FIC: Feather Roads-Talking the Talk

[Mad-Hamlet@xxxxxxx]

Disclaimer: All this belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy Inc. 
(Grrr..rarrr)



Drain Brameged Inc. Proudly Presents
A Mad-Hamlet Production

We walk the roads that fate lays before us. More often than we'd like 
that path is strewn with blades and teeth. Shadows with claws that 
try to gut us from within, most of us struggle foward, over, under, 
through all these obsticles hoping, even in the face of all evidence, 
that we'll be stronger for it.

On occasion, through mercy, or mayhaps the whim of Gods 
needing entertainment, allow Fate's way to be softened. Cool breezes 
flow over our skin, all the living things around seem to speak to us 
and our existance is not only possible but worthwhile. The road is 
soft and comfortable and we can rest as we journy onward, wounds 
heal, blood stops and strength returns..just so we can face the next 
shadowy terror with a far too wide, sharp, grin just around the 
corner.

On occasion we're gifted with Feather Roads. This is theirs.


Feather Roads
Talking the Talk


"Give me the remote." I say. 

"No." Buffy smiles holding it away from me. With her other 
hand she dips into the bowl of chips and munches a handful.

"Give me the remote!" I say again, I try and use my 'resolve' 
face to add power to the command but her smile, and slow wink makes 
me giggle instead. This is just no fair.

"Please Buffy, give me the remote." Puppy dog eyes, that'll 
do the trick.

"No go babe. I got the Anti-Puppy factor going for me." She 
smirks.

"That being what?" I say with a pout. 

"I have your feet." She says and her grip slams around my 
ankles. 

"Oohh no no no no no no no no!" I beg..in vain. I know where 
this is going and I love every second of it.

Nonchalantly she puts the remote down, still safely out of 
reach.

"Why what do we have here?" She says with a fake look of 
surprise. "Helpless and defenseless Willow feet!" 


"No no no no no no no please Buffy..no no no no.." I'm still 
begging. She's too good at this.

"We all know what happens to unprotected Willow Feet don't 
we?" She asks with a lecherous grin.

"No no no no please no no no oh Goddess save your..." I'm 
interupted by Buffy's truimphant shout of "TICKLE MONSTER!"

And I can't say anything for the next few minutes.


It takes me about ten minutes to regain my 
composure..er..catch my breath..

"Please can I have the remote?" I ask quietly.

"Sorry lover." Buffy quips. She's sat back on her end of the 
sofa, eating another handful of chips, "But it's my house, so my 
rules..I grew up watching this show and I want to re-live some of the 
good old days. So there." And she sticks her tounge out at me.

"But..but..but.." I stammer. "Betwiched? I mean..that show is 
so..insulting to witches and..and..that nose thing? I mean..who 
believes that..and all this matter just popping in and out. And 
Samantha's mother, what respect in her right mind would dress like 
that? I absolutly adore you Buffy and knowning tonight we'll be 
making mad passionate love does make me feel all warm and tingly but 
if you actaully try and make me watch this whole 'Bewitched' marathon 
I'm gonna-"

"Uh..Hi! Mom!" Buffy says loudly.

"Wish the Earth will swallow me up right this very second." I 
squeak.

Please be kidding, please be kidding, please be kidding, 
please be kidding...I look at Buffy. Back ramrod straight, eyes big 
and wide, mouth kind of slack..oh..this is so not good.

Turn the head..slowly..slowly..don't want to be all panicky 
if she's faking, she'll think she got me, I'm not going to let her 
get me, and..and..if..she..oh big time trouble no..if she isn't 
faking I have too..have too..look..oh..oh oh oh...no.

"H-hi..Mrs...ah..Summers." I stammer out. 

Then fall out of the sofa.



"Willow?" I hear.

"Willow? Can you hear me?" Don't think I recognise the voice. 
Mmm..sleepy.

"Mom, give me some room." Hi Buffy..what are you doing in my 
dream?

"Buffy, what was that Willow was saying..making..."

"Not now Mom, later. I promise..just let me get Willow on the 
sofa."

"Here, put this blanket on top of her. I'll get some water." 
Ah..now I recognise that voice..that's Buffy's mom, Joyce. She's nice 
though she did have rather bad timing coming back home unexpectedly 
just when I was telling Buffy about how..

I sit bolt upright.

"IwasjustkiddingMrsSummersIswearwhateveryouheardwaswrong!" I 
blurt out.

"Shhh..." Buffy's on her knees beside me. Stroking my 
hair..it's nice... I can feel my heart hammering really loudly, but 
still her hand feels nice. I lean into the touch.

