When in Rome
I'd like to remind people to please leave reviews. I've felt the last chapter was not on par with some of the chapters before it, but got no feedback to indicate one way or another. Reviews are very helpful to the author and can help make the story better! Thanks in advance!
14 Outer Space
Buffy stepped out into the cool night air. Lorne could be heard testing the mics in the club, but as the heavy back door closed, his voice became indecipherabley muffled. Buffy sat down on a stoop, not noticing anyone else was there.
"Hey Buff, what's up?" Willow asked, stepping out of the shadows. She had arrived earlier in the evening with the rest of the gang, but had shortly thereafter disappeared. It hadn't occurred to Buffy that she might've had the same idea as herself.
"Oh, I didn't see you there." Buffy said.
"That was kind of apparent with the startled jump." Willow responded, smiling. She walked over and sat next to Buffy on the stoop, turning to look at her friend who was looking off at the stars.
Finally, Buffy pulled herself away from the night sky to look at Willow. "What are you doing out here?" She asked.
"Just wanted some space." Willow answered, looking down. "Couple-dom is kind of hard to watch." She added, causing her to realize something. "By the way, why aren't you in there smooching with Spike?"
Buffy sighed, exactly what she didn't want to talk about. But she had to, and she knew it. "I just think I'm letting myself get to involved. What am I doing, huh? I have a life in Rome - well, not so much, but Dawn has a life in Rome and Dawn is my life!... and Spike has a life, so to speak, here. How is that gonna work?"
Willow got a very worried expression on her face. "I don't know, Buffy, but you have to try. I-I-I mean you have to. Now, I won't lie to you, the Beatles were wrong. Love isn't all you need... but it is important. SO important. And if you let yourself let it go, you'll always be second guessing... and third guessing, and fourth guess, and fifth guessing, and - you get the picture, right? Oh, and if you hadn't noticed, things happen to go wrong a lot in our lives. If you let this time pass, you'll see it as time lost down the line. Trust me." Willow said, speaking hurriedly with urgency, stammering a bit.
Buffy looked at her tenderly and asked "Are we talking about Spike, Tara, or Kennedy here?"
"Little bit of all actually. I'm telling you what I've learned from my experiences, do what you'd like with it." Willow answered.
"Yeah," Buffy replied absentmindedly. Willow stared intently at her trying to get a read on what she was thinking, but couldn't find it.
"Look, I let the magic get in the way of me and Tara. This stupid little inconsequential thing, not unlike distance, robbed me of time with her... and then she was gone. I was mad at Warren, mad at the world, but I kind of think more than anything I was mad at myself. And then with this whole Kennedy thing, it didn't work because I couldn't make it work. I let her get away because I had doubts and issues, about life, about myself, about our relationship. She couldn't wait for me, but you have to try, because if I didn't - at the end of my relationship with Kennedy I would've had the big ugly consuming regret, and that sucks because it doesn't ever really go away. And, hmm, this may be me reaching, but Spike seems like the waiting type." Willow said, laughing. Buffy half-smiled and looked at her friend. "So the question is: is the space to much for you?"
"Look, this may sound shallow to you, but it might be. I mean, look at us. The Scooby Gang split up around the world, and I'm thinking ÔWTF?!? This doesn't make any sense!' And I don't love you any less, or Spike any less, even with the thinking that whole dimensions separated us, but I had to get back in the friend-swing of things when you showed up, I felt less close to you. This isn't right, Will, us all over the place like this. And if it's any indicator as to what a long distance relationship is gonna be like - it's gonna suck!" Buffy answered, candidly.
Willow nodded and leaned back to look at the stars, there was silence between them for a few moments, "I wish it -" Willow whispered before the silence consumed them yet again. Each girl tangled in her own thoughts until finally Willow spoke and broke the silence. "That's the Big Pineapple." Willow said pointing to a cluster of stars with a rueful smile.
Buffy heard the pain evident in her friend's voice and wanted to do something to help her. But it was pain mixed with simple pleasure and bittersweet memory, and what could you say to that? "Will-" Buffy started in an attempt to comfort her friend, but she was cut off.
"Look, I let go of Tara because I had to. I'm moving on, the pain doesn't go away, but I'm moving on. I just don't want anyone to have to go through this unnecessarily." Willow stood up and headed back for the door. "I've had enough space for now. I think I'll close some gaps, see some friends." She added, looking back, then walking back into the club.
Buffy took a deep breath and sighed. She wanted to believe it could work, but felt like doing so would just be naive idealism. But how often had things really gone the way she hoped they would? "If only I could just... make things... make them go right." She thought to herself, when an idea suddenly dawned on her.
"Two birds, one stone." She thought, gleefully, before reprimanding herself "No, I don't want to kill birds. How about, two birds, one loaf of bread. Food, nourishment, that works." Smiling to herself she stood up to head back into the club. She kind of felt humming singing a jaunty tune.
