A/N: Fairly fluffy chapter, cuz of the whole Willow/Izzy bonding. Next
chapter should be back to normal in Cleveland, before the real plot begins.
Lol. The Gatekeeper is just the beginning. And I guess you're all dying to
know who Izzy's birth parents were, if Lilah and Wes weren't?
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"Mommy," Lexi tugged at Dawn's leg. "When's Aunt Willow back?"
"Soon, pumpkin," Dawn lifted the child up, and sat her on the counter. Lexi giggled.
"Mommy?" she asked again, kicking her legs. "Is IzzynLin gonna be back soon too? Cuz Ryan and I wanna play kidnap."
Dawn laughed.
"What about Wills?" she asked. Lexi shook her head decisively.
"Nope. He's too little. We want someone big and stupid."
Dawn thought about the teens. She'd had the impression Izzy wasn't the big bad she thought she wanted to be, when she'd run. She was aching for her Mommy to love her.
"C'mon pumpkin. Let's go play with the others okay?"
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Willow walked down the steps to her daughter, her mind racing. All the fights, and discussions, and prophecies, the solution had been staring them in the face, and she hadn't accepted it.
"Can't say I'm uber-surprised," she said quietly. Izzy's eyebrows shot up, and she folded her arms across her chest defensively.
"Well considering the basis of adopting me was being the Gatekeeper, don't you think you should be?" she challenged, looking at Nate. His face was still stony.
Willow sighed, running her hand along the stair rail, thinking.
"You're mad because you think I adopted you because you were the Gatekeeper," she stated, meeting Izzy's eyes. Izzy lifted her chin.
"Sweetheart, I was looking for the Gatekeeper, and I found you. I adopted you because you were you, not because you were the guardian of the hellmouth. It was a reason to, not the motivation," she said softly, reaching out to tuck a lock of Izzy's hair behind her ear.
Izzy's stance didn't soften.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. Willow smiled wistfully.
"I wanted to hold onto you," she whispered, holding Izzy close. "And I did. For a while."
"Somebody, for the love of all things good and , pass me a stake," Xander begged, striding through the entrance way. Spike pushed past him, huddled under his blanket.
Nate looked at Izzy, and raised an eyebrow. She shrugged.
"Xander, and Spike."
"Who's that?" Xander frowned, looking at Nate.
"Nate," Izzy answered, as if it was obvious.
"Who's Nate?" Xander looked from face to face.
"The Gatekeeper," Willow said helpfully.
"Is there something I'm missing? Last time I checked, Izzy was the Gatekeeper, and ran away with my son."
"A kinky deer sex prophecy," Lin answered. Xander's expression was a cross between confusion, and disgust.
"I've been in a car with Spike for a little over two days," he said finally. "That statement is disturbing."
"It's five thirty am, and according to Angel, you haven't been home since you got here. Much as I know you hate the whole Mom thing," Willow said, rolling her eyes, "I think sleep is an idea big with the good."
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"So, this would be your room," she said, opening the door. He nodded, walking in.
She followed him in, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Izzy fiddled with the edge of her sleeve.
"Angel has this whole policy of keeping the fifties décor. I think he likes pretending he's only two hundred," she tried to keep her voice light.
"It's okay," Nate answered, looking around.
"So, I'll leave you to it- sleep, always of the good, big on sleep," she babbled, looking towards the door.
"Thanks," he said, watching her. She seemed nice, different. She had an extended family, friends, he'd caught the way her friend Lin had stared at him, hostile. She was protected. He wasn't exactly being greeted by the Welcome Wagons, but he hadn't expected it. She was trying to make this stuff better.
She smiled, and reached for the door.
"It's okay. I guess it's all weird and stuff, strange person walking in, making your life different," she took a breath. "I just- I know how it feels. And apart from the whole weird girl showing up and telling you you have some freaky destiny thing, I had it too. I get it," she smiled again.
He sat down on the bed, and thought about it for a moment. She'd been the Gatekeeper, something he didn't even really know about. He just was.
"Why did you think it was me?" he asked, folding his arms. "Why wasn't I suddenly your brother or something?"
"I guess," she stopped, thinking back. The feelings when she'd seen him and Lilah, and known that this woman couldn't have been her mother, that he couldn't be- And the rightness that the power had been lifted from her.
"It didn't feel wrong, that you were the Gatekeeper, not me," she said slowly. "It hadn't felt right, since I first found out. You being it, him," she looked up at him, and smiled. "It was okay. Plus, I kinda didn't want you to be my brother," she said quickly, looking away from him.
He thought that one through, and then smiled.
