FIC: The Gift

["xenarip13" <xenarip13@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title: The Gift
Author:  Bynx
Pairing: only one b\w
Rating: pg
Disclaimer:  I don't own them please don't sue me.  Joss created a 
great world and I just like to play in it.
Note:  This is old.  I never posted it because of the over used 
theme, but here it is for what it is worth.



The Gift



Willow watches as Buffy walks away toward a classroom with the two 
watchers.  She feels Oz with her as they follow behind in a path 
towards the exit.  She couldn't believe it.  Buffy had traded the box 
for her.  She could have stopped the Ascension and instead she chose 
her, Willow, over all those other lives that would have been saved.  
She had hugged her tight and quietly pushed her hair away from her 
face before following Wesley and Giles when they had asked to speak 
with her alone.  Of course, she had pulled some pages from the book, 
but she knew that right now Buffy was in trouble.

"Willow, are you alright?"  Oz squeezes her shoulder.

"Hmmm&oh yeah&I&I need to know what's going on&" she looks at Oz 
trying to will him away, "I NEED to&do this alone."  

"I&yeah&alone&well, I guess I get that&" Oz simply stares at her not 
comprehending at all, but since when did that ever make a difference 
when it came to Willow and Buffy.  He just knew there was some 
relationships you can't come in between, "You have to look out for B-
buffy&right."  He pushes his hands into his pockets.

"I&don't&" she starts.

"Hey&big happenings&all mixed&got it."  He kisses her on the cheek 
and smiles a sad almost knowing smile and turns and walks away.

"I'm sorry," Willow whispers to herself.

Willow creeps up to classroom window where they have led Buffy to for 
their `talk'. It worries her since rarely are there talks that don't 
include them all.  She peeks through the small window not wanting to 
be seen.  She sees Buffy leaning against the windowsill as Wesley 
paces.  Giles is holding his glasses and pinching the bridge of his 
nose.  Yep, not a good type talk at all.  She strains to listen.

"Just what were you thinking?!"  Wes waves his hands in the air, "We 
had him.  We could have unequivocally halted his ascension&" he stops 
pacing looking at Giles, "Don't you want to say anything here Giles?!"

"She did what she thought she had to&" he starts.

"Oh, save one life not multitudes?  She had to give him the box for 
one life versus millions? I see she thought she had to do that&" 
Wesley resumes pacing.

Willow watches as Giles shakes his head, "Wesley, she told us what 
she was doing before we went there.  Did you think she was going to 
change her mind?"

"YES, I thought you would speak up&I thought she would see the error 
of trading one life for billions&"  

Willow knows Giles is disappointed about losing the box, but would he 
ever question Buffy about saving one of them?  She didn't think so, 
but Wesley hadn't been involved with them for that long.

"So, what exactly were you thinking?!  Surely, you know one life 
isn't worth the entire world& I am fond of your little friend too, 
but not even&"

"Don't Wes&" Buffy hisses.

"I'm sorry, but not even Willow is worth letting the Mayor&"

Wes didn't get to finish as Willow watches stunned Buffy uncoils fast 
as a leopard grabbing Wes by the throat and tossing him up against a 
shelf of class aids knocking it over.

"Shut the Fuck Up! Don't you ever & ever fucking say that about 
her!"  Buffy picks the slight British man up slamming him to the desk 
and holding him down to it by his throat, "Don't ever try to tell me 
or anyone what Willow is worth or not worth&You have no Fucking clue!"

Willow stands up straight looking in the window in absolute shock as 
Buffy almost crushes the watcher.  Giles quickly moves up to the desk.

"Buffy, please let him go&You'll kill him&please&he's ignorant, but 
don't do this&let him go," he reasons.

Buffy eases up on him and Willow hears him choking trying to 
breathe.  She sees Buffy start heaving in air like she can't breathe, 
but then she realizes Buffy is crying.

"You& you d-don't understand!" she screams at them both as the tears 
run down her cheeks.

"You're right, Buffy.  We don't understand."  Giles speaks while Wes 
tries to recover, "I knew what you were going to do, but even I have 
to wonder&you know I care deeply for all of you including Willow, but 
even she wanted you to sacrifice her to stop the Mayor..I don't 
understand how you could decide to save her over the world&I'm 
sorry."  Giles is sincere, "I know it's Willow&one of us&but versus 
the entire world?"

