Fic: Mind games (1/?)

[angelina2006@xxxxxxxxxxx]

TITLE: Mind games (1/?)
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 <<?>> I just realised that I could post to 
both groups (loves and wants) so I decided to do just that, sorry if 
youve already read this.



"Ah, Willow, Oz?I think Buffy's looking for the pair of you." Giles 
spoke without lifting his eyes from the book he was reading.

"Oh, did she get her demon part yet?" Willow asked, apprehensively.

Giles snapped his book shut. "Yes she did."

Willow and Oz looked at each other. "Well??" Willow prompted.

"Oh, sorry, yes, she can read thoughts."

"Cool." Oz, straight to the point as ever.

"Not cool!" squeaked Willow before she could stop herself.

Oz regarded her with the slightest hint of a raised eyebrow ? this 
indicated that he was surprised. "Not cool?"

"Well, I..I mean, I suppose?it's sort of, a little cool, slightly?
kind of." Willow stammered. "B..b..but maybe she doesn't want to 
hear what people are thinking."

"Well, she seems to be enjoying it so far," said Giles. "And I do 
think it will enhance her capabilities as a slayer."

"Yeah, but?" Willow whined.

"Hey guys. Oh Will, did you hear what my `aspect of the demon' was?" 
said Buffy rushing over and grabbing her friend's hands. She gave 
Willow a wicked smile. "Wanna go find out what Xander thinks about?"

Willow panicked and blurted out. "Can't ?gotta go?got class." She 
pulled her hands out of Buffy's grip and practically sprinted out the 
door. Buffy was surprised by the abruptness and couldn't help 
feeling a little hurt. This stuff going on in her head was exciting 
but a little scary too and she wanted her best friend to be there 
with her. Best friend was something of an understatement ? the all-
consuming love of her life was more like it ? but she really tried 
not to think in those terms. She was with Angel and Willow was with 
Oz and that was how things were supposed to be. She shook herself 
out of her reverie when she heard Oz thinking.

<<Hmmm, Weird. Will doesn't have a class just now.>>

"She doesn't?" Buffy asked, trying to keep the hurt out of her 
voice. Willow had lied to her, this was a devastating feeling but 
Buffy attempted to brush it off, thinking there must be a good reason 
for the deception.

Oz was slightly taken aback, he had forgotten about Buffy's new 
gift. "Uh, maybe she's doing one for extra credit." <<But I don't 
think so.>>

"Right." Buffy felt a lump forming in her throat and swallowed it 
down hard.

Just then Xander burst through the doors looking decidedly unhappy.  
<<What does he have that I don't have? Except a stupid accent, no 
dress sense and the courage of a mouse? What the hell does she see 
in him?>>

The subject of Xander's thoughts entered the library, closely 
followed by Cordelia. <<Wesley has the cutest Adam's apple.>> "You 
have the cutest Adam's apple Wesley." Cordelia cooed.

<<Everything about you is cute, Cordelia.>> " Ah, yes, thank you 
Cordelia." Wesley answered in his clipped British tones. He turned 
to Giles. "Are we any closer to finding Buffy's `aspect of the 
demon' yet?" <<I'd like to be a lot closer to Cordelia.>>

"She's found it." Giles answered.

Three heads turned expectantly towards Buffy.

"I can hear people's thoughts." Buffy said with a shrug. Wesley and 
Xander both paled slightly.

Cordelia sighed. <<I don't see what this has to do with me.>> "I 
don't see what this has to do with me."

Xander was in quite a state of agitation.. <<Oh God, now she's gonna 
know that all I think about is sex?sex?sex..oh no?Buffy in the nude?
sex?stop?sex with Buffy in the nude?>>

"Well Xander you've just proven that the one track mind does exist."  
Buffy smirked at him.

Xander looked up frantically. "Bye." And ran out of the library.

<<Hmmm, this is something of a double-edged sword. On the one side 
Buffy has all these doors opening up to her. But on the other, her 
two best friends have just run out the door as fast as possible.>>  
Buffy looked at Oz, thinking that she'd never actually heard him 
string that amount of words together out loud, but realising he was 
right. Wesley speaking interrupted her.

"Xander has just demonstrated something. We're all going to be 
thinking what we least want Buffy to know. It is, of course, a 
question of mental discipline." <<Dear God Cordelia looks good in 
that outfit.>> Buffy smiled knowingly at him. "Excuse me."

<<She really knows how to empty a room.>> "You really know how to 
empty a room, Buffy." Cordelia pointed out helpfully.

"Yeah." Buffy looked at the empty seats. "I kind of need to talk to 
Willow."

