FF: Razor's Edge - 9/9 - Willow/Fitz - PG13

["Hunter Ash" <carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Razor's Edge, part 9 

Author: Frau Hunter Ash 
Copyright © 2002 by Hunter Ash. All Rights Reserved.
Email: carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx Feedback welcome!!
Homepage Addy: http://www.hunterash.com/ 

Disclaimers: The characters from Buffy and Angel all belong to Joss 
Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, and God only knows who else. The 
storyline, however, is the sole property of the author. This story 
cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story 
may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and 
copyright notices.

F/F romance: the story assumes a loving and sexual relationship 
between people of the same gender. If this offends or is illegal for 
you, then please leave. Come back when you are older, have an open 
mind, moved, or changed your laws. 

Spoilers: Sometime after Hush but before New Moon Rising

Summary: Willow and Fitz work on their relationship, pregnancy and 
healing.

Rating: PG-13

Author's Note: 
Pairings: a/u FitzHugh/Willow, X/An

* * *

Sunnydale's evil population really wasn't sure what landed on them 
when Buffy and the Scooby Gang hit the streets later that morning.  
By nightfall the manhunt included the gang from Los Angeles as Angel, 
Cordelia, and Wesley joined in the search for Willow and Joyce.

Willlie's sustained a fair amount of damage and Willlie himself was 
seen in a cast and sunglasses the next day after the Slayer wasn't 
happy with his answers. Other denizens of the night found themselves 
on the sharp end of stakes and threats. Some made it to another 
night, most managed to growl once before turning into dust.

By the third day word had spread that the Slayer was on a rampage and 
taking no prisoners. Her friends were only slightly less lenient.  

Buffy spun with a pistol in one hand and crossbow in the other as a 
figure stepped out of the shadows near the Bronze.

"Speak or die," she said simply.

"Easy, Slayer," a voice said calmly and a small, older man stepped 
into the light with his hands in sight. Buffy's eyes narrowed. He 
appeared human but her "spidey" senses were going crazy and she kept 
both weapons trained on him.

"I have information that you've been looking for," the elfish man 
said.

"Who are you?"

"Call me Doc," he said with a charming smile that didn't quite reach 
his eyes. "You and your group are going around making things 
difficult for everyone on both sides of the fence."

"Which side do you play on?" Buffy growled.

"Both sides," Doc answered easily. "I deal in magic and it has no 
boundaries, just limitations sometimes."

"What's your price?" Buffy asked, lowering the weapons slightly.

"A standing favor," Doc said and Buffy smiled ruefully.

"An unnamed favor that you can call in at any time? I don't think 
so!" Buffy snapped. "I like receipts and warranties, and few 
surprises in my deals."

"You like the red-haired witch and your kin?"

Doc squeaked as his feet dangled above the ground, Buffy's hand 
wrapped around his throat, crossbow on the ground.

"You like living another minute?" Buffy countered.

The Slayer yelped and dropped the sorcerer and shook her hand, 
feeling the burn almost all the way to her elbow. Buffy's eyes 
widened as Doc floated slowly back down to the ground, his clothes 
smoldering slightly from the sudden heat of his body.

"Do we have a deal?" he asked with a smirk.

"No loss of human life, including mine," Buffy bargained. "And no 
souls."

"Agreed," he nodded and held his hand out. Buffy looked at it 
cautiously.

"Would you rather sign a contact in blood?" Doc grinned and Buffy 
shook the now normal-temperature hand.

"Where are they?"

"69 Cicero drive," he said easily. "Big house, boarded up."

"No such place," Buffy frowned, listing her pistol.  

"There is now," Doc grinned. "Just off Hollander and Elizabeth."

"Cicero drive was the Tate murder place," Buffy growled.

"Yes, they thought it fitting," Doc laughed.

"Who has my mother and Willow?" Buffy demanded.

"A Jewish demon that wants to move up in the ranks, Schirim. Some 
kind of goat demon. He wants to offer the Princes of Hell the 
opportunity to train a werewolf witch to be their champion," Doc 
explained. "Your mother will be the blood sacrifice."

"When?" Buffy demanded.

"Dark Moon," Doc answered.  

Buffy, always keeping the phases of the moon in the back of her mind 
for dealing with werewolves, knew that was the next night.

"Tomorrow night?"

"Yes, at 9pm," Doc nodded. "They intend to induce early labor and 
take the child from your friend. Sacrifice the witch and your 
mother."

