Chapter Three
"So Harm is the queen geek falling for our little tale?" Cordelia asked as the two pulled into her new house that evening. She had a gleam in her eyes that told Harmony she loved crushing Willow a little too much.
"I think so but Core…"
"No buts Harm. She's non-important so it doesn't matter how she feels when this is over. All that matters is that we get to squash the gum under our shoes yet again and maybe go buy a new pair." Cordelia beamed in delight as she lifted her bags from Harmony's car. The two had gone shopping for most of the afternoon and, by the looks of Cordy's bags, put a dent in their parent's credit cards.
"You made me late to pick her up and so it may be squashed before you get to do any squashing." Harmony said with a smile and pulled out of the driveway.
As she pulled into Willow's driveway and stepped out of the car, she heard some noise from inside the house. She checked her watch and saw that it was 8:30pm and fully dark. It wasn't uncommon for the daylight hours to begin waning early on in the fall but not completely at this hour. "Willow?" The impatient Cordette called, not having a clue that something was going on inside the house.
As the door opened, Harmony's eyes went wide. A big orange creature had opened the door and made a grab for her. Luckily for her, Sheila Rosenberg was right behind it with a tranquilizer gun. "Oh my God!" Harmony yelled and turned towards her car then spun back around to see tears in Willow's eyes.
Willow had tried to help her mother subdue her father before he made it to the door but they were unsuccessful. She knew now that her world was ended and the pretty teen would run for the hills for sure. She also figured that on her way to the hills, she would spread the news about this freaky thing that was inside Willow's house. All her figuring's were put to rest however when Harmony moved to her and embraced her in a hug.
Harmony knew that the best thing for her to do was run off and forget this little scheme of Cordy's no matter the cost to her social standing. When she saw Willow's grief stricken face and teary-eyes however, she just couldn't do it. "Willow, it's all right." She said and wiped the tears from the shaking redhead's eyes.
"No it isn't Harmony." Willow said as she sobbed into the blonde's shoulder. "You don't understand!" Willow spoke a little more loudly than she had anticipated but couldn't help it. She had tried so hard to keep this secret and now all was lost. When I was thirteen, my father and I were walking home from Tony's pizza Rama. This big orange thing made a grab for me but dad jumped in front of me. It covered him in hot red stuff and tore off his leg and then this man with yellow eyes came out of nowhere and killed it. We took dad to the hospital and he survived but he's blind minus the times that he's a demon. His skin is scarred and he only has one leg." Willow said as her body shook harder with the memories of what happened to her once loving father. "Only Xander knows about it and that's why I can't bring anyone to my house. He doesn't want to be seen plus during the full moon's, we have to lock him in the basement because he turns into whatever that orange demon was."
"Harmony could you take her out of here for a little while?" A haggard looking Sheila Rosenberg asked. The woman's life over the last three years had been spent sheltering her husband from the citizens of Sunnydale both to protect her name and Willow's teenage reputation. She had worked tirelessly to ensure that she and Willow were safe from his monthly demonic romp's but she didn't know how much longer she could go on doing this. How much longer could she hold out hope that her loving Husband, Ira, would come back to her before going on with her life? "I'll be safe as soon as I get him to the basement and she's not in any shape to help me."
"Sure," Harmony said in a shocked voice as she led Willow to her car. Neither girl saw a vampire watching from a distance and on the other side of the house, the 10th grade Cordette along with some guy were slipping back to a car.
"You don't have to do this Harmony but I beg you, please don't tell the rest of the kids. You can let them rag on me for everything else but not this." Willow pleaded with the blonde.
A lump welled up from the pit of Harmony's stomach into her throat. She knew, at that instant, that she could not go through with Cordelia's plan to run Willow to the ground. "I won't say a word Willow, I promise." Harmony leaned over towards the passenger seat and pulled Willow into a firm hug. "I am so so sorry Willow. I had no idea that your life was in such a state." As Harmony held the trembling redhead, she reflected on how hard it had to have been on Willow in dealing with her father's tragedy at home and then the Cordettes at school. She made a vow to herself that her days of berating the redhead were long gone even if it meant giving up the social status that she worked so hard to gain. Social status meant nothing if you had to further damage an already broken human being to get it.
Harmony held Willow and wiped her tears with an occasional gentle kiss until the redhead seemed to settle down a bit. "Thanks," Willow said softly as Harmony started the car.
"It's all right Willow." Harmony replied and headed up the street towards her own house.
As they pulled in, Willow saw someone fighting across the street. She looked over and saw Faith and Buffy managing to fight off a vampire and barely get him staked. "Can we go inside or is it to late?" Willow asked hurriedly in order to keep Harmony from seeing Buffy. The view from her yard was not a bad one at all due to the security lights that flashed on and off.
"No it's fine," Harmony said and closed the garage door. "You want to stay here tonight?" The blonde asked as they entered the house. "Hey dad," Harmony called, as Willow nodded yes to Harmony's question.
"Hi Harm," Marty Kendall, a wealthy real-estate mogul, said with a smile. "I see you two didn't make it back in time for dinner but there is some left overs in the kitchen." He smiled and shook Willow's hand. The man's actions reminded Willow of her own father greatly. As to where her mother was more aloof, her father was friendly and outgoing with everyone he met. He went out of his way to make everyone feel welcome in his presence and always had a kind smile and word that seemed to uplift whomever he was in contact with.
"Maybe you can have something light." Harmony said to Willow and directed her towards the kitchen. She knew the redhead was probably too upset to eat much but hoped she would have a little something to carry her over till morning.