TBC
I'd like to remind people to please leave reviews. I've felt the last chapter was not on par with some of the chapters before it, but got no feedback to indicate one way or another. Reviews are very helpful to the author and can help make the story better! Thanks in advance!
14 Outer Space
Buffy stepped out into the cool night air. Lorne could be heard testing the mics in the club, but as the heavy back door closed, his voice became indecipherabley muffled. Buffy sat down on a stoop, not noticing anyone else was there.
"Hey Buff, what's up?" Willow asked, stepping out of the shadows. She had arrived earlier in the evening with the rest of the gang, but had shortly thereafter disappeared. It hadn't occurred to Buffy that she might've had the same idea as herself.
"Oh, I didn't see you there." Buffy said.
"That was kind of apparent with the startled jump." Willow responded, smiling. She walked over and sat next to Buffy on the stoop, turning to look at her friend who was looking off at the stars.
Finally, Buffy pulled herself away from the night sky to look at Willow. "What are you doing out here?" She asked.
"Just wanted some space." Willow answered, looking down. "Couple-dom is kind of hard to watch." She added, causing her to realize something. "By the way, why aren't you in there smooching with Spike?"
Buffy sighed, exactly what she didn't want to talk about. But she had to, and she knew it. "I just think I'm letting myself get to involved. What am I doing, huh? I have a life in Rome - well, not so much, but Dawn has a life in Rome and Dawn is my life!... and Spike has a life, so to speak, here. How is that gonna work?"
Willow got a very worried expression on her face. "I don't know, Buffy, but you have to try. I-I-I mean you have to. Now, I won't lie to you, the Beatles were wrong. Love isn't all you need... but it is important. SO important. And if you let yourself let it go, you'll always be second guessing... and third guessing, and fourth guess, and fifth guessing, and - you get the picture, right? Oh, and if you hadn't noticed, things happen to go wrong a lot in our lives. If you let this time pass, you'll see it as time lost down the line. Trust me." Willow said, speaking hurriedly with urgency, stammering a bit.
Buffy looked at her tenderly and asked "Are we talking about Spike, Tara, or Kennedy here?"
"Little bit of all actually. I'm telling you what I've learned from my experiences, do what you'd like with it." Willow answered.
"Yeah," Buffy replied absentmindedly. Willow stared intently at her trying to get a read on what she was thinking, but couldn't find it.
"Look, I let the magic get in the way of me and Tara. This stupid little inconsequential thing, not unlike distance, robbed me of time with her... and then she was gone. I was mad at Warren, mad at the world, but I kind of think more than anything I was mad at myself. And then with this whole Kennedy thing, it didn't work because I couldn't make it work. I let her get away because I had doubts and issues, about life, about myself, about our relationship. She couldn't wait for me, but you have to try, because if I didn't - at the end of my relationship with Kennedy I would've had the big ugly consuming regret, and that sucks because it doesn't ever really go away. And, hmm, this may be me reaching, but Spike seems like the waiting type." Willow said, laughing. Buffy half-smiled and looked at her friend. "So the question is: is the space to much for you?"
"Look, this may sound shallow to you, but it might be. I mean, look at us. The Scooby Gang split up around the world, and I'm thinking ÔWTF?!? This doesn't make any sense!' And I don't love you any less, or Spike any less, even with the thinking that whole dimensions separated us, but I had to get back in the friend-swing of things when you showed up, I felt less close to you. This isn't right, Will, us all over the place like this. And if it's any indicator as to what a long distance relationship is gonna be like - it's gonna suck!" Buffy answered, candidly.
Willow nodded and leaned back to look at the stars, there was silence between them for a few moments, "I wish it -" Willow whispered before the silence consumed them yet again. Each girl tangled in her own thoughts until finally Willow spoke and broke the silence. "That's the Big Pineapple." Willow said pointing to a cluster of stars with a rueful smile.
Buffy heard the pain evident in her friend's voice and wanted to do something to help her. But it was pain mixed with simple pleasure and bittersweet memory, and what could you say to that? "Will-" Buffy started in an attempt to comfort her friend, but she was cut off.
"Look, I let go of Tara because I had to. I'm moving on, the pain doesn't go away, but I'm moving on. I just don't want anyone to have to go through this unnecessarily." Willow stood up and headed back for the door. "I've had enough space for now. I think I'll close some gaps, see some friends." She added, looking back, then walking back into the club.
Buffy took a deep breath and sighed. She wanted to believe it could work, but felt like doing so would just be naive idealism. But how often had things really gone the way she hoped they would? "If only I could just... make things... make them go right." She thought to herself, when an idea suddenly dawned on her.
"Two birds, one stone." She thought, gleefully, before reprimanding herself "No, I don't want to kill birds. How about, two birds, one loaf of bread. Food, nourishment, that works." Smiling to herself she stood up to head back into the club. She kind of felt humming singing a jaunty tune.
TBC