"The alignment of the five planets?" Buffy asked, remembering Tara, 
Sarah and Giles talking about the five closest planets lining up in 
the sky.

"Yes, very good, Slayer," Doc grinned. "You're not as blonde as you 
play at."

"How do I take out this demon?" Buffy asked with a glare, ignoring 
the blonde comment.

"That's more information than we bargained for," Doc said easily.

Buffy hesitated, wondering if Giles would have the information or 
not. It was usually Willow and Giles that found those answers for 
her.

"The price?" she asked.

"Three drops of your blood for extra power kick in a spell," Doc 
bargained.

"No loss of human life," Buffy countered.

"Agreed."

Buffy held out her hand and the wizard withdrew a very sharp looking 
dagger and pricked her finger. A vial appeared out of nowhere and 
the wizard gathered the requested blood with an eagerness that made 
the Slayer uncomfortable.

"411," Buffy demanded.

"Excuse me?" Doc asked with raised eyebrows.

"Info, information on taking this thing down," Buffy explained the 
slang.

"A knife made totally of iron, which isn't so easy these days, or a 
knife made out of flint or obsidian," Doc said. "In the heart or the 
throat."

"Rats," Buffy muttered. "I hate getting close to them."

Doc laughed as his eyes darkened to a magic black. "I agree, 
especially the smelly ones. Goat demons don't bathe often. Good 
luck, Slayer."

"Why are you interested?" Buffy asked as he started to move away.

"I think things would be more interesting with your budding witch 
with a werewolf witch son, I want them around to see how it turns 
out," Doc smiled and again Buffy wasn't comforted by the smile.

* * *

"So we raid the place, kill the demon, stake Spike and Druscilla and 
rescue your Mom and Will," Xander said calmly.  

"That about sums it up," Giles nodded. "Then we find Fitz."

"Well, I've been to every dive joint in this town and no sign of 
her," Angel complained.

"How would you know her anyway?" Anya asked, holding Xander's hand 
tightly.

"Hard to miss an Irish Slayer with a leg brace and canes," Angel 
pointed out.

"I don't think she's in Sunnydale anymore," Tara said softly. "Sarah 
and I did a spell using some hairs from Fitz' hairbrush and she's not 
within a fifty mile radius."

"Let's get Mom and Will back and then we'll reunite them," Buffy 
growled and laid out a map of the city streets and pointed to an 
unmarked section. "That little guy said the new street is here."

"I have three iron daggers among our weapons," Giles said.

"There's an obsidian dagger at the shop," Anya offered. "It's 
expensive though."

"Charge it," Cordelia snapped and shrugged when Angel looked at her 
with a questioning look. It wasn't often that Cordelia Chase ran 
into someone more money oriented than she had been and Anya irked 
her. Cordelia also remembered the role Anya had played in the 
horrible disaster of the alternate universe. Even though Cordelia 
had no memory of the universe and being killed by vampires Willow and 
Xander, she still resented that it could have possibly happen because 
of Anya as a Vengeance Demon. Seeing Xander with the same former 
demon was a little unnerving to the former cheerleader as well.

"Good," Giles nodded, ignoring Cordelia's discomfort. "I suggest we 
go in armed to the teeth. Angel, Buffy and Xander each with a 
special dagger, the rest of us with crossbows and crosses."

"Angel, I'm going to kill Spike this time," Buffy growled and Angel 
nodded.

"I don't have a problem with that, Buffy," he said. "I can't promise 
that I can kill him or Dru. If they've hurt Willow or Joyce, then 
there won't be any question but I don't know. He is my Childe."

"Just make sure to kill the demon and get Will and Joyce out of there 
and don't stop me," Buffy snarled.

"Deal," Angel nodded.

* * *

"Bloody hell, Dru," Spike muttered as Willow screamed from another 
contraction. Joyce was shouting, demanding that they let her go and 
call an ambulance for Willow. The demon was shouting at Joyce to shut 
up and several vampires were grumbling among themselves. "Can't you 
shut her up?"

"She's having a child!" Dru snapped back. "Miss Edith says it is 
extremely painful."

"Try shoving a bowling ball up your ass and then passing it, you'll 
know what it feels like," Joyce snapped.

Spike laughed at Joyce's liveliness.

