The Long Summer 34
"Are you sure you don't want any pizza?" Xander asked, holding up a cheese- laden slice. He waved it temptingly at Willow, but she merely glared at him once and then looked away, studiously avoiding his gaze. He sighed and set the piece down. He took up a napkin and wiped his fingers fastidiously. "Willow, I'd untie you, but you made a bolt for the door three times. I'm just not feeling the open communication here."
"I don't know what's wrong with you, but this isn't the Xander I know." The defiance in her voice had dropped to a tepid temperature. The fear ate at her and despite his earlier enjoyment, he felt a few misgivings; a lack of patience for one.
"There's nothing wrong with me, Will. I'm me. Good ol' Xander Harris. We've known each other since we were in diapers practically."
"The Xander I know would not be - " She tried to gesture, futilely, with her bound hands. "Whatever it is your doing. Is this why you asked me to come back? So you could hand me over to Miss Skank here?"
Drusilla hissed and made a playful clawing gesture with her fingers. "Can I have a eye?"
"No." Xander replied absently. "She's going to need them." He smacked Drusilla's hand lightly when it didn't retreat from its playful swooping and clawing motions. "I said no, Drusilla."
Dru pouted and flopped back in the chair. "I'm bored."
"That's not my problem. We're supposed to be having a chat. We need to convince Willow we're all on the same side."
"I don't want to be on her side." Dru leaned over the table toward Xander, her pouting lips hovering perilously close to his. "I like your side."
Xander chuckled, not minding the proximity at all. "I know. But Willow is going to be on my side, which means we're all on the same side."
"I don't want to share." Her pout became a glare and a sulk. "She's selfish. She'll want you all to herself and try to hurt Princess."
He rolled his eyes and looked back at Willow. "She's temperamental, but she has her good points."
"Name one."
"Great legs."
"Oh puh-leeze."
"C'mon Will, check out the packaging here. You like the girl thing."
Willow's gaze went flinty and her mouth set in a hard line. "Let me go, Xander."
"No. I'm afraid not."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Why does anyone do anything? Because they have to or because they want to."
"Which is it for you?"
Drusilla started laughing. She stood up and danced in a little circle around the table. Her body swayed from side to side. "The night is darkness, eyes in the light, children play - " She paused in front of Willow and leaned down close, nose to nose. "Children play games and they make fun. Cruel, bad, awful children - they're so mean and they know every little place - Miss Edith knows, but she won't tell." Drusilla laughed again, delighted and returned to her waltz.
Xander watched her bemusedly. He wondered if he could up the entertainment factor of the evening by bludgeoning her to death. Her vague little epiphanies exploded at the oddest times. Still, she was very useful and very talented. He smiled to himself as he watched her dance lightly into the living room and twirl around the chairs.
"I need you to do a spell for me." Xander announced, his gaze drifting back to Willow.
"I can't do magic."
"Ehhh-survey says wrong answer. Sorry Jean Gray, I've seen you in action and you are bad with your Darth Vader self."
"No," Willow strained against the bonds wrapping her tightly to the chair. "I didn't say I wouldn't, I said I can't. They put a geas on me."
"A what?"
"A geas. It's a spell, it prevents me from doing magic."
Xander eyed her skeptically and Willow let out a little explosive breath of frustration mingled with fear.
"I have to learn self-control, but even with what I HAVE learned, they don't trust me yet. They put a geas on me that won't let me do magic. I can't perform spells; I wouldn't even be able to say the words. I have to learn to be a better me and to love the me that is me without the magic and to not depend on it for everything. I have choices. Buffy's stuck being Buffy, but I don't have to be Willow the Witch - I could be - I don't know - Willow the Ice Cream truck driver."
His skepticism rose to mockery. "Oh please. 'The me without the magic.'" His voice raised an octave. "What a load of bull, Willow. The you without the magic was some boring little mouse who wore fuzzy sweaters and would probably be at MIT learning how to be a billionaire CEO of some online conglomerate and the only dates you would ever see would be in a chat room."
She flinched at his verbal slap and gradually the heat returned to her eyes. "Yeah well, at least I'd have a future and not work as some jack of all trades, migrant day worker who has to drag the bottom for a date."
