Title: Tell all
Series: Our Mrs. Cobb
Author: Sevangel
Disclaimer: Not mine
Rating: PG-13
FYI: Hey and howdy. So, as most of you know, I've had major computer problems, so major that I actually had to get a new computer. I got a cool new laptop but big issue, it doesn't have a floppy drive thing. And most every bit of my fan fic, including some new updates, are saved on floppy disks. So, if anybody knows any type of solution, drop me a line.
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Willow opens her eyes slowly, trying to get her bearings straight. For a second, she thinks she's back in L.A., suffering from the aftermaths of yet another magic bender. But then she feels the warmness of two bodies surrounding her.
"Morning." Inara whispers.
"Morning." Willow whispers back. Then she wiggles her butt behind her, causing Mal to groan loudly. "Morning, Mal."
"Mornin'." Mal mumbles, burying his face in the back of her neck. The hand wrapped around both their bodies starts rubbing circles on Inara's back while his mouth nibbles on the smooth skin of Willow's neck.
Inara pushes the hair out of Willow's eyes and then gently rubs her thumbs against the circles under the redhead's eyes. Her hands slide up the front of Willow's tank top, kneading her firm belly before rubbing her thumbs along the undersides of Willow's breasts.
Willow moans, arching her chest towards Inara's hand while at the same time baring her neck to Mal and rotating her ass in small circles against Mal's morning erection.
Mal moves his hand of Inara and onto Willow's hip, halting her movements. "Darlin', it's been a good long while for me and that ain't gonna help me maintain any semblance of control."
Willow sits up, Inara's hands falling out of her tank top, and pounces on Mal.
Mal grunts, his hands moving up to grasp Willow's hips. "What're ya doin'?"
"I wanna play." Willow says, running her hands under his t-shirt.
Inara sits up, a small smiling covering her face. Her hands go back under Willow's tank top, inching the fabric up the redhead's torso.
"Where'd you get this?" Willow questions, rubbing her thumb along the scar on Mal's upper chest.
"One of Niska's men threw a knife at me." Mal replies, eyes closing as she plays her fingers across his chest.
"Ma'de." Inara mutters.
Mal's eyes slam open, surprised to hear the curse coming from Inara's mouth. He can't figure out what's going on though, he's too distracted by the naked breasts right above him. His hands slide up Willow's body to cup and knead the firm globes of her breasts.
"Mal, look." Inara orders.
"Oh, I am lookin' darlin'." Mal leers.
Inara smacks his arm. "Look at her."
Willow blushes and crosses her arms over her chest.
Inara rubs her finger along the scar on Willow's upper belly, hip, shoulder, and then along the one on her back. "What happened?"
"That one, I got thrown into a tree, I think." Willow replies. "The one on my belly is from somet..one cutting a strip of flesh off. The bite mark on my shoulder is from somebody biting me, my freshman year of college, and the hip is from a knife wound, I think. Oh, there's some scratches on the back of my legs too."
Mal grits his teeth and traces her scars.
"Back to the cuddling." Willow demands, scratching her nails down Mal's chest. "I got loads and loads of energy and I wanna play."
Mal hisses and moves his hands back up to cup Willow's breasts.
Willow tugs on Inara's hand, forcing her to move up beside them. "I like your jammies; they're all nice and silky."
"Thank you." Inara braces on hand on Mal's thigh and uses her other hand to cup the back of Willow's head. "You are so beautiful."
Willow blushes and leans over to kiss Inara. She runs her tongue along the seam of Inara's lips before pushing past into the warm recesses of Inara's mouth.
Inara sighs into Willow's mouth, her tongue moving out to duel with Willow's.
Mal palms Willow's breasts, almost drooling at the sight of Willow and Inara kissing.
'Willow?'
'River, kinda busy at the moment, is it important?'
'Zoë wishes to talk to Mal and is getting a little worried that he's not up yet. She is going to check his room in a few minutes. I've distracted her as long as I can.'
'Okay, thanks.'