The blonde vampire looked out as the demon watched as Willow thrashed 
on the bed, gripping at the ropes tying her wrists to the bed posts.  
The red-haired witch was sweating, her red hair plastered to her head 
as she screamed again.  

One of the female vampires, one who had actually been a mother, 
waited patiently between Willow's legs as Dru watched over her 
shoulder.  

"The contractions are closer together," the vampire informed everyone 
but they had figured that out with Willow's scream getting closer 
together.

"Those drugs and spell worked wonders," Spike commented to the 
demon: a figure with the torso of a man but head and legs of a 
goat. The demon nodded and probably smiled, Spike couldn't be sure.

"Mom!" Willow screamed.

"Willow!" Joyce shouted, struggling against the ropes holding her in 
a chair.

Spike frowned and glanced around, his expression becoming alarmed.

The door to the living room crashed in and Spike muttered several 
curses under his breath as Buffy jumped into the room, crossbow in 
one hand and dagger in the other. The blonde vampire barely ducked, 
letting one of the minion vampires take the crossbolt through the 
heart as the rest of the Scooby and LA gang poured into the house 
from various entry points.

"Damnit!" Spike shouted and backhanded Tara as she tried to rush by 
him to get to Willow. He suddenly howled and fell to the floor, 
clutching his head in agony.

"Spikey!" Dru shouted and rushed to his side as pandemonium broke 
loose.

Spike looked around at the number of Slayerettes and the quickly 
reducing number of vampires and how close Xander, Angel and Buffy 
were getting to the demon and growled. Suddenly Angel was in front 
of them, yanking Spike to his feet.

"Take him and get out of here, Dru," Angel ordered. "This is the 
last favor I ever do for you. Next time I take both of your heads."

"Daddy?" Dru asked softly, trying to snuggle close to Angel.

"Get out of here, Dru," Angel said firmly. "The others will kill you 
and I won't stop them."

"Bloody bastard! Siding against your kind!" Spike growled as Angel 
shoved him through the front door.  

"They were good to you, Spike, when none of your kind would have 
protected you," Angel growled, letting his vampire face come 
forward. "Get out of here and don't come back. You crossed the line 
when you touched her mother and best friend."

"Damnit, Angel!" Spike shouted. "That's my only chance to get this 
damned chip out of my head!"

"Was that what your deal with the demon was?" Angel nodded; it made 
sense. "Deal's off, Spike. Get lost or Buffy will have your ashes 
scattered to the wind in an hour."

Dru pulled on Spike's arm, urging him away from the house as vampire 
screams filled the night, matching the ones Willow was making.

Angel turned to the inside of the boarded up house in time to see 
Xander drive his knife into the throat of the demon and Buffy throw 
her knife to Anya and the former demon ram it into the demon's heart.

The goat demon howled and burst into flames before disappearing.

Angel moved quickly over to Joyce and untied her ropes as Buffy and 
the others gathered around Willow. Tara and Sarah cut the ropes 
holding her and each grabbed a hand as another contraction hit the 
witch.

"Oh Goddess, thank you," Willow whispered once the pain had 
passed. "I knew you'd come. It hurts, oh God, it hurts!"

Joyce moved down to the end of the bed and quickly examined the young 
woman.

"Xander, call 911 and get the paramedics here and stay on the phone, 
have the operator talk me through this," Joyce demanded.

Giles shifted on his feet before going through the rest of the house, 
bringing in a couple of sheets and towels left behind in a linen 
closet.

Buffy knelt by Willow, wiping the witch's damp forehead as Sarah and 
Tara held her hands.

"It's okay, Will, we're here," Buffy said softly as another wave hit 
and Willow screamed and then fell back onto the bed, exhausted.

"How long as she been in labor?" Tara asked as Joyce moved one of the 
sheets under Willow's lower body.

"About three hours, I think. It was in the afternoon when they 
started the drugs and spells to send her into labor," Joyce 
growled. "Okay, Xander, you got them?"

"Yeah, the paramedic on the line is asking if you can tell if she's 
dilated."

"Tell them, yes, I can see the baby pressing, just inside," Joyce 
said.  

Willow screamed again and clenched at Tara and Sarah's hands.

"Jessie! Where's Jessie?" she shouted.

"Hang in there, Will," Buffy urged. "She'll be here."

"Jessie!"

"Yeah, the contractions are about every minute now," Xander said into 
the phone.  

"Tell them I can see the head," Joyce said excitedly.  

