Title: Purple Rain (The Story Formerly Known As "That Night")
Author: lilyme
Summary: Set in BtVS Season 3. Can changing one pivotal event be the beginning of something entirely unexpected? Or will things still turn out the same?
Pairing: A slayer and a Witch (OR - two people much more similar than expected)
Rating: PG-13 to R
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". They were created by Joss Whedon and belong to him, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Television, Kuzui Enterprises, 20th Century Fox Television and the WB Network. No copyright infringement intended!
Schedule: New schedule planny thing going on... more info after this chapter
Dedication: To the Buffyverse-characters and the people behind them (actors and writers)
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT --- CUDDLE-ME-SOME
"Will, wait…," Buffy called after her friend desperately, but only heard a door slam shut a few moments later. She looked at a speechless Xander, who didn't look like he would move any time soon.
She got up to go after the redhead, wanting to see how she could help and what actually caused her reaction, but Faith – finally coming out of her state of shock – stopped her. "Leave it, B," she stood up and cut Buffy's move short with a firm hand on the blonde's chest, "I'll take care of her."
Buffy wanted to say something else, but Faith's warning look made her rethink that action.
"Next time…better think before you ask something like that of her, okay? I thought you knew her," she directed the statement at both of them, since Xander had obviously supported Buffy's dare.
The brunette turned around to walk up the stairs, already dreading whatever she would get to see up there. She wished that she would have had her own words in mind before she commented on the fact that there were far too few – or rather, no – 'dares' in their game.
Joyce rounded the corner to the foyer, just in time to see Faith disappearing into the upper hall. Having heard Buffy shout, the door being slammed shut and the last part of Faith's words, she was more than worried. "What happened?"
The friends barely shrugged, really not knowing how to answer this question.
Faith stopped when she had reached the top of the stairs, listening and looking around. Seconds later, she could make out a soft sobbing noise coming from Buffy's room. This wasn't a surprise – she had expected Willow to go there; the blonde's room was basically her third home, after her own one and the school library. It was some sort of safe harbor for her…or at least it was safer than the living room could be at this point.
She walked up to the door and opened it soundlessly. The light of the hallway pierced through the otherwise unlit darkness of the room. She saw Willow – standing near the window, facing it – reacting to the light, but not turning around.
Faith didn't know if Willow had noticed that it was her or not, and so she approached her as unintrusively and cautious as possible. The sobbing had almost stopped, yet she still saw a faint trembling.
She finally reached her, stood half-behind her and put a hesitant hand on the witch's arm. Faith almost groaned in relief when she felt her girlfriend tugging on her arm, drawing her close.
"Oh, honey…," she mumbled into Willow's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around her protectively. Nothing followed this utterance, and that was okay. There was no need to say anything more.
"Stupid…," her slayer hearing picked up long moments later. She noticed Willow shaking her pretty head and clinging to the hands that were hugging her waist firmly.
Faith misinterpreted the redhead's comment and tried to justify herself. "I'm sorry, Will. If it wasn't for me and my big mouth…"
"Not you," Willow hurried to explain. No thought about 'making Faith pay' for basically talking her into choosing 'dare' was left in her mind. She nestled closer to the slayer, welcoming the comforting arms around her.
"Oh…," Faith murmured, partly relieved, partly thinking who else Willow could be or would be talking about. Buffy and Xander. "They're not, you know. They just... couldn't know," she replied in an attempt to keep her own anger at their friends out of her voice.
Right now she didn't even care if anyone saw them standing here like this – at least this would explain Willow's reaction downstairs to them.
Willow sighed. "I was talking about me."
Faith grimaced; this remark came more than unexpected for her. She wasn't sure if she really understood what her girlfriend wanted to say.
She put her hand on Willow's shoulder, putting only minimal pressure behind it, hoping that it would be enough to make the redhead face her.
To her surprise and relief, it worked. Willow turned around and she could see the tear-stained face and the now barely trembling lips.
Willow noticed the questioning-relieved-confused-mellow look on her lover's face. Since she didn't know what else to do about it, she simply pressed her forehead against Faith's and exhaled quietly.