Willow nips Inara's bottom lip and then reluctantly pulls back from her mouth. Her hands move down to cover Mal's hands on her own breasts, pushing them firmly against her swollen globes before pulling them away. Then she moves off Mal's body with a pout.
"What's wrong?" Mal asks, rather disappointed when Willow pulls her tank top back on.
"Zoë wants to talk to you and she's getting all freaked out that you're not up yet." Willow replies.
"What?" Mal sits up, a confused look on his face. "How do you know that?"
"River just told me." Willow replies.
"She told….while we was…" Mal stammers out.
"Yeppers." Willow stands up and stretches, arms held high above her head.
"Ain't that all kinds of weird?" Mal asks.
"Not really." Willow replies, reaching over to take Inara's hand while Mal gets dressed. "I used to do it all the time to River when somebody was looking for her."
Mal glares at her. "You ain't gonna use your witchiness to hide things from me, dong ma?"
Willow nods, her fingers crossed behind her back.
"Show me your hands." Mal orders.
Willow holds her hands out in front of her, sticking her tongue out at Mal.
"Brat." Mal growls.
Willow smiles innocently and leans against Inara's side.
'WILLOW!'
Willow screeches and cups her head, Kaylee's 'thinking at her' more like screaming.
"Willow?" Inara asks worriedly.
"I'm fine." Willow assures them. "Kaylee just thinks a little too loudly."
"Huh?" Mal questions.
Willow just waves him off. 'What's up, Kaylee and you don't have to scream think at me, just normal think.'
'Simon kissed me.'
'Oh, I want details. Where are you?'
'Everyone is in the mess, getting ready to eat. Where are you?'
'With Mal and Inara; we'll be there in a sec.'
'I want details too.'
'Okay.'
"Who are you talking to?" Mal asks.
"Kaylee." Willow replies. "Come on, everyone's at breakfast." Willow grabs Mal's hand in her free one and drags them both out of shuttle and towards the mess.
"Mal, I need to you to take me to a training house." Inara announces.
"Why?" Mal grinds out.
"To turn in my resignation." Inara replies. "Unless you don't want me to."
"You're really going to quit?" Mal looks a little shocked.
"I can't be with you and Willow and still be a companion." Inara replies.
"So just like that, you're gonna quit?" Mal asks.
"Yes." Inara replies. "I have some savings, a little invested, and a small inheritance I can live off until I figure out what I want to do."
"Oh, you can join me and River in our new business." Willow says, pulling away from Inara and Mal to walk into the mess.
"What gorram business?" Mal asks.
"We're going to start a reaver hunting business." Willow deadpans. "Didn't River tell you yesterday?"
Mal glares at Willow.
"That ain't ever gonna ruttin' happen." Jayne shouts, glaring at both River and Willow.
"Come on, think of all the money we could make." Willow says. "We'll have the whole market on reaver hunting cause it ain't like there's gonna be a whole lot of other reaver hunters."
"Willow, you are joking, correct?" Book questions. "Someone as smart as yourself wouldn't purposefully take those kinds of risks."
"It's actually what I used to do before I came here." Willow replies. "Not hunting reavers but we did hunt other things that were as bad if not worse than reavers."
"Angel's Investigations, we help the helpless." River chirps.
"You get thrown into that tree workin' for that place?" Mal grounds out.
"You got thrown into a tree?" Simon asks. "It's the scar on your back, isn't it?"
"Yep on my back and no for working." Willow plops down beside River at the table and takes a bite out of the genius's breakfast. "That was us trying to find a group of..people responsible for killing a bunch of people and we found them and they fought back which resulted in tree throwage."
"You're law enforcement?" Zoë asks.
"No, not a cop." Willow rolls her eyes. "Most cops I've met were either completely corrupted or not very bright, actually that pretty much includes most government people I've met."
"Willow has broken too many laws to be in law enforcement." River comments.
"I don't break laws." Willow protests. "Okay, I guess the murder counts as a big one but…."
"You broke into an army base and stole weapons." River counts them off on her hand. "You broke into numerous government files, broke into numerous government buildings…"
"I really am a criminal." Willow whispers, her face turning white. "But most of those were completely necessary and unavoidable and why am I defending my actions to you? You've seen it all."
