author: Lucinda
rating: Pg 13
pairing: Willow/Remy, also has Harmony/Spike
disclaimer: I do not own anyone from BtVS or Marvelcomics.
distribution: If you have permission for the first 2, you can have this one as well. Otherwise, please ask first.
note :words inside colons: are over a telephone.
Spike was getting worried. There were a lot more of those commandos running around in Sunnydale now than there had been before. He didn't think he'd be able to avoid them much longer. Rumor at Willie's had them grabbing vampires, demons, and the odd identifiable mutant. Anyone they grabbed was never seen again. Sunnyhell had never been particularly safe, being the home of a Slayer, but this was getting to be to much.
Maybe this would be enough to convince Harm to leave this place. They could go to see somewhere else, anywhere else in the world. All he had to do was get back to the apartment first. Which was actually much easier said then done. There were commandos everywhere.
"Harm, this place is going to pieces around us. It's not so much the Slayer now as those bloody commandos. It's not safe here." Spike's voice rang out in the apartment.
"You're telling me? Some big soldier boy keeps hitting on me. He seems to be having trouble with the idea of 'No'. So you aren't still hung up on the idea of killing the Slayer?" Harmony was sitting in the chair, looking at a travel magazine.
"No, luv, we can leave this Slayer alone. She's not a challenge, the soldier boys are. Only thing is where do you want to go? Any ideas on where we can go get a decent living without the rampages and mayhem?" Spike's question was only partly sarcastic. He had found that since Dru had left him, deciding once and for all that he would never be Angelus, he no longer had quite the same need for violence. He had been violent because it was expected of him, and to get the status from it.
Harmony dropped the magazine, looking thoughtful. She was actually much smarter than people had given her credit for. "Maybe. I think that Willow could help us. Remember, my friend that called and you harassed? The redhead in the picture over there?" She pointed to a picture, showing her and Willow on the beach, smiling at the camera.
"If I recall, she used to be one of the Slayer's friends. You think she'd be happy about the idea of a vampire dropping in for a social visit and asking her to help? Sounds doubtful to me." Spike was internally listing other possibilities. The list was short.
"Now, Spike, you're talking like it's just some random person that I used to know, like Cordelia or Aura. This is Willow. She might be less than happy.. umm I think you kidnapped her once, but she won't toss us out to beg on the streets. I'll call her and see if she can help us out any."
Harmony dialed the number for Willow's apartment. She tapped her foot as she waited for the phone to be picked up. "Hello, Willow? We have a problem and I need…You aren't Willow. I guess you must be Remy. I need to talk to Willow."
"Right, Willow. He's got a nice accent by the way. There's a big problem in Sunnydale."
"The town is crawling with these freaky soldier types, all big and muscular and kidnapping people who don't blend." Harmony paused moment, listening. "Like Spike, or most of the ones who go to Willie's, and there have been some visible mutants who've vanished as well. They never come back."
Harmony was now pacing around the room, claiming that she thought better while moving. "They just go around in their camouflage and grab people at night. It' getting really scary here, Will."
"Really? You can? That's great! You have no idea how thankful I am right now... We'll be there soon."
Hanging up the phone, she turned to look at Spike. She looked relieved, and smiled. "She said she can help us out. There's a basement apartment that she said she can reserve for us, she can look for some possible jobs we might want to consider, and she said that she can get us new legal identities if we really want. I've always wanted to see New York."
They began packing their things, wanting to leave Sunnydale as quickly as possible.
end part 1.
Harmony and Spike managed to pack everything they wanted, and to leave Sunnydale in under three hours. They were going to New York, fleeing the soldiers that had infiltrated Sunnydale, hoping that Willow could help them.
Spike's car did look a bit odd with a small trailer behind it, filled with some of their things, but the chances of anyone commenting were few. With the black tinted windows, he would be safe from the sunlight, and they could drive almost continuously to New York.
Their trip, while long and exhausting, passed without any outside danger. In relatively good time, they arrived in New York, and began searching for Willow's apartment. Harmony had the address, but she had never actually been there, so she was unable to be much help with directions. They were planning to find Willow, and probably catch up a bit on sleep at her home, hopefully before being able to get their own place.
Considering the lack of other options, this time, Spike's plan worked. Granted, it had been a simple get the hell out of Sunnydale and to New York without getting caught by the soldiers, but it had worked. They found the building that Willow's apartment was located in, and wearily went up the stairs to the proper floor, and Spike pounded at the door, unconcerned that he might wake up the neighbours.
The door was opened, revealing a small redhead dressed in grey slacks and a pale green blouse. Her eyes widened slightly at Spike, and he realized that he had seen her before, although the memories were a bit fuzzy. Harmony made this little happy squeak, and threw her arms around the redhead in an enthusiastic hug.
"Willow! I am so incredibly glad to see you, you have no idea how exhausting it is to drive across the country and I definitely like the new Willow style, can we come in and sit down before we collapse in the hallway?"
Willow smiled, and looked at Spike measuringly. "Yeah, you both look pretty tired. Come in and sit down, Spike be sure to behave. I picked up something for you to have for dinner, so there's no need to bite anyone. Remy's still asleep, so try not to be too noisy, though you both look like you just need to find somewhere and pass out for a while."
It was with great relief that they went into the apartment. Spike noticed that the living room had thick curtains over blinds, so that if both were shut, the room would be practically light proof. Willow went into the kitchen and used the microwave to warm up a container of blood for Spike, and brought it to him in a dark orange coffee mug.
Spike had figured that Willow had to be pretty exceptional to be willing to help them, to let them stay in her home for a while. He certainly hadn't expected her to have anything on hand for his dietary needs. He sipped at the blood thankfully, to tired to worry about whether or not he had slipped into his vampire features. Willow didn't seem to be bothered, so either he hadn't, or she wasn't concerned.
"I talked to Kelly, the building manager about getting you two one of the basement apartments. She's supposed to do a few inspections and get back to me today on that, so with a bit of luck, you'll have your very own place before very long. Now, I have to go to work, you two should sleep." Willow smiled cheerfully at her guests, and left to go to work.
Remy would possibly have been relieved to know that not everyone from the X-Men had decided that he was a horrible person that should die. In fact, Ororo, the woman who had practically become a sister to him, and Logan, an enigmatic fighter that had chosen to support the dream of co-existence, were searching for him at this very moment. It was also possible that he would have been worried. Logan had never been a close friend of Remy's, or really of anyone else for that matter. Logan was also the best there was at what he did, and if he wanted to find Remy, it would only be a matter of time.
Logan had actually just acquired a listing of all the research and scientific groups that had been in Antarctica in the recent few months. It had been the hope of Ororo that one of the groups had found Remy, and rescued him from a frozen grave. He shuffled the papers, and smiled slightly.
"Hey, 'Ro. Listen to this. Yale group, researching ozone depletion, departed on 17th of March. All members present, as well as one additional person, serving as cook. Interesting thing, they didn't have a cook when they came down here." Logan's breath made interesting patterns in the cold air. His eyes gleamed with triumph.
"Do you think it could be Remy?" Ororo was hopeful that they might have found evidence that Remy was alive.
"Possible. We know he isn't still here. They were here during the right time, he might have met up with them. Only way to be sure is to find the group and ask someone about their new cook, see what they can tell us."
The pair began their plans for the trip out of Antarctica, both eager to return to more normal climates.
end part 2.
Remy eventually pulled himself out of his bed. He was fairly certain Willow had said something was happening today, something important. What had she said... something about harmony. He should be able to think more clearly after some coffee. Remy walked out to the kitchen, taking absent note that the futon had been pulled out, and there were two person sized lumps under the blankets. He drank coffee, waiting for his mind to wake up.
Halfway through his cup of coffee, the realization hit him that one of the sleeping people was not a friendy nice guy, but was in fact a bloodthirsty violent man. He was a vampire. Willow had a vampire sleeping on her couch.
He really had to start paying more attention when Willow told him about upcoming changes.
Spike eventually found the scent of coffee to much to sleep through. Especially since there was someone pacing, another living, breathing mortal in the apartment. He was feeling a bit hungry, so that only helped him to wake up. Sitting up, he let the blankets fall onto Harm, knowing she tended to complain about the cold anyhow. Who was this guy that looked so calm here? Probably the Remy fellow that Red had mentioned, her boyfriend.
Spike stood up, stretching a bit as he did. Walking over to the refrigerator, he was hoping that Red had left plenty of blood for him, and that her boyfriend wasn't planning of freaking out on him. It wasn't until he had poured and heated his mug of blood and had it almost to his mouth that he realized exactly what had seemed a bit off about the other man. His eyes were red on black.
"You're eyes supossed to look like that? What exactly are you anyhow?" Those questions were fairly clear, and the vampire was looking at his with curiousity and wariness as he sipped at his mug of blood. He also muttered a few things under his breath, which Remy was able to catch. "Go across the country to escape the bloody hellmouth and end up with the one person I know of that ran like hell away from it, and find her boyfriend's not a normal human guy. Damn commando's might be following, hell, might have other bases, and I got no way to find them, going bloody soft is what's happened..."
"They supposed to look like dis. I'm a mutant, not some sort of demon like Willow said live in Sunnydale. Only people in camouflage doing illegal t'ings around here that I know of are the Friends of Humanity, they got a problem with mutants. I'm trying to figure out why Willow invited a vampire here, into her house." Remy remembered Willow having the same concern when she first saw his eyes.
"Harm." Seeing the mutant twitch a bit at the word, Spike decided to elaborate. He used one thumb to indicate his still sleeping girlfriend. "My girl's Harmony, and she and Willow are friends. There was some problems in Sunnyhell, and we had to leave. The whole there's a bloody large pack of them, and Harm can't fight. She asked Red if she could give us a bit of a hand, and here we are. Red seems to have this soft hearted streak in her. Which is actually a good thing for me right now."
Spike finished his mug, and debated for a moment about having seconds, or explaining about the commandos. He decided to explain first, then have another cup. "About last year, Sunnyhell started having these guys in camouflage sneaking around at night. First time I saw them, I thought maybe they were out playing paintball or something. No, they had tazers. These guys sneak up and zap a fellow, maybe a demon, or a vampire, and he goes down, twitching a bit. They carry him off, and nobody ever sees them again. Started making people damn nervous. More so because the soldier boys are getting more confident, taking down more demons, and also bigger and meaner demons."
