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EXCELLENT development, thank you.
Great to see more of this, and I hope to be able to
read more soon. Though I have to admit I keep knocking my head against the wall
waiting for these two to FINALLY get together. :)
-Daenerys
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 5:14
PM
Subject: ~Buffy*Wants*Willow~ Ficlet:
Understandings In Rome
Title: Understandings In Rome
Writer:
E
Rating: Still PG-13, but for how long?
Disclaimer: They
STILL won't let me own these characters! The
nerve! They're
owned by Mutant Enemy, Fox, yadda yadda yadda.
Spoilers: The usual,
anything Buffy or Angel up to now.
Summary: Continuing the Rome
series, from Conversation In Rome,
Complications In Rome, and Phone
Conversation In Rome. Willow's
visit with Buffy and Dawn has been
surprise after surprise. First
surprise was Dawn trying to set her
up with her sister. Second was
learning that Buffy had had a
romantic relationship with fellow
Slayer Faith. Third was learning
that everyone around them except
her and Angel not only knew about it, but
knew how Buffy and Willow
felt about each other since they had met.
And now, Buffy has
another visitor...
Buffy:
Whistler?
Whistler: Hey, Slayer. How's Rome treatin'
ya?
Buffy: Good. So, what brings you to Rome? Just
doing the tourist
thing, or is this a business
call?
Whistler: Both. I'm here on business, but I always
like to check
the sites when I'm in town.
Buffy: Good for
you. So, what do the Powers That Be want THIS
time? What new
apocalypse is on the horizon to ruin my week?
Whistler: Hey, it
isn't all about apocalypses. The front office
thought you wanted
some answers, so here I am.
Buffy: Ah. Well, THAT'S
different. It's usually some cryptic
rumblings and leaving me
without a map.
Whistler: Yeah, well, those are the rules.
Not that you ever payed
attention to the rules.
Buffy: And
I'm not about to start.
Whistler: Good to hear. It's
nice to know that some things are
constant in this world.
Buffy: You know, I'd get things done more efficiently if I could
get some straight answers from you guys for once.
Whistler:
Well, today's your lucky day, because that's what I'm
here to give
ya. So, ask away.
Buffy: Huh?
Whistler: What
you've been wanting to know for the last three years.
Buffy:
Oh. (pause) OK... Why am I here?
Whistler: You
like Italy?
Buffy: No. Well, yeah, I love it. But
that's not what I'm
asking... which, of course, you're well
aware. Why am I alive?
Whistler: Why do you THINK you're
alive?
Buffy: Sigh... The only answer Giles could give me
was I had a
calling...
Whistler: Good
answer.
Buffy: But... EVERY Slayer has a calling.
They normally don't
return from the grave for it.
Whistler:
Yeah, usually they're replaced... Or, they used to be,
at any
rate. You and your girlfriend changed that.
Buffy:
Yeah... (smile) Did your bosses plan THAT
one?
Whistler: (smiling) Nah. They didn't see THAT
coming. You're
always doin' that to 'em. Drives 'em
crazy. Now, they got who
knows HOW many active Slayers in the
world. Made things chaotic
back at the office. And then
there's having two vampires with a
soul, now, throwin' off all their
plans... Which, naturally, you're
responsible
for.
Buffy: Just pointed him in the right direction. He
chose to take
it.
Whistler: Yeah, that he did. But he
wouldn't have done it if it
weren't for you. I mean, really, a
vampire seeking OUT his soul?
Fighting for it? Takes one hell
of a woman to get people to do the
impossible.
Buffy: So,
that's what me being back was about?
Whistler: I TOLD ya, they
didn't see that coming.
Buffy: Then, what WAS
it?
Whistler: Well, you saw what was goin' on when you dug
yourself out
of the grave. There was nothin' to stop the bad guys on
the
Hellmouth. The active Slayer was in the cooler, so you were
needed,
still. So, they intervened.
Buffy: Put the idea
into Willow's head? Helped her do it?
Whistler: Well, she
had the idea, herself... Couldn't let you go.
The Powers made
sure she was able to pull it off, just like they did
when Angel lost his
soul.
Buffy: (pause) Even then. Do you know
how much that ended up
costing her?
Whistler:
Yeah... Everything has it's price. But, that was
something she
had to go through, to get where she is, now. Heroes
always have to
go through trials, confront their own darkness, to
get where they need to
go.
Buffy: People died!
Whistler: Yeah, but
maybe it's the fact that while I work to
maintain the balance between Good
and Evil, I'm still a demon, so
I'm not too broken up about a couple of
guys who really did have it
coming. You and your friends made sure
no one else got killed.
That counts for a lot. And there were
other forces at work, there.
It turned out the Powers That Be
weren't the only major players
interested in you two. The head of
the opposition had her own ideas
in mind.
Buffy: The
First.
Whistler: Right the first time.
Buffy: And me
being alive made it possible for the First to act. I
disrupted the
Slayer line.
Whistler: Yeah, but if you'd hadn't come back that
night, the
Master would have opened the Hellmouth and destroyed the
world.
And, assuming that didn't work out, Acathla would have done
it.
Then, there were those two OTHER times the Hellmouth was nearly
opened, not to mention the Assension...
Buffy: Yeah, yeah,
you don't need to list my accomplishments. So,
was this another case
of a price being payed? The First getting
it's
opportunity?
Whistler: Everything's give and take. She saw
her chance.
Buffy: You keep referring to the First as a
"she". Don't think the
First has a gender.
Whistler:
Well, that's how the First started thinking of itself.
Because of
the Slayers. That's where you get your power from.
That's why
you throwing the line off gave her the opportunity to
act.
Buffy: So, when those witch doctor guys put that demon power
into
the first Slayer, they were REALLY into using evil to fight
evil...
So, it tried to kill the entire Slayer
line.
Whistler: She didn't intend to kill you. Her people
were under
orders NOT to kill you.
Buffy: Yeah, I kind
of figured that when that ubervamp didn't go
after me but kept going after
the others. But why did the First
want me
alive?
Whistler: She wanted to be physical. You were an
anomoly when you
came back the first time. So, she figured she'd
eliminate all the
others carrying her power, leaving only you. Then,
she wanted to
get intimate with you, in a very long term binding
way. But, you
and your girlfriend did the spell that REALLY kept her
power from
being centered.
Buffy:
"Girlfriend"... I wish...
Whistler: You two have been
attached since you met.
Buffy: Yeah, but... It's
never gone the way I'd like it to.
Whistler: Heh... Look at
you. Taken on everything the world's
thrown at her, and won.
Stopped the apocalypse several times over.
And you're afraid of
THIS.
Buffy: I'm not afraid! It's
just...
Whistler: You loved her from the moment you met...
Do you remember
what you told her that first night at that club you used
to go to?
Buffy: (pause) Seize the moment.
Whistler: Mm hmm. Good advice.
Buffy:
Yeah... (pauses) Yeah, it is.
Whistler: So,
did I come through with the answers?
Buffy: Yeah... Yeah,
you did. Thank you.
Whistler: Any
time.
Willow: "It's a good fight,
Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy: "I kinda love
you."
--'Choices'
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Willow: "It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy: "I kinda love you."
--'Choices'
Community email addresses:
Post message: buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subscribe: buffywantswillow-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Unsubscribe: buffywantswillow-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
List owner: buffywantswillow-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shortcut URL to this page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buffywantswillow
Official archive for the list:
http://www.ikoly.com/fanfic
Other links to Buffy/Willow fics:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buffywantswillow/links
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