FIC: The Two - [8/24] - R

[Andy Stoffel <see2go4me@xxxxxxxxx>]

TITLE: The Two (8/24)
AUTHOR: -Andy- (see2go4me@xxxxxxxxx)
RATING: R (For future violence and Adult situations) 
STATUS: A WiP.
DISCLAIMER: This is a derivative work. All characters belong to
Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox Television, and others. I don't
own any of this, just the words gluing my story together. I
would like to think the plot was original but I'm sure it isn't.
SUMMARY: Buffy meets a different kind of Willow in an alternate
universe. (It really is gonna be a B/W folks. Soon.)
SPOILERS: All seasons of BtVS. Let's pretend Season 5 of Angel
didn't happen.
DISTRIBUTION: buffywantswillow, ikoly, and my blog fanfic pages.
Anyone else, e-mail me please.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: 
[1] Reminder - I write slowly. The next installment of this fic
will probably be posted in July.
[2] Feedback welcome/desired. Especially the kind that helps me
write better.
[3] The previous 7 parts can be found in the archives for this
list, on Ikoly, and my blog (along with the occasional spoilers
for future parts).
[4] This part is a bit light and fluffy. And short. Don't expect
such things to last.

- - -

Part VIII Title: "Training Days"

- - -

She'd just finished her extended T'ai Chi routine when she felt
herself being watched. Turning towards the door to the library,
Buffy noticed that it was slightly open. The slight tingling on
the edge of her senses had what could only be described as a
smoky flavor. Buffy knew it could only be one person. So far
only one other person tugged at her slayer senses like that and
the mental 'flavor' she got around them was very different.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" she said loudly. The door slide
open the rest of the way and Dawn cautiously entered the room.

"The teachers are doing something today. Some kind of
touchy-feely thing. So they gave the rest of us the day off."
She looked at Buffy curiously. "What were you doing? It looked
sort of like T'ai Chi."

"It is." She smiled slightly. "There are several different
styles. The first one I was taught is one of the longer ones."

"Where did you learn it?"

"An old boyfriend spent some time in China a long time ago and
he taught me what he'd learned." Buffy answered.

"Oh..." There wasn't much she could say to that without
appearing too nosy. "Why do you do it?"

"You mean besides the obvious physical benefits that come from
practicing any of the martial arts?" She shrugged. "It's a form
of meditation. When I do it I feel a connection with myself that
I don't get with other forms of meditation."

"Oh..." Dawn said again, feeling like a broken record.

"You must do something similar?" Buffy asked her. "You're a
slayer and anything that helps you work with and control your
strength should be high on your training list."

"I've been learning to meditate but nothing like that."

"Well, if you want to learn it while I'm here I can help you
with the basics." Buffy offered.

"Okay. Thanks. You don't mind if I watch do you?" Dawn asked
hesitantly.

"No, that's fine. I can't guarantee any excitement." she told
her. "I'm just working on the basics today."

"Great!" she said, settling down against a wall where she had a
good view of the action.

- - -

Taking a break from a steady barrage of punches and kicks aimed
at the sole practice dummy in the room, Buffy glanced at the
young slayer, trying to gage her reaction to what she was going
to say.

"Do you get a chance to spar with anyone?" She asked.

"Some but not very often. Ms. Rosenberg works with me on
different fighting techniques but I can't really hit her very
hard." She looked slightly embarrassed. "I accidentally knocked
her out once."

"Do you get a chance to train with any other slayers?" Buffy
asked. She'd gotten the impression earlier from talking with
Willow that there were other slayers but the Coven's library and
the occult section in the bookshop had been empty of anything
related to slayers or even vampires. This seemed to be as good
an opportunity as any to find some things out.

"Not yet. All of the slayers in the three slayer lines get
together once every seven years." She said. "But I haven't been
one long enough to have gone to the last meeting."

"What if one of the other slayers needs help?" Buffy asked
curiously.

"We all help out then. But that hasn't happened in over a
century."

Buffy filed that information away for later consideration. "If
Ms. Rosenberg agrees I would be willing to spar with you
occasionally. I can take a lot more punishment than she can."
Buffy knew she was partially changing her earlier decision to
not involve herself in training Dawn but sparring really wasn't
the same thing. The few vampires she'd caught stalking Dawn
hadn't been enough of a challenge to satisfy her need for close
quarter fighting and she really missed working out with someone
close to her own strength.

"I'll ask her tonight." Dawn looked at her. "I can let you
know."

"She knows where to find me if she agrees to it." Buffy replied
before going back to hitting the dummy.

"Great!" said an enthusiastic Dawn before once more sitting back
against her chosen portion of training room wall while closely
watching the other woman.

- - -

"Ms. Rosenberg?"

"Yes Dawn?"

"Would you mind if I sparred with Buffy Summers?"

"When?" She looked at Dawn, wondering when jealousy had turned
into interest.

"Several times a week?" Dawn said hopefully.

