one of the seats. " Okay, tell me your problem, my new best friend and friend of my ex- fiancée that I still want to castrate but will probably marry anyway. " Willow squeezed the blondes hand. " What do you know about the Diablo forest and Morrigan's old house? " " Stay away from that. Even the council isn't dumb enough to get involved in that stuff. " " Anya... I..." She closed her eyes trying to find someway to make the blonde understand, to make her see that she needed. " Are you capable of keeping a secret? " " Of course. Vengeance demons are one of the most honorable demons in the underworld. " Willow moved closer to the blonde, and ducked her head trying to force the words from her mouth. She had to tell the blonde what she knew. She had to if she was going to get some answers, now all she had to do was get the words out. <-------> Buffy fumbled with the microfilm, trying to get the end into the slit. She could handle stakes, axes, knifes, swords, and any other weapon she was given time to learn, but she couldn't get a simple microfilm viewer. Why couldn't they make the blasted things more slayer friendly? Finally the edge went into the turn thingy, and she flipped on the light. The blurred image of newspaper from March 25, 1990 she zoomed out until it was in focus. She immediately began to turn through the different pages and papers until she spotted the front page. " Local football star missing. " She eyed the picture of the Diablo woods under the headline, then started to read the story. " David Rosenberg was reported missing after his nine year old sister was found wandering on the outskirts of the Diablo forest. Sources say Willow Rosenberg was dazed and unresponsive. Further reports have indicated that the younger sibling was covered in what has been identified as human blood. However the detectives in charge refuse to comment on the possible origins of the blood until DNA tests have come back. Detective Johnson has said that Willow Rosenberg is being held at Sunnydale Sanitarium due to the younger siblings history of mania. In the meantime, police have started putting together search parties in hopes of finding the town's star athlete. Anybody who wishes to volunteer for the search parties should report to Lieutenant Hanson at Marker Nine at the boarder of the Diablo woods. " Buffy stared helplessly at the picture of the fifteen year old in a Sunnydale High school football uniform. He had dark red hair and the same piercing green eyes. He was boyishly handsome, obviously becoming a man that would have been gorgeous. His built was lean at about five foot six but she could tell that he was all muscle. She turned the viewers knob sending the pages into a blur, until she found the front page of the next days paper. Immediately her heart dropped into her stomach as the headlines screamed at her in bold, large letters. " Local Star Pronounced Dead. " She rubbed her tired eyes, unable to stop imagining what Willow must have gone through. She could see the utter devastation on the red heads face. The guilt and hopelessness. Was that why Willow took her friends problems and death, so personally? She flicked the viewer off. She needed more information but she was going to have to talk to Willow first, and hope the red head would give her the whole story. Hopefully. <-------> " They never found his body? " " No. " Willow whispered, turning her head from the blonde. " His head? " Willow cringed visibly at the ex- demons blunt words, spoken with so much casualness. " I'll take that as a no. So if there was no head, and no body, how do you know he's dead? " " The blood. " " Blood? What blood? " Anya asked, leaning forward suddenly as though she was being told the secret to life. " I...I was covered in his blood. " " You didn't tell me that. Why didn't you tell me that? That is important, therefore you should've told me about it. " Anya glared at her then immediately launched into another series of questions. " How much blood were you covered in? " Willow closed her eyes, fighting against the bile that was hiccupping it's way from her stomach. " Submerged. " " Oh. Did they find more blood anywhere? " " No. " " He's not dead." Anya said, getting up to get back to work. " Wh-what do you mean he's not dead? " Willow forced her eyes open to eye the ex-demon. " The doctor said that he'd lost too much blood to survive. " " The blood was used to curse you, and unless that bitch changed her psychopathic tendencies then your brother is attached to the curse. " " What curse? How do I break it? " She asked. Anya sobered quickly at her question. " Um..." <-------> Buffy stood in the doorway of the bedroom watching the dark haired red head putter nervously around it. Dusting this, moving that, picking something up and putting it away. It was endearing, and completely Willow. She'd always start cleaning obsessively when she was scared or nervous. That or she'd find something to research and bury herself in it. But now, it worried her. After what she'd learned earlier it felt... doomy. " Hey." Willow quickly