"Well, I'm gonna go," she said uncomfortably, twisting her fingers together. "We're gonna fly back to Cleveland in a couple of days, so-"
He nodded, and watched her leave. He grinned. She thought he was hot.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Izzy?" Willow came over and sat down on the bed. Izzy groaned.
"Do you think it's possible to actually have discussions that don't involve me being in any way awake at this point in time?" her muffled voice came out from under the bedclothes.
Willow thought about it a moment. "Nope," she grinned.
"Is anything I say gonna make you go away?" Izzy's voice had a hopeful note in it.
"Don't think so," Willow said, considering it. "Talkage means I don't conjure water over your bed." There was another groan from the lump in the bed.
"Okay, okay, I'm getting up."
Willow rose from the bed.
"Mom?"
The redheaded witch looked back at the bed. Izzy's head poked out from the comforter wrapped around her.
"I know you loved me and all, but who were my real parents?" she asked. Willow smiled softly, and sat back down.
"I know it's like, a weird question first thing, but I want to know," Izzy said looking down. Willow shook her head.
"It's not weird. I don't know who your father was, but I knew your mother. We were searching for the Gatekeeper, looking for a child with magical abilities, and I found you. Tara's cousin, Beth, was your mother," she said, reaching out to stroke Izzy's hair. "She was alone, scared, she had a baby she couldn't look after, and Tara's family weren't the poster people for togetherness. I saw you, and I fell in love. You were an itty bitty piece of Tara, and you were magical from the beginning. You fit the puzzle piece, and I took you home."
Izzy's eyes searched her face, as Willow wandered through the memories.
"Angel and Spike, they'd helped me find the prophecies, they were convinced some things didn't fit, there were some inferences that the guardian was male this time, or, a hundred different things that didn't quite fit, but could be made to. I wanted you so badly, I convinced myself you were who I thought you were. All the arguments in L.A, Spike's visit, Angel and he were trying to get me to tell you who you were, or to keep looking. But," Willow shrugged. "Spike opened his fat mouth."
"So I'm like, Tara's niece, cousin?" Izzy asked. Willow shook her head.
"I don't know the connection. But you're a part of her, and you're a part of me. And I love you," she added, kissing the top of Izzy's head.
"Love you too," Izzy replied sleepily. "Can I go back to sleep now?"
"Nope," Willow shook her head. "We're going home."
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A/N: Yup, fluffy and all. Next chapter, Nate and Cleveland.
REVIEW!!!
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Mommy," Lexi tugged at Dawn's leg. "When's Aunt Willow back?"
"Soon, pumpkin," Dawn lifted the child up, and sat her on the counter. Lexi giggled.
"Mommy?" she asked again, kicking her legs. "Is IzzynLin gonna be back soon too? Cuz Ryan and I wanna play kidnap."
Dawn laughed.
"What about Wills?" she asked. Lexi shook her head decisively.
"Nope. He's too little. We want someone big and stupid."
Dawn thought about the teens. She'd had the impression Izzy wasn't the big bad she thought she wanted to be, when she'd run. She was aching for her Mommy to love her.
"C'mon pumpkin. Let's go play with the others okay?"
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Willow walked down the steps to her daughter, her mind racing. All the fights, and discussions, and prophecies, the solution had been staring them in the face, and she hadn't accepted it.
"Can't say I'm uber-surprised," she said quietly. Izzy's eyebrows shot up, and she folded her arms across her chest defensively.
"Well considering the basis of adopting me was being the Gatekeeper, don't you think you should be?" she challenged, looking at Nate. His face was still stony.
Willow sighed, running her hand along the stair rail, thinking.
"You're mad because you think I adopted you because you were the Gatekeeper," she stated, meeting Izzy's eyes. Izzy lifted her chin.
"Sweetheart, I was looking for the Gatekeeper, and I found you. I adopted you because you were you, not because you were the guardian of the hellmouth. It was a reason to, not the motivation," she said softly, reaching out to tuck a lock of Izzy's hair behind her ear.
Izzy's stance didn't soften.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. Willow smiled wistfully.
"I wanted to hold onto you," she whispered, holding Izzy close. "And I did. For a while."
"Somebody, for the love of all things good and , pass me a stake," Xander begged, striding through the entrance way. Spike pushed past him, huddled under his blanket.
Nate looked at Izzy, and raised an eyebrow. She shrugged.
"Xander, and Spike."
"Who's that?" Xander frowned, looking at Nate.
"Nate," Izzy answered, as if it was obvious.
"Who's Nate?" Xander looked from face to face.
"The Gatekeeper," Willow said helpfully.
