fic: Keeping Her Word B/R B/W PG13 (yes, you read it right)

["TheBear" <thebear@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ok, my muse is being lazy. She claim's her arm is tired. I think she's
just shirking, but she keeps muttering about 'sadist's elbow' and
'worker's comp.' 

We're still plugging ahead on pt. 13 of Triune, but the going is slow.
In an effort to get me to quit yelling at her, she gave me this little
snippet. I can't claim that the concept is original, but I have to say
that I've never seen it done before. If anyone wants to correct me on
that, I'd love to see some other examples.

Anyway, here it is, lemme know what'cha think!



Title: Keeping Her Word

Author: The Bear!

Spoilers: season 5, episode 10: Into the Woods 

Pairing: Buffy/Riley Buffy/Willow Friendship and hints of more

Summary: A promise must be kept. (just read it, it's really short!)
((Oh, and it contains a little Riley Bashing.))

Warnings: Ok, so this is probably a first for me- it's PG-13, Yep, not
one little bit of sex or bondage to be found, not even a reference to.
I'll make an appointment with the psychiatrist tomorrow.

Disclaimer: You can tell I don't own them cause they have occasional
opportunities at happiness in my fics.

========== BtVS ==========

Willow walked into the training room in the back of the magic box to see
her best friend Buffy seriously hammering the crap out of the punching
bag. As Buffy turned with a spinning kick, Willow thought she saw the
beginnings of tears in the Slayer's eyes. 

Somehow she just knew that something terrible had happened, and that
Buffy needed her best friend to make it all better.

"Buffy?" she asked softly, walking toward the Slayer, but staying out of
range of her vicious kicks and punches as she tore into the bag.
"Buffy, look at me."

Buffy didn't want to stop hitting, because she knew she'd start crying
if she did. "Not now, Will. I've got to keep training."

"Buffy, that's not training," Willow said. "Come on, Buffy, this is
Willow you're talking to. Something's obviously wrong! Tell me?"

If she'd been demanding, Buffy could have resisted. It was the 'I'm
your best friend, please let me help you' tone in her voice that did
Buffy in. She stopped. She stood there facing the bag, her eyes on the
floor, her hands in fists at her sides, trying not to burst into tears.

Willow slowly approached the shaking blond and ducked her head to meet
the Slayer's eyes. What she saw there was pain and anger and sorrow all
balled up into one tangled emotional mess. She felt a little teary
herself and said, "Aw, Buffy. Come 'ere," as she wrapped her arms
around her friend in a loving hug.

The hug was too much and Buffy broke down, giving in to the sobs that
she'd been trying to drive away by pounding the bag to death. 

Willow tightened her arms around the weeping girl, holding her tight
when her knees threatened to buckle. She gently lowered them both to
the mat, marveling at how light and tiny Buffy seemed, given how strong
and powerful she was. Willow ignored her own tears and let Buffy cry
for as long as she needed to. She was herself torn with sorrow at the
thought of her friend hurting so much. "Buffy saves the whole world on
a routine basis, but no-one knows or cares that she feels and hurts just
like the rest of us," Willow thought sadly. "Well, I care!"

Willow leaned away from Buffy enough so she could look into her
red-rimmed eyes and brought up one hand to wipe away her tears. "I love
you, Buffy. I always will, no matter what."

Buffy took solace in her friend's words; took comfort in her touch. She
knew the redhead spoke the truth; she could feel the genuine affection
and empathy radiating out from the girl. She sniffled back another sob
and said, "Thanks Will! I love you too. so much I can't begin to
describe it!"

Willow smiled; she was amazed sometimes that she got to be the one to
comfort this astounding, extraordinary girl. "Tell me," she ordered
gently. "Tell me what's wrong."

Buffy dropped her eyes and began the sordid story. She told Willow how
Spike had come to her, told her he had something to show her. She
actually managed a weak chuckle at Willow's 'eww!' comment, remembering
how that had been her first thought as well.

She told Willow how Spike had taken her to that house of horrors, where
people paid vampires to bite them, paid to have their blood sucked. She
told her how it made her nauseous to be in such a place, how it made her
feel dirty, almost violated- here was a place full of people paying
vampires to make them into victims. people were paying monsters to feed
on them! It made her wonder why she bothered risking her life to fight
these creatures when these were the people she was fighting for!

