Title: Inverted Triangle (4/?)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG-13.
Spoilers: Up to Help and diverges after it.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Love on the Hellmouth is never as easy as it seems.
Author's Note: This fanfic includes B/X, W/X, B/W, and a sprinkling of T/X. Oh, and some B/X/W too. What can I say? I like love triangles.
* * *
Xander sighed as he sat on the bench, holding his hot chocolate in both hands. He watched his breath fog up in the cold air in front of him, then turned his head and looked at Rose, watching her every nuance as she took tiny sips of her own hot chocolate.
She noticed his stare and asked, "What? Do I have something on my face?"
He shook his head, smiling, "No. Just admiring the view."
Blushing and smiling shyly, she looked away, "Stop it, Xander. You're making me blush."
"Aw, c'mon," he said. "Look at me."
She did.
"Here's a memory for ya," he said, lifting his mug of whipped-cream-topped hot chocolate and touched the whipped cream against her nose.
"Hey," she protested halfheartedly.
He grinned, "'You're Amish! You can't fight back... 'cause you're Amish!'"
"Xander..."
With a smile, he leaned forward to kiss her nose, but she pulled back, picking up a napkin and wiping her nose. His smile faded, "What's wrong?"
"This. Us," she sighed, looking away again. "W-we should be working on getting me and Alex and Anne back home, not... not goofing off like this."
"But... I..."
Rose whirled on him, her eyes blazing, "Don't say it. You don't love me. You love your Willow, and I'm not her. Just like I love my Xander, and you're not him."
He flinched, "I-I'm sorry. It's just..."
"I know," she said, stroking the side of his face. "It hurts because she doesn't feel the same way." She smiled sympathetically, "I know you're just pretending, and it's okay. I did the same thing with my Xander when we were keeping an eye on Buffy and Owen our Sophomore year." She noticed him staring at her again and frowned, "What?"
"That far back?" he muttered in shock, not hearing her. The revelation had poleaxed him. "She loved me that long?" He trembled for a moment, then closed his eyes and lifted his mug to his mouth, draining it shakily, relishing the pain as the hot chocolate scalded his throat... punishing himself for his own stupidity.
Xander blinked when she touched his wrist and gently pushed his hands to each side. Looking into his eyes and smiling faintly at him, she said hesitantly, "You're not my Xander, and I'm not your Willow... but for now, we can pretend."
He was a bit dense. He freely admitted that. But even he could figure out what she meant when she leaned forward and kissed him full on the lips. He hesitated for just a moment, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, drinking in the sweetness of her lips, inhaling her scent, committing every detail of this moment to memory.
When she pulled away, she was smiling broadly, and he was blinking rather dumbly. "R-Rose?"
"Shh," she shhed. "Just until we find a way to send us back," she said quietly, looking into his eyes and brushing a lock of hair out of his face, "I'll be your Willow, and you'll be my Xander, all right?"
He paused for a beat, then nodded, "All right."
She leaned in for another kiss.
* * *
"Wow, this place is beautiful," Willow said in wonder as she watched the sunset. How could she have lived in Sunnydale all her life and missed this spot?
Anne smiled wistfully, "Yeah. We kinda stumbled onto it a couple of years ago while wandering around before patrolling."
"The sunset's so romantic from here," Willow mumbled.
"This was our spot," Anne said.
The redhead turned to look at her, "'Our spot'? A-as in a you-and-me spot?"
"Uh huh."
"Oh."
Anne smiled at Willow and leaned over. Impulsively, Willow leaned toward her, and their lips met.
It was different from when she had kissed Buffy. More natural, less awkward, and oh so much better. This kiss wasn't tainted by the surprised uncertainty that had caused Buffy to pull away.
When they finally broke the kiss, Willow blinked at her and asked, "Wh-what was that for?"
Anne sighed, "Sorry, it's just... I miss her. I miss my Willow. And being with you here, in our spot..."
Willow nodded, "I understand. It's rough for me too. I mean, seeing you, knowing how you feel and still unable to do anything because you have your own Willow waiting for you in your world."
"We'd better find out how to get us back soon. I'm going nuts here."
"Maybe I can help?" Willow said mischievously.
"Maybe you can," Anne grinned.
* * *
Buffy flipped over the last vampire and plunged her stake into its heart from behind.
