FIC: The red headed Slayer 2/?

["jend1205" <jend1205@xxxxxxxxx>]

Author: Jen D
Disclaimer: I don't own just like it. 
Rating: G-R and all points between mostly language and violence
Pairing: Willow/ Buffy
Spoilers: I guess all of the shows this is A/U but some of it might 
come up.


Joyce Giles sat on her front step and looked at the house across 
the street, that the red headed slayer now occupied. She thought back 
to two nights ago when she had first met Willow. The girl had shown 
up at her front door with a child that couldn't be more than a couple 
of years old. What that poor girl must have went through these last 
few years. First being told that she wasn't allowed to have a normal 
life anymore that she had to go out every night and fight to save the 
world from the things that go bump in the night. Then to lose her 
mother, gain a child and still know she could die at anytime. Losing 
her watcher last week, then to be told that she had to pack up and 
move to a strange town hundreds of miles away from the only home she 
had known. Joyce's maternal instincts kicked in and she knew then 
what she had to do. She got up and headed across the street. The door 
was opened and she could hear the music coming from inside. She 
knocked but no one answered so she opened the screen door and stuck 
her head in, "Willow are you home." Getting no answer she stepped 
inside and followed the music upstairs. Joyce found Willow and Dawn 
in the first room she came to. She stood in the doorway watching them 
dance around. Joyce smiled as she watched Willow spin Dawn around and 
the child squealed with delight. 

Willow finally noticed Joyce and turned the music down, "Mrs. Giles I 
didn't hear you come in."

"I knocked and then just followed the music. I hope you don't mind me 
just showing up but I wanted to talk to you."

"No you are always welcome. I was just trying to wear her out a 
little for nap. Would you like to have some coffee? I was going to 
make a pot after I put Dawn to bed."

"That would be wonderful," Joyce told her. "I'll just wait downstairs 
for you." Joyce went back down the stairs and looked around the 
house. She noticed several paintings that were leaning against the 
wall. She was startled at what she saw. 

Willow came down to find her admiring them, "Do you like art, Mrs. 
Giles?"

"You could say that. I'm co-owner of an art gallery downtown. Do you 
realize what you have here?"

"Yeah I do. These were done by an artist by the name of Anne Rose", 
Willow said and smiled.

"Yes, she was a brilliant painter. As far as I am concerned she was 
one of best of her generation. How did you get these? She died a 
couple years back and some of these would be worth hundred of 
thousands of dollars", Joyce told her and then saw the shadows cross 
Willow face.

"She was a brilliant painter, she was my mother", Willow sighed. 

Joyce stood there and suddenly it made sense, she knew that Anne Rose 
had died from a tumor. "Willow, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's ok, you wouldn't. Now how about that coffee," Willow asked, a 
bittersweet smile crossing her face. 

Joyce took one last look at the painting and followed Willow into the 
kitchen. She was surprised to see that the kitchen was spotless, "You 
seemed to have been busy."

"I wanted to get things settled as soon as I could so I worked all 
night last night. I don't have a lot of time and a lot to do. We did 
Dawn's room yesterday. She gets cranky if she doesn't sleep and a 
cranky two-year-old is so not what I need right now. I worked on the 
kitchen last night, so at least I could cook. All I really have to do 
is put things on the wall and finish my room and we'll have it 
licked. Why don't we move to the living room and get comfortable?" 
Willow said, leading the older women into the living room. 

Joyce stopped at the shelf on one side of the living room and let out 
a slow whistle, "Willow, my god you have albums. Pink Floyd, Jethro 
Tull, ABBA, Eric Clapton, oh wow."

"They were my mom's and some where Merrick's. I even have a record 
player. Sometime if you want you can come over and we can listen to 
them when I get it set up and I'll show you some of the other 
paintings I have of Moms."

"I would love that. CD's are nice but sometimes you just want to hear 
the imperfections of an album."

"I agree. When I was a kid, my mom's favorite way to wake me up on 
Sunday's was to blare `Dancing queen' at full blast. She thought it 
was torture but I loved it. So Mrs. Giles what brings you over today"?

"Please call me Joyce. Mrs. Giles seems so formal." 

Willow studied the women on the couch, "It is formal and you are my 
Watcher's wife, so I have to be formal."

"Did you call Merrick mister?"

"No?he, he was different, he hated formalities," Willow said smiling 
when she thought about the old man who had came to her when she was 
thirteen going on and on about the creatures of the night. It had 
taken him days to convince her he was telling her the truth.

"Me too, I give you permission to call me Joyce. Would it help if I 
ordered it," Joyce asked knowing enough that a slayer wouldn't ignore 
a watcher's orders but not sure if his wife counted.

"Yes ma'am it would. As Mr. Giles wife I could not refuse", Willow 
answered stiffly, hating the rules that Merrick had taught her but 
had refused to follow himself.

"Good, now relax and to answer your question I came over to invite 
you to dinner. I was thinking that maybe if you got to know me you 
would trust me enough to look after Dawn when you went back to 
slaying."

"Mrs. Gil?Joyce," Willow started, "I couldn't put that on you. Dawn 
can be a handful sometimes. Not usually but sometimes."