"Touché'." Xander chuckled. "But the difference is, I don't care about that. You do."
"You do so care."
"No, I do not."
"You do too! You hated it when Buffy and I went to college and 'left' you behind. You define yourself by being Buffy's friend and that's why you hate all the stuff that she does that doesn't get your approval." Willow's voice broke and she blinked back tears. "Xander, I don't want to fight with you."
"Then don't. All you have to do is help me. I just want you to do a little magic for me and that's it - a little bitty spell. One that's for someone else and not just your own selfish need to be validated." He glanced at his watch and sighed. "I have to go - meetings and stuff. Drusilla will keep you company. Why don't you think about it while I'm gone?"
"You have to go?" Willow and Drusilla sounded almost identical in their plaintive tone. Xander nearly burst out laughing.
"Yes, I have to go." He paused and kissed the top of Willow's head. "Think about it, Willow. One little spell - try it, you might like it." He turned and delivered a far more thorough kiss to Drusilla. He heard Willow's gagging noise and ignored it as he pulled Drusilla close, firmly and painfully. "Be a good Princess and I'll bring you a present."
The dark-haired waif smiled mischievously. "Can I have a little nibble?"
"Nope."
"Just a little one?"
Xander nipped her nose. "No. None. Zip. Zero. If you're bad - I'll be really nice to you." He couldn't promise her punishment, she'd eviscerate Willow just to see how hard he'd give it to her. But she hated it when he was nice, because then he wasn't mean. His words drew the desired and predictable reaction.
She sulked.
He grabbed his jacket as he went to the door, he saw the pizza boy lying in a slump in the corner and stuck his head back inside. "Dru, darling - come clean up your mess, hmm? The super might frown about the smell."
He didn't bother to wait for her response, just shut the door and left them alone. He was pretty sure that by the time he got back. Willow would be ready to do anything he asked and Drusilla would be frantic with anticipation for a little abuse.
Not a bad thing to tease himself with as he went about the business of taking care of business.
"Are you sure you don't want any pizza?" Xander asked, holding up a cheese- laden slice. He waved it temptingly at Willow, but she merely glared at him once and then looked away, studiously avoiding his gaze. He sighed and set the piece down. He took up a napkin and wiped his fingers fastidiously. "Willow, I'd untie you, but you made a bolt for the door three times. I'm just not feeling the open communication here."
"I don't know what's wrong with you, but this isn't the Xander I know." The defiance in her voice had dropped to a tepid temperature. The fear ate at her and despite his earlier enjoyment, he felt a few misgivings; a lack of patience for one.
"There's nothing wrong with me, Will. I'm me. Good ol' Xander Harris. We've known each other since we were in diapers practically."
"The Xander I know would not be - " She tried to gesture, futilely, with her bound hands. "Whatever it is your doing. Is this why you asked me to come back? So you could hand me over to Miss Skank here?"
Drusilla hissed and made a playful clawing gesture with her fingers. "Can I have a eye?"
"No." Xander replied absently. "She's going to need them." He smacked Drusilla's hand lightly when it didn't retreat from its playful swooping and clawing motions. "I said no, Drusilla."
Dru pouted and flopped back in the chair. "I'm bored."
"That's not my problem. We're supposed to be having a chat. We need to convince Willow we're all on the same side."
"I don't want to be on her side." Dru leaned over the table toward Xander, her pouting lips hovering perilously close to his. "I like your side."
Xander chuckled, not minding the proximity at all. "I know. But Willow is going to be on my side, which means we're all on the same side."
"I don't want to share." Her pout became a glare and a sulk. "She's selfish. She'll want you all to herself and try to hurt Princess."
He rolled his eyes and looked back at Willow. "She's temperamental, but she has her good points."
"Name one."
"Great legs."
"Oh puh-leeze."
"C'mon Will, check out the packaging here. You like the girl thing."
Willow's gaze went flinty and her mouth set in a hard line. "Let me go, Xander."
"No. I'm afraid not."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Why does anyone do anything? Because they have to or because they want to."