"I'll have to think about it. I haven't seen her in action yet.
If you can learn something from it, sure." Willow looked closely
at her slayer. "If you are just trying to avoid your regular
training I would have to say no."

"Is that a yes or no?" Dawn asked impatiently.

"It's a maybe. I'll need to talk with her and check her out
myself first."

"Thanks!" Dawn said and headed off to her next class.

- - -

"Do you like her?"

Sitting behind the bookshop's counter, Buffy looked up in
surprise from the book she was reading. The young slayer
standing in the door seemed to exude an emotion she couldn't
quite identify. She assumed it was related to the question which
seemed to have come out of the blue. "Like who?"

"Ms. Rosenberg." Dawn answered like it should have been obvious
to all concerned whom she meant.

"She does remind me of a former friend, except she seems several
years younger. And happier." Buffy answered thoughtfully while
trying to gauge the intent behind the question.

"Is that a bad thing?"

Buffy didn't reply immediately, instead lining up the two
Willows in her head and comparing what she knew about Dawn's
Guide with her former friend. Other than the basic physical
similarities, she wasn't able to do it satisfactorily. She just
hadn't spent enough time with this Willow to compare them. She
really didn't know her well enough to commit to more than a
simple answer. "No, it isn't. Why?"

"I think she likes you." Dawn told her.

"What makes you think that?"

"What has she been doing every night for the past week?" Dawn
asked.

"What?" echoed a puzzled Buffy.

"In case you hadn't noticed it, this is a small town. People
notice things and gossip. Rumor has it she's spent an hour or
two at Tony's every night this week."

"So?" asked Buffy.

"Everyone is curious." Dawn shrugged. "And since you seem to
match the description of the person she's supposed to be
spending that time with I thought you might have something to
say."

"And why does this concern you?" Buffy raised an eyebrow at the
younger slayer, who blushed a deep red before answering her.

"You mean other than her being my Guide? Or my responsibility?"
Dawn took a deep breath and continued as fiercely as she could
under the circumstances. "She's a friend. If you hurt her it
won't matter how good you think you are. You'll pay for it."

"That's sweet. Sort of." Buffy grimaced at the protective young
slayer. "But you're presuming a lot based on very little
information."

"No? And the reason she's also been coming here, right after
school all week?"

"She likes books?" a confused Buffy answered.

Dawn sighed in exasperation. "Are you this clueless all of the
time?"

Buffy looked at her blankly, not quite sure where the
conversation was going and not willing to pursue it.

"She doesn't know you're straight, does she?" Dawn said.

"Straight? What does that have to do with anything?" Buffy
looked at her, mystified. "The subject never came up."

"Okay, if you say so." Dawn frowned to herself. "And you know
she isn't?"

"I had a feeling she wasn't but she hasn't said anything to me."
Buffy said quietly. "Why?"

"You don't think she might be interested in more than just
friendship?" Dawn asked curiously.

"No." Buffy answered dismissively and went back to her book in
an attempt to end the conversation.

Neither of them said anything for several minutes.

Noticing Dawn still standing there and beginning to fidget,
Buffy asked her - "So, have you decided if you want to spar with
me occasionally?", in an attempt to change the subject.

"I want to but Ms. Rosenberg wants to see you in action first.
To see what affect sparring with you would have on my regular
training." Dawn said with a slight shrug. "I'm not sure how she
plans to do it. She said she would talk with you."

"Okay. Was there anything else?"

"No, and I really have to go." Dawn said, heading towards the
door. She slipped out of the bookshop with a slight wave to
Buffy before heading down the street.

- - -

Dawn hurried into the smaller training room. She'd managed to
get to the Coven house on time, even with her slight side-trip
across town to the bookshop and having to dodge her Guide on the
way back.

Her visit with Miss Summers hadn't been very successful but
she'd had to try. She preferred to not interfere in Ms.
Rosenberg's personal life but she couldn't avoid it in this
case. It was affecting her choice of a potentially valuable
training partner.

"That was close." Ms. Rosenberg said, entering the room and
smiling at her slayer. "What happened?"

"Umm... I had to run an errand downtown after school." Dawn
shrugged in an attempt to appear nonchalant.

"Okay. What's our rule if you think you're going to be late and
it isn't an emergency?" she asked.

"Let you know and don't rush. You would rather I was late than
an accident happen." Dawn said in serious tone, imitating her
Guide's voice.

"Correct." She frowned at Dawn. "And in this case I'm not
flattered with the imitation. I don't sound like that."

Dawn grinned at her. "If you say so."

"Yes, I do!"

- - -

After spending several minutes warming up, Dawn broached the
subject most on her mind. "Have you had a chance to talk with
Miss Summers about sparring with me yet?"

"What? No. When would I have time to check her out like I
wanted?"

"Well, since you've spent a couple hours every night this week
with her at Tony's you should have had plenty of time to 'check
her out'" Dawn replied with a smirk.

"Hey! How do you know what I've been doing?" Willow exclaimed.

"You've lived here your entire life and you don't know how much
people like to gossip?" Dawn stared at her in feigned amazement.