"You broke into government stuff?" Mal asks, a lustful look filling his eyes.
"Don't look so excited, captain." River grins. "It wasn't the Alliance."
"River, what are you…are we really…" Willow stammers out.
"It is time to tell." River interrupts. "You will need proof, though."
"What proof?" Willow replies.
"Your bag and the diaries." River says.
"Good idea." Willow closes her eyes, mumbling a few words under her breath.
"Whoa!" Wash jumps back, squealing slightly when a bag and pile of small books appear in the middle of the table.
"Willow." Mal warns.
"It's just a little spell." Willow defends. "More of a spellet than anything else and we've already discussed how I have to do magic."
"Fine." Mal agrees. "I believe you've got some explaining to do."
"It's going to take a while and doesn't Zoë have to tell you something?" Willow says, trying to stall.
"It can wait." Zoë assures her. "We're all ears."
"Have I ever mentioned I have stage fright?" Willow squeaks.
"You ain't on a stage." Jayne points out.
"Jayne, don't tease Willow." River scolds. "She's nervous enough as it is."
"You've told us you're a witch, that you flayed a man alive, and tried to blow up your home planet." Simon says. "What else can there be?"
"I never tried to blow up a planet." Willow replies. "What would make you say that?"
"You said you tried to end your world." Simon says. "I just assumed you meant you tried to blow it up or maybe even mess with the air…."
Willow cuts in with a humorless laugh. "Simon, you're not getting it. When I said tried to end the world, I mean just that; everything, every person, everything."
"That's impossible." Simon argues. "There are countless moons and planets in this solar system; it would be impossible to blow them all up at once."
"I know." Willow agrees.
"And this is where the story begins." River announces.
"I was born and raised in a little town called Sunnydale." Willow says. "When I was fifteen, I learned that the quiet, safe town I thought I lived in was actually also knows as 'Boca del Inferno'…"
"Your friend's bar." Book says.
"Yes." Willow agrees. "But I meant the town, Sunnydale itself sat right on top of a mouth to hell."
"Huh?" Mal mutters.
"The special hell Book is always sayin' me and Mal are goin' too?" Jayne questions.
"I'm not sure about the special hell thing." Willow replies honestly. "I know there are different hell dimensions and heavenly dimensions but the hellmouth under Sunnydale….it opened a couple of times and it was, well hellish."
"So now we're getting into religion." Mal says coldly. "Which is a subject I don't take to talkin' bout."
"No, we're not talking about religion." Willow argues. "Frankly, I'm not religious person. I was raised Jewish but then practiced witchcraft but I'm not a Wicca, so no, we're not discussing religion."
"Heaven and hell are aspects of religion, Willow." Book points out.
"Yeah, but…." Willow starts.
"And it's all theory." Simon points out. "Nobody can prove that heaven or hell actually exist…."
"They do." Willow interrupts. "Angel, a friend of mine spent close to 400 years in a hell dimension and Buffy, well, I ripped her out of a heavenly dimension."
All Willow gets in response are skeptical looks.
"Buffy died when she was twenty." Willow explains. "She died to save Dawn's life and she was dead and buried 6 feet under the ground when I brought her back to live."
"You did what?" Simon shouts. "That is not possible."
"It was and she did, Simon." River replies. "Buffy died by mystical forces; her death wasn't natural and therefore it left a loophole."
"I exploited it." Willow adds. "I thought she was in a hell dimension because of the portal things which doesn't really explain much but the point is, she was in heaven and I ripped her out of it and shoved her back into her body."
"Okay, I've got a question." Wash says. "This town you live on, the mouth to hell town, what planet it is located on?"
Willow takes a deep breath and looks up at the watching table. "Earth."
Complete silence follows and is only broken when River grabs Willow's bag and takes out a wallet. She pulls out a small piece of plastic and slides it across the table to Mal.
Mal picks up the small card with a confused look. "What the gorram hell is this?"
"My driver's license." Willow replies. "Look at the year."