<<Probably not a good idea. There's obviously something she doesn't 
want Buffy to know about.>> Buffy stared at Oz and he realised his 
error. <<Shit>> He got out of his seat to leave.

"No, stay, I'll go." Buffy jumped off the table and headed for the 
doors. But not before hearing Cordelia thinking <<Great, now I have 
to make conversation with Mr Personality.>>

"So Oz, what's new?"


Buffy wandered the halls, idly listening to snatches of thoughts here 
and there and wondering if anyone in the entire school was happy.  
Eventually she spotted a familiar head of red hair at the far end of 
the corridor. Willow was reading the notice board, something she 
only did when she was killing time. So Oz was right, Willow was 
avoiding her. Buffy walked up and placed a hand on Willow's shoulder.

"Hey."

<<Oh no>> "Hey yourself?listen, I made a mistake earlier?I didn't 
have a class at 11?I'm tutoring Percy at 11.30?which is now?so ?
bye!" Willow started to move away but Buffy grabbed her arms and 
gently backed her into the wall.

"You don't have class and you're not meeting Percy at all, are you?"

<<No>> "Yeah?I am?" <<I'm such a bad liar.>>

"You are a terrible liar. So tell me the truth." Buffy paused and 
looked down, afraid to ask her next question. She looked back at 
Willow. "Do you not like me? Do you go around thinking what a bitch 
I am or something and you don't want me to hear that?" Tears had 
formed in Buffy's eyes.

"Oh, Buffy?" <<Could she be more wrong?>>

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked. "Tell me Will, please."

Willow sighed. <<I hate this, I hate that she can hear my thoughts, 
I hate that I've made her worry about our friendship, I hate that she 
looks like she's about to cry, I hate that I can't stop thinking 
about her?no, no, no!>>

Buffy looked at her in surprise. "You don't want me to know that you 
think about me?"

"I?well?I?" <<No you idiot, I don't want you to know that I'm head 
over heels in love with you.>>

"You?you're in love with me?" Buffy's voice was barely more than a 
whisper.

"Oh God, Buffy, I'm sorry, I never wanted you to find out, I?"  
Willow's words were swallowed by sobs which shook her whole 
body. "I'll go now," she managed to choke out. But Buffy caught her 
before she could leave and enveloped her in a tight hug.

"You're not going anywhere." Willow resisted at first but then gave 
in and cried into Buffy's shoulder. Buffy rubbed the back of 
Willow's neck with her thumb and allowed Willow's jumbled thoughts to 
flow out uninterrupted.

<<Good one Rosenberg?do you think she's gonna want to be friends with 
you now?she's probably trying to think of a way to let you down 
gently?this feels so nice?like I fit into her body perfectly?God 
Rosenberg give it up?she hates you now?>>

"No!" Buffy pulled away and made Willow look at her. "I don't hate 
you, I never could. Willow, I?we will always be friends no matter 
what." Buffy took a deep breath and continued, "I could tell you 
that you should have told me earlier but I'd be a total hypocrite if 
I did."  

Willow sniffed and furrowed her brow. <<She'd be a hypocrite? What 
does she mean by that?>>

"I thought you were supposed to be the intelligent one? OK, I'll 
spell it out for you. I'm in love with you too."

Willow was dumbstruck. <<Is she just saying this to make me feel 
better?>>

"Willow!! OK maybe this'll convince you." Buffy leaned in and 
softly kissed Willow's lips. Willow whimpered and then responded.  
The kiss deepened, both were lost in the wonder of the new sensations 
sweeping over them. When they finally parted neither one spoke but 
Willow's mind was working overtime.  

<<That was?wow, I think I've been doing it wrong up till now, or 
maybe just with the wrong person. I hope she liked it. Can't have 
been much fun with all my tears and snot and everything. Oh no, what 
if I'm not a good kisser..>>

Buffy silenced her thoughts with another kiss, attempting to convey 
everything she felt into that one gesture. When they broke the kiss 
this time Willow's mind was at ease. She pulled Buffy close and 
buried her face into her neck, hardly able to believe what was 
happening.

"I've wanted this for so long," whispered Buffy.

"Me too," came the muffled reply. They stood there holding each 
other until a piercing voice invaded their cocoon.

"You two, stop that, you know that this is no longer a touchy-feely 
school" Snyder shouted. "There will be no showing of affection 
here." He carried on walking. Willow looked at Buffy, whose 
expression was one of disgust.

"What's wrong?"

"Umm, let's just say that the image of us together is giving Snyder 
impure thoughts."

"Oh?eww, gross!!"

"Tell me about it, you didn't have to hear them!" Buffy took 
Willow's hand. "Come on, let's see if Giles has found out any more 
about this mind-reading stuff."

And still holding hands they made their way happily back to the 
library.

TBC