- - - - - - -
Buffy and Faith ran up the street at a frantic pace. The two teens had managed to get a lead on Angelus' whereabouts and called Spike. "This looks like Red's house." Faith said, as she loaded up her crossbow and Buffy got behind her a ways to keep her covered. "The door is wide open."
"He told us not to go in till he got here Faith. I mean we know what we're doing but he said it will take brute strength to fight with Angelus." Buffy muttered as the brunette went inside the house.
As Faith stepped into the foyer, she Saw Sheila Rosenberg on the floor still in a weakening struggle for her life. Angelus was drinking from her with a satisfied look on his face. She loaded the crossbow and fired with it hitting him in the shoulder. Angelus howled and rose to his feet, as Buffy sneaked around the side and grabbed up the still breathing Sheila Rosenberg. "Run B!" Faith shouted and made a mad dash for the door.
"We don't have time to go after him!" Buffy shouted as she got Sheila into Spike's car.
"You take her," Spike yelled and jumped out of the car to assist Faith.
As Buffy sped off with Sheila, Spike and Faith battled Angelus until the vampire escaped them both. "Is she gonna be ok?" Faith asked as the two stepped back inside the house.
"I think so," Spike looked around for a phone number to call. "I wonder where Mister Rosenberg is." Spike queried and got his answer when he saw a dying Worf demon on the floor. "I saved him once but I don't think I can this time."
- - - - - - - -
Willow and Harmony were relaxed on Harmony's plush bed. "Thanks for helping me. I never expected that you would." Willow said in a tired voice.
"I never expected that I would either Willow. Sometimes we all grow up I guess." Harmony said and moved closer to the redhead to get a gentle kiss.
"You have more unicorns?" Willow noticed that there was a couple that she had not yet seen on the computer desk. "They're cute but is there a purpose for collecting them?"
"Sure," Harmony said as she rubbed Willow's shoulders. "The way the story goes, the unicorn was left out of the ark all alone when the floods ravaged the earth. That's kinda how I feel most of the time. I follow Cordelia blindly and play her silly games to keep from being alone. The unicorn was forever playing silly games and hiding and so that's what I do. I hide my true self because I fear being alone like the unicorn was. It's part of doing anything to be accepted. I'm just like everyone else Willow in that all I want is to be happy and I am most of the time but the fear of being shut out makes me do crazy things. The fear of what will happen if everyone knows what I really am makes me hide and I'll probably end up washed away like that unicorn was because of it."
Willow was shocked at the depth the blonde was able to use while explaining her situation. She had always thought of Harmony as Cordelia's shallow sidekick and was beginning to realize that she and the blonde had more in common then she could ever imagine. "I always saw you as having it all, I mean, I'm the one who wasn't accepted and liked. You had all the boys after you and were friends with Cordelia. I…"
"Being friends with Cordelia requires a certain way of behaving, dressing and you have to meet her standards on a daily basis or you are out. Spending this time with you has shown me that that's not really what friendship is about and I thank you for that. No matter where we end up in life or what happens to this thing we're building here, I will always thank you for that." Harmony said and kissed Willow again. She supposed that once Willow found out of the initial plan that she had with Cordy, their time together would be over. She knew for a fact that once she refused the plan, she would no longer be a Cordette either and wondered if she was strong enough to take that risk. Everything that was moral within the blonde screamed for her to abandon this plan to hurt Willow; while another part of her, the insecure Cordette part, warned her not to give up her social standing for Willow and continue on with the plan.
Harmony pulled Willow closer and kissed her more passionately as her cell phone rang. She begrudgingly answered it, "what's up Buffy?"
"Listen I know Willow was supposed to have dinner at your house," Buffy began nervously. "Um, Spike and I saw her mom being taken to the hospital, is she by chance, still there?"
"Yeah she's here," Harmony handed Willow the phone and got up to put her shoes back on.
"Willow, Angelus was in your house. Your mom was still alive when Faith and I got to her and so we got her to the hospital. You should get there right away. We didn't catch Angelus either." Buffy said and quickly hung up the phone.
"I'll drive you," Harmony said and stood up to go tell her father while Willow ran a comb through her hair and put her shoes on.
- - - - - - -
When the two arrived at the hospital, they found Giles in the waiting room. "It's all right Giles," Willow confirmed, "she knows about this stuff."
"Willow part of the deal was not for you to run around telling the entire town about…"
"She didn't tell me anything, even us shallow blonde's know what goes on at night around here." Harmony added as Cordelia came racing into the waiting room.
"I saw your car outside on my way home. Are you all right?" Cordelia looked concerned, which caused the blonde to be more torn.
"I brought Willow here," she motioned to the redhead who was talking with Giles about whatever had happened. "Look Core, there are things going on with her and I think we should wait on this little joke." Harmony tried to reason with the brunette in hopes that it would buy her some time to figure out how to get out of this mess.
"We have a back up plan Harm." Cordy smiled and withdrew some photos. "I just finished developing these pictures Teresa and Josh took outside Willow's home. Wait till I have it posted in the school paper with the headline, Rosenberg has freak for a father!" Cordy slapped her hands together in triumph. "Teresa said that she heard Willow telling you the sob story. This is going to be priceless."
Normally the blonde would be smiling in delight over Cordy's brilliant plan but not this time. Harmony looked over at her friend and then back at Willow and then something snapped. Before she realized what was going on, her fist was connecting with Cordy's mouth. "Cordy her mother is in the hospital and how would you like to have to live with a father like that!" Harmony shouted not realizing how that was going to sound if it reached Willow's ears.
"Harmony Kendall, you will pay for this you stupid little bitch! Without us, you have nothing!" Cordy turned on her heel and stomped out of the lobby, as Willow approached Harmony.