Author: Lucinda

Pairing: Willow/Jareth

Story #8 in Goblin Roses

Rating: pg13

Disclaimer: I own nobody from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Labyrinth.

Distribution: Bite Me please?, WLS, nha, Twisting, Mental Wanderings anyone else please ask first

Notes: AU season 7, based on rumors and spoilers mentioned

It took Willow a while to get everybody settled into rooms, especially since she had to literally tow Spike inside. He'd just been staring at the sky, murmuring about the colors being so bright. But eventually, she got everybody in rooms, feeling puzzled by the way Faith had been flirting with Spike and Wesley, and Wesley had been blushing and stammering at Faith and making little longing eyes at Fred, and Spike had flirted with Faith, Fred and herself, to Jareth's annoyance, and Fred had smiled and blushed at Wesley and Spike... Who was involved with who, and did she really want to know?

Finally, she retreated tot he room of twisting staircases, which no longer unsettled her stomach, and settled on a ledge that was the upper far left corner in relation to the main entrance. Most likely, nobody would disturb her there. They'd come after her. Wanted to rescue her. It was... She sighed, trying to sort out everything that it made her feel.

Someone had cared enough to want her back. That was good, it meant that someone had actually noticed that she was gone. But... She'd never been particularly friends with Spike, Faith hadn't liked her, Wesley had been... well, not close at all, and she didn't even know Fred. Where was Giles, or Xander? What about Buffy? It didn't make any sense. But it was sort of nice that someone had missed her.

And at the same time, she had no desire at all to return to Sunnydale. She didn't even want to go to LA, where Wesley and Fred had worked with Angel and Faith had been... wait, hadn't Faith been in prison?

"Hello?" Spike's voice echoed in the room, bouncing off the ledges and twisting staircases. "What a tangled room.... Dru would have loved it. "

Willow looked at him, wondering why he was here. If she was quiet, would he go elsewhere? Wait, it would be a bad idea to let Spike go poking around the castle unsupervised. Sighing, Willow called out, "Spike. What were you looking for?"

"Red? Where..." He looked around, clearly trying to find her. After a few moments, he spotted her, and his jaw dropped for a moment. "How did you get up there? Why aren't you falling on your head?"

"I walked up the stairs, of course. This isn't Sunnydale, it's a lot more magical." Willow stood up, figuring that she'd have to go down closer to figure out what he wanted. Otherwise all the shouting and echoes would probably give her a headache.

Willow walked down a few sections of staircase, turning twice, and ended up on a small ledge, sideways in relation to Spike, and about three feet over his head. "Is this better?"

"err... You're closer." He looked a bit unsettled.

Willow sat down, and looked at him. "So, what brings you here? And... no offense, but why didn't Xander come? He... I would have thought that he'd miss me more than I assumed that you would."

"So, if I suddenly dropped to my knees and proclaimed my undying devotion, you wouldn't believe me?" Spike grinned, looking almost like the vampire that she remembered from before the whole mess.

"No." Willow smiled back.

"Good, because it wouldn't be true." He smirked. "But... I was a bit... well, alright. I was curious, and bored, and figured that I'd best get out of Sunnydale before I got myself staked. And your pal Xander said that I should go to find a Watcher to figure out a way to get you back. He's got this little thing called a job keeping him in Sunnyhell."

"Yeah, I suppose they wouldn't want their top foreman leaving to go looking for his vanished friend." Willow sighed, wondering how much he missed her. Had he really forgiven her for everything?

"How did you know...?" Spike blinked, looking at her in puzzlement. "You've been gone."

"I've finally been doing something that I should have had help learning years ago. I'm learning to control my magic." Willow offered a small smile. "I used a scrying spell to peek in on everyone, but... Xander was at work, and I sort of caught him with Anya once - and I did not need to see that ever, thank you. But Buffy and Dawn... Giles.... they didn't seem to miss me at all."