"Damn it," she snarled, straightening up awkwardly.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked.
"I think I strained something with that last jump," she said, then stretched experimentally. "Ow!"
"Here, let me," he said, sidling up behind her. His hands caressed her back and smoothed out knotted muscles.
"Oh, yeahhh, that feels _gooood_..." she moaned.
He whispered quietly into her ear, "If you want, I can make you feel _really_ good."
She felt her face heat up and pulled away, turning around. Waving a finger at him as if to scold him, she said, "Now, now. Don't tempt me."
Grinning mischievously, he waggled his eyebrows suggestively and asked, "And what if I do? Tempt you, that is."
"Well, I might have to make you follow through on that," she warned playfully. "Whether you like it or not."
Alex shivered, grinning, and said, "Ooh, kinky." Cocking an eyebrow, he shot back, "I don't see any problem with that from my end. Do you?"
Blushing again, she made a point of eyeing him up and down, then mumbled, "No problems from this end, either." Her mind flashed back to what she had seen the morning Alex had first arrived here.
"Uh, Buffy? A little drool."
"Huh?" she snapped out of the memory and reached up to wipe her mouth... which proved to be completely free of any evidence of her momentary lechery. She glared at him. "You... you... you...!"
"Gotcha," he grinned.
"Hey, you two," Anne called irritably, "could you at least do this somewhere less public?"
* * *
Xander watched Rose, who lay next to him, admiring every detail of her face.
"Mmm..." Rose sighed in contentment and looked lazily at him.
He could only think of one thing to say.
So he said it.
"Wow."
She blushed and looked away, "Aw, c'mon, Xander..."
He still couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Wow."
"Quit it!" she said shyly. "I'm not _that_ good in bed."
"Says _you_!" he said indignantly, poking her in the shoulder. "And honestly, which of us here is in a position to judge, hmm? Trust me. I really meant it when I said 'Wow.'"
"But..." Xander began to tickle her, and she giggled. "St-stop. Stop it!"
"Not until you admit that I'm right."
"Okay, okay," Rose held up her hands in mock surrender. "I, Rose, freely admit that I am the best lay in Sunnydale." Her cheeks turned scarlet, and she muttered shamefully, "Oh God, I feel like such a slut just _saying_ that." Glaring at him, she asked, "Happy now?"
"No."
"No?" she squeaked, suddenly worried.
He grinned, "Of course not. Now that you've made such an extravagant claim, you're gonna have to prove it to me."
Her mouth dropped open, and she made a rude sound of indignation and jabbed an accusing finger at him, sputtering, "I can't believe you just... you..." She stopped, her eyes narrowing, and then said seductively, "Fine. I will." With that, she leaned over and began kissing her way down his chest.
"I was sorta hoping you'd say that."
* * *
Buffy hung up the phone and slumped onto the couch, "Okay, Rose and Xander can't make it."
"Why?" Willow asked. "What's up?"
The Slayer scowled, "I may be wrong, but I think they're screwing."
"Figures," Willow mumbled irritably. "Xander never could say no to a horny girl."
"Willow, the horny girl we're talking about here is you, remember?"
"I'm not _that_ horny," the witch blushed. She changed topics, "So it's just the two of us tonight, huh?"
"Yup," Buffy replied, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. They had drawn straws, and Anne and Alex were taking Dawn to a movie and then going patrolling.
"Yay," Willow said. As much as she normally enjoyed research, it was less fun when they couldn't find anything.
The phone suddenly rang. Buffy picked it up, "Hello? Uh huh. Oh, no. All right, we'll be right there."
"What is it?" a worried Willow asked after Buffy hung up.
"It's Tuesday," Buffy deadpanned as she began dialing Xander's apartment. "What else would it be? Dawn's in trouble."
* * *
"She's been kidnapped?" Xander asked, hefting the broadsword in his hand.
"Yeah," Anne nodded. "We followed them. They took her in there." She pointed at the large abandoned mansion.
"Great," Xander said sarcastically, "Deadboy's old home. D'you suppose this is a Key thing?"
Buffy glowered, "It better not be. For their sake. Let's go."
The six of them marched toward the old mansion, weapons bared.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Yay! Another part done! Next part, we find out if I'm any good at action sequences. *crosses fingers*
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG-13.