"Willow stop, I know how kids are, I have one remember." 

Willow thought about the blonde girl she met the other day. Yes she 
defiantly remembered her. How could she not, Buffy had occupied many 
of her thoughts in the last couple of days, not that she could do 
anything about the thoughts but they were there none the less. 

"It would be easier to have someone who knew what I did. Someone who 
could protect her if something happened. Mrs. Joyce you do realize 
that if the demon population finds out about her, they may try to use 
her against me."

"I understand and I'll do everything I can to protect her", Joyce 
answered.

"Ok, that's one less thing I have to worry about. Now I am betting 
you have other question for me", Willow asked and took a drink of her 
coffee.

"Yes, what happened to your father?"

"Nothing he lives in New York with my older sister. He's a writer. He 
calls me once a month to find out how I am but we really haven't seen 
each other since my mother died."

"You have another sister?" Joyce asked surprised. "Why don't you live 
with them?"

"I don't think he ever got over their divorce and my mother's 
remarriage and I was a constant reminder of that. I was too much like 
my mother and I don't think he could handle having me around on a 
regular basis. There no way he could've handled Dawn. Dawn's father 
was killed right after my mom found out she was pregnant. It was kind 
of ironic that a vampire killed the stepfather of the vampire slayer. 
He was a truck driver, he was out of town at the time, there was 
nothing I could do."

"I'm sorry," Joyce said and pulled the red head into a hug, knowing 
how guilty the young girl had to feel. 

Willow stiffened at the close contact. 

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable", Joyce said.

"No it's ok, I'm just not used to physical contact. My mom wasn't a 
touchy feely person, she kind of lived in her own world of paint. I 
try hard to be affectionate be with Dawn but it's just weird with 
someone else. I'm a pretty distant and more then one person has 
called me cold but I have to be. I can't let a bunch of emotions get 
in the way."

"I guess I can understand how you could have to be like that. Will 
you come to dinner? It's Friday and I'm sure I'll have Xander and 
Cordy for dinner and two more would be better. I love to cook when I 
can."

"Ok, I'm going to go over to the college this afternoon anyway to 
sign up for winter classes so the day is shot to hell from the get 
go."

"You're planning on going to school? How?"

"I went to UCLA. I was a sophomore there and I really don't want to 
dropout. I got my GED. Education is very important to me."

"You're a very unusual teenager. Maybe you'll wear off on the other 
kids.", Joyce laughed. 

Upstairs Willow heard Dawn whine, "Well Dawn's up, so I ought to go 
get her and head out. Mrs. Joyce thank you for coming over and you 
are welcome anytime." 

Joyce got up and went to the door, "Ok I'll see you tonight then."

"Yes thank you."





"Hey Buff, how'd you get roped into spending you lunch in the 
library?" Xander asked as he and Cordy came through the door.

"Dad's wigging out about something some friend of his called about 
earlier. You know how he is, so here I am trying to get some info off 
this `infernal machine', as he so fondly calls it," Buffy answered 
standing and stretching.


Cordy looked at the computer screen and gasped, "You're joking right, 
rain of toads?"

Buffy shrugged her shoulders, "Had to start someplace."

"Only your warped mind could come up with that as a starting point," 
Xander chuckled and flopped down in a chair next to his best friend.

"It was this or bury myself in those damn dusty, stinky books," Buffy 
whispered.

"I heard that, young lady," Giles yelled from his office.

Buffy covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to cover her 
giggle, "Sorry, Dad. Hey I thought the Slayer was supposed to have 
super hearing, not the Watcher?"

"They do but I have father hearing, way more powerful. Never forget 
it," Giles said sticking his head out of the office. "By the way 
Buffy your mother called and told me to invite Mr. Harris and Miss. 
Chase to dinner tonight. She already invited Willow and Dawn."

"Cool sounds good, G-man," Xander said and laughed when he saw Giles 
scowl and return to his office.

"Bronze after?" Buffy asked her friends.

"Any other place to be on a Friday night?" Cordy said from her spot 
across from Xander, filing her nails. 

"Hear that Buffy, Willow's going to be there for dinner?" Xander 
asked.

Buffy eyes clouded over as the image of the red headed Slayer filled 
her head, "Yeah!"

"Buffy's gotta crush," Cordy said picking up from the other night.

"Do not."

"Do so."

"Nuh uh"

"Yes uh"

"Do not," Buffy started and then looked at the disbelieving faces of 
her best friends. "Ok, maybe a little one."  

"Now see don't you feel better after you've admitted it?" Xander said 
patting her on the shoulder.

"Now what are we going to do about it?" Cordy asked smiling at her 
friend encouragingly. 

Buffy sighed, "We aren't going to do anything. I'm not going to do 
anything and the world will keep on turning."

"Why?" Xander said looking at her.

"Come on guys, she like this super human. What the hell is she going 
to see in me? I'm just some airhead blonde kid to her."

"Buffy?"

"No Xander, lets just leave it alone. Please?" Buffy said returning 
her attention to her computer.

Xander shook his head and opened the book closest to him.