"Oh..oh that was scary." I say to Buffy, closing my eyes. "I 
dreamed your mother came home and..."

"Here's the water and..oh..Willow. You're awake. Are you 
alright dear?"

Eep.

"YesImquiteallrightMrsSummersthanksforaskingBuffyitsbeenfunbut
IreallyreallyreallythinkIhavetogonow!" 

Panic!

Panic!
Panic!
Panic!

Panic!

"No, you better stay here Willow." Mrs. Summers says sitting 
next to me. "You did just suffer a fainting spell after all."

Her smile is warm and friendly but her eyes are really 
serious. What I can see of them, I'm not exactly looking her in the 
face as my chin is trying to merge with my breastbone.

Panic!
Panic!
Panic!
Panic!
Panic!
Panic!
Panic!

"Buffy..what was that Willow was saying as I came in the 
room?" Mrs Summers asks. I can't really tell how she's looking. My 
fingers are very, very intresting right now.

I hear Buffy sigh. I know that sigh it's the, 'Okay here we 
go this should be a real bucket of laughs.' sigh.

"Yes mom, Willow and I are lovers, yes mom I'm sure, no mom I 
havn't tried not being in love with her, yes mom I'm going to stick 
with her, yes mom we should have told you, yes mom I'm sorry but we 
were scared. I'm sorry." Buffy says in one breath. 

I try real hard not to giggle.

"Oh." Mrs. Summers says. I glance at her. She's still sitting 
next to me, looks relaxed enough, she's not looking at either me, or 
Buffy, just..off into space. 

"Mom?" Buffy asks.

Mrs. Summers doesn't say anything.

"Mom?" Buffy asks again.

Still nothing.

"Did..did..we break her?" I ask quietly.

"I..don't think so." Buffy leans foward. "Mom, this is the 
part where you smile and say 'Whatever makes you happy dear.' right? 
You're not going to go homophobe on us are you?" Buffy waves her hand 
in her mother's face a few times.

Mrs. Summers snaps back. "Are you really sure Buffy? Lord 
knows I experimented in College when.."

I give a loud yelp and pull the blankets over my head, stick 
my fingers in my ears and loudly beging to hum 'These Boots are Made 
For Walking' as loudly as I can. Doesn't work.

"Mom!" Buffy interupts her. "If you never, ever finish that 
sentence I swear I'll not bring up the band candy incident ever 
again!"

"I was going to say with dope Buffy." I peek my head out from 
under the blanket.

"You tried marijina Mrs. Summers?" I ask hesitantly.

She smiles at me. She still looks a little serious but 
nowhere near 'crush little jewish girl who you just discovered has 
been having sex with your only daughter' class homicidal.


It's the quiet ones, I remind myself..gotta watch out for the 
quiet ones.

"Once Willow." That was enough. She looks at the two of us 
with that 'mom' look that somehow they learn from..somebody.

"I take it..." She says slowly. "This was not a one time 
thing."

"About a year mom." Buffy easily replies. How can she be so 
relaxed? If my parents find out they'll have me excommunicated! 
No..wait..we're Jewish we don't do that..well..it'll be bad.

"And...you love Willow, is that correct?" Joyce asks her 
daughter.

"Do you..." Buffy replies. She seems to be thinking. "Do you 
remember what I told you about Angelus mom? About two years ago?"

Slowly Mrs Summers nods. Where is Buffy going with this?

"Let me put it like this then." Buffy says. "If I had had to 
do to Willow, what I had to do to Angel, I would not have gotten on 
the bus leaving Sunnydale. 

What?

"Buffy, I'm afraid I don't.." Mrs. Summers begins.

"I would have let it run over me." Buffy finishes.

Aww..what a sweet thing to say..oh..wait..no it 
isn't..well..maybe I mean..but..suicide..that's bad..but feeling so 
strongly so..that's good and..uh...mmm..

"Ah." Mrs. Summers says. She's using that tone of voice that 
parents use when they want to appear 'wise'. "I see." She pauses, 
eyebrows creasing. "I think."

"I love Willow mom." Buffy says very matter-of-factly, taking 
my hand. "Nuff said."

"And..you..Willow..you love Buffy?" She turns to me.

Ohmygoshshe'slookingrightatmeandI'mgonnadie!!
Helphelphelpehelphelp!

"Yeah!" I say loudly. I'm sure I'm waring some manical 
grin. "She's..she's..Buffy's..ah..sweet..really sweet..and no..that 
didn't come out right I mean she's very, very, nice and I love her a 
lot can I go to the bathroom please?" 

