FF: Second Chances: Chapter Four

[aerisjade@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Birthday Fiction Challenge Response 
Title: Second Chances 
Chapter: Four 
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. 


<--------> 


Willow shifted Buffy's favorite battle ax 
onto her right shoulder, before swinging her 
leg over the large fallen tree. Pulling her 
other leg over, she started deeper into the 
forest in the general direction of the old 
house. 

She was determined to stop the bitch that 
had forced her lover into marrying her. It 
should have been a choice that Willow and 
Buffy made together. But that crazy, psychotic, 
deranged ass hole of a witch had ripped it 
from them and now Buffy was stuck with her 
despite the fact that the slayer obviously 
didn't want her. 

She loved Buffy with everything she was, 
which was why she was willing to do anything 
to make her happy. Even if that something 
was to give Buffy a divorce, in the only 
way possible. Her death. 

But like a famous movie once said, ' If 
I'm going to go, I'm taking you with me. ' 

" So the primitive decided she wants to 
play. " 

The dark crackling rasp came from every 
where and nowhere. It was loud, quiet, a 
wind of an echo that shook the red head to 
her very soul. It soothed, hurt, and ripped 
at her heart until she shivered in uncontrollable 
fear. It existed, died, destroyed in a tidal 
wave of every fear, doubt, and hate that she 
would or ever had. 

" You think you can kill me? " 

Willow hefted the ax trying desperately 
to stop the quivering in her body. " No, 
but I'm going to give you a crash course 
in pain. " 

She gasped as the mid-afternoon light 
disappeared into night. The surrounding 
trees spreading until she could make out 
the dirty white burnt out ruins of an old 
house. It was still standing even with all 
the history it had been through. The first 
house built on the continent. The first 
house that existed hundreds of years before 
anyone even considered that the world wasn't 
flat. 

" Willow!!! " 

The ex-witch turned at the sound of her 
lover. The slayer was sprinting towards her. 
The dirty blonde was abnormally pale and 
looked like she was on the verge of having 
a full blown panic attack. 

Before she could react either way to the 
blondes presence, the slayer had pulled her 
into a possessive hug. 

" Oh god, when I woke up and you weren't 
there... " 

Willow sighed into the slayers hair, " I'm 
sorry I just wanted to give you back your 
freedom. " 

The slayer pulled back in confusion, her 
eyes running over her's in an attempt to 
figure out what the red head meant. " I 
thought I was. " 

" No. Morrigan had no right to force you 
into a marriage you don't want. " 

" You're wrong. " Buffy whispered. " I 
have never wanted anything more. " 

" B-but you passed out. You... " 

" ...wasn't expecting that. " Buffy said. 

" I... but we've only been together a day 
and... " 

" We've practically been in a relationship 
for the last five years, and the idea of us 
being together forever is the most incredible 
gift I could ever have. " 

Willow dropped her gaze to the ax. " I just.." 

" I mean it Will. I want it all with you. Love, 
marriage, a family. " Buffy smiled gently at her 
wife. " Now let's get out of here before that 
witch decides to come out of hiding. " 

" Too late. " Willow whispered, gazing over the 
slayers shoulder. 

Standing a few feet from the ruins of the house 
was a raven haired woman, old and young, tall and 
short, beautiful and grotesque. " The mighty witch 
has returned. " 

Willow stepped between the witch and the slayer. 
This was just like it happened last time. She could 
now clearly remember every detail, every nuance, 
and she was not going to just stand by and let 
it happen again. 

" This ends now. " 

" What are you doing? " Buffy asked. 

Willow ignored the slayer. " I challenge you. Now. " 

" A witches duel? " The raven haired creature asked. 

" A witches duel. " 

" No. I'm not about to let you get yourself killed. " 
Buffy cut in, her piercing eyes glaring between the two 
witches. " Besides, last time I checked you were a 
recovering addict. " 

Willow tore her eyes away from the nightmarish figure 
across from her. " Part of the curse was turning any 
magic I did into black magic. She was getting a high 
off me. " 

" I have to admit that you were an unusually strong 
primitive. Most can't survive the draining. " 

Willow grabbed hold of the slayer as the rage 
began to take over the dirty blonde. " Easy. " 

A force hit them hard, slamming them backwards 
until they connected with the nearest tree. Willow 
gasped as the air was violently forced from her 
lungs, and pushed herself up onto her knees. 

Her left hand came up, the palm faced toward the 
monster of her past. She felt the surge of magic 
leave her body and impact with Morrigan. The dark 
haired witch was lifted into the air, spinning 
faster and faster, until she was a circular blur. 