turned to the blonde and dropped her gaze. " Hey. Listen I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have exploded like that, I mean you were only trying to do something nice for me and what do I do? I yell at you, and..." " Your forgiven. " Buffy said, cutting her lover off. " Actually I was wanting..." " Actually I was wanting..." They trailed off, smiling at each other. Buffy spoke up first. " Go ahead." " Are you sure? Cause I could wait until..." " No, I'm sure. " Willow nodded reluctantly and started to pace in front of the sleigh style queen sized bed. " The reason I reacted so strongly is because... I had a brother and I killed him. " Willow took a deep breath, struggling to regain control over her emotions. " He was the only real family I had. My parents hated me because I was born this damaged, premature screw up, and David... He was everything any parent ever wanted. He excelled at anything he tried. He was quiet, shy, but still out going. He was Sunnydale High's star athlete. He was a straight A student and was always the teachers favorite student. Every girl swooned over him, and wanted to date him. He was their perfect child. " " But me? My parents wanted to get an abortion, or anything else they could do to get rid of me. Except nothing they did worked. I was born two months premature, and was cranky and fussy. David practically raised me, because they wouldn't, and he hated them for it too. " Willow sped up her pacing. " When I was old enough I started having these episodes of Mania. I-I-I would start babbling non-stop, and I'd get worked up over the smallest things until I was out of control, I would make these stupid decisions at a moments notice, and they always ended up with someone hurt or embarrassed or something really really bad, and... " Buffy grabbed the red head in mid babble and pulled her into her arms. " Shhh. It doesn't matter, it's in the past. All that matters is the present. " " No, you don't understand. " Willow pulled away from Buffy's arms. " I begged and begged and begged David to take me to the old house and he wouldn't. I was so angry because it was my birthday and I thought that he should do anything I wanted because it was my birthday so I snuck out. I snuck out, knowing that he would come after me, and I went there anyway, expect I don't remember what happened because according to Anya I was cursed, and I was covered in his blood and I was all cut up and bloody and I have these nightmares where I remember something about what happened but then when I wake up I can't remember but I'm still scared out of my mind and Anya says that he's probably alive and somehow caught up in the curse and I have to break only Anya said..." " I slept with Spike." Willow froze, and squinted at the blonde slayer. " What? " " I slept with Spike...multiple times. " Buffy repeated. The red head threw her arms around the slayer, kissing her all over her face. " Really?!! That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever told me. Wait, you're not just saying that to make me feel better are you? " Buffy laughed softly at the ex- witches reaction, hugging the red head back. " No, I meant it. Just like I meant it when I told you I loved you, which I always will, no matter what mistakes you've made. " " Why? I mean I'm this horrible..." " No!! " Buffy forced the red head to look her in the eye. " You're human, just like countless billion other people on this planet, and people aren't perfect. We make mistakes, we learn from them, and then we move on. " " I love you. " Willow whispered. " I love you too. " Buffy pulled the red head tighter. " And I promise that no matter what it takes, we'll find your brother. " Buffy slowly kissed the red head. She could see a red glow through her eye lids as the red head in her arms began to convulse violently. The slayer jerked back, keeping a grip on her lover. Willow's eye were rolled up into her head, the dark red blood rolling from the corner of her mouth, and nose, and then...it was over. Gently, the slayer lowered the red head to the floor, immediately searching the ex-witches wrist for a pulse. " Oh god..." " Buffy? What's going on? I thought I heard something and..." Dawn stopped just inside the doorway, staring at the unresponsive red head. " Is she...? " Buffy looked up at her sister with tearful eyes. <-------> Aeris Jade Orion Grey Fox, and cause of Discord. Gabrielle: "Do you deny spying on these women?" Joxer: "I resent that." Gabrielle: "Do you deny it?" Joxer: "No, I just _resent_ it." Joxer: Hello--heh-heh-- name's Joxer-- spelled, uh [Clears throat]-- J-o-x-e-rrrrrrrr. Rh: "Would you wanna make a baby with me?" Jox: "What?!" Rh: "Will you help?" Jox: "Wait a minute! You want me to-- to-- to-- make a-- " Rh: "Right-- will you?" Jox: "Of course not! Hey, listen! We're not just machines, you know, you can use to-- . Besides-- you know, uh-- we can't just do it on command. We need stuff like, uh-- cheap motel rooms and dirty pictures and lingerie-- stuff like that! We're _not_ animals! But I can get those things!" |