"Which is it for you?"
Drusilla started laughing. She stood up and danced in a little circle around the table. Her body swayed from side to side. "The night is darkness, eyes in the light, children play - " She paused in front of Willow and leaned down close, nose to nose. "Children play games and they make fun. Cruel, bad, awful children - they're so mean and they know every little place - Miss Edith knows, but she won't tell." Drusilla laughed again, delighted and returned to her waltz.
Xander watched her bemusedly. He wondered if he could up the entertainment factor of the evening by bludgeoning her to death. Her vague little epiphanies exploded at the oddest times. Still, she was very useful and very talented. He smiled to himself as he watched her dance lightly into the living room and twirl around the chairs.
"I need you to do a spell for me." Xander announced, his gaze drifting back to Willow.
"I can't do magic."
"Ehhh-survey says wrong answer. Sorry Jean Gray, I've seen you in action and you are bad with your Darth Vader self."
"No," Willow strained against the bonds wrapping her tightly to the chair. "I didn't say I wouldn't, I said I can't. They put a geas on me."
"A what?"
"A geas. It's a spell, it prevents me from doing magic."
Xander eyed her skeptically and Willow let out a little explosive breath of frustration mingled with fear.
"I have to learn self-control, but even with what I HAVE learned, they don't trust me yet. They put a geas on me that won't let me do magic. I can't perform spells; I wouldn't even be able to say the words. I have to learn to be a better me and to love the me that is me without the magic and to not depend on it for everything. I have choices. Buffy's stuck being Buffy, but I don't have to be Willow the Witch - I could be - I don't know - Willow the Ice Cream truck driver."
His skepticism rose to mockery. "Oh please. 'The me without the magic.'" His voice raised an octave. "What a load of bull, Willow. The you without the magic was some boring little mouse who wore fuzzy sweaters and would probably be at MIT learning how to be a billionaire CEO of some online conglomerate and the only dates you would ever see would be in a chat room."
She flinched at his verbal slap and gradually the heat returned to her eyes. "Yeah well, at least I'd have a future and not work as some jack of all trades, migrant day worker who has to drag the bottom for a date."
"Touché'." Xander chuckled. "But the difference is, I don't care about that. You do."
"You do so care."
"No, I do not."
"You do too! You hated it when Buffy and I went to college and 'left' you behind. You define yourself by being Buffy's friend and that's why you hate all the stuff that she does that doesn't get your approval." Willow's voice broke and she blinked back tears. "Xander, I don't want to fight with you."
"Then don't. All you have to do is help me. I just want you to do a little magic for me and that's it - a little bitty spell. One that's for someone else and not just your own selfish need to be validated." He glanced at his watch and sighed. "I have to go - meetings and stuff. Drusilla will keep you company. Why don't you think about it while I'm gone?"
"You have to go?" Willow and Drusilla sounded almost identical in their plaintive tone. Xander nearly burst out laughing.
"Yes, I have to go." He paused and kissed the top of Willow's head. "Think about it, Willow. One little spell - try it, you might like it." He turned and delivered a far more thorough kiss to Drusilla. He heard Willow's gagging noise and ignored it as he pulled Drusilla close, firmly and painfully. "Be a good Princess and I'll bring you a present."
The dark-haired waif smiled mischievously. "Can I have a little nibble?"
"Nope."
"Just a little one?"
Xander nipped her nose. "No. None. Zip. Zero. If you're bad - I'll be really nice to you." He couldn't promise her punishment, she'd eviscerate Willow just to see how hard he'd give it to her. But she hated it when he was nice, because then he wasn't mean. His words drew the desired and predictable reaction.
She sulked.
He grabbed his jacket as he went to the door, he saw the pizza boy lying in a slump in the corner and stuck his head back inside. "Dru, darling - come clean up your mess, hmm? The super might frown about the smell."
He didn't bother to wait for her response, just shut the door and left them alone. He was pretty sure that by the time he got back. Willow would be ready to do anything he asked and Drusilla would be frantic with anticipation for a little abuse.
Not a bad thing to tease himself with as he went about the business of taking care of business.