Laying Down the Law
Disclaimer: I don't own W.I.T.C.H. or any of the characters.
Time Period: Two years after the end of the second season. Set during the summer after Will's sophomore year in high school. This fic is set about a month before "Evening Walks."
"So, Matt can come camping with us?" Will clarified, making sure that she had heard her mother properly.
"Yes, he can, but there need to be some rules," Susan replied firmly, her pursed lips conveying the seriousness of the topic.
"Yes! Thank you!" Will cheered, jumping in the air. Treading forward, she embraced the older woman before pulling away and considering the second part of her sentiment. Will thought she had a good idea of her mom's proposed guidelines. "Rules, huh? Let me guess… you're going to triple chain lock my bedroom door so Matt won't be able to get in at night?"
"I wasn't thinking of anything extreme, but now that you mention it that sounds like a good idea."
Will eyed Susan's face for a sign of humor—a smile, a laugh, anything—but there was nothing. Could she really be serious? An elongated groan poured from Will's mouth in response. "Seriously? It's not like we'll do anything! We're too young. We're only sixteen!"
"Exactly, honey. You're a sixteen-year-old girl and Matt's a sixteen-year-old boy." Susan laid a hand on Will's shoulder. "I don't want you doing anything that you'll regret. Kids your age are so loose nowadays."
"Mommm!" she groaned again, internally cursing when her cheeks heated in a blush. "We don't wanna, you know…"
Will flicked her eyes to the counter, her vision zooming in on the black and white specks in the marble. Perhaps focusing on something else would make it easier for her to discuss this awkward topic. "Have sex right now. I mean, Matt might," she murmured in a barely audible voice, her cheeks darkening, "but he's not gonna pressure me."
"I know. Matt's a good boy. He's a gentleman." Susan wrapped the teen in a hug. "I was joking about locking your door. I'm not gonna do that. I trust you. But Matt is sleeping on the couch-bed… and Dean and I will be sleeping two hundred feet away if one of you decides to do somethi-"
"Yeah, Mom. We're totally gonna do it for the first time when we're in an R.V. with you and Dean. 'Cause that's so romantic." Will rolled her eyes. Laughing, she curved her arms around Susan and reciprocated the affection.
"I'm your mother. Someone has to lay down the law."
"No one does it like you," Will retorted, sticking her tongue out.
"You're gonna pay for that, young lady!" Susan cried, tying her raven colored hair into a ponytail. This action (along with her smirk) showed that she was in an unusually playful mood.
"Why? What're you gonna do?"
"What do you think?" Susan settled her arms in a runner's stance.
"You wanna a chase, old woman? I'll give you a chase!" Will leered, taking off and running out of the small kitchen. She could hear the thudding symphony of her mother's footsteps behind her.
"I'm not old!"
"Yes, you are!" Spotting their red couch, Will sprinted behind it, leading Susan around the piece of furniture in continuous laps. "I'd like to see you catch this swimmer!" she taunted.
"They say the best things come with age, dear!"
"Psh! Don't give me that!"
"I'll give you whatever I want."
"And I'll run from you 'til your legs fall off."
"You'll get tired eventually."
"No, I won't. I have good endurance," Will hollered.
"Prove it! Prove that your endurance is so great, Little Miss Tough Stuff!" Susan yelled back, advancing on the girl.
So she did. She darted around the living room until Susan was coughing and gasping for breath and needed to collapse on the couch. As Will plunked down next to her mother and the cushions gave beneath them, she couldn't help but feel victorious. Her mom may have been a pro at enforcing rules, but Will had her own unique way of exerting control: physical torture via exercise.
Author's Note: I've always hated the W.I.T.C.H. fanfics that characterize Susan as Will's antagonist for no valid reason. I also hate the fics that include constant and relentless bickering in Will and Susan's mother-daughter relationship. I feel that it is an unbalanced and unrealistic dynamic. Sure, Will and Susan have their fair share of arguments and power struggles during the era of the show, but Susan is the only parent that Will can go home to at the end of the day. As a result, I think they'd be very close. Hence why I wrote this fanfic: to demonstrate their bond and rebel against the normal fanon depiction of their relationship.
I already know that I could get crap for my opinions on Will and Matt's sexual relationship in their adolescent years (or lack thereof), so I'm going to explain my stance. Yes, Will and Matt are both teenagers filled with raging hormones and they're in a committed relationship. However, people seem to forget that Will has had issues with her father. When a girl doesn't have a proper father figure it often impacts her relationships with boys. Some girls seek the validation that they didn't receive from their fathers in the form of physical relations with boys, while others may put a lot of care and thought into that decision (the one regarding who they do and don't have relations with).
I personally can't see Will being emotionally ready for that type of relationship with Matt in her teenage years for that exact reason. She would need to conquer her demons before being ready for a step that big. I can't see her going to the extreme I just mentioned. (Sleeping around, that is.) It doesn't make sense to me. On the other hand, I can't see her waiting until marriage either... probably just 'til she's college age and "an adult." Waiting until marriage would be too conservative for her.
I also don't think she'd be mature enough for sex at that age and seeing the occasional pregnant girl at Sheffield would freak her out. (I don't doubt that girls at private schools get pregnant.) As would Taranee's potential informational lectures about STDs. :P