Remy frowned. The whole idea sounded like trouble to him. "What did they do wit' them after they got someone? What's the overall plan? Who's running the operations?" After a few moments of reflection over some of his own unpleasant memories, Remy spoke again. "Who's funding the group?"
Spike raised an eyebrow. Remy was not arguing about the existence of demons, Willow must have got him past that. He was asking resonable questions, and seemed to be worried about the idea. "Nobody knows what happens, but..a few of the other vampires that I knew had some of their childer taken, they said there was pain and death. No idea about the overall plan, although the town has a tendancy to attract would be world destroyers and dominators. Near as we can figure, they seem to be funded by the US military."
Spike poured himself a second cup, and heated it. The two stood there, sipping from their cups, contemplating the soldiers. Finally, Remy spoke, looking right into Spike's eyes as he did. "You think they may be after you, may have followed you."
Spike nodded. "It crossed our minds. Figured we'd be safer outside of Sunnyhell anyhow."
Remy thought about that, deciding that it was almost always better to be a moving target rather than a stationary one. "Willow an' me gonna keep an eye out for people searching for you or Harm then. If someone is looking, advance warning is always a bonus."
end part 3.
Willow had been given a day off from tinkering with the durability of various electronics so that she could work on fixing something about the network used in the office. Her broader range of abilities ensured her job security, but sometimes, she had to wonder how they did these things to their systems.
Her telephone rang, drawing her from pondering the network and it's broken connections.
:Willow? This is Dr Calder. There has been a recent development.: The Doctor that had been on the Antarctica expedition with Willow. They had actually become friends, and had stayed in touch. She sounded worried about something, which was unusual for her.
"What's wrong? Is it a medical development, electronic, or other?" Willow was a bit worried, and wanted to know what had her friend sounding troubled.
: There were two people in my office the other day. One was a tall dark skinned woman with long white hair and blue eyes, called herself Ororo Munroe. The other was a short man, broad shoulders, lots of muscle. He had dark hair, blue eyes, only name he gave was Logan. They were searching for someone, and the someone they were trying to find sounded like Remy. I have no idea if he knows them, or wants them to find him, but I thought you should know about this.: She gave brief descriptions. Amanda sounded worried. She had rather liked what she had seen of Remy, not just physically, but as a person. She thought he would be good for Willow, and deserved a chance to start over, away from whatever painful memories haunted his past.
Willow knew that there were people in Remy's past that he never wanted to see again. She also knew that Amanda knew there were people he was hiding from. She had thought Remy a nice enough young man, so she had given Willow warning about the people.
"Thanks. I'll have to talk to Remy about it. Maybe he knows them, and he can tell me whether or not we need to keep away from them." Willow ended the conversation on a thoughtful note.
She was still feeling thoughtful and concerned when she returned home that afternoon. Someone was searching for Remy. There was a military group in Sunnydale abducting mutants, demons and vampires, so Spike and Harmony had fled the town, coming to her for help. Things were getting complicated. She didn't need complicated right now, especially since it wasn't something she could fix.
Willow walked into the apartment, relieved to see everyone looked healthy and at least not to upset. Harmony was sitting beside Spike, looking a bit amused as Spike and Remy debated the finer points of what Spike called football and Remy called soccer. They seemed to be doing alright at getting along.
Remy looked at her, concerned. His debate with Spike was not as important as Willow, and he could tell something was troubling her. "Cher? What's on your mind?"
"I had a phone call from Dr. Calder today. Remy, she said there are people looking for you. A woman calling herself Ororo Munroe, dark skin, white hair and a guy called Logan, no other name given. Do you know these people? Should we be worried?"
Remy sat down, looking lightly stunned, a faint smile on his face. "Could be good. Ororo…that's Stormy, she's like a sister to me. I'd hoped she might not hate me.. Logan never seemed to like me much, not sure why he'd be looking, unless it's to make sure I get found. They probably not a danger."
"Probably? Is there any reason you can think of why they would be a danger? I want to be prepared, just in case." Willow was not reassured by the word probably. Her high school years had conditioned her to think 'probably' paired in a sentence with any sort of threat or danger meant be prepared for danger.
"Good point, ma bella. Stormy, she might be very unhappy, depending on what she's heard, but I don't think she would want to do anything permanent. Logan... I have no idea how to predict what Logan would do. He wouldn't have left me behind, but this is different. I think he probably won't be trying to kill me, but he might be pretty upset. Expect growling, sharp metal claws... maybe we best find a good supply of decent beer to be prepared." Remy was clearly thinking out loud, hoping that his team mates weren't planning his death.
Willow could feel how nervous Remy was about this. He cared what those two thought about him, and he wanted them not to hate him. For his sake, she hoped that these former team mates of his only had good intentions.
After some thought, it was decided that Willow and Harmony would go out and do a bit of shopping, catch up on the news. Remy would help Spike find a bar that had what Spike termed decent beer, so they would go out later, after the sun had set. It was looking like there would be enough trouble without them arguing with each other.
end part 4.
Willow and Harmony grabbed their purses and left the apartment, already discussing what stores to go to and what they intended to look at. Apparently, in the hasty packing, several items had been left behind that Harmony fully intended to replace. They were debating the best places to get the replacements from as they left, and the men listened as their voices faded into the distance.
"Shopping." Spike muttered, torn between relief that Harm would have something to occupy her mind and keep her from worrying, and annoyance that he was stuck here until the sun set.
"We not gonna see them again for a long time." Remy's own voice was a bit mournful. Now, he was here, alone with the blood drinking vampire that he didn't know, and certainly didn't trust.
They spent several long minutes of awkward silence. Neither one wanted to be caught watching the other, and neither one was willing to turn their backs on the other. The tension was tangible.
Finally, Remy decided to break the silence. "So, how did you end up wit' Harmony anyhow? From what I can recall of Willow's actual meeting with you, last she was in California, you were involved with this vampire woman, Rue or somethin' like that."
Spike frowned a bit, thinking that it just figured that this guy would go right for the difficult questions. "Her name was Drusilla. She was my everything for over a century my world revolved around her, she was my ripe wicked plum, my dark goddess. I would do anything for her. The problem was, I wasn't who she really wanted. I fooled myself of over a bloody century, thinking if I could just y'know, be evil enough, kill enough people, torture viciously enough, she'd learn to love me like she did him. It didn't work, and eventually, it dawned on me that it never would."
Spike sat there, studying the chipped black polish on his thumb. "A guy can only take being the consolation prize for so long before he decides it isn't worth it. So, when she decided to chase some disgusting chaos demon, I just...let her go. I was sick of chasing someone that didn't want me. So, then I ended up back in Sunnyhell, where Red lived. Cause a bit of trouble there, left town ahead of someone that wanted me dead."
Spike walked to the kitchen, pouring himself another mug of blood, and heating it in the microwave. "Thing is, I could never resist a good challenge. I ended up going back to Sunnyhell. Planned to kill the Slayer, and turn the one person there that had challenged me with damned little chance of success, just because of the nerve that had taken." He decided not to mention that that person had been Willow.
"Actually, I wasn't at my best when I got into town. Been drinking a bit, and I met Harm. She was in a bit of an argument, and I sort of decided to insult one of the idiots she was yelling at... After that, we ended up going to a nice bar and talking some about things. Turns out her life was nearly as wretched at the time as mine. We ended up roommates, then things got a bit more interesting. After a bit, I realized I had started to care somewhere along the line, and that was that." Spike looked thoughtful, pondering the end of his bachelor freedoms. Grinning slightly, his eyes still golden, he looked at Remy. "How'd you end up with Red?"
Remy blinked, startled by the fanged smile, and considered how to answer. "Once upon a time, I was a t'ief. I met this girl, 'bout twelve or so, and decided to take her back home to her family. Ended up staying with her family, turned out they were the X-Men. Got involved with a pretty gal there, she didn't want to talk about her past. For a while, things were... tolerable enough I guess. Then, she found out some of my past, the dark secrets I didn't want anyone to know. Her reaction was to drop me in the snow in Antarctica an' leave."
Spike winced, certain that that surpassed his own assorted painful separations. Leaving someone out in the snow... "How long was it until she came back for you?"
Remy scowled at his coffee cup. "She didn't. I was staggering in the cold, trying to keep moving long enough to... actually, I didn't have a plan. I was just to stubborn to lay down an' die. 'Bout the time I collapsed face down in the snow and ice was when Willow found me. She brought me back with her to the place she was staying, and then brought me home with her to here."
Suddenly feeling awkward again about the personal and emotional turn their words had taken, they fell quiet again. There was some pacing, and the cups ended up in the sink, Spike's filled with water to prevent crusting. He glanced at his watch, and smiled.
"About bloody time. Sun's down, now weren't you supposed to help me find a decent bar in this city?"
The two men shrugged into their battered leather coats, and began their exploration of the local bars. Any further exposure of deep inner secrets could be smoothed by alcohol. The apartment was feeling confining anyhow.
end part 5
Willow and Harmony went forth to go shopping. There were a number of things that Harmony had somehow or other managed not to take with her when she and Spike had fled Sunnydale. The fact that it would give her and Willow a chance to talk away from the guys was a bonus. It meant that they could talk about their guys, and what had been happening in their lives. It had been to long since they'd had a chance to talk in person.
After picking up a few things, they stopped for a drink and a bite to eat at a little restaurant in the shopping center. They had decided that it would be simpler to eat out that night. After the salads, Willow finally asked the question that had been bothering her for the past few days.
"Harmony? What happened to make you leave Sunnydale?"
Startled by the question, Harmony looked at her friend. She really hadn't been happy about having to leave, but it had been necessary. She made herself relax a bit, this was Willow. Willow wouldn't blame her for any of it, she would be understanding.
"It's sort of a long and complicated story. If it had just been the... well, Buffy, that wouldn't have been a problem, she's not the most observant person in the world, you know? I had a nice job handling paperwork for Mr. Slater, the lawyer. He wasn't to bad, just kind of cranky, and really touchy about the paperwork and schedules..." Harmony paused, running her finger around the rim of her water glass.