The brunette nestled her right hand against the witch's cheek and caressed the lips with her thumb. With pleasure, she took in how the little one was giving it a soft kiss.
Faith thought about what she should say, if she should ask what Willow meant when she said 'I was talking about me' or not. She was thinking hard, weighing her words and actions carefully.
This was a very new situation for her. This trying to comfort someone, specifically her partner – because even though Willow had calmed down a bit, she was still not looking very happy, understandably.
Faith hoped that she had done well so far. At least, so far Willow hadn't started crying again.
Well, so far you haven't said much, so it's no wonder she isn't crying… Oh, stop it! You can do this. Just don't say anything stupid…
Suddenly she noticed that Willow had been clutching something in her arms the entire time, holding it as though it would protect her. The brunette questioned why she hadn't seen it sooner, but figured that the fact that she had now at least gave her a relatively save start into a conversation with her girl.
Putting her arm around the witch's shoulders, she reached for the stuffed animal piggy in Willow's hands. Willingly, the redhead let her take and inspect it.
Faith looked at the cute thing and smiled faintly. "Now, who is this?" she started slowly, "Pigglesworth, Piglet, or something?"
"That's Mr. Gordo," Willow informed her and looked at her briefly with the hint of a smile.
"Hm." Faith raised her eyebrows, wondering since when B spoke Spanish. Because the name sounded awfully Spanish to her, even though she had no idea what it meant. "So…is he your friend?" Um…slayer…what are you trying to do…?
Willow tilted her head looking at the pig. Right this moment, she was wondering the same thing. But playing along, she nodded.
"Mmmm, ruff ruff," Faith muttered and made a move to make the piggy walk up Willow's chest.
Willow laughed. "Why is he barking?"
"Well, I don't know…never learned to 'oink', I guess," Faith's face formed a pensive expression. "But at least you're smiling again, so, good on him."
The redhead reached for the stuffed animal again, but stopped when she heard a 'grrr'-ing sound, supposedly coming from the piggy, though she knew that it actually came from her girlfriend.
"Weirdo," she grinned, grabbed the pig, anyway, and lay it down on the nearby bed.
Still impersonating the Mr. Gordo-dog, the brunette whined softly, imitating dog-piggy's feelings of being left out and the lack of Willow-y body warmth.
However, Willow wasn't as mean as to refuse exactly that to both of them. And thus she pulled Faith into a tight hug, which lasted for a few moments.
"You know that I'm stupid, right?" the redhead finally mumbled into the crook of Faith's neck, still not letting go of her.
"Well…'stupid'…isn't what I'd call you, you know…" she prodded, encouraging Will to explain what she was really referring to. She caressed Willow's red hair and waited.
"Oh, please…," the witch raised her head and looked at the brunette at last, "I overreacted. I mean, really really overreacted."
"Oh, well. Happens to the best of us, sweetie," Faith replied and nudged Willow's nose with her forefinger. So Willow had been upset for the reason that Faith had assumed.
"But Xander and Buffy must think that I've totally lost it," she wiped some of the remaining tears off with the back of her hand.
Faith thought about telling Will what she had said to their friends after the redhead had fled upstairs, but eventually she decided against it. "They'll get over it. It's not like they haven't acted crazy at least once in their life." Like, maybe, tonight…?
"Mmm, true," the redhead grinned once again. Looking deep into Faith's eyes, she remarked softly, "Hope you know that this has nothing to do with you." Faith nodded instantly and Willow went on. "I-It was just…I didn't want them to see us kissing and think that it means nothing. 'Kiss! *Bam*. Alright, who's next', you know?"
"Oh!" Faith was surprised. Now she didn't only know that Willow had been referring to her overreacting earlier, now she also knew the reason for it. And it made her fall in love with this girl all over again. "A kiss means a lot to you, right?" This question was pretty redundant, since Faith knew the answer to it already. She respected this attitude to the highest degree; she herself had been very careless when it came to that – but this had been pre-Willow. Now she was much more aware of the importance of this comparatively small token of affection.
Willow nodded and felt how Faith put a finger under her chin, tilting her head. She knew what the brunette had in mind and welcomed the lips that were brushing against hers seconds later.