"From...." Spike whispered, his expression confused before it moved to worried shock. "Bloody hell, you've been learning Fae magics."

"Yes." Willow said, looking right at him. "I'm happy here. For the first time in a very long time, I'm happy. I don't need rescued, I don't need saved, and I'm not all alone in a crowd."

Spike looked thoughtful at that, and then nodded. "I guess that makes sense. But you might want to find a way to let Xander know. He's been worried."

Willow watched in silence as Spike left the room. Slowly, she walked back up to her corner, part of her mind going over spells to see if she knew a way to let Xander know, and part of her wondering just what else Spike wasn't saying. He'd feared that he'd be staked in Sunnydale? But he and Buffy... they'd... well, she didn't know what to call the things between the Slayer and the Vampire.

Faith found her later, looking amused about something. "So, Red, how's life at the castle?"

"Life here is good." Willow offered, wondering what Faith was doing. "So, you... did they let you out for good behavior or something?"

"Glitch in the paperwork." Faith shrugged, leaning against a section of stone wall. "Your pal the king is making Wes go all red in the face."

"What did Jareth say?" Willow asked, curious as to what was setting Wesley off. "Is Wes doing that thing where he's trying to think of a good objection and getting flustered?"

"His Majesty said that you weren't allowed to leave. Something about eating the food here." Faith shrugged, and studied a small scar on the back of her hand. "Did you know about that?"

"Faith... back in Sunnydale, we never got along. How'd you get involved in this whole thing? I just.... I didn't think I'd be on the list of people you'd be crossing dimensions to save." Willow asked.

"Yeah, well..." Faith looked uncomfortable. "I owe you an apology. Things in Sunnydale... I shouldn't have tried to kill you. And every time I tried to go patrolling, I'd find Angel or Detective Kate glaring at me like they were waiting for me to kill someone else..."

Willow considered that. It did sound pretty stressful, actually. "So, you and Wes... are getting along better?"

"Trying to change the subject?" Faith grinned. "Better, yeah. You aren't worried about the whole food thing making it harder to get back to Sunnydale?"

"Who said I wanted to go back to Sunnydale?" Willow looked at Faith, hoping that she could make someone understand. "I left there for a reason. I didn't think I'd be allowed to leave, and I'm happy here. I wouldn't want to leave now. This... this is me starting over, somewhere that everyone I hurt isn't watching me suspiciously, waiting for me to snap."

"Makes sense." Faith murmured. Then, with a wicked smile, she asked. "So, is he any good in bed?"

"I might have been able to find out if we hadn't been interrupted by a group of screaming people falling into the fishpond!" Willow retorted.

Faith just laughed as she sauntered back towards the castle. "I might not want to be rescued from a guy like that either. I think I'll just go back and save Wes now."

Willow leaned back closing her eyes. "How long is it going to take me to convince these people that I don't need rescued? grrr."

After a few minutes, Willow sighed, and walked over to the fishpond. Considering what Spike had said, maybe she should try to check in on Xander. Hopefully, he and Anya wouldn't be having any 'quality time' together again... She shuddered at the memories. A few whispered words, and the fish pond flickered, specks of light, shadow and reflected color moving to form an image of Xander.

He was walking through a park, and Willow sat up a little straighter, remembering how they used to go there in the fall and spring, using the excuse of fresh air being good for them to avoid going home. Xander walked along, staring at the picnic tables, his expression full of sadness. His lips moved, something short, and Willow wished that she'd learned a spell to get sound as well as images.

Yeah, she'd have to figure out a way to make sure that he knew he was okay. That she was happy here, learning magic and maybe starting a new relationship.

All she had to do now was convince everybody that she didn't need rescued, keep Jareth from tossing any of them into the Bog of Eternal Stench, and hope that someone could figure out a way to send them all back to LA. She still liked it better here than Sunnydale.

The problems here were safer, if not simpler.

end Transplanted Roses.