Repost: FIC: Catalyst 1/1

["mike" <mcronin24@xxxxxxxxx>]

My first posting accidentally included an extra paragraph that 
didn't belong. Please excuse the mistake. <mortified look>

Title ? Catalyst. 1/1
By mike (mcronin24@xxxxxxxxx)
SPOILERS: Season 6, Grave.
RATING: PG 13. Some angst. F/F relationship.
DISCLAIMER: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all characters belong to 
Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Fox. 
I own Darci. It's merely a coincidence that she bares such a 
striking resemblance to Yancy Butler. 
FEEDBACK: Constructive comments are encouraged. 
SUMMARY: (Buffy/Darci) (Buffy/Willow) Buffy is finally ready to face 
her greatest fear.
Acknowledgement: Thanks to Ann Marie for keeping me from looking 
like an illiterate NinCowPoop.
Authors Notes: Hope you like.

Catalyst.

The alley was dark, cut off from the street lights that had been 
left behind when she heard the stifled scream. She moved as quickly 
as she dared in the dark, gun drawn and gripped firmly in both 
hands. A soft moan directed her attention to the sight of a large 
shadow bent over a smaller one. She placed the gun against the 
man's head.

"Back off." The tall lithesome brunette said with her low throaty 
voice.

The man stopped and lifted his head. He then moved more quickly 
than she believed possible, swinging his arm around and sending her 
crashing into the wall. Letting his victim fall to the ground, he 
moved toward her. From her prone position she raised her weapon and 
began firing. She got off six rounds, all evenly placed into his 
chest, before he grabbed her hand, ripping the automatic away. She 
saw his grossly distorted face as he bared his pointy fangs with a 
terrible leer. She pushed herself back, desperately trying to think 
of some way out of this situation when she heard the sweetest 
voice. "Almost what you would expect from an angel", she mused to 
herself.

"Play time is over." Her attacker disappeared in a cloud of dust.  
As it settled, she could see the figure of what looked like a petite 
woman - but in the darkness she couldn't be sure. A hand reached 
toward her in offer of help. She reached up, accepting the 
proffered hand, and felt a surprising strength pull her up easily.

"Are you alright?" The angelic voice asked her.

"Yea, thanks." Her full throaty reply sent shivers down the spine 
of the girl who, she now could see, was barely over five feet tall.

"I wasn't expecting vamps. I owe you one." She could dimly see the 
girl smile in the darkness. A really sweet smile that made her feel 
warm and safe. They heard a moan, and the girl moved swiftly to the 
side of the female victim, still lying in a heap. She checked her 
out quickly. 

"You're going to be fine. We'll have you at a hospital in no 
time." She flipped open a cell phone, hit a button and in a moment 
was talking to someone, giving directions and instructions. She 
then easily scooped the injured woman into her arms and carried her 
back toward the street.

"Are you coming?" She said over her shoulder to the taller woman.

"Uh, yea, sure." She replied, grabbing her weapon from the ground, 
replacing it in her shoulder holster and quickly followed, trying to 
put the pieces together.

They reached the street as a late model sedan pulled up.

"Would you get the back door for me?" The girl, who she now could 
see was a stunning dark blond, asked in that sweet voice.

The tall brunette quickly opened the back door and the blond slid 
into the back seat, still cradling the injured woman. She then got 
in the front and noted a young, dark haired, clean-shaven man with 
eyes that looked haunted.

'Hi, I'm Xander." He told her as he put the car in gear and quickly 
took off.

"I'm Darci." She said, turning to look back at her savior.

"I'm Buffy." The blond smiled softly at her and then looked away, 
her eyes registering uncertainty. The soft look disappeared, became 
the face of a professional. A cold chill went through her as now 
steely eyes locked with hers.

"Is she with you?" The blond asked, the sweetness gone, replaced by 
a no-nonsense tone that made her respond without thinking.

"No, I heard a scream and went into the alley to help. I haven't 
run across a vamp in a couple of years so color me surprised when 
six shots don't slow him down. Then I saw his face and realized how 
unprepared I was." The blond kept her face firm as she listened.

"What were you doing here?" She then asked.

"I'm here on business." She let the blond know.

"What kind of business requires a gun?" She shot back quickly.

"I'm looking for something." Her voice became cautious.

"Something in particular or just any something?" The blond now 
teased her, the adorable smile returning to her face.

"Something in particular." She said slowly, her own lips curving 
into a smile.

Just then they came to a stop in front of the hospital's emergency 
entrance. Two attendants with a gurney approached and took the 
injured woman into the hospital. They didn't ask any questions, 
handling their patient with practiced efficiency.

"They seem to know you." The throaty voice stated.

"Yea, all too well." The blond replied.

"So, if you let me know what you're looking for maybe I can tell you 
where to find it." The blond said softly.

The darker woman looked at her thoughtfully. "I don't know if you 
will believe me."

She heard Xander snort and looked over to see him smirking.

"There's nothing you can tell us that we haven't seen, or at least 
nothing Buffy hasn't seen." He spoke confidently.