Tender. Conciliatory. Barely more than a tickle against her lips.
When they broke apart again, Willow's vision was blurred. Only this time, it were happy tears running down her face, not upset ones.
She blinked a couple of times in order to clear her vision. Upon succeeding, she could see two big deep-brown eyes, whose attention was solely on her.
"You ready to head down again?" the brunette asked. Willow looked at her for a couple of seconds, without replying. "Well, if not…I could ask Mr. Gordo to come back and cuddle you some more," she suggested with a pout.
"No, no, that's okay," Willow nodded. However, feeling her face again with her fingers, she got an 'uh-oh'-expression. "God, I must look like a wet rat…"
Faith smirked a little as she assisted her in wiping the last remains of tears away. "Oh, definitely!" But when she saw Willow getting even more distressed, she hurried to correct herself. "Kidding, Will. You look lovely."
"Liar," the little redhead glowered.
Faith thought about this briefly. "Well, yeah…but, no, I think you look presentable enough."
"Okay," Willow sniffled one last time and snuggled closer to her slayer. Just for a few short moments. Faith cradled her in her strong arms, relieved due to the successful aversion of a possible Scoobie crisis.
They disentangled themselves and turned to walk towards the hall. Faith put an encouraging hand on the small of Willow's back and kept it there until they reached the upper landing of the stairs. She lost her hold on the redhead only when they were entering the others' field of view.
"Will…," an anxious Buffy immediately exclaimed when she saw the redhead descending.
The blonde's reaction upon seeing her friend was quite understandable, since she still didn't know what she had done wrong. Her mom and Xander wore similar expressions.
Willow reached the foot of the stairs and rushed towards Buffy instantly, pulling her into a tentative hug.
"Sorry, Will," Buffy said softly, at any rate relieved that Willow was apparently offering peace. At least, she had come back.
"No, I am," the redhead replied. "It's just…you kinda threw me off…"
In the meantime, Faith had joined Joyce and Xander, who were standing nearby. Her face was rather neutral, no sign of anger at or harmonization with her friends. However, when Xander put an arm on her shoulder and looked at her with a mixture of apprehension and mild guilt, she smiled at him reassuringly.
Moments later, Willow came over to Xander and repeated the gesture. This without saying anything.
Buffy looked quizzically at Faith, who seemed to hover near Willow as if she was her new bodyguard. But this was not what puzzled her; it was more the fact had been able to calm Willow down. Not that she thought Faith wasn't capable of something like that…it was just new for her.
Like many things about her. Only did these things almost exclusively deal with Willow. When the redhead wasn't anywhere in sight, the slayer was still her usual self – full of innuendoes, jokes about the fun of slaying, et cetera.
Faith caught her look, but thought nothing about it.
"Is everything okay again?" Joyce asked when Willow and Xander broke apart. "Or do we need to get the sleeping bags from the attic?"
She hadn't meant it to come out sounding like a joke, since she really worried if the kids would still be okay with the sleeping arrangements, but the youngsters started smiling, anyway. Most likely out of relief.
"No, we're good," Faith replied, looking at Willow for assurance. Her nod confirmed this.
Following this, all five current members of the household settled in on and around the couch. Joyce had cooked some more cocoa and they watched a video.
Buffy, Willow and Joyce were sitting on the couch, while Faith and Xander sat on the ground, which gave Faith an opportunity to brush Will's leg with her head occasionally, an action the little witch enjoyed.
There was still a safety distance between the redhead and the blonde slayer, but the mood seemed to be okay otherwise.
When the movie had ended, the kids went upstairs to change into their night wear.
They were taking the whole 'sleep'over literal and really planned on sleeping some.
At the moment, Willow was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, getting ready for the night.
She was already wearing one of her favorite pj's, the green and red chequered one.
Outside in the hall, she could hear not one, but two doors opening and someone stepping out.
"Hey, slayer, nice outfit," the laughing voice of her male best friend invaded her ears.
"Very funny," her girlfriend replied seconds later, obviously not very amused.
Xander still chuckled a bit as his voice got fainter and he presumably headed downstairs.