"Okay, they say that the baby isn't waiting for the paramedics and 
that Willow should push really hard with the next contraction," 
Xander repeated from the phone.

"What the hell do they think I've been doing?" Willow 
shouted. "Maybe they should trade places and tell me when to push!"

Joyce merely smiled at the outburst.  

"If I ever get my hands on Oz, he's dead," Willow threatened. "Men!"

Joyce laughed at Giles' astounded expression.

"Women always get really pissed off during birth, it's a natural 
reaction," she explained. "If Oz were here she'd probably break his 
hand squeezing it."

Willow screamed and sat up in the bed, her entire body turning red 
with the strain. After several moments she fell back into Tara's 
arms.  

"Okay, the head is out," Joyce said and Xander repeated. "Now the 
shoulders, Willow and it's over."

"I hear sirens," Anya announced.

"I'll get them!" Cordy offered and dashed out the front door, waving 
to the flashing lights.

Willow screamed again.

"Push, Willow, push!" Joyce shouted. Willow growled and then screamed.

"Wow," Buffy, watching her mother, whispered as Joyce wrapped the 
tiny red and purple thing in the sheet.  

After a moment a powerful voice wailed, announcing his arrival into 
the world. Joyce smiled and carefully placed the boy in Willow's 
arms as the paramedics rushed in.

Buffy and the others moved aside but Willow's eyes pleaded for Joyce 
to stay close as the paramedics moved in and began working, ensuring 
the mother and child were safe and healthy.

"You okay, Mom?" Buffy asked as they hovered near Willow.

"Yes, they fed us and let us use the bathroom," Joyce nodded. "They 
didn't intend on hurting us until tonight."

"Is Willl okay?" 

"I think she will be, the baby is a little early but he's obviously 
breathing okay which is the first concern with a premature one," 
Joyce said thoughtfully as Willow and son were moved onto a gurney.

"It's a boy, Miss Rosenberg," one of the paramedics grinned.

"His name is Caleb Finn FitzHugh," Willow smiled.

"Where is Fitz?" Joyce asked softly.

"Spike and Dru put someone in your car before crashing and torching 
it," Buffy said quietly as the attendants wheeled Willow towards the 
waiting ambulance. "We thought all three of you were dead."

"Oh God!" Joyce exclaimed.  

"They even had Willow's engagement ring. Fitz disappeared sometime 
that night and we haven't found her."

"Oh no! Willow's going to be crushed!" Joyce said and Buffy nodded.

"Now that we've got you guys back, we're going to find her and bring 
her back!" Buffy said firmly.

* * *

Willow watched Caleb as he pulled himself upright in the playpen and 
then fall backwards onto his diaper. She laughed at the frustrated 
and determined look on his face as he reached for the sides of the 
pen to try again.

"He's got your 'resolve face', " Buffy commented, watching her 
adopted nephew with a smile.

"Yeah," Willow nodded. "He's getting so big so fast."

"I know, it's only been a few months," Buffy nodded, watching the 
other various ages of children playing in the park under watchful 
eyes of parents.

"Still no sign of Jess?" Willow asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, Angel's got contacts in all the major cities looking but it's 
kinda easy to disappear if you're willing to become one of the 
nameless masses on the street," Buffy said softly.

"You know Jess almost killed herself when she thought I couldn't 
love her," Willow said sadly.

"I know, I'm the one that forced the two of you to talk," Buffy 
nodded.

"I don't think she's dead though, I'd know it," Willow said 
thoughtfully.

Buffy frowned, hating to see her best friend hurting.  

It had been a rough adjustment for Willow when she discovered that 
Fitz was missing because she thought Willow and child dead. The only 
thing that kept Willow going was Caleb and Buffy knew it.

"Did I tell you I heard from my parents?" Willow asked, watching her 
red-haired son smile at them.

"No, you didn't," Buffy said cautiously. Willow was too calm if it 
had been good news.

"They sent Caleb's birth announcement and picture back," Willow said 
softly, ignoring the tears filling her eyes.

"Will, I'm sorry," Buffy said softly.

"I know. I was just kinda hoping that Caleb's birth would help," 
Willow said in a low voice. "He's their only grandchild but they 
won't budge."

"Well, someday when he's fifteen they'll drag you onto Jerry Springer 
Jr and beg for a second chance," Buffy declared and was relieved when 
Willow smiled.

