FIC: The red headed Slayer 4/?

["jend1205" <jend1205@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ok I know what this looks like and I promise it is not Willow and 
Tara and I will get to Willow and Buffy but I like to go the long 
way. Thanks for all the good feedback. Jen

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.


Willow sighed when she pulled up in front of a Buffy's house. The 
whole trip home had been full of strange looks from Buffy and crude 
remarks from Spike. She was never so glad to get out of the car, as 
she was right then. Buffy opened the door and yelled for Giles, "Look 
dad Willow brought you a friend home." 

Giles looked at Spike and smiled, "William what a surprise. Please 
come in. How are things in LA? And Angel?"

Buffy shook her head, "Has everyone lost their minds tonight. HE IS A 
VAMPIRE. The Slayer over there fucks him and dad invites him in." 

"Buffy Anne Summers, what has gotten into to you tonight?" Joyce 
yelled.

"Buffy I know that you think that humans good, demons bad, but 
sometimes it doesn't work that way. I would have been dead by now if 
it wasn't for Spike and Angel. As for the sex part, yes I did have 
sex with him and Angel but there are things about me that you cannot 
understand. Things about being a Slayer," Willow tried to explain and 
sat down on the couch next to Buffy.

"Willow, you don't have to explain yourself to Buffy," Joyce told her.

"I know but I want too. Buffy sometimes being the slayer can be too 
much. As much as I wish I could save everyone I can't and that can be 
too much for me to handle. I remember the first person I couldn't 
save, I had nightmares for weeks. She was just a kid and she lost the 
chance to grow old. I was thirteen at the time. That's a hell of a 
thing for someone to handle at any age much less that young," Willow 
told Buffy taking her hand, the tears forming in her eyes. Willow 
closed her eyes trying to fight the tears and the waves of memories 
of that night. Willow never opened her eyes as she began again, "I 
can still remember everything about that night, the smell, the 
sounds, the feel of the air. It was like the wind was calling me, 
telling me that my world was about to change, that the night was 
going to take something from me that I was never going to be allowed 
to have back. I walked around the back of this club. It was a lot 
like your Bronze, mostly high school kids and few from the local 
community college. I can still hear the sound of the bass thumping 
from inside the club. I turned the corner, humming to the music. 
Despite my destiny, despite knowing that I was destined to fight 
until I lost and died, I was hanging to the innocence of a child with 
everything I had. It was last thing in my life I had that was normal. 
At first I didn't really pay much attention to the couple back there. 
It wasn't the first time I had run across people making out in the 
dark alley, away from the prying eyes of the people in the club. 
Maybe if I had I could have saved that girl, if I had been paying 
more attention to my job instead of the damn music floating through 
my head, she would be alive to grow old. As soon as I realized what 
was going on I staked the vamp but it was too late for the girl. I 
watched her slid down the wall onto the cold damp alley and for the 
first time since being called I was horrified at what I was seeing. I 
sat with her as the last of her life pooled around us. I saw the 
regret of the things she never got to say, the goodbyes and I love 
you's to loved ones and friends. I sat with her until the end, and 
then walked away. My innocence died in that dark, disgusting alley 
that night with a girl that I will never know. I'll never be able to 
tell her how sorry I was that I wasn't fast enough or good enough to 
save her." Willow opened her eyes and looked at the group wiping away 
their own tears, "Sometimes you have to find an outlet for all the 
anger and pain that can build up inside. Yes I admit that it is not 
one of my finer points but it beats the alternative of just finding a 
stranger. I knew that Spike or Angel wouldn't hurt me."

"I'm sorry it really isn't any of my business," Buffy said her voice 
full of cracking in emotion for the pain the world must hold for the 
red head.

Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose trying 
to regain his composure, trying to keep the thoughts of his beloved 
stepdaughter having to maybe someday having to face the same 
situation, "Spike what brings you to Sunnydale?"

"Angel sent me down here with a book. He said it had to do with your 
earlier conversation. He wanted to come himself but he couldn't 
leave," Spike said handing the book to Giles.

"My god the council has been looking for this book for years, we 
thought it was lost back in the 1800's. Where the hell did he find 
it?" Giles asked dropping into the nearest chair.

"A bookstore actually but the owner had no idea where it had came 
from."

Giles removed his glasses and began to clean them, "Will you be 
returning to LA now?"

"No, Angel wants me to hang here for a while and watch the Slayers 
ass."

Willow groaned, "He did not mean that literally either Spike."

"I don't know Red, he always did like your ass the best."

"Xander do you still have that stake," Willow said and caught it when 
he threw it at her. "Now William, what did we talk about? We do not 
talk about me like that or so help me god I will forget that I 
promised to never kill someone that works for the council."

"Don't get your panties in a bunch," Spike told her. 

"I'm going to go get Dawn and get out of here," Willow said and 
headed up the stairs to get Dawn. 

Xander laughed and turned toward the blonde vampire, "Man you sure do 
like to live dangerously don't you?"

"Yeah but Red would never hurt me just like I would never hurt her. I 
just like to ruffle her feathers, keep her on her toes. Rupert, I 
have to be honest with you, something in that book scared the hell 
out of him and I've never seen my Sire that scared before."

"Yes well I'm sure we can handle it," Giles said reassuringly looking 
around the room at the concerned faces. "Spike, since you are going 
to be sticking around would you like to help me out with Willow's 
training?" Giles asked hoping to change the subject until he had a 
chance to look through the book Angel had sent.

