This is set now on both counts (AU WW, obviously). Nothing belongs to me.
Thanks again to my reviewers- you guys make me want to keep writing. The
next part will be up next weekend.
Part 3: Increasing Exponentially
"Buffasong," Willow slurred into her bottle, before taking another drink.
"I didn't catch that," replied Toby from his side of the table, where he was leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed.
His legs were sprawled on the booth and he rested an elbow on the table, which was now next to him.
"I said Buffy was wrong," Willow spoke up, succeeding in her attempts to enunciate clearly, despite her drunken state.
"Okay," Toby said, finishing off his third beer, while Willow started on her fifth.
"Buffy," Willow began to explain, her gestures growing wilder with every sip she took. "She said beer was bad. She said it doesn't solve anything." Willow frowned, inspecting her bottle for a moment. "Or something like that. Yeah." She ended with a sharp nod.
"Your friend Buffy has obviously never had good beer," Toby said, drinking half his bottle at once.
He began his attempts to get the bartender's attention, but the bar had started to fill up quickly, and he seemed to be occupied for at least the next ten minutes.
"Dammit," Toby muttered, eyeing the last three bottles.
"But this is different," Willow continued the conversation as if it had never faltered. "This was just a breakup. And I'm not gonna do anything stupid. I'm just gonna get drunk so that I don't have to think about how I'm gonna end up an old lady alone with her sixty cats. The neighborhood kids will bet each other a buck at a time to come near my house. I'll be the crazy witch who never goes outside."
Willow let out a little giggle that Toby didn't even try to interpret.
"Um," he began, trying to remember what had struck him as odd about what she had said. Well, odd for her.
As he was thinking, she dropped her head back to the bar.
"Oh!" he exclaimed when it came to him, startling her enough to make her sit back up again. "What do you mean 'just a breakup'?"
"Well, you know, this time no one died."
Toby frowned and watched her for a moment, surprised to see that she was serious.
"Who died last time?"
"A couple of people. I'm around a lot of death. It comes with the territory."
Toby wasn't sure he wanted to know what territory she was referring to. He decided to take another route instead.
"I'm around a lot of death too. Ever since I was young. You think you'll get used to it. I mean, you know that it's a horrible thought, but it's something you just assume. And then you never do. Get used to it, I mean."
Willow looked like she couldn't decide to be surprised or concerned. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again quickly. Toby shrugged and gave her a half smile.
"You're not gonna end up alone. Trust me. If you end up alone, then my faith in the human race is totally misplaced."
Willow flashed him a brilliant smile and held her bottle up to him in salute. He tapped it with his bottle and they both drank, then falling into a comfortable silence.
"Someone died the first time too," Willow said, continuing their conversation from earlier. "It's sort of a long story. Anyway, so my boyfriend left and when he came back, I was already with someone new."
Toby was proud of himself for not spitting out his mouth-full of beer on the word 'boyfriend'. Suddenly, CJ's voice came back, louder than ever. Toby listened to it for a moment, then considered where he was and how much he'd had to drink, and finally concluded that CJ had no control over him here. A much smaller voice scoffed at that thought, but that one was even easier to ignore.
"What about you?" Willow asked, dragging him out of his head.
"No, I've never had a boyfriend."
The redhead rolled her eyes and slapped him lightly on the arm. Toby tried to ignore the sparks that shot up his arm from her light touch.
"I was married. It didn't work out."
"Are you still in love with her?"
Toby snorted. Then, after thinking about it for a moment, he shrugged.
"It's complicated?" Willow asked, finishing her fifth beer, but not reaching for another.
"Yeah."
"There's someone else?"
"Possibly," Toby replied, suddenly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was heading. He finished his beer and grabbed the other bottles. "What do you say we get out of here?"
"And go where?"
"I have a room upstairs."
Willow looked at him for a moment, as if trying to debate it in her drunken mind. Finally she shrugged and followed him out of the bar.
Part 3: Increasing Exponentially
"Buffasong," Willow slurred into her bottle, before taking another drink.
"I didn't catch that," replied Toby from his side of the table, where he was leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed.
His legs were sprawled on the booth and he rested an elbow on the table, which was now next to him.
"I said Buffy was wrong," Willow spoke up, succeeding in her attempts to enunciate clearly, despite her drunken state.
"Okay," Toby said, finishing off his third beer, while Willow started on her fifth.
"Buffy," Willow began to explain, her gestures growing wilder with every sip she took. "She said beer was bad. She said it doesn't solve anything." Willow frowned, inspecting her bottle for a moment. "Or something like that. Yeah." She ended with a sharp nod.
"Your friend Buffy has obviously never had good beer," Toby said, drinking half his bottle at once.
He began his attempts to get the bartender's attention, but the bar had started to fill up quickly, and he seemed to be occupied for at least the next ten minutes.
"Dammit," Toby muttered, eyeing the last three bottles.
"But this is different," Willow continued the conversation as if it had never faltered. "This was just a breakup. And I'm not gonna do anything stupid. I'm just gonna get drunk so that I don't have to think about how I'm gonna end up an old lady alone with her sixty cats. The neighborhood kids will bet each other a buck at a time to come near my house. I'll be the crazy witch who never goes outside."
Willow let out a little giggle that Toby didn't even try to interpret.
"Um," he began, trying to remember what had struck him as odd about what she had said. Well, odd for her.
As he was thinking, she dropped her head back to the bar.
"Oh!" he exclaimed when it came to him, startling her enough to make her sit back up again. "What do you mean 'just a breakup'?"
"Well, you know, this time no one died."
Toby frowned and watched her for a moment, surprised to see that she was serious.
"Who died last time?"
"A couple of people. I'm around a lot of death. It comes with the territory."
Toby wasn't sure he wanted to know what territory she was referring to. He decided to take another route instead.
"I'm around a lot of death too. Ever since I was young. You think you'll get used to it. I mean, you know that it's a horrible thought, but it's something you just assume. And then you never do. Get used to it, I mean."
Willow looked like she couldn't decide to be surprised or concerned. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again quickly. Toby shrugged and gave her a half smile.
"You're not gonna end up alone. Trust me. If you end up alone, then my faith in the human race is totally misplaced."
Willow flashed him a brilliant smile and held her bottle up to him in salute. He tapped it with his bottle and they both drank, then falling into a comfortable silence.
"Someone died the first time too," Willow said, continuing their conversation from earlier. "It's sort of a long story. Anyway, so my boyfriend left and when he came back, I was already with someone new."
Toby was proud of himself for not spitting out his mouth-full of beer on the word 'boyfriend'. Suddenly, CJ's voice came back, louder than ever. Toby listened to it for a moment, then considered where he was and how much he'd had to drink, and finally concluded that CJ had no control over him here. A much smaller voice scoffed at that thought, but that one was even easier to ignore.
"What about you?" Willow asked, dragging him out of his head.
"No, I've never had a boyfriend."
The redhead rolled her eyes and slapped him lightly on the arm. Toby tried to ignore the sparks that shot up his arm from her light touch.
"I was married. It didn't work out."
"Are you still in love with her?"
Toby snorted. Then, after thinking about it for a moment, he shrugged.
"It's complicated?" Willow asked, finishing her fifth beer, but not reaching for another.
"Yeah."
"There's someone else?"
"Possibly," Toby replied, suddenly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was heading. He finished his beer and grabbed the other bottles. "What do you say we get out of here?"
"And go where?"
"I have a room upstairs."
Willow looked at him for a moment, as if trying to debate it in her drunken mind. Finally she shrugged and followed him out of the bar.