Spoilers: Up to Help and diverges after it.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Love on the Hellmouth is never as easy as it seems.
Author's Note: This fanfic includes B/X, W/X, B/W, and a sprinkling of T/X. Oh, and some B/X/W too. What can I say? I like love triangles.
* * *
Xander sighed as he sat on the bench, holding his hot chocolate in both hands. He watched his breath fog up in the cold air in front of him, then turned his head and looked at Rose, watching her every nuance as she took tiny sips of her own hot chocolate.
She noticed his stare and asked, "What? Do I have something on my face?"
He shook his head, smiling, "No. Just admiring the view."
Blushing and smiling shyly, she looked away, "Stop it, Xander. You're making me blush."
"Aw, c'mon," he said. "Look at me."
She did.
"Here's a memory for ya," he said, lifting his mug of whipped-cream-topped hot chocolate and touched the whipped cream against her nose.
"Hey," she protested halfheartedly.
He grinned, "'You're Amish! You can't fight back... 'cause you're Amish!'"
"Xander..."
With a smile, he leaned forward to kiss her nose, but she pulled back, picking up a napkin and wiping her nose. His smile faded, "What's wrong?"
"This. Us," she sighed, looking away again. "W-we should be working on getting me and Alex and Anne back home, not... not goofing off like this."
"But... I..."
Rose whirled on him, her eyes blazing, "Don't say it. You don't love me. You love your Willow, and I'm not her. Just like I love my Xander, and you're not him."
He flinched, "I-I'm sorry. It's just..."
"I know," she said, stroking the side of his face. "It hurts because she doesn't feel the same way." She smiled sympathetically, "I know you're just pretending, and it's okay. I did the same thing with my Xander when we were keeping an eye on Buffy and Owen our Sophomore year." She noticed him staring at her again and frowned, "What?"
"That far back?" he muttered in shock, not hearing her. The revelation had poleaxed him. "She loved me that long?" He trembled for a moment, then closed his eyes and lifted his mug to his mouth, draining it shakily, relishing the pain as the hot chocolate scalded his throat... punishing himself for his own stupidity.
Xander blinked when she touched his wrist and gently pushed his hands to each side. Looking into his eyes and smiling faintly at him, she said hesitantly, "You're not my Xander, and I'm not your Willow... but for now, we can pretend."
He was a bit dense. He freely admitted that. But even he could figure out what she meant when she leaned forward and kissed him full on the lips. He hesitated for just a moment, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, drinking in the sweetness of her lips, inhaling her scent, committing every detail of this moment to memory.
When she pulled away, she was smiling broadly, and he was blinking rather dumbly. "R-Rose?"
"Shh," she shhed. "Just until we find a way to send us back," she said quietly, looking into his eyes and brushing a lock of hair out of his face, "I'll be your Willow, and you'll be my Xander, all right?"
He paused for a beat, then nodded, "All right."
She leaned in for another kiss.
* * *
"Wow, this place is beautiful," Willow said in wonder as she watched the sunset. How could she have lived in Sunnydale all her life and missed this spot?
Anne smiled wistfully, "Yeah. We kinda stumbled onto it a couple of years ago while wandering around before patrolling."
"The sunset's so romantic from here," Willow mumbled.
"This was our spot," Anne said.
The redhead turned to look at her, "'Our spot'? A-as in a you-and-me spot?"
"Uh huh."
"Oh."
Anne smiled at Willow and leaned over. Impulsively, Willow leaned toward her, and their lips met.
It was different from when she had kissed Buffy. More natural, less awkward, and oh so much better. This kiss wasn't tainted by the surprised uncertainty that had caused Buffy to pull away.
When they finally broke the kiss, Willow blinked at her and asked, "Wh-what was that for?"
Anne sighed, "Sorry, it's just... I miss her. I miss my Willow. And being with you here, in our spot..."
Willow nodded, "I understand. It's rough for me too. I mean, seeing you, knowing how you feel and still unable to do anything because you have your own Willow waiting for you in your world."
"We'd better find out how to get us back soon. I'm going nuts here."
"Maybe I can help?" Willow said mischievously.
"Maybe you can," Anne grinned.
* * *
Buffy flipped over the last vampire and plunged her stake into its heart from behind.