"Giles should be back from England soon," Willow commented.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Buffy asked with a frown.

"Which this?" Willow asked, knowing exactly what Buffy was talking 
about. They had fought about it enough. "Yes, I'm sure. You know we 
were planning on leaving when Caleb was born."

"That was when the Council wanted Fitz because she had been a 
Slayer," Buffy grumbled.

"They especially want me because of my skills with the computer and 
the magic stuff," Willow countered.  

"I'd take care of you, Will," Buffy said softly. "And Fitz might 
wander through here."

"You know Sunnydale would be the last place on earth she'd ever 
return to," Willow shook her head. "She lost both Willows in 
Sunnydale and Sunnyville."

"You still wear her wedding ring," Buffy commented.

"Yes, and hers is on a chain around my neck," Willow said easily.  
Willow had wept for days when Xander had picked the rings up from the 
jeweler after Fitz' disappearance and gave them to Willow. He 
translated from the card Fitz had given the jeweler from the Gaelic 
inscription and Willow had dashed upstairs sobbing.

Buffy jumped to her feet, instantly on alert when a pickup skidded to 
a stop at the edge of the park, recognizing it as Xander's. Willow 
felt a familiar sense of fear grabbing her heart as the young man 
dashed out of the truck, heading their direction at a full run.  

"Will! Will!" he shouted as he ran and Buffy relaxed at the sight of 
a goofy grin on his face. "San Francisco! Come on!"

"Xander! Slow down!" Buffy shouted as he skidded to a stop in front 
of them.

"Fitz! They found Fitz!" he grinned and Willow began breathing 
quickly. "Angel called, one of his guys in SF found her. She got 
arrested for a bar fight and won't talk to anyone, even the lawyer 
Angel arranged for her."

"Damn, didn't he tell her that Willow's alive?" Buffy demanded.

"Fitz won't listen and won't talk," Xander tried to 
explain. "Apparently she's half out of her mind and thinks it's a 
plot by demons or the Council to get to her."

"Oh hell," Buffy complained. "Only way to fix that is for Will to go 
up and get her."

"Exactly!" Xander grinned, helping Willow to her feet and hugging her 
tightly. "Angel's lawyer is actually arranging to have her held in 
jail on something until we get there."

"Oh Goddess," Willow whispered and turned to look at Caleb.

"Don't worry, me and Mom will take care of Caleb," Buffy assured the 
nervous young woman. "Xander, take Will home and pack an overnight 
bag. You'll need to stay the night once you get up there."

"Right, Anya is already calling for hotel reservations, a really nice 
place out on the Point, she says."

"Excellent," Buffy agreed.

Willow still looked stunned.

"Will, go and get your wife!" Buffy grinned.

"Won't be easy," Xander warned. "Seems she's been a street person 
and living on more alcohol than food."

"I thought that might happen," Willow nodded as she and her male best 
friend dashed for the pickup. "We'll handle it."

* * *

Fitz grumbled and shook off the lawyer's restraining hand as she 
slipped her leather bracers back on. The former Slayer wasn't in a 
good mood and didn't care who she took it out on.  

The only benefit of being locked up was they let her shower and gave 
her decent cast off clothes and three meals a day. The major 
downside had been the lack of alcohol and the nightmares that came 
with sleep without it.

The Irish woman blinked in the sunlight as she adjusted her cane arm 
brace around her forearm. It felt good to have the damned things 
back. Not trusting the combative drunk with long metal objects, the 
police had confiscated the canes and put Fitz into a wheelchair for 
her ten day stay in the facility.  

It was something Fitz never wanted to repeat. She had detoxed off 
the alcohol and it hadn't been pleasant. The doctors had all urged 
her to stay sober and get back on her feet, literally, but Fitz knew 
she was a hopeless case.

Without Willow, there was no point.

Fitz noticed the lawyer talking anxiously with someone in the parking 
lot and turned away. The Slayer had just enough money for a large 
bottle and intended on blocking out all thoughts and memories as soon 
as possible.

"Jessie!" a voice shouted to her and the Slayer froze with a frown. 
She turned and looked at one of the figures breaking away from 
talking with the lawyer, moving towards her.  

Fitz shook her head and turned to hobble away.

"Jessie, goddamn it!" 

Fitz stopped and turned slowly. "Whatever demon you are that you've 
taken this shape, it's not funny, I'll not be falling for it and if 
you get near me I'll ram one of these down your throat."