"Is there something I'm missing? Last time I checked, Izzy was the Gatekeeper, and ran away with my son."
"A kinky deer sex prophecy," Lin answered. Xander's expression was a cross between confusion, and disgust.
"I've been in a car with Spike for a little over two days," he said finally. "That statement is disturbing."
"It's five thirty am, and according to Angel, you haven't been home since you got here. Much as I know you hate the whole Mom thing," Willow said, rolling her eyes, "I think sleep is an idea big with the good."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"So, this would be your room," she said, opening the door. He nodded, walking in.
She followed him in, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Izzy fiddled with the edge of her sleeve.
"Angel has this whole policy of keeping the fifties décor. I think he likes pretending he's only two hundred," she tried to keep her voice light.
"It's okay," Nate answered, looking around.
"So, I'll leave you to it- sleep, always of the good, big on sleep," she babbled, looking towards the door.
"Thanks," he said, watching her. She seemed nice, different. She had an extended family, friends, he'd caught the way her friend Lin had stared at him, hostile. She was protected. He wasn't exactly being greeted by the Welcome Wagons, but he hadn't expected it. She was trying to make this stuff better.
She smiled, and reached for the door.
"It's okay. I guess it's all weird and stuff, strange person walking in, making your life different," she took a breath. "I just- I know how it feels. And apart from the whole weird girl showing up and telling you you have some freaky destiny thing, I had it too. I get it," she smiled again.
He sat down on the bed, and thought about it for a moment. She'd been the Gatekeeper, something he didn't even really know about. He just was.
"Why did you think it was me?" he asked, folding his arms. "Why wasn't I suddenly your brother or something?"
"I guess," she stopped, thinking back. The feelings when she'd seen him and Lilah, and known that this woman couldn't have been her mother, that he couldn't be- And the rightness that the power had been lifted from her.
"It didn't feel wrong, that you were the Gatekeeper, not me," she said slowly. "It hadn't felt right, since I first found out. You being it, him," she looked up at him, and smiled. "It was okay. Plus, I kinda didn't want you to be my brother," she said quickly, looking away from him.
He thought that one through, and then smiled.
"Well, I'm gonna go," she said uncomfortably, twisting her fingers together. "We're gonna fly back to Cleveland in a couple of days, so-"
He nodded, and watched her leave. He grinned. She thought he was hot.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Izzy?" Willow came over and sat down on the bed. Izzy groaned.
"Do you think it's possible to actually have discussions that don't involve me being in any way awake at this point in time?" her muffled voice came out from under the bedclothes.
Willow thought about it a moment. "Nope," she grinned.
"Is anything I say gonna make you go away?" Izzy's voice had a hopeful note in it.
"Don't think so," Willow said, considering it. "Talkage means I don't conjure water over your bed." There was another groan from the lump in the bed.
"Okay, okay, I'm getting up."
Willow rose from the bed.
"Mom?"
The redheaded witch looked back at the bed. Izzy's head poked out from the comforter wrapped around her.
"I know you loved me and all, but who were my real parents?" she asked. Willow smiled softly, and sat back down.
"I know it's like, a weird question first thing, but I want to know," Izzy said looking down. Willow shook her head.
"It's not weird. I don't know who your father was, but I knew your mother. We were searching for the Gatekeeper, looking for a child with magical abilities, and I found you. Tara's cousin, Beth, was your mother," she said, reaching out to stroke Izzy's hair. "She was alone, scared, she had a baby she couldn't look after, and Tara's family weren't the poster people for togetherness. I saw you, and I fell in love. You were an itty bitty piece of Tara, and you were magical from the beginning. You fit the puzzle piece, and I took you home."
Izzy's eyes searched her face, as Willow wandered through the memories.
"Angel and Spike, they'd helped me find the prophecies, they were convinced some things didn't fit, there were some inferences that the guardian was male this time, or, a hundred different things that didn't quite fit, but could be made to. I wanted you so badly, I convinced myself you were who I thought you were. All the arguments in L.A, Spike's visit, Angel and he were trying to get me to tell you who you were, or to keep looking. But," Willow shrugged. "Spike opened his fat mouth."
"So I'm like, Tara's niece, cousin?" Izzy asked. Willow shook her head.
"I don't know the connection. But you're a part of her, and you're a part of me. And I love you," she added, kissing the top of Izzy's head.
"Love you too," Izzy replied sleepily. "Can I go back to sleep now?"
"Nope," Willow shook her head. "We're going home."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: Yup, fluffy and all. Next chapter, Nate and Cleveland.
REVIEW!!!