Curious to find out what Xander was referring to, she finished her cleanup, put her toothbrush in her tumbler and went to open the door.
Doing so, she saw a sulking brunette leaning against the doorjamb of the opposing room, holding a toothbrush in her hand. And looking her up and down, she realized why her girlfriend wasn't really a happy camper right now.
"Oh, God…," she blurted and put her hands over her mouth in a futile attempt to keep from giggling. She had no idea that letting Buffy pick out a pajama for Faith to wear tonight would end in such a catastrophe. At least, 'catastrophe' was probably the word hammering its way into Faith's brain right now.
The pj resembling the catastrophe was not only way more colorful and frilly than clothes the brunette usually wore…but, to make matters worse, it turned out to be a Muppets-pajama. Elmo, Oscar in his trashcan, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and even the Cookie Monster greeted from various spots of the item of clothing.
Faith walked past the redhead that was still trying to get her giggling under control. "Watch it, little girl, or do you wanna get spanked?" she warned, though not being entirely serious about spanking her.
At least not in the negative way in that one could interpret this concept. Willow's 'well-why-don't-you-try?'-wink might provoke her into giving the redhead a 'positive' spanking some time in the next days.
"Sorry," Willow smiled, calming down slowly, "but you just look so awfully cute…"
Or…Whoa…ohhh…she suddenly noticed that the pajama possibly wasn't as suitable for children as she had though it was. Because Faith's butt wore Cookie Monster's most famous utterance 'AWWWWM-num-num-num-num…'. Only problem – there was no cookie anywhere near that area...
Faith didn't notice Willow's surprised expression and maybe she hadn't even noticed the flourish on her tushie yet. She held her toothbrush under the water jet before applying some toothpaste to it.
After brushing for a couple of seconds, she mumbled, "Please tell me why an eighteen-year old would still wear something like that…"
Toothbrush in mouth didn't make it easy, but the redhead could still understand her. "Well, I don't know…," Willow replied. "Maybe we could start with why a sixteen-year old gave in into wearing it and didn't fight it tooth and nail," she grinned, leaning against the wall.
Faith rolled her eyes and refused to answer. Brushing her teeth had priority for her right now. Especially since she had no idea how to respond.
"But did you see what's on your…," she noticed Willow pointing towards her backside.
Faith turned around to get a look at it; but since she wasn't endowed with a giraffe's neck, she stood absolutely no chance.
She looked around and remembered the full-length mirror in Joyce's bedroom. She went there, with the toothbrush in her mouth and a Willow on her heels.
Stepping in front of it, with her butt facing the very handy invention, she looked over her shoulder and noticed the mirror-inverted imprint 'mun-mun-mun-mun-MWWWWA'.
It took her a moment to make sense of it, but eventually… "Oh, no…," she chewed on her toothbrush. Even thissupposed joke didn't make her feel any better about her outfit.
Willow giggled again, the look on Faith's face has priceless.
"Now be careful or else you might drool all over your pretty pajama," Willow admonished her playfully. "Which means, Buffy would have to give you a new one."
As quick as lightning, Faith sprinted over to the sink, spit out the remaining toothpaste, cleaned toothbrush and mouth and dried herself off. "Oh, thank goodness you told me," she replied. "I bet she has even 'cuter' ones hidden somewhere." Suddenly her pajama didn't seem so god-awful anymore.
But still… "Think this is B's revenge? For telling you about the movie?" Faith asked hopefully, as Willow accompanied her on the way out of the bathroom.
Willow thought about it; Faith's assumption seemed to be pretty much correct. Grinning, she replied, "See, I told you should have brought your own pajama…," gave the 'AWWWWM-num-num-num-num' a tentative squeeze and made her way downstairs where Xander and Buffy were keeping Joyce some more company.
"You know very well that I don't have one," Faith replied and followed behind.
to be continued...
A/N: So, Buffy and Xander must be extremely dense, huh? Still having no clue...? Who knows :P
A/N #2: So, a little more lighthearted end to this chapter, I hope. Again, thanks for reading, guys; I really love your reviews! :) Oh, and before I forget, happy holidays and a happy new year ;)