The witch came to a stop, hovering feet first 
above the forest floor with a cocked eyebrow. 
Immediately Willow felt her eye sight fade, 
leaving her in a world of darkness that 
started to trap her in her fear. There was 
no Buffy there, no forest or sky, no stars, 
just darkness holding all the boogeymen and 
monsters and... 

" Will..." 

A slim hand gripped her right hand tightly, 
giving her all the love and strength the slayer 
had. It wasn't a lot, but it was everything to 
her. 

Pulling away from the fear, she searched her 
mind for some answer. ' When did this turn into 
a Disney cartoon. ' It was just like that movie 
that Dawn always watched when she was trying 
to be funny. What was it... The Sword in the 
Stone. She honestly thought that evil witch 
and her getting all sick was funny.... 

Concentrating on the deadliest, most painful 
disease she could remember, but everything she 
could think of took too long to kill. However, 
there was another option. 

Thinking hard about what she needed to do, 
she threw a large amount of energy at the 
other witch, feeling the witches heart, and 
cutting off the arteries. 

The piercing scream cut through the otherwise 
quiet air, stopping just as quickly as it started. 
She could feel the under current around her, 
easing the blindness from her eyes. Swirling 
around them in a gentle hug before fading and 
changing into a male form in front of them. 

" David. " 

She stood up on shaky legs and stepped towards 
the bo...the man that stood before her. He looked 
like he'd aged normally. 

" It's about time. I thought I was going to be 
stuck playing Harvey to you for the rest of my 
life. " The lean red head flashed her a wide 
grin that told her that he found the whole 
thing too much fun to be mad. 

The tears began to flow as she wrapped her arms 
around the sibling that had meant so much to her. 
His easy going attitude, his incredible sense 
of humor, it made it so much easier to get 
through the day, and now it was back. 

" Come on sis, let's go home. " 

<---------> 

" I still don't understand the whole primitive/ 
natural witch thing. " Xander objected. 

Tara glanced up from where she was helping Dawn 
with the model kit she'd gotten from her newest 
love interest. " Primitive witches are able to 
convert dark magic into white magic. Unfortunately 
they're very rare now. " 

" Their were a lot of witches in my family, but 
most of them were killed during the holocaust. " 
Willow leaned into her wife at the thought of 
all the people she lost during that time period. 
" The only witch that managed to get out of it 
alive was my great grandmother. " 

" So the whole addiction thing was her feeding 
off you? " Dawn asked. 

" Yeah. " Willow smiled at the giddy teen. 

Despite the girls initial trauma over being 
exposed to Buffy's relationship, she was 
ecstatic. She now had a larger, caring family. 
Plus, she now felt more secure in the knowledge 
that Willow wasn't going to just pick up and 
leave on her. 

Add to that, the latest turn in events. 
Dawn could also start to trust Willow 
again, since she'd discovered that most 
of the dark magic addiction had been 
due to the curse that had been placed on 
her. 

" Hey, I'm the one that gave her the 
information. If it wasn't for me she'd 
still be an addict, loveless, and filled 
with guilt. " 

Willow reached over and hugged the 
disgruntled ex-demon, and softly whispered. 
" Thank you. You're a good friend. " 

Almost immediately the blonde sniffed, 
sounding suspiciously like she was going 
to cry. " Whatever. " 

A soft tug on her arm made her glance 
up at a happy slayer. " I want to show 
you something. " 

Willow let the slayer pull her to her 
feet and out the back door. " Um, Buffy, 
I've seen the back yard before. " 

" Look over there. " Buffy smirked at her, 
as she directed the red heads eyes over to 
the left. 

Where there had previously been a bare 
patch of grass, was now a large brick grill 
and a heavy, long picnic table. 

It was strange. Most people would probably 
balk at the present, but to her it meant 
so much more. 

She had once told Buffy that her vision 
of a real family was parents that actually 
took an interest in their children's lives. 
Occasional vacations, shopping, being 
grounded, and weekends where the family 
could have outdoor cook outs. 

" Happy Birthday Will. " 

It said to her that they were a family. 

<---------> 


Announcers Voice: 
Next time on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 


( Buffy and Willow are in the living room, which is lit by dozens of candles. 
They are naked and wrapped around each other. ) 

CUT TO 

( A man that looks about Twenty Five and a geek enters the living room and 
gaps. He yanks on his tie, then makes a strange noise. ) 

MAN: 
I'm Fred Hersh, your social worker. 

CUT TO 

( Buffy and Spike kissing, all we can see are their heads. ) 

CUT TO 

BUFFY:

I want to have your child.

CUT TO:

( Willow glaring hard, and holding a stake. ) 

WILLOW: 

That's it, no more miss nice witch. 

CUT TO 

( Buffy crying ) 

CUT TO 

( Willow slamming the front door. ) 




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!"