"The problems started with the new batch of military guys that came to Sunnydale. They were all big and buff, and most of them were sort of cute, but... What I couldn't figure out was why so many of them were doing other things. Like, taking college classes or doing stuff here and there around town. It was like they didn't want people to know they were in the military or something." She sipped a bit of water, trying to moisten her throat.
"One of them decided that I was just adorable, and he kept trying to ask me out. It was a little flattering at first, because this buff guy thinks I'm all cute and everything, except that I already had my Spikey. So I told him I already had a boyfriend, so I had to say no. The guy didn't give up. I kept finding him in the oddest places, and he was always watching me. He kept asking me out, and I kept telling him I had a boyfriend, and I wasn't interested getting another one." She rubbed at her wrist bones, frowning at a memory.
Willow was worried. She could tell that Harmony was really freaked about what had happened. She started trying to send soothing feelings to her, a wordless assurance that Willow would understand, that it wasn't her fault. Harmony needed a friend now, someone that could try to make her feel safe again. Willow was uncomfortably reminded of the time she had spent helping Harmony over her first boyfriend, all those years ago.
"He was getting impatient and angry Willow. Apparently, I was supposed to be so flattered that he wanted me that I'd dump my boyfriend and fall into his arms. Things weren't going the way he wanted, and he started to get less... polite. He found my phone number, and he started leaving me messages, saying that he was watching me, and it was only a matter of time before I would be his. He'd say thing in them, things that told me that he was following me, and I was getting really freaked. Then, I learned about some of the other things they were doing in Sunnydale.... Oh, god Willow, he started grabbing me when he could, telling me that I would be his, and I'd be sorry that I'd been playing games with him. I think the guy was some sort of basket case, and I was terrified that he'd do something awful, like kidnap me and make me his love-slave or something."
Harmony was still upset, and her emotions were strong enough that the soothing Willow was attempting wasn't working. Tears began to flow down Harmony's cheeks as she told Willow about how this guy had followed her, had sent her letters telling her how she would be his, the phone calls, the threats. She had been terrified, and hadn't been able to explain everything to Spike, because "then he would have gone after Todd, and Todd's colleagues would have shot Spike and taken him away and then he'd be gone and I couldn't let him get hurt or killed because of me, and I didn't have anyone else to talk to."
Willow moved to the seat next to Harmony, and wrapped her arms around her friend. She made comforting noises, not trying to claim that everything was okay, because it definitely wasn't, but to let Harmony know that she wasn't alone. Harmony wasn't alone, and Willow would help her as much as possible.
"Harm, why didn't you tell me any of this over the phone, or in emails or something?" Willow knew Harmony was being truthful. What she didn't understand was why she hadn't known any of this before.
"I was afraid. You know all those spy movies, where the bad guys have tapped someone's phone, and can hear everything they say? I was afraid, y'know, that my stalker had bugged my phone."
end part 6.
Willow had spent the rest of the evening calming Harmony down. It had not been easy, and she was almost sorry for bringing the whole topic up. The simple fact that if she hadn't learned what was wrong she couldn't try to help Harmony deal with it prevented her from regretting the conversation. Bringing home bags full of lingerie and body lotions had seemed a small price to pay for helping her friend calm down.
Spike and Remy's talk had gone differently. She didn't know the details, only that it had involved getting completely drunk while visiting at least four different bars, and they had returned singing off key Broadway show tunes at three in the morning. When they had stirred the next day, both horribly hung over, the women had been somewhere between amused and sympathetic. The bright side was that the guys seemed to have reached an understanding. They had stopped watching each other distrustfully. They would probably never be the close friends that Willow and Harmony were, but they were getting along much better.
It wasn't for another couple of days that she and Remy had a chance to talk to each other about how their separate talks had gone. Spike and Harmony had gone out to a club, intending to dance and listen to loud music, and they had wished them both a good time.
"So, now that they've gone to have fun, we try to figure out how to help them, and talk behind their backs right? Learn much of use on your shopping trip t' other day?" Remy sounded amused. He had learned some about how Willow operated.
"Pretty much, yeah. But, Remy, they wanted help, or else they never would have come here. I'm guessing Spike's focused more on the big picture, and less on the personal issues?" Willow smiled slightly at her Remy, pleased that he had guessed her strategy.
"He said a group of people, some sort of military looking group, showed up in Sunnydale and started to grab demons, vampires, an' a few visible mutants. They went hunting in groups, and had some high tech stun guns, so they could bring back their captures alive. He said sometimes, they wouldn't just stun someone an' drag them back, they'd circle around and kick them until they stopped twitching." Remy shuddered, having seen firsthand the sort of terrors that could go on in labs that never officially existed.
"Nobody they grabbed was ever seen again. He said the soldiers were getting more confident, more brutal in the way they did things. They were also grabbing bigger, more powerful individuals. The two of them decided to get out of town while they still could."
Willow looked thoughtful. "Harmony mentioned the soldiers a bit. She said they were getting various jobs around town, some were taking college classes, so that people wouldn't know they were soldiers. Who ever put them there, they're undercover. One of them had sort of a thing for Harm, and he kept asking her out. He wouldn't take no for an answer, and she said he was getting very scary before they left."
Remy shivered, ugly memories filling his mind. He had several ideas about what could be going on with the missing people. Pulling the blanket around him in a futile gesture to ward of the chill of his memories, he sat there, his knees pulled close to him, looking very unhappy and tense. When he spoke, his voice was scarcely more than a hoarse whisper. "I think it's time I tell you about some of the darker things in my past. I don't like them, but.. I think it's important now."
Willow put her hand out, resting it on his shoulder, feeling his nervousness. He hated the memories he was thinking about, and was terrified that if he told her, she would reject him. "I'm here for you, Remy. No matter what."
Remy swallowed nervously, and forced himself to straighten up a bit. "It's time I tell you about Sinister."
Over the next few hours, Remy explained to Willow about the evil scientist. How Sinister was old, and evil, and seemingly indestructible. He explained how when he was young, and his powers first manifested, he had been unable to control them, and Sinister, calling himself Dr. Essex, had offered him help. How that help had come with a terrible price later, when he had been used in several horrible and painful experiments. Remy told Willow about some of the other things Sinister had done in his lab, the horrible things that happened when a brilliant scientist had no scruples, and no respect for the lives of others.
He explained how Sinister had said that if Remy found a list of people for him, he would be forever free of Sinister afterwards. What that group of mercenaries, now called the Marauders had done to the Morlocks... How it was the discovery that he had known even a little bit about the Marauders had caused Rogue to throw him into the Antarctic snow and abandon him to die.
Willow held him close to her, trying to reassure him that she wouldn't throw him out. She could feel how much these memories pained him, the gaping wounds they had left in him. "I told you before, I'm not going to throw you out because you made mistakes. I... I love you, Remy. No matter how tormented your past is, no matter how stupid your ex was, I love you. It wasn't your fault that this guy was an evil, remorseless fiend, and it wasn't your fault that the marauders killed those poor mutants. Yes, it was a terrible thing the Marauders did, and yes, Sinister is an evil scary guy, but... it wasn't your fault Remy."
Willow held Remy, whispering reassurances of love to him for a long time. She felt so bad for him, for the terrified youth he had been when things suddenly started to blow up after he touched them, for the tormented young man that had made a bargain with the devil to escape, for the man he had become, a man that had tried to be a hero in atonement for his past. She loved him, and had no intention of leaving him because of the mistakes and disasters of his past.
She also understood his fears that someone in Sunnydale might be following in Sinister's footsteps, kidnapping people and using them for horrible experiments. He had suspected that the soldiers may have been given some sort of treatment that had altered them, not only enabling them to fight stronger demons, but altering their moods as well. It was a terrible idea, and unfortunately, it was all to possible.
end part 7.
Eventually, Remy fell asleep, still clinging to Willow. So, they were still there on the couch when Spike and Harmony got back from their night of fun and dancing. Willow was resting her hand on Remy's back, trying to figure out how to move out from under him without waking him up.
"Please tell me we aren't interrupting something.." Harmony was the first to say anything. She was staring at Willow and Remy, with the blankets tangled over the two them.
Spike grinned slightly. "Now Harm, if they were shagging, don't you think Red would be blushing about now? What is going on anyhow?"
Willow smiled a bit. "We talked, partly about your reasons for leaving Sunnydale. That brought up some painful memories for Remy, and now he's asleep on my legs." She looked thoughtful. "Spike, you have your super vampire strength. Could you please help me get Remy to bed? Not like that, really, I just think he'd be better off in a real bed instead of hunched up on the couch."
"Sure thing pet, but I'd like to hear what sort of things you've come up with afterwards. I'll just take sleeping beauty here and tuck him into bed. Getting domesticated in my old age, really..." Spike easily lifted Remy from Willow's lap, and carried him back to the bedroom, grumbling the whole time about going soft, and the things he did for Harm.
By the time he got back to the living room, Harmony had settled on the couch, and Willow had moved to the green recliner. Harm was looking expectant, and Willow looked like she had unhappy thoughts. He didn't think that he would like the ideas that the two of them had come up with.
He dropped onto the couch beside Harmony, trying to look like the reckless vampire he had once been. "So, what sort of things did you come up with?"
Willow looked at him, giving Spike the impression that she knew exactly how much of his big bad persona was an act. "We figured that the soldiers are there for a reason. Most likely, someone is performing scientific or medical research on the various demons and vampires. They might be from the government, or some private individual. You said they were dressed in camouflage, which is pretty easy to get, even if you aren't actually in the military. Most likely the research is something either controversial or sadistic, so it's unlikely to be officially known of by anyone."
Willow tucked one leg under her, unhappy with the ideas they had come up with. "We think, based on the descriptions of how the soldiers tactics have changed and the shifting attitude of the ones Harmony had been observing around town that whoever is running the experiments is also doing something to the men. It might be that the soldiers are also an experiment, or it could be that someone has devised a super soldier serum or procedure, and has used it on these guys. You did say that when they first arrived, their abilities seemed pretty normal for a human in good shape, and their strategies were straight-forward and direct. When you left, they were taking down things that would have eaten them a year ago, and beating them when they were down."