"Have you had the pleasure of seeing her fight yet?"

"No I haven't. I have been trying to give her a chance to settle in 
before she did her first patrol here." 

Spike chuckled, "You are in for one hell of a surprise then, Watcher. 
I have never seen a Slayer who can fight like she can. By the time 
she had been training for three months she was kicking my ass on a 
daily basis."

"Well then this should be interesting."

"Rupert, I have never said this about a Slayer before but she is 
going to make it to be a little old white haired lady who sits on her 
front porch and yells at the neighborhood kids. She has more skills 
and intelligence then I have ever seen in a Slayer and more 
importantly a fire that will see her through."

"Thank you, Spike. That means a lot coming from you," Willow said 
from the bottom of the steps. She was carrying a half asleep Dawn but 
as soon as the girl saw Spike her eyes opened and she put her arms 
out for him.

"Ike, Ike, mama Ike," she squealed. As soon as she was in his arms 
she began to pat him on the forehead.

"Don't you dare," Willow yelled but she was too late. Spike morphed 
into his game face and Dawn clapped her hand together and laughed.

"You are a pain in my ass. You know I hate when you do that. God do 
you get on my nerves on purpose."

"I missed you too, Pet", Spike teased.

"Don't call me that, I'm not some dog you pat on the head. Come on I 
have to get her home. Where are you staying," Willow asked 
Spike.

"Angel has an apartment in town. I'll be in touch, maybe I'll stop by 
tomorrow."

"You do and I will ship your ashes back to Angel in a box", Willow 
growled and shoved him out the door. "Mrs. Joyce, Giles goodnight. 
Guys thanks for letting me go tonight. I had a good time," Willow 
gave them a small smile. 

Buffy heard Spike say, "Oh no we would want the vampire to ruin your 
date with the cute girl now would we." `She has a date with a girl? 
She's gay? No she slept with Spike. Damn this is to confusing even 
for me', Buffy thought.


The next afternoon Joyce came out onto the front porch and sat down 
beside her daughter. Buffy didn't even hear her come out. She was too 
caught up watching the red head across the street. Willow was out 
weeding the flowerbeds that were in the front yard. She had brought 
out the playpen and Dawn was sitting enjoying the sun. 

"Buffy, what's going on. You haven't said five words all day to 
anyone."

"Nothing, mom. I guess I just have a lot on mind today."

"You want to talk about it?" Joyce asked her daughter seeing the 
confusion in her eyes.

"No not really, not really a `mom can help kinda problem' but thanks."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Willow now would it."

"NO!" Buffy said a little too loudly. Joyce raised her eyebrows.
Buffy sighed, "Ok maybe a little. I just don't understand her."

"And you want to don't you."

"Yeah there's just something about her that I can't explain."

"Buffy, you know that you can talk to me about anything, right?" 
Joyce asked thinking she had finally figured out what was troubling 
her but knowing that it was something that Buffy had to figure out on 
her own. Joyce glanced across the street and prayed that the red head 
was as compassionate with Buffy as she was with her sister.




Willow was cursing the previous owner of her house for letting 
the flowerbeds get this bad when she felt a presence behind her.

"So is this how all the cool college girls hang out on Saturday 
afternoons because if it is then I have been doing it all wrong," 
Tara asked.

"Only the cute ones with no life."

"How are you?"

"Dirty, am I late or are you early?"

"Well I could lie and tell you that you're late but I'm early. I was 
sitting around my dorm room and decided that I wasn't going to get 
anything done so I might as well come early. Can I help?"

"Why couldn't you get anything done might I ask?"

"Well see I met this women the other day and I couldn't get off my 
mind."

"I'm glad that you came early then, now get down here and help me see 
if there is anything in here but weeds. It's not looking encouraging."



Joyce and Buffy sat on the front porch and watched the two young 
girls across the street, "Well they definitely seem to be getting 
along." Joyce sighed feeling bad for Buffy. Joyce watched as Tara 
picked up the hose and crept over to Dawn, who was in her playpen. 
She picked up the small girl and they made their way behind Willow, 
who was bent over, oblivious to what was happening behind her. Tara 
put the sprayer in Dawn hands and helped her pull it. Even Buffy had 
to chuckle when Willow turned around and started to chase the two 
around the yard. She looked like a drowned rat. 


"Hey that was so not fair," Willow said running after them and 
catching them, "And no fair hiding behind the kid." She started to 
tickle them.

"I give, you win," Tara said between laughs. 

"That's more like it," Willow said and got lost in the blue eyes. 
She leaned forward and kissed her.

"I'll get you wet all the time, if that's the reaction I get," Tara 
said and then blushed at the double meaning of what she had just 
said. 

Willow smirked and got up, "Hmm, if you're lucky you might just find 
out." Willow picked up the hose and rinsed her hands and then turned 
the hose on Tara. "Payback's a bitch." 

Tara tried to dodge the water but it was no use, "That was just plain 
evil."

"Aww, I make it up to you later."

"Promise," Tara asked a flash of desire in her eyes.

"Come on lets go in and find you some dry clothes," Willow said and 
took her by the hand. 

"Trying to get me out of my clothes on the first date."

"Do I have to try," Willow asked. 

Tara looked at Willow for a minute and then shook her head, "Probably 
not."