"Do you have too?" Mrs. Summers asks very quietly, using that 
Wise voice again.

"NotreallybutIthinkI'mgoingtocombustI'msoembarrssed!" I 
squeak. 

Mrs Joyce pats me on the head. Hey! I'm no kid I'm in 
college, I'm an adult, I'm mature, I'm..I'm..not hyperventilating 
anymore. Neat!

"Nothing to be that embarrssed over Willow." Mrs. Summers 
says quietly. "Okay, so it was kind of alkward. Myself walking in at 
just the wrong time..." She pauses. "Or the right time maybe." 

She turns to her daughter. "When exatly were you going to 
share this with me?"

Buffy turns bright red and flaps her hands around helplessly. 
She shoots me a pained look, a plea for help but I'm barely hanging 
on as is. 

"Uh..that is..the..er..right time?" She says helplessly. 

Mrs. Summers sighs. "Well..I suppose now will do. I didn't 
discover about Angel for nearly two years so I should be used to it 
by now."

"Well..that and Parker." I chip in..oh god no I said exactly 
the wrong thing. Buffy levels a 'I will kill you later' glare my 
way. "Uh..did I say Parker? I meant..umm..barker..yeah..don't see too 
many good carnival barkers these days, what with there being no 
Carnivals to bark for I mean..wow..television really killed them huh. 
Intresting that.

Mrs. Summers doen't buy it.

"Parker?" She looks at her daughter with a raised eyebrow 
crossing her arms over her chest.

"College experiment mom. Failed..big time. Savor the irony." 
Buffy says in reply, also crossing her arms. Like mother, like 
daughter.

"Another time then." Mrs. Summers says. She looks betweent 
the two of us again.

"Just exactly how did this start?" She asks. 

NO! Don't wanna remember, won't remember..just..push it 
back..breathe..breathe..shh shh...
I feel Buffy wrapping her arms around me, take strength from 
Buffy, Buffy's here..shhh..shhh..you're alright..you're alright....

"Not a good question mom. Let is drop okay?"I hear Buffy 
saying. She sounds a little far away.

In one two three
Out one two three
In one twho three
Out one two three

Breathe..relax..breathe..relax..okay..I'm okay..

I open my eyes and look at Mrs. Summers. She's wearing a look 
of real concern, she's shifted foward a little and looking me in the 
eyes ernestly. 

"Are...are you sure honey?" She asks.

"I'm sure." Buffy says.

"Surley sure." I echo.

"Hey." Buffy kisses the top of my head. "Welcome back."

"Did I leave?" I ask.

"Zoned for a second, but ya toughed it out." She replies back 
to me, I can hear her smile. I can also hear her heart too. It's 
hammering like mine, so..she's not the only nervous one. Still..it 
could have been the 'question' not getting caught. 

I inhale deeply..ah..Buffyscent. Much, much better.

"So..let me get this straight." Mrs. Summers says. "You two 
are engaged in a lesbian relationship, have been for nearly a year, 
are deeply in love and you can't tell me how it all started?"

"Uh..yeah?" I answer her quietly. 

"That about sums it up mom." Buffy says.

"So much for grandchildren." Mrs. Summers sighs.

"MOM!" Buffy says loudly. 

"Sorry dear." Mrs. Summers says. 

I, personally, find the entire exchange quite funny. 

"Well..ah..mm..you never know..Mrs. Summers. Her first love 
was a vampire, mine was a werewolf, we've beaten vampires, demons, 
nearly been sacrificed, involved with a goverment conspiracies, and 
fought things that would make a terminator seem like a teddy ruxpin." 
I shrug. "What's the big deal of two women having children?"

Mrs. Summers gives me a pained smile. "Well..I suppose so 
Willow." 

"You can stop helping me at any time you know" Buffy says. 

I tilt my head and kiss the tip of her chin. "But I like 
helping." I say with an arched eyebrow. 

Buffy just groans and buries her face in my hair. Tingly!

"Oh, Betwiched is on." Mrs. Summers says. "Remember when we 
used to watch that together Buffy?" 

"Sure thing mom!" Buffy says letting me go and squeesing into 
the space between me and 
Mrs. Summers. "How about we catch up on times huh?" 

"Sounds like fun." Mrs. Summers says and makes herself more 
comforatable on the sofa.

Buffy turns her face to mine and mouths the words 'Neener, 
neener.'

I stick my tounge out at her but accept my fate.

We watch the television for a few minutes.

"Your boyfriend was a werewolf?"



Authors notes: A little short, a little rushed..but a friend was in 
desperate need of a WAFFY fic after reading Sundowning. I _live_ for 
those moments.