Looking very worried, Willow continued. "They sound like they are getting stronger, and more aggressive. It's kind of like what happens to long term steroid users, but more so. Like the hellmouth version of steroids, except that would involve turning them into some sort of icky monster. Which it could actually be doing now that I think about it especially if they are harvesting bits and hormones from the various demons to give to the soldiers, probably in a pill or an injection, and that just seems to be really ick and..."
"Willow, you're babbling!" Harmony knew how Willow could get if she was just allowed to continue. She could go on far longer in a single breath than anyone else, and she would follow tangents off in strange directions, and everyone listening would end up completely lost. She privately suspected that it was a mutation that allowed her to do that, but she couldn't be sure.
Spike was just staring at Willow, his jaw dropped slightly. Harmony had told him about Willow's babbling, how she could go on for a long time, but he hadn't believed her. Now, he had heard it in person. She babbled, and her mind went in odd directions, although she didn't listen to the moon or stars, so she had a definite advantage over Dru. He shuddered slightly, both at the recollection of the madwoman he had spent a century obsessed with, and at the implications of Willow's words. While the picture she had sketched was indeed ick as she had described it, it was quite plausible for the Hellmouth.
Now they had to figure out what could be done about it.
Willow, Harmony and Spike had spent what felt like along time discussing the soldiers in Sunnydale. They had concluded from the observations that something was going on, something that was enhancing the men's abilities. It was the sort of thing that almost had to be unofficial, and to widespread to deal with it on their own. Unfortunately, after many hours of discussion, they still had no plan to get rid of the men or whoever was backing them. Willow intended to try to find some informaion online, but that could only inform them of what was happening.
They simply did not have the resources to deal with the problem personally. They didn't have the numbers or the technological advantage. After looking from numerous angles, they still had no answers. Frustrated, they had all retired to try to sleep, hoping that either they would find an angle they had missed, or some opportunity would arrise.
There seemed to be nothing they could do about the men in Sunnydale.
The next day, after Willow finished her day at work, she and Remy went for a walk in the park. He was getting along better with Spike, but still, she could only ask him to spend so much time with him before they would be absolutely miserable. So, they went out. They ended up at the small pond, with Remy was tossing pieces of bread to a few ducks. Willow was standing beside him, holding a yellow and clear bread bag, from which she would pull a slice of bread, handing them over to Remy. Remy kept tossing the bread to places where the ducks weren't, and they would watch as the ducks all swarmed to the bread.
"Remy! Please, I have to talk to you."
A voice interrupted their quiet, a voice that Remy had half expected not to hear again. Hearing her voice, Remy spun around, looking at Ororo and Logan with a surprised expression. He reached out, catching the Willow's hand in his. She was rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand, clearly intended as a soothing gesture.
"Stormy? You here.. and Logan is with you." Remy's gaze moved from Ororo to Logan and back to Ororo. "Why?"
"I had to find you. You're family to me Remy. Please, will you at least listen?" Ororo's voice was full of emotion.
"Yeah, family." Remy looked at the ground for a moment before glancing back at her. He could barely speak through the tangled knot of emotions in him. "You've been looking for me. Least I can do is hear you out. We can talk over there, at the picnic table."
They had all moved over to the picnic table, and had settled uneasily around it. Willow was sitting next to Remy, still rubbing his hand soothingly. She could feel how tense he was, nervous and hopeful and puzzled at the appearance of these two. Remy was watching Ororo and Logan as if he expected them to do something, to suddenly attack.
"So... you were at Chuck's with Rogue last we saw you. Now, you're here. What the hell happened?" Logan's words were harsh, nearly growled, and to the point.
Remy flinched slightly at Logan's words. "You know the Shi'ar decided they needed a bit of assistance while you were out shopping, an' they grabbed the people that were there to go help with the mess? After that, we ended up in Antarctica, 'cept for Bishop. Deathbird had him. There were...complications. We got captured, and someone in armor decided to put me on 'trial' for one of my more glaring mistakes. The others were cast with Warren as my supposed defense, an' the rest as witnesses an' jury."
Ororo spoke, her words soft, filled with concern and worry. "Trial for what? What happened, Remy?"
Remy seemed to pull himself away, emotionally if not physically. He was remembering the pain and shattering of trust that had happened in the snow covered citadel, instigated by an armor clad figure. "The massacre. I found the Marauders for Sinister." His voice was barely more than a whisper, and seemed to vibrate with suppressed emotion. "They found me guilty, and when the building collapsed, Rogue pulled me out an' left me in the snow. Alone." His words trailed off, as he remembered the stunned disbelief he had felt, watching her fly away from him. Remembering the pain filled walk though endless snow and cold, hoping to find something, anything to stave off his death.
Her expression was protective. "I found him out there. He was nearly frozen to death. We nearly lost him to a fever after that. He didn't want to contact anyone, didn't want to let anyone know that he was alive." She was watching them, trying to read their reactions. Remy had spoken well of these two, but she wouldn't let them hurt him if she could prevent it.
Seeing that they looked shocked and surprised by this news, Willow continued. "He was convinced that the people he had trusted with his life had rejected him. That the people he should have been able to count on, the woman who had claimed to love him, had abandoned him to a slow, horrible death. Nobody went to look for him. Nobody tried to contact him. He was afraid that if he tried to let of any of you know he was still alive, someone would be along to change that."
"You are my brother in all but the actual DNA, Remy. I would never abandon you to die, nor would I try to kill you myself. I wouldn't let anyone do such a thing to you." Ororo was on the verge of tears. Tears of relief that he was alive and safe, tears of pain at the agony and abandonment that he had gone through, tears from the hurt that it had given her to hear his doubts.
Remy was holding her then, offering a shoulder to cry on, real and tangible and there as he hadn't been for so long. It hurt him to see his sister in such pain, to know that it was partly his fault. Willow would understand, she could probably gauge Stormy's mood better than he could, simply becasue his own feelings for Stormy would get in the way. He held her as she sobbed from to many emotions, murmuring little soothing sounds and words. They were the words that say nothing more complex than that she was not alone, that he was here, that it was okay to cry.
Logan's voice carried enough that Remy could hear him clearly over Stormy's tears. "Teams don't work that way. I don't leave people behind."
Willow could feel how much the woman needed Remy to comfort her. She was family to him, in a way that transcended blood and genetics and went straight to the heart. However, it seemed that Logan had a few issues. Not just his normal issues, but he did not like seeing Stormy in Remy's arms. He felt all jealous and possessive. She could tell he was trying to control it, but.. maybe a little reassurance wouldn't hurt. Willow touched his arm, lightly. It was a gesture carefully calculated to get his attention without appearing threatening. He looked at her, clearly not expecting the contact.
With a small smile, she spoke, her voice quiet enough not to interrupt Ororo's tears. "He wasn't working for Sinister. He was trying to get away from him. You can also relax, there's a lot of things between them, but he isn't interested in her that way. He was afraid, and confused, and when that happened, he didn't have anyone to turn to. When it came out, everything he thought he'd built with his life seemed to fall like a house of cards. I know he won't go back to the X-Men. I also know that he isn't going to be dating Ororo, he's otherwise involved. He didn't betray the team, but the team definately betrayed him."
end part 9
They had sat at the picnic table for a bit, just generally talking about anything and nothing. Ororo and Logan wanted to know that Remy was ok, not just in decent physical health, which they could see, but they wanted too know that he was happy. Willow also wanted to learn a bit more about these two, Remy's friends. From the sounds of his past, he could use all the friends he could get, and didn't have nearly enough friends.
After a bit of minor talk about sports teams and the proper way to season fried chicken, Logan dropped a serious question into the conversation, asking about Willow's friends and houseguests.
Willow had explained that Harmony was a friend from high school, and she and her boyfriend Spike were staying with Willow until they could get their own apartment. Frowning and reminded of all their speculation, Willow had explained about the men in camouflage with tazers, how they abducted any person in Sunnydale that was 'different' and that person was never seen again. How Spike had described their tactics changing, and the fear that there was some demented and evil scientist working on scary projects in Sunnydale. How fear of these soldiers had caused Spike and Harmony to flee California and come here.
Both of the former X-Men looked very worried about his idea. They had exchanged a glance full of unspoken words, and then Logan had spoke again. "I got a friend.. he let me borrow a jet to go looking for Gumbo over there. If I tell him about this, he can have someone look into things, someone with sufficient backup."
His words had been a great comfort to Willow. If he said he's ask someone to look into it, Remy had assured her that Logan kept his promises. He would ask someone to look into it. Knowing that the mess in Sunnydale would be taken care of made her feel much better.
Conversation had changed topics then, moving on to something lighter. They had chatted again about inconsequential things when Ororo mentioned that they should make efforts to stay in touch.
She also found herself noticing something else. Ororo and Logan kept glancing at each other. Not the little glances of team communication, but the little secret looks of someone with a crush. She could see how they were both so clearly interested in the other. Did they know? Did they have any idea that the other was interested in them? For that matter, did they even realize their own feelings? After a few moments consideration of what she knew of them and how they 'felt' in their emotional presences, she decided that they would probably be good for each other. All they needed was a little push to realize how they felt.
"There's this little music festival next week. You mentioned wanting to stay in touch, so how about we go to it? It could be sort of like a double date." Willow made her suggestion with a smile, watching the two carefully for their reactions. Remy looked a bit surprised by her suggestion, until he saw the cute way that Ororo and Logan both blushed and stammered that they were not together, not a couple, really.
Remy gave her a slight smile and a raised eyebrow. Willow knew that expression meant that he was onto her plan. Ororo and Logan insisted that they weren't together, that they were just friends, and they almost believed them. They weren't a couple. Yet.
Willow intended to change that. She planned to keep putting them into situations until they realized how they felt and did something about it. They would discover their mutual feelings soon enough. She was certain that they could manage to help them find happiness.
Spike and Harmony would be able to move into the basement apartment next Tuesday. Ororo and Logan wanted to stay in touch, cared about Remy and his future. Sunnydale would be taken care of, and life would move on. Willow smiled, thinking how good things could be sometimes.
end part 10.