"Ai yah. Tyen-ah.." Mal mutters, his face draining of color.
Zoë plucks the card out of Mal's hand, reads it, and then looks up at Willow. "This says you was born in 1981."
"That's impossible." Simon protests.
River removes a book from Willow's bag and slides it to Simon. "Look at the copyright date."
Simon opens the book and reads the first page, his face paling. "This was printed in September of 2001."
"Why do you think I don't speak Chinese but I speak three almost dead languages?' Willow says. "The only reason I know half of what is going on is because River gave me a 7 hour lecture the first night I was here."
"You have a time machine?" Wash asks, rather excited by the idea.
"No, no machine." Willow replies. "I didn't come here; I was brought here."
"By who?" Mal questions. He can't wrap his mind around her being from the past; don't make a bit of sense.
Willow looks up.
Mal follows her gaze and then starts cussing loudly. "You're trying to tell me God brought you here? Sorry, darlin', ain't no way I'm gonna believe that."
"Not god, the PTB's." Willow expands off their confused looks. "The powers that be."
"Be what?" Book questions.
Willow shrugs. "A pain in the ass mostly."
"Look, I'll accept you're from the past and that you can do magic." Mal says. "But I can't accept that some godly powers sent you here."
"I don't know what else to tell you, Mal." Willow replies. "Buffy, one of my best friends was able to pull me forward when I died…"
"When you what?" Mal shouts.
"Died." Willow repeats. "Or I was supposed to die but she was able to pull me forward and send me to River."
"How did you die?" Inara whispers.
"A spell." Willow replies. "Always knew I'd end up dying because of magic. The hellmouth was going to open and I found a way to close it only the spell wasn't one I would survive. The backlash of it should have disintegrated me but Buffy was allowed to pull me forward as long as she followed all the rules."
"Who is Buffy?" Inara questions. "I understand that she is your friend but what makes her so special."
"Into every generation a slayer is born." River says. "One girl in all the world, a chosen one. One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampire, to stop the spread…
"VAMPIRES?" Mal shouts.
"I wasn't done." River protests. "You didn't let me finish."
"Pretty much Buffy was a warrior in a long live of warriors given the strength and skills to fight vamps and demons." Willow explains. "Girls given superhuman strength and reflexes so that they…"
"Girls?" Zoë interrupts.
"Yeah, Buffy was 15 when she was called." Willow replies. "And before you ask, it used to be there was only one slayer and when she died, the next slayer was born which means called. Then Buffy went and messed it up by dieing when she was 16 but not staying dead cause Xander gave her CPR. Then there were 2, Buffy and Kendra. Kendra died after about a year and then Faith was called. She went evil for a while but came back to the good side right about the time we fought the first, as in first Evil. Pretty much every bad thing in the world, stems from the existence of the first. We ended up going to war with about 7 adults and a couple dozen teenage would be slayers. Then Buffy got the bright idea to have me activate all the potentials slayers and presto, instant slayer army. We kicked the first's ass and rode off into the sunset."
"I'm still stuck on the vampire thing." Wash says. "You're trying to say vampires are real?"
"Yes." Willow agrees. "I don't know if they're still around now but there were plenty in my time. I know of one still alive or actually undead, though. You all met him."
"William?" Mal questions. "That blonde head hundan is supposed to be a vampire?"
"Not supposed to, is." Willow grabs River's glass and takes a drink, trying to wet her dry mouth. "Why do you think I told him to smell me? And why he put his face in my neck?"
"He bit you?" Mal roars.
"It was more of a nibble." Willow defends. "Just enough to break the skin so he could taste my blood and see if it's really me, which it is. There was no biting. The scar is from a different vampire."
"And the other scars?" Mal prods. "They from vampires too?"
"Some." Willow replies. "Some are from…." Her sentence trails off as a chill runs down her back. "Uh oh, my spidey sense is going off."
"What the gorram hell is a spidey sense?" Mal asks.
"Pretty much a demon radar." Willow replies. "It only goes off when demons or supernatural stuff…."