"Oh.. oh! And I wasn't checking her out!"

"You weren't?" Dawn grinned at her. "People are saying you were
getting awfully close. What were you doing then?"

"Not that it is any of your business," Willow huffed, "but all
we've done is talk."

"It is my business!" Dawn told her firmly. "Anything that
affects you affects me."

"I'm not that important. You would be a slayer whether I was
helping you or not."

"I still need your help with things. And you were going to talk
with her about helping me." Dawn said with a straight face.

"Okay... that was clever. But it still isn't any of your
business." Willow shook her head.

"Do you like her?"

"Would it bother you if I did?" she asked, tilting her head to
one side as she looked curiously at Dawn.

"Maybe. I don't know!" she answered. "We don't know anything
about her and you're ready to ask her to move in."

"Am not!" sputtered the blushing redhead. "And we know a lot
about her."

"No, you and Tara know a lot about her. Which you won't share
with me." Dawn grumbled. "You said it was all too personal."

"Yes, it is. And it has nothing to do with her being in
Sunnydale."

"How can you be sure?"

"I just am." Willow said firmly. "And I believe you have other
things to do than discuss my personal life."

"You do know she's straight? Right?" Dawn asked before taking a
sip from her water bottle, giving it one last try.

"Yes. I know she thinks she's straight." Willow winked
mischievously at her slayer. "Which means you have nothing to be
concerned about. Your sister still has a chance."

Dawn coughed, choking on her water in surprise. "My sister? What
does my sister have to do with any of this?"

"Isn't that why you are so concerned?" Willow grinned at her.

"No! You with my sister is such an epically bad idea that I
can't believe you said that."

"Okay. I'll stop bringing it up if you'll stop trying to play
matchmaker so you can have a sparring partner."

"What?" Dawn's jaw dropped.

"Yes, I do know what you are trying to do." Willow told her,
shaking her head. "And it won't work. You should know better."

"Okay." Dawn muttered. "But if she won't spar with me because of
you I won't be happy."

"You can't always be happy." Willow patted her on the back.
"It'll work out the way it is supposed to."

- - -

After her conversation with Dawn, Buffy was only slightly
surprised when Willow joined her in the smaller training room
several days later just as she was finishing her normal T'ai Chi
routine. "Don't you teach during the day?"

"All of my morning classes are on a field trip." Willow
answered. "So I thought I would come see you. If you don't mind
the company?"

"No, you're welcome to be here. I'm not doing anything
exciting." She noticed what Willow was wearing. She'd only
visited Willow in her classroom once her first week in Sunnydale
and she was pretty sure it hadn't been anything resembling the
outfit she was now in. "Is that how you normally dress when you
teach?"

"Oh, this?" Willow rubbed her hands nervously against the legs
of her pink sweatpants and tugged at the half t-shirt she was
wearing over what looked to Buffy like a spandex body suit. "No.
It wouldn't be appropriate."

"Ah, I didn't think so." Buffy gave her a slight grin. "Your
hormone drenched students would be too busy looking at you to
pay any attention to what you were teaching. I certainly would
have at their age."

"Yes, well..." Willow blushed slightly at the implied
compliment.

"Did you have anything specific in mind?" Buffy asked,
pretending to not noticed how nervous Willow seemed to be. She
didn't mind spending time with Willow. In fact, their nightly
conversations at Tony's had become a highlight of her day. But
encouraging anything more than friendship wasn't a part of her
plans, especially after Dawn had spoken to her about Willow.

"I really wanted to see what you do when you train." Willow told
her. "Dawn has been bugging me to let her at least spar with you
and I promised her I would check you out. Check out your
training methods I mean. Not that there is anything wrong with
the other kind of checking out... unless it bothers you...
because I certainly wouldn't do that..." she told her before
coming to an obviously  embarrassed stop.

Buffy raised an eyebrow at her rambling comment. This was the
first time she'd exhibited such a classic Willowism in Buffy's
presence and she wasn't sure exactly how to characterize the
strange feeling it gave her in the pit of her stomach.

"Okay, we can do that, though you aren't going to learn much
just watching me hit things."

"How else would I do it?"

"You did train Dawn, correct?" Buffy asked. "You've worked with
her on her different fighting techniques?"

"Yes... and I still do. I just can't match her strength or speed
so I focus mostly on demonstrating the different moves she needs
to learn or practice."

"Then you can spar with me. I promise not to hurt you." Buffy
grinned at her. 

"You? And me?" Willow gave Buffy a wide eyed,
deer-in-the-headlights look at the suggestion.

"Yes. Us. Vampires and demons seem a bit scarce right now so
unless you can think of another way that doesn't involve
physical contact there isn't much choice." Buffy smiled at her.
"And I don't bite unless invited."

- - -

TBC in "Part IX - Field Trip"

- - -

Hope y'all enjoyed this installment.

-Andy-


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Willow: "It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy:  "I kinda love you."
                     'Choices'

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