She looked back at Buffy and asked. "Ok, anyplace we can go to 
talk?" 

"I have to finish patrolling. We can drop you off at your place, I 
can come over in a about an hour and then you can tell me your 
story." Buffy told Darci.

"How about I go with you?" Darci asked.

"You have no idea what you're asking." Buffy chuckled.

Darci, who just two minutes ago had finally put the pieces together 
in her head, smiled. "You're the Slayer, so I'm guessing vamps and 
whatever demons are out preying on the innocent. If you could lend 
me a stake and a sword, I'll do just fine."

Buffy appraised her. "Drop us off at Restfield Xand."

Xander grinned, put the car in gear, and took off with a humorous 
shake of his head.

Pulling up outside a cemetery a few minutes later, Xander popped the 
trunk. Buffy went to the back of the car and Darci followed. 
Lifting a false bottom she revealed an impressive array of weapons.  
She chose a well polished saber, handed it to Darci, and grabbed a 
couple of stakes, secreting them in various places among her 
clothing. Closing the trunk, she went to the front by Xander.

"I'll give you a call when we finish. Shouldn't be too long."  
Buffy let him know.

"Have a good time." Xander called out as he pulled away.

"So Darci, what happened with that vamp you ran into a couple of 
years ago?" Buffy asked.

"Took his head off with an axe." Darci replied simply.

Buffy smiled. "Good. Just whatever you do, don't shoot me."

Darci gave a deep throated laugh that made Buffy tingle pleasantly.  
She looked over at the taller woman and gave her a warm smile, then 
switched into slayer mode as they entered the dark cemetery.

An hour and a half, three cemeteries, and the warehouse district 
later, they had chalked up five vamps and a chaos demon. The now 
jovial ladies finished up outside the Bronze. Buffy called Xander, 
letting him know where they were, and they went inside. The band 
was on a break as they got their drinks from the bar. Finding a 
table in a relatively quiet corner, the two settled themselves in.

"So Darci, tell me your story." Buffy looked at her pointedly.

Darci took a sip from her drink gathering her thoughts. "I'm a 
private detective from New York with a reputation for handling the 
strange and unusual. I have a wealthy client whose daughter was 
nearly abducted by two demons. Her bodyguards managed to shoot the 
one carrying the girl. When it fell, it released the girl. It ran 
away as the body guards went to the girl's aid. She seemed to be 
unhurt, but the next day she started to hear other people's 
thoughts." Darci stopped as she heard the loud intake of breath 
from Buffy. She looked at Buffy, awaiting an explanation.

"Aspect of the demon. You have to find the demon, cut out its heart 
and make a potion with it. The potion will cure her. Hopefully 
before she goes completely insane." Buffy said quietly, her voice 
conveying her certainty.

Darci stared at her in amazement. "It took hundreds of thousand of 
dollars and a couple of weeks to find that out. How did you know?"

Buffy didn't answer her question. Just provided more 
information. "When you kill it, don't let its blood touch your skin 
or the same thing will happen to you." 

"So, rubber gloves?" Darci didn't pursue her previous question.

"Yea, 'cause you so don't want to go through it." Buffy's tone was 
enough to convince Darci that Buffy knew this from personal 
experience.

Then Buffy looked at Darci. "If this happened in New York, what are 
you doing in Sunnydale?"

"Couldn't find them. We were told the most likely place to find one 
was in Sunnydale. So, have you seen one of these guys lately?" Darci 
asked hopefully.

"No, not lately. But they run in pairs. Also, they're a bit 
smarter than your normal demon and have been avoiding the hell mouth 
because of the strong likelihood of dying." Buffy took a sip from 
her drink.

"The reason for that I take is you." Darci grinned broadly.

"I guess you could say that." Buffy blushed, her voice soft and low 
and.

Darci felt her heart race as she viewed this most adorable display 
of modesty. She felt completely entranced by this captivating young 
woman and felt as helpless as a moth drawn to a flame.  

Just then the band started back up. Darci looked at Buffy and stood 
holding out her hand.

"Let's dance." Darci asked, purposely adding a little extra to her 
voice.