Willow reminded her that most people weren't like that; that she was
fighting for the innocents out there.

"I swear, Willow. Sometimes I think it isn't worth it," Buffy said.
"All the crap I go through, all the beatings I take. If it wasn't for
you. for all the Scoobies, I mean," Buffy quickly corrected herself,
hoping Willow hadn't caught that slip. "Anyway."

Willow's breath quickened when she heard Buffy quickly explain herself.
She wouldn't have paid attention; just thinking that Buffy meant the
whole gang, except. "Why did she add that?"

Willow filed the slip for later examination, returning her attention to
Buffy's tale.

Buffy was relieved when Willow didn't say anything. She went on to tell
her friend how she felt when Spike led her through that horror only to
show her that her supposed boyfriend was one of the people paying for
that service. She'd nearly thrown-up on the floor- only her refusal to
look weak in front of Spike kept her from losing her last meal.

Buffy started crying again and Willow just silently held her, rocking
her gently; telling her without words that she was loved and cared for.

When Riley walked in a few minutes later and cleared his throat, Willow
felt Buffy stiffen. When he asked to speak to Buffy alone, Willow
looked into her eyes, silently letting her know that she didn't have to
do this, that Willow would shield her.

Buffy acknowledged the redhead's fierce protectiveness with a wan smile,
then whispered so softly that only Willow watching her lips move was
able to get the message, "It's ok, Will."

Willow raised a brow as if to ask, 'are you sure?'

Buffy nodded and the two got up. Willow didn't even bother to look at
Finn as she headed back to the front of the shop.

========== BtVS ========== BtVS ========== BtVS ========== BtVS
========== BtVS ==========

Willow walked out of the training room, but paused to listen to the
conversation between her best friend and Riley. She knew she shouldn't
be eavesdropping, but she had made a pledge, and she needed to know if
now was the time to keep it.

It wasn't long into the conversation before Willow realized that now was
indeed the time, and she would have to fulfill her promise. It wasn't
something she wanted to do, but she'd vowed to do this, and Willow
Rosenberg was a woman of her word.

"Now, where does he keep them?" she muttered as she went into the store
room looking for the necessary item. "I know he's got a couple around
here somewhere.

========== BtVS ========== BtVS ========== BtVS ========== BtVS
========== BtVS ==========

Riley walked out into the alley behind the magic box lost in thought.
He was pissed off that Buffy couldn't understand his pain; that she
couldn't understand that he had needs. needs that she wasn't meeting.
Those vampires he was seeing weren't about sex, or love. they made him
feel needed and special in a way that Buffy never did.

It wasn't that he wanted to go back to the military, he really didn't.
But, he couldn't stay in Sunnydale any more if Buffy wasn't going to let
him be the man in the relationship, if she wasn't going to give herself
to him the way he needed her to.

"I get the whole 'chosen one' thing, really! But, come on, she's the
woman, I'm the man. She's got to let me take care of her once in a
while." he muttered as he turned to walk down the alley. He was
startled by a voice behind him.

"Riley Finn."

He spun around, surprised to see Willow Rosenberg standing there, hands
behind her back, looking slightly uneasy.

"Willow. What do you want?" he asked. "Buffy couldn't come out
herself?"

Willow frowned, "You should have been on your knees, Riley, begging her
to forgive you!"

Riley shook his head, not understanding where all this was coming from.
"First of all, Willow," he began, preparing to put this little dyke in
her place, "Buffy and I are none of your business."

"You hurt her!" Willow interjected.

Riley ignored her and continued speaking, "Second, Buffy is the one who
isn't putting enough into this relationship, not me."

Willow's eyes almost bugged out at that statement. "I can't believe
you." she started to say.

Riley dismissed the little redhead out of hand. What the hell did she
know about men anyway? "Stay out of this Willow. It's none of your
business," he said as he turned to walk away.

"I warned you what would happen." He heard Willow say in an almost sad,
resigned voice. Annoyed, he turned around to give her another piece of
his mind.

He was just in time to see the shovel as it struck the side of his head.

========== BtVS ==========

The end.

Ok, time to feed TheBear!

Trust me, you'll feel better once you do!



My fic goes first to my list, then everyone else the next day. 

If you want to join my list, send an email to, 

BearCave_BtVS-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



or go to the site- 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BearCave_BtVS 





TheBear!

thebear@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

http://www.papa-bear.com