A large burst of light and a cloud of smoke appear a few feet away from Willow. Mal, Jayne, and Zoë both jump up, guns ready in their hands. As the smoke clears, mouths drop open at the creature standing in front of them.
"D'Hoffryn?" Willow asks, jumping to her feet. "Is that you?"
The tall demon stokes his goatee, staring intently at the redhead in front of him. "A few days ago, a girl of mine named Betty-Lou said she met a redheaded witch of enormous powers by the name of Willow Rosenburg. Now, I told her that was impossible because Willow Rosenburg died over 500 years ago, saving the world she once tried to end. In fact, I sent dear Betty-Lou on a vacation because I thought the stress of the job was finally getting to her. Then about 10 hours ago I felt a power I hadn't felt in over 500 hundred years and I started to wonder if maybe Betty-Lou was correct. And sure enough, I find you, somehow alive and somehow still very much human. I have to say, I am confused."
"Buffy pulled me here." Willow replies.
"Oh, the slayer." D'Hoffryn says. "She was always meddling into things that were not her business."
"That's Buffy." Willow replies.
"It really is you." D'Hoffryn shakes his head, amazed at the sight in front of him. "So, are you interested in a job?"
Willow laughs and then throws her arms around D'Hoffryn, completely amused that he hasn't changed in well over 500 years.
Mal steps forward and jerks Willow away, his gun pointed at the thing's head.
"I'd be gone before you could even pull the trigger." D'Hoffryn laughs, amused by the human's actions. "I see we're back into the men. I'll come back in a few months when he's broken your heart and you're ready to take my offer."
"It's so sweet but you know I have no desire to be a vengeance demon." Willow says. "Had enough of the vengeance thing."
"Oh, yes, the flaying of Warren Mears, a fine piece of art." D'Hoffryn says. "But as much as you try to hide from it, the darkness still resides inside of you and the little control you have will fade away."
"Little?" Willow repeats, letting her magic flow through her until her hair and eyes are black again. "Little?"
"Willow, don't." Mal orders.
"Please?" Inara whispers.
"See, the darkness rules you." D'Hoffryn says. "The slightest bit of anger and it takes over. Just let it go, Willow."
"You think anger did this?" Willow asks. "It's not anger; it's all a matter of control and focus." She closes her eyes and lets her magic flow the other way, her hair turning back to red for a spit second before turning completely white, a peaceful, ethereal glow surrounding her body.
"What the?" Mal mutters.
"Oh, my." D'Hoffryn says, actually stunned speechless. "You're a…"
"Goddess." Willow reins her magic back in and lets it settle naturally into her body, everything turning back to its natural states. "I'm not really, you know. Just kind of channeled one for a bit."
"Which no human has ever done and survived." D'Hoffryn replies. "You my dear, can wield the powers of an actual goddess which nobody else alive at this moment can do. Are you sure you don't want a job?"
"Thank you but no." Willow steps forward and kisses him on the cheek. "It was nice seeing you."
"And you." D'Hoffryn agrees.
"Just remember though, I catch any of your people around me or mine again and you'll have another job opening." Willow warns.
"I don't respond well to threats." D'Hoffryn growls.
"Don't think of it as a threat." Willow says, not the least bit bothered by his growl. "Think of it as a warning. I'll stay away from you and yours if you promise to keep your people away from me and mine. If you break that promise, well, you know how bad it can get. I really don't like flaying people but I'll make an exception for some demons. Just give me your word that none of your demons or yourself will grant a wish from my people or grant a wish that directly effects my people or myself and I will leave you completely alone."
After a few seconds, D'Hoffryn nods his head slightly. "I give you my word."
"And I give you mine." Willow replies.
"Since it looks like I won't be getting any employees as of yet, I'll take my leave." D'Hoffryn says. "But I'm sure you remember how to summon me in case you change your mind."
"I do and I won't." Willow hugs D'Hoffryn one more time. "It was nice seeing you."
"Goodbye, Willow." In another burst of light and cloud of smoke, he's gone, leaving only the scorch mark to prove he was ever there.
Silence follows as everyone turns to look at Willow.
"So." Wash breaks the silence. "Demons."