Buffy again feeling that warm shiver travel through her body stood 
and accepted the offered hand and they walked to the dance floor 
with all the other patrons. The hard, driving rhythm drew the two 
women in. Needing release from all the tension of the night, they 
quickly moved into the music and slowly into each other. The heat 
and energy transferred to their movements as Darci moved closer to 
Buffy, sliding her hands over the Slayer's arms. Teasing with light 
touches and meaningful glances they mutually pushed things up to the 
next level. Their eyes were locked onto each other and Buffy felt 
the same energy she had experienced years ago when she had danced on 
this same floor with Faith. An energy built on sensations and 
feelings that she had experienced frequently, but had dismissed as 
merely adolescent hormones. As this captivating woman teased and 
aroused her, Buffy felt a veil slide from her mind. A veil of 
denial born out of fear and the desperate need to be 'Normal'. But 
the experiences of the last year and a half had definitely blurred 
the concept of normal. As she felt her skin flush and desire 
coursed through her body, she recalled the times and person who most 
frequently precipitated these feelings within her. A person of 
delicate beauty and unflappable loyalty. A person who always made 
herself available to her whenever she needed. A person who risked 
life and soul to bring her back from what she thought was hell. A 
gentle soul, who Buffy now acknowledged she had taken for granted 
time and time again. She remembered the last year before her leap 
off the tower. The little hole that started in her heart when she 
found out that her best friend was in love with another woman, 
something she had never even considered remotely possible. But even 
before this occurred, she recalled how she let her friend push her 
into the ill-fated relationship with Riley. How she used Riley to 
distract herself from the feelings of more than friendship that had 
been teasing her dreams and emotions. Little thoughts that started 
when she recognized that for the first time since before Angel, both 
of them were unattached at the same time. Then she had started to 
think of the things that she and her best friend could do together 
to keep each other occupied. Thinking that lead to thoughts that 
scared her, scared her enough to jump into a relationship she knew 
deep down would never work. A relationship that she later clung to 
out of fear of being alone. The need to have someone, so she 
wouldn't focus on a dear redhead who was devoted to a blond other 
than herself. And once she finally pushed Riley away, her mother 
gone, and the hole in her soul growing larger every day, it was a 
done deal to take that leap instead of Dawn, an inescapable need. A 
need to stop the hurt of not being able to have her Willow.

And it worked. She was at peace. No pain. Then she woke in the 
dark. She felt fear, panic and loss. Then pain, emotional and 
physical. So much so that she was in shock. She lashed out when 
attacked, focusing all her pain and confusion into fury at her 
attackers. Then she ran, ran through the streets of hell, hoping 
that the nightmare would end. And when it didn't end, and she 
discovered that it had been Willow who had yanked her back from her 
well-earned peace, it was insult added to injury. But her love, as 
dead as she felt, wouldn't let her reveal to her friends where she 
had been. She was alone and couldn't feel anything. That hole in 
her heart now encompassed her entire being and she had no idea how 
to heal it.  

She eventually reacted to the first thing she did feel. The raw hurt 
and physical extremes that Spike evoked in her. For a time, it was 
all she had and she gave herself to it. But time among the living 
eventually reminded her that she was alive and was beginning to 
experience everyday things again. And Willow, she had escaped life 
to stop hurting so bad for wanting her, now all her pain was focused 
on ignoring and avoiding any feeling for her long-time friend.  

Then Tara died. Those final days when Willow went crazy with the 
need to destroy Tara's killers. Even then, she couldn't bring 
herself to tell her friend the depth of her feelings. She had only 
recently begun to feel real emotions again and years of denial were 
not ready to succumb. The only emotions she could muster were her 
basic feelings of caring. She wasn't ready to confront the pain 
caused by unrequited love. Then Willow sent her on a mission to 
save Dawn again, launched with a lame Wizard of Oz reference.

She only discovered later that Willow had tried to destroy the 
world.  

Her desire to destroy the Earth was due to Giles' intervention. For, 
in an effort to contain the power raging within her, he had caused 
her to feel all of this world's pain and despair. In her condition 
the only solution she could see was to end it - to end it all - so 
that no one would suffer anymore. The world was saved by Xander's 
telling Willow he loved her, and because of Giles' actions, she was 
predisposed to be open to his plea. A plea that Buffy couldn't have 
made, not sincerely at least, not without exposing the still gaping 
hole in her heart.

It was now nearly a year since Tara's death and things were somewhat 
normal, as normal as Sunnydale ever could be. Buffy and Willow were 
polite and friendly to each other but never allowed themselves to be 
alone together. Buffy had to admit that this was primarily her 
doing, and she now acknowledged that Willow accommodated Buffy's 
aloofness.

All these thoughts coalesced within Buffy as she became suddenly 
aware of a warm soft body pressed against her own. Soft lips 
kissing her ear. Her own body desiring to touch and be touched.  
But the body she desired was not the one now holding her. She 
slowly pushed back and looked up into questioning blue-gray eyes.

Buffy smiled. A smile of hope and gratitude that caused not a 
little confusion for Darci.

"Darci, you are incredibly beautiful and nearly irresistible. But 
I'm in love with someone else, and I think it's time I told her." 
Buffy finished untangling herself and turned to walk away.

Darci gently grabbed Buffy's shoulder. "What about my demon?" She 
asked.

Buffy turned, laughing. "Call me in the morning, Buffy Summers, 
it's in the book. I have my own personal demon to slay tonight and 
tomorrow we'll take care of yours."

"Buffy, good luck. But if things don't work out, my door is still 
open to you." Darci said softly and sincerely.

Buffy smiled warmly. "Thanks Darci, you don't know what you've done 
for me. I won't forget it." 

Buffy then turned and quickly left the packed club. She began to 
run, not wanting to wait a moment longer to arrive home and have 
some long-overdue alone time with her best friend. To finally let 
her know how she felt about her. Hopefully, that hole in her heart 
would be filled and healed. Filled by Willow and healed by love.