"Jessie, as cute as you are when you're doing the butch Slayer thing, 
I'd really rather hug you than fight," Willow said slowly as she 
approached the skittish and half insane Slayer.  

"Both my Willow's died," Fitz growled. "I couldn't protect either of 
them."

"Jessie, Spike and Dru tricked everyone," Willow said slowly, keeping 
her hands in sight as Xander and the lawyer watched from a 
distance. "I didn't die. They grabbed us right outside the doctor's 
office and stuck a young couple in Joyce Mom's car."

Fitz frowned, her eyes narrowing.

"Jessie, they wanted our son for a demon," Willow explained. "They 
wanted Caleb to grow up with demons, that's why they wanted me."

"I can't do this," Fitz muttered.

Willow held out her hand and showed Fitz the ring. She then took off 
the ring on the chain around her neck and handed it to the Slayer.

"Loach/Badb seirc thar taimh, Warrior and witch love beyond death," 
Willow whispered. "Xander brought me the rings after you 
disappeared."

"Red Willow?" Fitz asked softly. 

"We have a son, Jess," Willow said, moving a little closer. "A 
beautiful son with red hair and green eyes named Caleb Finn FitzHugh."

Fitz felt her world attempting to crash around her again.

"Red?" 

Willow moved forward as Fitz' eyes rolled back up in her head and the 
Slayer went limp.

"Xander!"

* * *

"I'd say malnutrition, acute alcoholism, pneumonia and too many 
nights in the cold air for her shattered body," the doctor explained 
as Willow and Xander waited impatiently.

"Is she going to be alright?" Willow demanded.

"I don't understand the malnutrition," the lawyer, Lucy Madden, 
complained. "She's been in jail for almost two weeks, they get fed 
there."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean she at the food she was given," the 
doctor pointed out. "You've got a fairly suicidal young woman in 
there. The only reason I'm not ordering a 72 hour hold on her is I 
can't prove she's suicidal right at this moment. The alcoholism, the 
living on the street and the fact that she's a cutter are major 
symptoms of a serious mental or emotional problem."

"Cutter?" Xander asked with a frown.

"Miss FitzHugh has cuts on herself, it's self abusive, dangerous and 
more than a cry for help," the doctor explained. "We usually see it 
in teenagers and very young adults."

"Makes her feel a different pain than the one on the inside," Willow 
muttered.

"If she's your friend, you need to seriously find a way to get her 
off the streets and into a mental institution," the doctor advised.

"We'll do whatever we have to," Willow nodded. "Can we see her?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," the doctor frowned.

"I'm her life mate, her wife," Willow protested.

"Look, Doc," Xander said softly. "Fitz thought Willow as killed in a 
car wreck, that's what set this off. Now we know where she is, we can 
show her that Willow isn't dead and help her deal."

"She seriously thought you were dead?" the doctor demanded.

"Yes," Willow nodded, wiping at the tears filling her eyes.

"That might just be what she needs," the doctor muttered. "Yes, go 
in."

Fitz broke into tears at the sight of Willow and Xander. The witch 
quickly walked around the bed and drew the Slayer into her arms.

The dark Slayer slept for two days straight through and seemed much 
like the Fitz, Xander and Willow had known before Willow's 
disappearance.

Willow and Xander made plans about returning to Sunnydale with their 
wayward Slayer.

Fitz held Willow's hand tightly as Willow described Caleb and the 
antics of a toddler almost a year old. Willow ran her hand over the 
cuts and fresh scars along Fitz' forearms.

"You turned to the razor again," Willow said softly.

"With you gone, there was nothing left for me but pain," Fitz said 
softly. "I couldn't seem to find a vampire or demon to kill me. 
Slayer instincts would kick in and I'd dust them, even with the 
crippled leg."

"So you turned to alcohol too," Willow commented.

"I know, not very original for an Irish rebel but it killed the pain 
for awhile."

"Jess, I need you healthy," Willow said firmly. "I need a wife, a 
partner, a friend and a co-parent, not someone feeling sorry for 
themselves."

"You've got me, lass," Fitz promised. "Now that you're not dead, I 
don't need to kill myself with drink then."

"Gods, you're impossible!" Willow grinned.

"Aye, you're Jesse James," Fitz agreed, looking at a picture of Caleb 
and Willow. "I wish I had been there. I promise, no more running, 
no more doubts and no feeling sorry for meself."