End Sparks of Change.
rating: Pg 13
pairing: Willow/Remy, also has Harmony/Spike
disclaimer: I do not own anyone from BtVS or Marvelcomics.
distribution: If you have permission for the first 2, you can have this one as well. Otherwise, please ask first.
note :words inside colons: are over a telephone.
Spike was getting worried. There were a lot more of those commandos running around in Sunnydale now than there had been before. He didn't think he'd be able to avoid them much longer. Rumor at Willie's had them grabbing vampires, demons, and the odd identifiable mutant. Anyone they grabbed was never seen again. Sunnyhell had never been particularly safe, being the home of a Slayer, but this was getting to be to much.
Maybe this would be enough to convince Harm to leave this place. They could go to see somewhere else, anywhere else in the world. All he had to do was get back to the apartment first. Which was actually much easier said then done. There were commandos everywhere.
"Harm, this place is going to pieces around us. It's not so much the Slayer now as those bloody commandos. It's not safe here." Spike's voice rang out in the apartment.
"You're telling me? Some big soldier boy keeps hitting on me. He seems to be having trouble with the idea of 'No'. So you aren't still hung up on the idea of killing the Slayer?" Harmony was sitting in the chair, looking at a travel magazine.
"No, luv, we can leave this Slayer alone. She's not a challenge, the soldier boys are. Only thing is where do you want to go? Any ideas on where we can go get a decent living without the rampages and mayhem?" Spike's question was only partly sarcastic. He had found that since Dru had left him, deciding once and for all that he would never be Angelus, he no longer had quite the same need for violence. He had been violent because it was expected of him, and to get the status from it.
Harmony dropped the magazine, looking thoughtful. She was actually much smarter than people had given her credit for. "Maybe. I think that Willow could help us. Remember, my friend that called and you harassed? The redhead in the picture over there?" She pointed to a picture, showing her and Willow on the beach, smiling at the camera.
"If I recall, she used to be one of the Slayer's friends. You think she'd be happy about the idea of a vampire dropping in for a social visit and asking her to help? Sounds doubtful to me." Spike was internally listing other possibilities. The list was short.
"Now, Spike, you're talking like it's just some random person that I used to know, like Cordelia or Aura. This is Willow. She might be less than happy.. umm I think you kidnapped her once, but she won't toss us out to beg on the streets. I'll call her and see if she can help us out any."
Harmony dialed the number for Willow's apartment. She tapped her foot as she waited for the phone to be picked up. "Hello, Willow? We have a problem and I need…You aren't Willow. I guess you must be Remy. I need to talk to Willow."
"Right, Willow. He's got a nice accent by the way. There's a big problem in Sunnydale."
"The town is crawling with these freaky soldier types, all big and muscular and kidnapping people who don't blend." Harmony paused moment, listening. "Like Spike, or most of the ones who go to Willie's, and there have been some visible mutants who've vanished as well. They never come back."
Harmony was now pacing around the room, claiming that she thought better while moving. "They just go around in their camouflage and grab people at night. It' getting really scary here, Will."
"Really? You can? That's great! You have no idea how thankful I am right now... We'll be there soon."
Hanging up the phone, she turned to look at Spike. She looked relieved, and smiled. "She said she can help us out. There's a basement apartment that she said she can reserve for us, she can look for some possible jobs we might want to consider, and she said that she can get us new legal identities if we really want. I've always wanted to see New York."
They began packing their things, wanting to leave Sunnydale as quickly as possible.
end part 1.
Harmony and Spike managed to pack everything they wanted, and to leave Sunnydale in under three hours. They were going to New York, fleeing the soldiers that had infiltrated Sunnydale, hoping that Willow could help them.
Spike's car did look a bit odd with a small trailer behind it, filled with some of their things, but the chances of anyone commenting were few. With the black tinted windows, he would be safe from the sunlight, and they could drive almost continuously to New York.
Their trip, while long and exhausting, passed without any outside danger. In relatively good time, they arrived in New York, and began searching for Willow's apartment. Harmony had the address, but she had never actually been there, so she was unable to be much help with directions. They were planning to find Willow, and probably catch up a bit on sleep at her home, hopefully before being able to get their own place.
Considering the lack of other options, this time, Spike's plan worked. Granted, it had been a simple get the hell out of Sunnydale and to New York without getting caught by the soldiers, but it had worked. They found the building that Willow's apartment was located in, and wearily went up the stairs to the proper floor, and Spike pounded at the door, unconcerned that he might wake up the neighbours.
The door was opened, revealing a small redhead dressed in grey slacks and a pale green blouse. Her eyes widened slightly at Spike, and he realized that he had seen her before, although the memories were a bit fuzzy. Harmony made this little happy squeak, and threw her arms around the redhead in an enthusiastic hug.
"Willow! I am so incredibly glad to see you, you have no idea how exhausting it is to drive across the country and I definitely like the new Willow style, can we come in and sit down before we collapse in the hallway?"
Willow smiled, and looked at Spike measuringly. "Yeah, you both look pretty tired. Come in and sit down, Spike be sure to behave. I picked up something for you to have for dinner, so there's no need to bite anyone. Remy's still asleep, so try not to be too noisy, though you both look like you just need to find somewhere and pass out for a while."
It was with great relief that they went into the apartment. Spike noticed that the living room had thick curtains over blinds, so that if both were shut, the room would be practically light proof. Willow went into the kitchen and used the microwave to warm up a container of blood for Spike, and brought it to him in a dark orange coffee mug.
Spike had figured that Willow had to be pretty exceptional to be willing to help them, to let them stay in her home for a while. He certainly hadn't expected her to have anything on hand for his dietary needs. He sipped at the blood thankfully, to tired to worry about whether or not he had slipped into his vampire features. Willow didn't seem to be bothered, so either he hadn't, or she wasn't concerned.
"I talked to Kelly, the building manager about getting you two one of the basement apartments. She's supposed to do a few inspections and get back to me today on that, so with a bit of luck, you'll have your very own place before very long. Now, I have to go to work, you two should sleep." Willow smiled cheerfully at her guests, and left to go to work.
Remy would possibly have been relieved to know that not everyone from the X-Men had decided that he was a horrible person that should die. In fact, Ororo, the woman who had practically become a sister to him, and Logan, an enigmatic fighter that had chosen to support the dream of co-existence, were searching for him at this very moment. It was also possible that he would have been worried. Logan had never been a close friend of Remy's, or really of anyone else for that matter. Logan was also the best there was at what he did, and if he wanted to find Remy, it would only be a matter of time.
Logan had actually just acquired a listing of all the research and scientific groups that had been in Antarctica in the recent few months. It had been the hope of Ororo that one of the groups had found Remy, and rescued him from a frozen grave. He shuffled the papers, and smiled slightly.
"Hey, 'Ro. Listen to this. Yale group, researching ozone depletion, departed on 17th of March. All members present, as well as one additional person, serving as cook. Interesting thing, they didn't have a cook when they came down here." Logan's breath made interesting patterns in the cold air. His eyes gleamed with triumph.
"Do you think it could be Remy?" Ororo was hopeful that they might have found evidence that Remy was alive.
"Possible. We know he isn't still here. They were here during the right time, he might have met up with them. Only way to be sure is to find the group and ask someone about their new cook, see what they can tell us."
The pair began their plans for the trip out of Antarctica, both eager to return to more normal climates.
end part 2.
Remy eventually pulled himself out of his bed. He was fairly certain Willow had said something was happening today, something important. What had she said... something about harmony. He should be able to think more clearly after some coffee. Remy walked out to the kitchen, taking absent note that the futon had been pulled out, and there were two person sized lumps under the blankets. He drank coffee, waiting for his mind to wake up.
Halfway through his cup of coffee, the realization hit him that one of the sleeping people was not a friendy nice guy, but was in fact a bloodthirsty violent man. He was a vampire. Willow had a vampire sleeping on her couch.
He really had to start paying more attention when Willow told him about upcoming changes.
Spike eventually found the scent of coffee to much to sleep through. Especially since there was someone pacing, another living, breathing mortal in the apartment. He was feeling a bit hungry, so that only helped him to wake up. Sitting up, he let the blankets fall onto Harm, knowing she tended to complain about the cold anyhow. Who was this guy that looked so calm here? Probably the Remy fellow that Red had mentioned, her boyfriend.
Spike stood up, stretching a bit as he did. Walking over to the refrigerator, he was hoping that Red had left plenty of blood for him, and that her boyfriend wasn't planning of freaking out on him. It wasn't until he had poured and heated his mug of blood and had it almost to his mouth that he realized exactly what had seemed a bit off about the other man. His eyes were red on black.
"You're eyes supossed to look like that? What exactly are you anyhow?" Those questions were fairly clear, and the vampire was looking at his with curiousity and wariness as he sipped at his mug of blood. He also muttered a few things under his breath, which Remy was able to catch. "Go across the country to escape the bloody hellmouth and end up with the one person I know of that ran like hell away from it, and find her boyfriend's not a normal human guy. Damn commando's might be following, hell, might have other bases, and I got no way to find them, going bloody soft is what's happened..."
"They supposed to look like dis. I'm a mutant, not some sort of demon like Willow said live in Sunnydale. Only people in camouflage doing illegal t'ings around here that I know of are the Friends of Humanity, they got a problem with mutants. I'm trying to figure out why Willow invited a vampire here, into her house." Remy remembered Willow having the same concern when she first saw his eyes.
"Harm." Seeing the mutant twitch a bit at the word, Spike decided to elaborate. He used one thumb to indicate his still sleeping girlfriend. "My girl's Harmony, and she and Willow are friends. There was some problems in Sunnyhell, and we had to leave. The whole there's a bloody large pack of them, and Harm can't fight. She asked Red if she could give us a bit of a hand, and here we are. Red seems to have this soft hearted streak in her. Which is actually a good thing for me right now."
Spike finished his mug, and debated for a moment about having seconds, or explaining about the commandos. He decided to explain first, then have another cup. "About last year, Sunnyhell started having these guys in camouflage sneaking around at night. First time I saw them, I thought maybe they were out playing paintball or something. No, they had tazers. These guys sneak up and zap a fellow, maybe a demon, or a vampire, and he goes down, twitching a bit. They carry him off, and nobody ever sees them again. Started making people damn nervous. More so because the soldier boys are getting more confident, taking down more demons, and also bigger and meaner demons."
