author: Lucinda
sixth in the Feathers series
similar sort of content, may be some violence and mild romance.
main characters: Willow Rosenberg and Warren Worthington the third.
disclaimer: Willow is the creation of Joss, Warren Worthington is the creation of Marvel comics. No profit is being made.
distribution: if you have the previous Feathers, then yes. Otherwise, ask.
notes: AU post s5 for BtVS, before OZT for Marvel, and Warren is not dating Betsy.
Warren soared through the air, a small bouquet of flowers in his hand. He'd decided that it would be nice to drop in and visit Willow, and thought that the flowers might make her smile. She'd apparently been under a lot of stress recently. She'd mentioned an attempted kidnapping, and broken windows, as well as someone trying to gain access to her records. He just didn't understand why anybody would be trying to get her records. Her business wasn't that large, she wasn't running for office, so who would even care?
When the realization hit him, he was actually startled enough that he wobbled in his flight. There was a possibility that the person trying to get her records was one of the X-Men. After all, they knew that he was dating her. Considering some of the spectacular romantic problems the various members of the team had experienced in the past, it would make sense for someone to want to check her out. To make certain she wasn't a clone, or an alien, or a spy.
Warren sighed as he circled the building. He was mostly sure that Willow lived in that one, something that looked like an older apartment building, with a garden on the roof. With a mental shrug, he landed, looking at the rows of shelves holding planters of various green growing things that he couldn't identify. That wasn't terribly surprising, he'd studied business, not botany. He glanced up, and saw a security camera, and he offered a tiny wave, hoping very hard that this was the correct building, and he wouldn't be chased away.
He wandered among the plants for a few moments, and then heard the door open, the hinges creaking slightly.
"Warren?" Willow's voice called. "I didn't expect to see you today."
"I wanted to drop by." He smiled, offering her the flowers. "Are things a bit less hectic today?"
"Pretty much." She was blushing as she accepted them, and glanced up at him. "Thank you. I don't get flowers very often."
"You should." He murmured. "Willow? The other day, in my office. The coffee mug just shattered. Do you know why that would have happened?"
"Oh, that." Willow blushed, and gestured for him to walk with her towards the side, where a very nice little bench offered a view of the city. "You might want to sit down."
"I think I could handle it if you're a mutant, Willow." He made a gesture at his blue skin and the large feathery wings. "Who am I to react badly to that one?"
"I don't think I'm a mutant. I mean, I've never been tested, so I'm not sure, but I do know that I'm not blue with feathers." She offered a smile, and then glanced at the flowers in her hands. "It was... I can do magic. I'm not as good as I'd like to be, and when I get emotional, sometimes my control slips."
"Magic?" Warren asked. It sounded hard to believe. A telekinetic mutation would be a lot more understandable, and he was sure that such an answer would be much simpler. "Are you sure that you're not just a telekinetic? I know Jean used to have some problems along those lines when she was younger."
"Magic is real, Warren. Magic and all sorts of things that most people want to relegate to scary stories and horror movies. Magic, vampires, demons... Did you really think that everybody in LiKorath's came from another planet?" Willow's words faltered in a few places, and she looked very nervous. "Some come from alternate dimensions, but most of them are just... Well, they get called demons, because they aren't human. But not all of them are evil, or bad, just... different."
He wanted to argue with her about those things, but he couldn't. He'd been alternate dimensions, even been to a couple. For a while, there had been a student at Xavier's who could work what she called magic, things entirely different than her teleportation. Dracula had almost turned Storm into a vampire, after all, which still gave her nightmares. "Okay, I know that vampires are real, and other dimensions. I've encountered a few other non-human races, though they've never called themselves demons. But... are you really sure that you're not just a telekinetic with some control problems under stress?"
Willow opened her mouth, as if to object, and then closed it again. "Does it really matter if it's genetic or mystical? My control... is sometimes not so good, though I'm getting a lot better. You should have seen me a few years ago... No, on second thought, I'm glad you didn't."
"Everything takes practice." Warren chuckled, reaching out to put his hand over hers. "I'm glad people didn't get to watch me learning how to fly, it was... well, I though painful and awkward, someone else might have been amused."
"My life's been pretty dangerous at times. Back before, when I still lived in California. We fought against some of those nasties, trying to keep people safe." Her words were soft, a whisper as if she was afraid they might be overheard. "We got hurt a lot, and people that we cared for died."
"Does it help if I say that, as an X-Man, I've been in danger a lot too?" He offered.
"umm, not really?" She tried to smile, her eyes looking particularly bright, as if she was trying not to cry. "Why do you do that, anyhow? Why put yourself in danger like that?"
"Well..." For a moment, Warren faltered. How could he explain this? "If we don't, who will? We have our abilities, what if there's a reason for it, a purpose? Don't we have the responsibility to use them to help people? Isn't it better if we try to fight the dangerous mutants, instead of people who won't know what to do and might get killed? Isn't it better that we try to show the rest of the world that not all mutants are out to destroy humanity?"
"I guess that makes sense." She nodded, and her smile was a little less forced. "Are you at least careful?"
"As careful as we can be, considering. You said you fought vampires, you should understand how that goes. Sometimes, as careful as we can still isn't quite enough." He sighed.
"And then you need someone else who can be with you, who understands that even if you don't know why it had to be... Even if you don't know why, you know that it was a fight you couldn't just walk away from." Her words made it clear that she did understand.
"Exactly." For a moment, they just sat there, and he looked up, meeting her eyes. "Maybe you should meet the rest of us. They already know that I'm seeing someone, maybe it would be good to give them a face along with a name?"
"Really?" Willow asked, sounding a bit uncertain. "Are you sure, I mean, don't the rest of the X-Men normally wear masks, so nobody knows who they are?"
"I'm sure they'd like to meet you." He tried not to laugh. "They've only been trying to politely interrogate me since they found out that I was dating."
"Warren, do you think..." Hesitantly, Willow asked, "Even if my abilities are magical, and not a mutation for telekinetics, which some of the stuff really couldn't be, but umm, do you think that you and the others might be able to help me work on my control some? So I don't shatter more coffee mugs or window panes?"
"Probably." He leaned closer, and kissed her. "Don't worry so much."
"Because everything will be fine?" There were traces of doubt in her voice.
"Because it's better to think positive. We will be able to help you, they will like you, and nobody else will ruin our next date." He grinned, and then asked, "So, do you like plays? I could get us tickets for something on Broadway."
Willow smiled back, and her fingers curled over his hand. "A play sounds good. Meeting your friends sounds... okay, I'm nervous, but it's a good idea. And I like the idea that things between us will work out."
"Alright then. I can get us a play Saturday evening, and then... hmm, I think there's a picnic Sunday, I could introduce you to everyone during that." Warren mused, part of him trying to remember if Gambit would be making something spicy, and if he would need to have words with Scott about behaving politely.
"That sounds good. We have a plan." She smiled, and stood up. "So, would you like to come inside for tea? Cookies, something? I bake a mean chocolate chip."
Warren smiled, and stood up as well. Cookies, he was dating someone who actually baked cookies. "That sounds nice."
end Feathers 6: Feathered Invitations.