"Good, we've got a life and a family to plan for," Willow smiled, 
bending over the bed to kiss her mate. "And a lot of months to make 
up for."

"Aye," Fitz agreed, running her fingers through Willow's hair.

Willow noticed shaking hands and thin body and knew recovery for both 
of them wasn't going to be easy. She now had an alcoholic, starved, 
and self abusive lover and a son to deal with.

"I know the Irish and English don't mix too well, but how do you feel 
about England for a couple of years?" Willow asked softly. 

Being a Slayer had lead Fitz to this point, Willow decided she was 
determined the Watcher Council was going to help her get Fitz well 
again.

"I trained there, I can manage," Fitz shrugged. "Why?"

"I didn't know we'd find you and I've made arrangements to finish 
school and train as a Watcher in England," Willow said. "I can 
changes those plans though, I know we need to talk about it and we've 
got a wedding to plan and stuff."

"Green eyes," Fitz said sharply but with a smile. "It's fine with me, 
you wanted away from Sunnydale if you were marrying me anyway." The 
Slayer hesitated, "Do you still want to marry me then?"

Willow stood up and glanced outside the hospital window for a 
moment. Then faced the doorway and raised her arms up and out.

"I call upon the Guardians of the East," she turned slightly, "the 
South." Another quarter turn, "the West," another turn. "and the 
North to join us in this rite. To protect and honor us with your 
presence."

The witch glanced down at Fitz for a moment and then raised her eyes 
just above shoulder level.

"I call upon the Goddess and the God, Lord and Lady and the guardian 
spirits of our ancestors to bless us and join us, to witness this 
rite."

Willow pulled the silver chain out from her clothing and unhooked it, 
taking the gold band in her fingers.

"I, Red Willow, announce to the Powers That Be that I desire to marry 
my soul mate, Jessie FitzHugh for the traditional year and a day and 
beyond that. I promise to stay with you, build a future with you and 
our son, to make passionate love with you and to love you for as long 
as there is love between us."

Willow easily placed the ring on Fitz' gaunt finger as the Irish 
Slayer felt tears flowing down her cheeks. Willow removed her own 
wedding ring and handed it to Fitz firmly.

"I, Jessica FitzHugh, announce to all the powers and to my own Saints 
and Mother Mary that I love you, Red Willow. I want to marry you 
forever and will take whatever time-line or limits you want. I'll 
gladly remarry you every year for the rest of our lives. I promise 
to stay with you, to regain my health, to never drink again, to turn 
to help when I need it. I'll build that future with you and Caleb 
and make you both proud to be with me. I swear."

Fitz, with shaking hands, placed the ring on Willow's 
finger. "Loach/Badb seirc thar taimh, Warrior and witch love beyond 
death."

Willow leaned in for a gentle but passionate kiss as Fitz moaned with 
the long lasting contact.

Willow turned and raised her arms again.

"Lord and Lady, God and Goddess, Guardians and spirits," she 
intoned. "We thank you for your presence and for witnessing this rite 
and our pledges. Thank you and go in peace from this circle but lend 
us your blessings, strength and happiness in our lives. Blessed Be!"

"Aye, blessed be," Fitz whispered.

"We'll have a ceremony with everyone else," Willow promised. "I love 
you, Jessie."

"You captured your outlaw, Willow," Fitz grinned.

"Better alive than dead, my love," Willow smiled, crawling onto the 
hospital bed as Fitz squeaked in surprise.

"What about?" Fitz stammered. Willow waved her hand and Fitz heard 
the door locking. "You've been practicing?" she whispered as Willow 
slid her body along the Slayer's and Fitz wrapped her arms around her 
wife.

"It seems to come naturally after Caleb was born," Willow answered, 
lowering her lips to Fitz' for a long kiss before moving to the 
Slayer's neck. "I know you're weak and have no energy, don't worry 
about it. Just enjoy."

"Green Eyes," Fitz protested even as her body tried to move even 
closer to her wife. "I want to make proper love to you on our 
wedding day."

"Shhhh, need you!" Willow growled, her hands moving under Fitz' 
hospital gown and the Slayer gave up the fight with a moan as her 
body arched, needing Willow just as much.

Fitz felt tears of happiness escaping her eyes as Willow's touch 
became familiar again and the dark Slayer realized she had a future 
to look forward to. A wife and child to build that future around 
instead of a razor and bottle.