Remy frowned. The whole idea sounded like trouble to him. "What did they do wit' them after they got someone? What's the overall plan? Who's running the operations?" After a few moments of reflection over some of his own unpleasant memories, Remy spoke again. "Who's funding the group?"
Spike raised an eyebrow. Remy was not arguing about the existence of demons, Willow must have got him past that. He was asking resonable questions, and seemed to be worried about the idea. "Nobody knows what happens, but..a few of the other vampires that I knew had some of their childer taken, they said there was pain and death. No idea about the overall plan, although the town has a tendancy to attract would be world destroyers and dominators. Near as we can figure, they seem to be funded by the US military."
Spike poured himself a second cup, and heated it. The two stood there, sipping from their cups, contemplating the soldiers. Finally, Remy spoke, looking right into Spike's eyes as he did. "You think they may be after you, may have followed you."
Spike nodded. "It crossed our minds. Figured we'd be safer outside of Sunnyhell anyhow."
Remy thought about that, deciding that it was almost always better to be a moving target rather than a stationary one. "Willow an' me gonna keep an eye out for people searching for you or Harm then. If someone is looking, advance warning is always a bonus."
end part 3.
Willow had been given a day off from tinkering with the durability of various electronics so that she could work on fixing something about the network used in the office. Her broader range of abilities ensured her job security, but sometimes, she had to wonder how they did these things to their systems.
Her telephone rang, drawing her from pondering the network and it's broken connections.
:Willow? This is Dr Calder. There has been a recent development.: The Doctor that had been on the Antarctica expedition with Willow. They had actually become friends, and had stayed in touch. She sounded worried about something, which was unusual for her.
"What's wrong? Is it a medical development, electronic, or other?" Willow was a bit worried, and wanted to know what had her friend sounding troubled.
: There were two people in my office the other day. One was a tall dark skinned woman with long white hair and blue eyes, called herself Ororo Munroe. The other was a short man, broad shoulders, lots of muscle. He had dark hair, blue eyes, only name he gave was Logan. They were searching for someone, and the someone they were trying to find sounded like Remy. I have no idea if he knows them, or wants them to find him, but I thought you should know about this.: She gave brief descriptions. Amanda sounded worried. She had rather liked what she had seen of Remy, not just physically, but as a person. She thought he would be good for Willow, and deserved a chance to start over, away from whatever painful memories haunted his past.
Willow knew that there were people in Remy's past that he never wanted to see again. She also knew that Amanda knew there were people he was hiding from. She had thought Remy a nice enough young man, so she had given Willow warning about the people.
"Thanks. I'll have to talk to Remy about it. Maybe he knows them, and he can tell me whether or not we need to keep away from them." Willow ended the conversation on a thoughtful note.
She was still feeling thoughtful and concerned when she returned home that afternoon. Someone was searching for Remy. There was a military group in Sunnydale abducting mutants, demons and vampires, so Spike and Harmony had fled the town, coming to her for help. Things were getting complicated. She didn't need complicated right now, especially since it wasn't something she could fix.
Willow walked into the apartment, relieved to see everyone looked healthy and at least not to upset. Harmony was sitting beside Spike, looking a bit amused as Spike and Remy debated the finer points of what Spike called football and Remy called soccer. They seemed to be doing alright at getting along.
Remy looked at her, concerned. His debate with Spike was not as important as Willow, and he could tell something was troubling her. "Cher? What's on your mind?"
"I had a phone call from Dr. Calder today. Remy, she said there are people looking for you. A woman calling herself Ororo Munroe, dark skin, white hair and a guy called Logan, no other name given. Do you know these people? Should we be worried?"
Remy sat down, looking lightly stunned, a faint smile on his face. "Could be good. Ororo…that's Stormy, she's like a sister to me. I'd hoped she might not hate me.. Logan never seemed to like me much, not sure why he'd be looking, unless it's to make sure I get found. They probably not a danger."
"Probably? Is there any reason you can think of why they would be a danger? I want to be prepared, just in case." Willow was not reassured by the word probably. Her high school years had conditioned her to think 'probably' paired in a sentence with any sort of threat or danger meant be prepared for danger.
"Good point, ma bella. Stormy, she might be very unhappy, depending on what she's heard, but I don't think she would want to do anything permanent. Logan... I have no idea how to predict what Logan would do. He wouldn't have left me behind, but this is different. I think he probably won't be trying to kill me, but he might be pretty upset. Expect growling, sharp metal claws... maybe we best find a good supply of decent beer to be prepared." Remy was clearly thinking out loud, hoping that his team mates weren't planning his death.
Willow could feel how nervous Remy was about this. He cared what those two thought about him, and he wanted them not to hate him. For his sake, she hoped that these former team mates of his only had good intentions.
After some thought, it was decided that Willow and Harmony would go out and do a bit of shopping, catch up on the news. Remy would help Spike find a bar that had what Spike termed decent beer, so they would go out later, after the sun had set. It was looking like there would be enough trouble without them arguing with each other.
end part 4.
Willow and Harmony grabbed their purses and left the apartment, already discussing what stores to go to and what they intended to look at. Apparently, in the hasty packing, several items had been left behind that Harmony fully intended to replace. They were debating the best places to get the replacements from as they left, and the men listened as their voices faded into the distance.
"Shopping." Spike muttered, torn between relief that Harm would have something to occupy her mind and keep her from worrying, and annoyance that he was stuck here until the sun set.
"We not gonna see them again for a long time." Remy's own voice was a bit mournful. Now, he was here, alone with the blood drinking vampire that he didn't know, and certainly didn't trust.
They spent several long minutes of awkward silence. Neither one wanted to be caught watching the other, and neither one was willing to turn their backs on the other. The tension was tangible.
Finally, Remy decided to break the silence. "So, how did you end up wit' Harmony anyhow? From what I can recall of Willow's actual meeting with you, last she was in California, you were involved with this vampire woman, Rue or somethin' like that."
Spike frowned a bit, thinking that it just figured that this guy would go right for the difficult questions. "Her name was Drusilla. She was my everything for over a century my world revolved around her, she was my ripe wicked plum, my dark goddess. I would do anything for her. The problem was, I wasn't who she really wanted. I fooled myself of over a bloody century, thinking if I could just y'know, be evil enough, kill enough people, torture viciously enough, she'd learn to love me like she did him. It didn't work, and eventually, it dawned on me that it never would."
Spike sat there, studying the chipped black polish on his thumb. "A guy can only take being the consolation prize for so long before he decides it isn't worth it. So, when she decided to chase some disgusting chaos demon, I just...let her go. I was sick of chasing someone that didn't want me. So, then I ended up back in Sunnyhell, where Red lived. Cause a bit of trouble there, left town ahead of someone that wanted me dead."
Spike walked to the kitchen, pouring himself another mug of blood, and heating it in the microwave. "Thing is, I could never resist a good challenge. I ended up going back to Sunnyhell. Planned to kill the Slayer, and turn the one person there that had challenged me with damned little chance of success, just because of the nerve that had taken." He decided not to mention that that person had been Willow.
"Actually, I wasn't at my best when I got into town. Been drinking a bit, and I met Harm. She was in a bit of an argument, and I sort of decided to insult one of the idiots she was yelling at... After that, we ended up going to a nice bar and talking some about things. Turns out her life was nearly as wretched at the time as mine. We ended up roommates, then things got a bit more interesting. After a bit, I realized I had started to care somewhere along the line, and that was that." Spike looked thoughtful, pondering the end of his bachelor freedoms. Grinning slightly, his eyes still golden, he looked at Remy. "How'd you end up with Red?"
Remy blinked, startled by the fanged smile, and considered how to answer. "Once upon a time, I was a t'ief. I met this girl, 'bout twelve or so, and decided to take her back home to her family. Ended up staying with her family, turned out they were the X-Men. Got involved with a pretty gal there, she didn't want to talk about her past. For a while, things were... tolerable enough I guess. Then, she found out some of my past, the dark secrets I didn't want anyone to know. Her reaction was to drop me in the snow in Antarctica an' leave."
Spike winced, certain that that surpassed his own assorted painful separations. Leaving someone out in the snow... "How long was it until she came back for you?"
Remy scowled at his coffee cup. "She didn't. I was staggering in the cold, trying to keep moving long enough to... actually, I didn't have a plan. I was just to stubborn to lay down an' die. 'Bout the time I collapsed face down in the snow and ice was when Willow found me. She brought me back with her to the place she was staying, and then brought me home with her to here."
Suddenly feeling awkward again about the personal and emotional turn their words had taken, they fell quiet again. There was some pacing, and the cups ended up in the sink, Spike's filled with water to prevent crusting. He glanced at his watch, and smiled.
"About bloody time. Sun's down, now weren't you supposed to help me find a decent bar in this city?"
The two men shrugged into their battered leather coats, and began their exploration of the local bars. Any further exposure of deep inner secrets could be smoothed by alcohol. The apartment was feeling confining anyhow.
end part 5
Willow and Harmony went forth to go shopping. There were a number of things that Harmony had somehow or other managed not to take with her when she and Spike had fled Sunnydale. The fact that it would give her and Willow a chance to talk away from the guys was a bonus. It meant that they could talk about their guys, and what had been happening in their lives. It had been to long since they'd had a chance to talk in person.
After picking up a few things, they stopped for a drink and a bite to eat at a little restaurant in the shopping center. They had decided that it would be simpler to eat out that night. After the salads, Willow finally asked the question that had been bothering her for the past few days.
"Harmony? What happened to make you leave Sunnydale?"
Startled by the question, Harmony looked at her friend. She really hadn't been happy about having to leave, but it had been necessary. She made herself relax a bit, this was Willow. Willow wouldn't blame her for any of it, she would be understanding.
"It's sort of a long and complicated story. If it had just been the... well, Buffy, that wouldn't have been a problem, she's not the most observant person in the world, you know? I had a nice job handling paperwork for Mr. Slater, the lawyer. He wasn't to bad, just kind of cranky, and really touchy about the paperwork and schedules..." Harmony paused, running her finger around the rim of her water glass.