"Damn it," she snarled, straightening up awkwardly.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked.
"I think I strained something with that last jump," she said, then stretched experimentally. "Ow!"
"Here, let me," he said, sidling up behind her. His hands caressed her back and smoothed out knotted muscles.
"Oh, yeahhh, that feels _gooood_..." she moaned.
He whispered quietly into her ear, "If you want, I can make you feel _really_ good."
She felt her face heat up and pulled away, turning around. Waving a finger at him as if to scold him, she said, "Now, now. Don't tempt me."
Grinning mischievously, he waggled his eyebrows suggestively and asked, "And what if I do? Tempt you, that is."
"Well, I might have to make you follow through on that," she warned playfully. "Whether you like it or not."
Alex shivered, grinning, and said, "Ooh, kinky." Cocking an eyebrow, he shot back, "I don't see any problem with that from my end. Do you?"
Blushing again, she made a point of eyeing him up and down, then mumbled, "No problems from this end, either." Her mind flashed back to what she had seen the morning Alex had first arrived here.
"Uh, Buffy? A little drool."
"Huh?" she snapped out of the memory and reached up to wipe her mouth... which proved to be completely free of any evidence of her momentary lechery. She glared at him. "You... you... you...!"
"Gotcha," he grinned.
"Hey, you two," Anne called irritably, "could you at least do this somewhere less public?"
* * *
Xander watched Rose, who lay next to him, admiring every detail of her face.
"Mmm..." Rose sighed in contentment and looked lazily at him.
He could only think of one thing to say.
So he said it.
"Wow."
She blushed and looked away, "Aw, c'mon, Xander..."
He still couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Wow."
"Quit it!" she said shyly. "I'm not _that_ good in bed."
"Says _you_!" he said indignantly, poking her in the shoulder. "And honestly, which of us here is in a position to judge, hmm? Trust me. I really meant it when I said 'Wow.'"
"But..." Xander began to tickle her, and she giggled. "St-stop. Stop it!"
"Not until you admit that I'm right."
"Okay, okay," Rose held up her hands in mock surrender. "I, Rose, freely admit that I am the best lay in Sunnydale." Her cheeks turned scarlet, and she muttered shamefully, "Oh God, I feel like such a slut just _saying_ that." Glaring at him, she asked, "Happy now?"
"No."
"No?" she squeaked, suddenly worried.
He grinned, "Of course not. Now that you've made such an extravagant claim, you're gonna have to prove it to me."
Her mouth dropped open, and she made a rude sound of indignation and jabbed an accusing finger at him, sputtering, "I can't believe you just... you..." She stopped, her eyes narrowing, and then said seductively, "Fine. I will." With that, she leaned over and began kissing her way down his chest.
"I was sorta hoping you'd say that."
* * *
Buffy hung up the phone and slumped onto the couch, "Okay, Rose and Xander can't make it."
"Why?" Willow asked. "What's up?"
The Slayer scowled, "I may be wrong, but I think they're screwing."
"Figures," Willow mumbled irritably. "Xander never could say no to a horny girl."
"Willow, the horny girl we're talking about here is you, remember?"
"I'm not _that_ horny," the witch blushed. She changed topics, "So it's just the two of us tonight, huh?"
"Yup," Buffy replied, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. They had drawn straws, and Anne and Alex were taking Dawn to a movie and then going patrolling.
"Yay," Willow said. As much as she normally enjoyed research, it was less fun when they couldn't find anything.
The phone suddenly rang. Buffy picked it up, "Hello? Uh huh. Oh, no. All right, we'll be right there."
"What is it?" a worried Willow asked after Buffy hung up.
"It's Tuesday," Buffy deadpanned as she began dialing Xander's apartment. "What else would it be? Dawn's in trouble."
* * *
"She's been kidnapped?" Xander asked, hefting the broadsword in his hand.
"Yeah," Anne nodded. "We followed them. They took her in there." She pointed at the large abandoned mansion.
"Great," Xander said sarcastically, "Deadboy's old home. D'you suppose this is a Key thing?"
Buffy glowered, "It better not be. For their sake. Let's go."
The six of them marched toward the old mansion, weapons bared.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Yay! Another part done! Next part, we find out if I'm any good at action sequences. *crosses fingers*