"She's m-my world!"  Buffy yells backing away from the desk, "Y-you w-
want me here to fight evil right?!&RIGHT?!"  She waits.

"Yes, of course&" Giles begins, "But&"

"NO!  No buts&if I let her die or any of you let her die to save 
anything then& then my world ends&I would have not reason to fight!  
Do you fucking understand now?!  I love her!  I love Willow and she's 
worth more than your fucking slayer!"  She pounds her fist into her 
own chest, "She's worth more than a fucking mystical box& more than 
this fucking piece of shit world. Without her, the world, my world, 
wouldn't matter&wouldn't exist&I wouldn't care if it went to hell, 
because without her it would already be hell!"  She starts 
sobbing, "So& don't ever&f-fucking tell me what she's w-worth!"  She 
falls to her knees her face in her hands.

Willow slides down the wall practically collapsing to the floor.  She 
feels the tears tracking down her face.  She sits stunned and 
trembling. `Buffy loves me&Buffy loves me&she saved me, because she 
loves me&I'm her world?!'  Her mind reels.

Inside the classroom, Giles cautiously walks over to the shaken 
slayer.  He touches her shoulder, but she flinches away.

"We all love Willow&" Giles tries to calm her.

"NO!"  She cries out, "I&You don't get it&you fucking English twit&
I'm in love with her!"  She looks in his eyes; see the recognition of 
her words and stands backing away from him.

Outside in the hall, Willow hears Buffy's last outburst and is even 
more shocked.  She is about to leave her hiding spot when the slayer 
bursts through the double doors and runs at full speed out the 
school.  Willow watches in awe of her speed as she disappears.  Giles 
comes to the doors and stops when he sees Willow.  He opens his mouth 
as if to say something.

"Don't Giles& just don't& I understand, but not now."  Willow glares 
at him.

"Someone needs to go after her and&"

"It shouldn't be you."  Willow finishes and walks out after Buffy 
leaving Giles to look after Wesley.



`I just told Fucking Giles I'm in love with Willow.  What was I 
thinking?!'  Buffy screams at herself, `you weren't&just like you 
weren't when you saved her&they're right, but that doesn't matter.  I 
wouldn't fight anymore without her so that makes me right&. it 
wouldn't matter anymore to me&' Buffy answers herself, as she has to 
finally stop running.

When she stands up straight, she realizes she's at the park. She 
needs to sit down.  Shakily, she makes her way to the swings.  She 
just needs to breathe and take in everything that has happened.  She 
sits down in a swing and kicks the dirt under her feet.
She can feel the tears wanting to come, but she fights them back.  

`You did it.  There isn't anything that you can do to change it now 
and you wouldn't anyway.'  Her minds supplies, "Yeah, one thing&I 
wouldn't have told Giles&"

"Wouldn't have told Giles what?"  Willow asks from the edge of the 
light thrown off by the street lamps.

"W-willow?"  Buffy squeaks out, "uh&why aren't you with Oz?"  

"I had other things to tend to&" she sighs.

"Things better than celebrating your safety with your loved one?"  
Buffy asks quietly.

"I&I was worried about another loved one."  Willow moves closer to 
the swings.

"Oh&. Um I'm fine&just tired you know.."  Buffy looks away.

"I don't believe you."  Willow moves to look more directly at 
Buffy, "See?  Resolve face here&I don't believe you."

"I&what do you want Willow?"  Buffy stares down at her shoes.

"I want you to tell me what you told Giles?"  Willow answers clearly.

"It doesn't matter."

"Bullshit." Buffy looks up at Willow after hearing the curse word 
escape her lips so easily.

"Willow&really it wasn't important&" Buffy almost pleads.

"Oh, I see&the reason that your watcher had to have a private talk 
with you&. the reason that Wesley was almost choked to death by the 
chosen one, and the reason that you saved me and not the entire 
damned world just doesn't matter anymore?!"  She raises her voice as 
her tirade goes along.