"The problems started with the new batch of military guys that came to Sunnydale. They were all big and buff, and most of them were sort of cute, but... What I couldn't figure out was why so many of them were doing other things. Like, taking college classes or doing stuff here and there around town. It was like they didn't want people to know they were in the military or something." She sipped a bit of water, trying to moisten her throat.
"One of them decided that I was just adorable, and he kept trying to ask me out. It was a little flattering at first, because this buff guy thinks I'm all cute and everything, except that I already had my Spikey. So I told him I already had a boyfriend, so I had to say no. The guy didn't give up. I kept finding him in the oddest places, and he was always watching me. He kept asking me out, and I kept telling him I had a boyfriend, and I wasn't interested getting another one." She rubbed at her wrist bones, frowning at a memory.
Willow was worried. She could tell that Harmony was really freaked about what had happened. She started trying to send soothing feelings to her, a wordless assurance that Willow would understand, that it wasn't her fault. Harmony needed a friend now, someone that could try to make her feel safe again. Willow was uncomfortably reminded of the time she had spent helping Harmony over her first boyfriend, all those years ago.
"He was getting impatient and angry Willow. Apparently, I was supposed to be so flattered that he wanted me that I'd dump my boyfriend and fall into his arms. Things weren't going the way he wanted, and he started to get less... polite. He found my phone number, and he started leaving me messages, saying that he was watching me, and it was only a matter of time before I would be his. He'd say thing in them, things that told me that he was following me, and I was getting really freaked. Then, I learned about some of the other things they were doing in Sunnydale.... Oh, god Willow, he started grabbing me when he could, telling me that I would be his, and I'd be sorry that I'd been playing games with him. I think the guy was some sort of basket case, and I was terrified that he'd do something awful, like kidnap me and make me his love-slave or something."
Harmony was still upset, and her emotions were strong enough that the soothing Willow was attempting wasn't working. Tears began to flow down Harmony's cheeks as she told Willow about how this guy had followed her, had sent her letters telling her how she would be his, the phone calls, the threats. She had been terrified, and hadn't been able to explain everything to Spike, because "then he would have gone after Todd, and Todd's colleagues would have shot Spike and taken him away and then he'd be gone and I couldn't let him get hurt or killed because of me, and I didn't have anyone else to talk to."
Willow moved to the seat next to Harmony, and wrapped her arms around her friend. She made comforting noises, not trying to claim that everything was okay, because it definitely wasn't, but to let Harmony know that she wasn't alone. Harmony wasn't alone, and Willow would help her as much as possible.
"Harm, why didn't you tell me any of this over the phone, or in emails or something?" Willow knew Harmony was being truthful. What she didn't understand was why she hadn't known any of this before.
"I was afraid. You know all those spy movies, where the bad guys have tapped someone's phone, and can hear everything they say? I was afraid, y'know, that my stalker had bugged my phone."
end part 6.
Willow had spent the rest of the evening calming Harmony down. It had not been easy, and she was almost sorry for bringing the whole topic up. The simple fact that if she hadn't learned what was wrong she couldn't try to help Harmony deal with it prevented her from regretting the conversation. Bringing home bags full of lingerie and body lotions had seemed a small price to pay for helping her friend calm down.
Spike and Remy's talk had gone differently. She didn't know the details, only that it had involved getting completely drunk while visiting at least four different bars, and they had returned singing off key Broadway show tunes at three in the morning. When they had stirred the next day, both horribly hung over, the women had been somewhere between amused and sympathetic. The bright side was that the guys seemed to have reached an understanding. They had stopped watching each other distrustfully. They would probably never be the close friends that Willow and Harmony were, but they were getting along much better.
It wasn't for another couple of days that she and Remy had a chance to talk to each other about how their separate talks had gone. Spike and Harmony had gone out to a club, intending to dance and listen to loud music, and they had wished them both a good time.
"So, now that they've gone to have fun, we try to figure out how to help them, and talk behind their backs right? Learn much of use on your shopping trip t' other day?" Remy sounded amused. He had learned some about how Willow operated.
"Pretty much, yeah. But, Remy, they wanted help, or else they never would have come here. I'm guessing Spike's focused more on the big picture, and less on the personal issues?" Willow smiled slightly at her Remy, pleased that he had guessed her strategy.
"He said a group of people, some sort of military looking group, showed up in Sunnydale and started to grab demons, vampires, an' a few visible mutants. They went hunting in groups, and had some high tech stun guns, so they could bring back their captures alive. He said sometimes, they wouldn't just stun someone an' drag them back, they'd circle around and kick them until they stopped twitching." Remy shuddered, having seen firsthand the sort of terrors that could go on in labs that never officially existed.
"Nobody they grabbed was ever seen again. He said the soldiers were getting more confident, more brutal in the way they did things. They were also grabbing bigger, more powerful individuals. The two of them decided to get out of town while they still could."
Willow looked thoughtful. "Harmony mentioned the soldiers a bit. She said they were getting various jobs around town, some were taking college classes, so that people wouldn't know they were soldiers. Who ever put them there, they're undercover. One of them had sort of a thing for Harm, and he kept asking her out. He wouldn't take no for an answer, and she said he was getting very scary before they left."
Remy shivered, ugly memories filling his mind. He had several ideas about what could be going on with the missing people. Pulling the blanket around him in a futile gesture to ward of the chill of his memories, he sat there, his knees pulled close to him, looking very unhappy and tense. When he spoke, his voice was scarcely more than a hoarse whisper. "I think it's time I tell you about some of the darker things in my past. I don't like them, but.. I think it's important now."
Willow put her hand out, resting it on his shoulder, feeling his nervousness. He hated the memories he was thinking about, and was terrified that if he told her, she would reject him. "I'm here for you, Remy. No matter what."
Remy swallowed nervously, and forced himself to straighten up a bit. "It's time I tell you about Sinister."
Over the next few hours, Remy explained to Willow about the evil scientist. How Sinister was old, and evil, and seemingly indestructible. He explained how when he was young, and his powers first manifested, he had been unable to control them, and Sinister, calling himself Dr. Essex, had offered him help. How that help had come with a terrible price later, when he had been used in several horrible and painful experiments. Remy told Willow about some of the other things Sinister had done in his lab, the horrible things that happened when a brilliant scientist had no scruples, and no respect for the lives of others.
He explained how Sinister had said that if Remy found a list of people for him, he would be forever free of Sinister afterwards. What that group of mercenaries, now called the Marauders had done to the Morlocks... How it was the discovery that he had known even a little bit about the Marauders had caused Rogue to throw him into the Antarctic snow and abandon him to die.
Willow held him close to her, trying to reassure him that she wouldn't throw him out. She could feel how much these memories pained him, the gaping wounds they had left in him. "I told you before, I'm not going to throw you out because you made mistakes. I... I love you, Remy. No matter how tormented your past is, no matter how stupid your ex was, I love you. It wasn't your fault that this guy was an evil, remorseless fiend, and it wasn't your fault that the marauders killed those poor mutants. Yes, it was a terrible thing the Marauders did, and yes, Sinister is an evil scary guy, but... it wasn't your fault Remy."
Willow held Remy, whispering reassurances of love to him for a long time. She felt so bad for him, for the terrified youth he had been when things suddenly started to blow up after he touched them, for the tormented young man that had made a bargain with the devil to escape, for the man he had become, a man that had tried to be a hero in atonement for his past. She loved him, and had no intention of leaving him because of the mistakes and disasters of his past.
She also understood his fears that someone in Sunnydale might be following in Sinister's footsteps, kidnapping people and using them for horrible experiments. He had suspected that the soldiers may have been given some sort of treatment that had altered them, not only enabling them to fight stronger demons, but altering their moods as well. It was a terrible idea, and unfortunately, it was all to possible.
end part 7.
Eventually, Remy fell asleep, still clinging to Willow. So, they were still there on the couch when Spike and Harmony got back from their night of fun and dancing. Willow was resting her hand on Remy's back, trying to figure out how to move out from under him without waking him up.
"Please tell me we aren't interrupting something.." Harmony was the first to say anything. She was staring at Willow and Remy, with the blankets tangled over the two them.
Spike grinned slightly. "Now Harm, if they were shagging, don't you think Red would be blushing about now? What is going on anyhow?"
Willow smiled a bit. "We talked, partly about your reasons for leaving Sunnydale. That brought up some painful memories for Remy, and now he's asleep on my legs." She looked thoughtful. "Spike, you have your super vampire strength. Could you please help me get Remy to bed? Not like that, really, I just think he'd be better off in a real bed instead of hunched up on the couch."
"Sure thing pet, but I'd like to hear what sort of things you've come up with afterwards. I'll just take sleeping beauty here and tuck him into bed. Getting domesticated in my old age, really..." Spike easily lifted Remy from Willow's lap, and carried him back to the bedroom, grumbling the whole time about going soft, and the things he did for Harm.
By the time he got back to the living room, Harmony had settled on the couch, and Willow had moved to the green recliner. Harm was looking expectant, and Willow looked like she had unhappy thoughts. He didn't think that he would like the ideas that the two of them had come up with.
He dropped onto the couch beside Harmony, trying to look like the reckless vampire he had once been. "So, what sort of things did you come up with?"
Willow looked at him, giving Spike the impression that she knew exactly how much of his big bad persona was an act. "We figured that the soldiers are there for a reason. Most likely, someone is performing scientific or medical research on the various demons and vampires. They might be from the government, or some private individual. You said they were dressed in camouflage, which is pretty easy to get, even if you aren't actually in the military. Most likely the research is something either controversial or sadistic, so it's unlikely to be officially known of by anyone."
Willow tucked one leg under her, unhappy with the ideas they had come up with. "We think, based on the descriptions of how the soldiers tactics have changed and the shifting attitude of the ones Harmony had been observing around town that whoever is running the experiments is also doing something to the men. It might be that the soldiers are also an experiment, or it could be that someone has devised a super soldier serum or procedure, and has used it on these guys. You did say that when they first arrived, their abilities seemed pretty normal for a human in good shape, and their strategies were straight-forward and direct. When you left, they were taking down things that would have eaten them a year ago, and beating them when they were down."
Looking very worried, Willow continued. "They sound like they are getting stronger, and more aggressive. It's kind of like what happens to long term steroid users, but more so. Like the hellmouth version of steroids, except that would involve turning them into some sort of icky monster. Which it could actually be doing now that I think about it especially if they are harvesting bits and hormones from the various demons to give to the soldiers, probably in a pill or an injection, and that just seems to be really ick and..."
"Willow, you're babbling!" Harmony knew how Willow could get if she was just allowed to continue. She could go on far longer in a single breath than anyone else, and she would follow tangents off in strange directions, and everyone listening would end up completely lost. She privately suspected that it was a mutation that allowed her to do that, but she couldn't be sure.
Spike was just staring at Willow, his jaw dropped slightly. Harmony had told him about Willow's babbling, how she could go on for a long time, but he hadn't believed her. Now, he had heard it in person. She babbled, and her mind went in odd directions, although she didn't listen to the moon or stars, so she had a definite advantage over Dru. He shuddered slightly, both at the recollection of the madwoman he had spent a century obsessed with, and at the implications of Willow's words. While the picture she had sketched was indeed ick as she had described it, it was quite plausible for the Hellmouth.
Now they had to figure out what could be done about it.
Willow, Harmony and Spike had spent what felt like along time discussing the soldiers in Sunnydale. They had concluded from the observations that something was going on, something that was enhancing the men's abilities. It was the sort of thing that almost had to be unofficial, and to widespread to deal with it on their own. Unfortunately, after many hours of discussion, they still had no plan to get rid of the men or whoever was backing them. Willow intended to try to find some informaion online, but that could only inform them of what was happening.
They simply did not have the resources to deal with the problem personally. They didn't have the numbers or the technological advantage. After looking from numerous angles, they still had no answers. Frustrated, they had all retired to try to sleep, hoping that either they would find an angle they had missed, or some opportunity would arrise.
There seemed to be nothing they could do about the men in Sunnydale.
The next day, after Willow finished her day at work, she and Remy went for a walk in the park. He was getting along better with Spike, but still, she could only ask him to spend so much time with him before they would be absolutely miserable. So, they went out. They ended up at the small pond, with Remy was tossing pieces of bread to a few ducks. Willow was standing beside him, holding a yellow and clear bread bag, from which she would pull a slice of bread, handing them over to Remy. Remy kept tossing the bread to places where the ducks weren't, and they would watch as the ducks all swarmed to the bread.
"Remy! Please, I have to talk to you."
A voice interrupted their quiet, a voice that Remy had half expected not to hear again. Hearing her voice, Remy spun around, looking at Ororo and Logan with a surprised expression. He reached out, catching the Willow's hand in his. She was rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand, clearly intended as a soothing gesture.
"Stormy? You here.. and Logan is with you." Remy's gaze moved from Ororo to Logan and back to Ororo. "Why?"
"I had to find you. You're family to me Remy. Please, will you at least listen?" Ororo's voice was full of emotion.
"Yeah, family." Remy looked at the ground for a moment before glancing back at her. He could barely speak through the tangled knot of emotions in him. "You've been looking for me. Least I can do is hear you out. We can talk over there, at the picnic table."
They had all moved over to the picnic table, and had settled uneasily around it. Willow was sitting next to Remy, still rubbing his hand soothingly. She could feel how tense he was, nervous and hopeful and puzzled at the appearance of these two. Remy was watching Ororo and Logan as if he expected them to do something, to suddenly attack.
"So... you were at Chuck's with Rogue last we saw you. Now, you're here. What the hell happened?" Logan's words were harsh, nearly growled, and to the point.
Remy flinched slightly at Logan's words. "You know the Shi'ar decided they needed a bit of assistance while you were out shopping, an' they grabbed the people that were there to go help with the mess? After that, we ended up in Antarctica, 'cept for Bishop. Deathbird had him. There were...complications. We got captured, and someone in armor decided to put me on 'trial' for one of my more glaring mistakes. The others were cast with Warren as my supposed defense, an' the rest as witnesses an' jury."
Ororo spoke, her words soft, filled with concern and worry. "Trial for what? What happened, Remy?"
Remy seemed to pull himself away, emotionally if not physically. He was remembering the pain and shattering of trust that had happened in the snow covered citadel, instigated by an armor clad figure. "The massacre. I found the Marauders for Sinister." His voice was barely more than a whisper, and seemed to vibrate with suppressed emotion. "They found me guilty, and when the building collapsed, Rogue pulled me out an' left me in the snow. Alone." His words trailed off, as he remembered the stunned disbelief he had felt, watching her fly away from him. Remembering the pain filled walk though endless snow and cold, hoping to find something, anything to stave off his death.
Her expression was protective. "I found him out there. He was nearly frozen to death. We nearly lost him to a fever after that. He didn't want to contact anyone, didn't want to let anyone know that he was alive." She was watching them, trying to read their reactions. Remy had spoken well of these two, but she wouldn't let them hurt him if she could prevent it.
Seeing that they looked shocked and surprised by this news, Willow continued. "He was convinced that the people he had trusted with his life had rejected him. That the people he should have been able to count on, the woman who had claimed to love him, had abandoned him to a slow, horrible death. Nobody went to look for him. Nobody tried to contact him. He was afraid that if he tried to let of any of you know he was still alive, someone would be along to change that."
"You are my brother in all but the actual DNA, Remy. I would never abandon you to die, nor would I try to kill you myself. I wouldn't let anyone do such a thing to you." Ororo was on the verge of tears. Tears of relief that he was alive and safe, tears of pain at the agony and abandonment that he had gone through, tears from the hurt that it had given her to hear his doubts.
Remy was holding her then, offering a shoulder to cry on, real and tangible and there as he hadn't been for so long. It hurt him to see his sister in such pain, to know that it was partly his fault. Willow would understand, she could probably gauge Stormy's mood better than he could, simply becasue his own feelings for Stormy would get in the way. He held her as she sobbed from to many emotions, murmuring little soothing sounds and words. They were the words that say nothing more complex than that she was not alone, that he was here, that it was okay to cry.
Logan's voice carried enough that Remy could hear him clearly over Stormy's tears. "Teams don't work that way. I don't leave people behind."
Willow could feel how much the woman needed Remy to comfort her. She was family to him, in a way that transcended blood and genetics and went straight to the heart. However, it seemed that Logan had a few issues. Not just his normal issues, but he did not like seeing Stormy in Remy's arms. He felt all jealous and possessive. She could tell he was trying to control it, but.. maybe a little reassurance wouldn't hurt. Willow touched his arm, lightly. It was a gesture carefully calculated to get his attention without appearing threatening. He looked at her, clearly not expecting the contact.
With a small smile, she spoke, her voice quiet enough not to interrupt Ororo's tears. "He wasn't working for Sinister. He was trying to get away from him. You can also relax, there's a lot of things between them, but he isn't interested in her that way. He was afraid, and confused, and when that happened, he didn't have anyone to turn to. When it came out, everything he thought he'd built with his life seemed to fall like a house of cards. I know he won't go back to the X-Men. I also know that he isn't going to be dating Ororo, he's otherwise involved. He didn't betray the team, but the team definately betrayed him."
end part 9
They had sat at the picnic table for a bit, just generally talking about anything and nothing. Ororo and Logan wanted to know that Remy was ok, not just in decent physical health, which they could see, but they wanted too know that he was happy. Willow also wanted to learn a bit more about these two, Remy's friends. From the sounds of his past, he could use all the friends he could get, and didn't have nearly enough friends.
After a bit of minor talk about sports teams and the proper way to season fried chicken, Logan dropped a serious question into the conversation, asking about Willow's friends and houseguests.
Willow had explained that Harmony was a friend from high school, and she and her boyfriend Spike were staying with Willow until they could get their own apartment. Frowning and reminded of all their speculation, Willow had explained about the men in camouflage with tazers, how they abducted any person in Sunnydale that was 'different' and that person was never seen again. How Spike had described their tactics changing, and the fear that there was some demented and evil scientist working on scary projects in Sunnydale. How fear of these soldiers had caused Spike and Harmony to flee California and come here.
Both of the former X-Men looked very worried about his idea. They had exchanged a glance full of unspoken words, and then Logan had spoke again. "I got a friend.. he let me borrow a jet to go looking for Gumbo over there. If I tell him about this, he can have someone look into things, someone with sufficient backup."
His words had been a great comfort to Willow. If he said he's ask someone to look into it, Remy had assured her that Logan kept his promises. He would ask someone to look into it. Knowing that the mess in Sunnydale would be taken care of made her feel much better.
Conversation had changed topics then, moving on to something lighter. They had chatted again about inconsequential things when Ororo mentioned that they should make efforts to stay in touch.
She also found herself noticing something else. Ororo and Logan kept glancing at each other. Not the little glances of team communication, but the little secret looks of someone with a crush. She could see how they were both so clearly interested in the other. Did they know? Did they have any idea that the other was interested in them? For that matter, did they even realize their own feelings? After a few moments consideration of what she knew of them and how they 'felt' in their emotional presences, she decided that they would probably be good for each other. All they needed was a little push to realize how they felt.
"There's this little music festival next week. You mentioned wanting to stay in touch, so how about we go to it? It could be sort of like a double date." Willow made her suggestion with a smile, watching the two carefully for their reactions. Remy looked a bit surprised by her suggestion, until he saw the cute way that Ororo and Logan both blushed and stammered that they were not together, not a couple, really.
Remy gave her a slight smile and a raised eyebrow. Willow knew that expression meant that he was onto her plan. Ororo and Logan insisted that they weren't together, that they were just friends, and they almost believed them. They weren't a couple. Yet.
Willow intended to change that. She planned to keep putting them into situations until they realized how they felt and did something about it. They would discover their mutual feelings soon enough. She was certain that they could manage to help them find happiness.
Spike and Harmony would be able to move into the basement apartment next Tuesday. Ororo and Logan wanted to stay in touch, cared about Remy and his future. Sunnydale would be taken care of, and life would move on. Willow smiled, thinking how good things could be sometimes.
end part 10.
End Sparks of Change.