Buffy looks at Willow in astonishment.  She has never seen her best 
friend like this.  She has never known Willow to curse or really even 
to shout very much.  Not only that, but she is screaming at her, 
Buffy, the slayer.

"Don't say that!"  Buffy stands up out of the swing grabbing Willow 
by her upper arms and coming face to face with her, "Don't ever say 
that!  Of course, it is important&" Buffy stops as complete 
realization of Willow's words sinks in, "You saw&you saw me choke 
Wesley&" she breathes out.

"Yes, I s-saw&" Willow stammers out as her face cringes in pain from 
Buffy's grip, "Buffy&my arms."
Buffy instantly releases Willow's arms, but she can see the bruises 
already starting on her bare upper arms, "Oh God, Wills&I'm sorry&I'm 
so sorry.."  She lightly touches the bruise on one arm, "Of course, 
it&. y-you matter&" 

"Buffy, it matters to me, too& please tell me what you told Giles." 
Willow pleads.

"I& You heard& you must've&" Buffy starts to tremble.

"Please& tell me&" Willow grabs Buffy's hand that is lightly 
caressing the bruise on her arm causing Buffy to look up at her.  She 
sees the tears in Buffy's eyes.

"I& I had to save you& I didn't have a choice& nothing would matter 
without you& n-nothing matters without my Wills&c-cause&oh God Willow&
cause I l-love you more than I love this rotting piece of dirt called 
earth&" she shudders at her own admission, "I love you."

Willow quickly wraps her arms around the failing slayer, "Oh Buffy, 
me for the world& I&" Willow swallows hard knowing she would have 
done the same thing for Buffy, "I&the world is so much more important 
than one&. than m.."  

Buffy swiftly lifts her head off of Willow's shoulder and squeezes 
Willow to her tightly as she captures Willow's lips in a fierce, but 
loving kiss.  She presses their lips together longingly before she 
traces Willow's bottom lip with the tip of her tongue.  Out of 
instinct, the red head opens her lips granting entrance to Buffy's 
feasting mouth.  Buffy teases Willow's tongue into a sensual dance as 
she tastes all that she can of the lovely, young woman's sweet 
mouth.  She may only ever have this one kiss and she wants it to be 
enough to get her through her short life.  She feels Willow's arms 
sneak around her back pressing them impossibly closer.  Finally, 
realizing that they both need to breathe, Buffy reluctantly breaks 
the kiss releasing her hold on the taller girl.  Willow however, 
doesn't release her hold on the slayer.  She touches their foreheads 
together to keep Buffy in the circle of her arms.

"W-willow, I'm sor&" 

"Ssshhh&don't say that& please don't say that&" Willow 
whispers, "Could you&please hold me again?" 

"I& if you want& anything you want, Wills."  Buffy encloses her arms 
around Willow again.

"Thank you."  Willow squeezes Buffy to her.

"For what?"  

"Oh, maybe for saving my life, again&for standing up for that 
decision and not second guessing it&for always being there&for one 
mind-blowing kiss, but mostly for loving me."  Willow opens her eyes 
as she says the last part.

"I have no other choice&you're in my soul."  Buffy whispers.

"I love you, Buffy.  I want you to know that& I do love you.  I don't 
know what is going to happen now that we don't have the box, but I'll 
love you through it all if that is what you want."  Willow brushes 
her lips lightly across the slayer's trembling lips.

"I couldn't want anything more& I'm sorry I risked the world, but I'm 
wouldn't change it for anything& not since I just got to hear you say 
the thing I have wanted to hear you say for so long&"

In Sunnydale, there isn't anything that goes on that someone doesn't 
always see.  A moment meant to be only for two is seen by a third 
party.  She stands in the darkness unnoticed as the two new lovers 
entangle themselves in a lover's embrace.  She smiles devilishly as 
she turns and strides away.

`Wonder what the wolf-boy is going to think about that?'  She wonders 
silently. "I guess it doesn't matter really.  Enjoy your love while 
you can `B'.  I know you won't see it as a gift, but it really was& 
all slayers should have someone to love them before the world ends 
and now you do."  The dark slayer says quietly as she makes her way 
back to a man that holds all their fates in one book.

FIN





"It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
"I kinda love you."
Buffy & Willow, 'Choices'

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