The One Who Does Magic
Chapter 13A/N: Sorry I've been taking so long to update this. I have some time on my hands today since I just got my wisdom teeth removed and, therefore, have the day off from work. Whee! Maybe I should write the next chapter after I've taken some percocet…that would be interesting!
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I no longer even own all of my own teeth! ;)
.
The workday had been endless—at least until it finally ended—and Xander was anxious to be home. Anxious in a good way, he thought, although the truth of that thought wouldn't be known until he saw whether Willow had stayed. He'd slipped out to work after a quick shower that morning, hoping she'd hang around until he got home. Certainly, it was an accident to leave her there without a key to lock up—and Willow would never leave his house unlocked. Yes, he was reasonably sure that simple "oversight" lacked deviousness. Okay, maybe it was a teensy bit calculating, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
"Will?" he called as he came through the front door. He didn't see or hear her, and ventured a nervous, "Hi, honey, I'm home!" There was no answer, but Willow's sweater was still slung over the arm of the couch. A good sign.
"Willow?" Xander called again. Maybe she was taking a nap. Pregnancy caused fatigue, right? He walked into the bedroom and smiled when he saw Willow under the covers. "Always cold, Will," he said softly, as he moved to tuck the comforter around her. He brushed her hair off her forehead. Her skin was too cold.
"No, Will. Wake up!" he said, his voice cracking with fear. He leaned over her and felt her breath against his face. "Thank God," he whispered. He turned back the covers and grabbed her hands in his. He rubbed them, trying to wake her up. She stirred, as though in the throes of a dream she was reluctant to leave. "Please, Willow. Wake up." His voice was firm now; it sounded unnaturally loud to his ears in the silence of the room. He rubbed her arms now, vigorous in his worry.
She opened her eyes suddenly and was strangely calm, seeming unconcerned. "Xander? What time is it?" she asked, sitting up clumsily.
He let out a gust of relieved laughter, followed by a burst of anger he tried to disguise as mere concern. "What time is it? Will, you scared me to death. Are you sick? You're freezing cold. You wouldn't wake up. What's going on?"
Willow looked calmly at him, squeezing his hands. "I'm fine. I was just…uh…taking a nap."
"A nap?" he asked a bit too loudly. "I called your name. I practically had to slap you around to wake you up. Will, what's going on?" His breathing was shallow, his concern obvious.
"Okay," Willow said resignedly. "I wasn't taking a nap. But you really need to calm down, okay?" She held his hands and looked at him earnestly.
Xander sat down next to her on the bed and turned to her, ready to listen if not prepared to be happy with what she might say. "I just want to make sure you're okay. You and the baby. So, please, tell me what's going on. It's magic, isn't it?" He tried to keep judgment out of his tone, but his nerves were on edge.
"Not exactly," she said with forced confidence. And it wasn't, but she'd never been much of a salesperson. "It's…I was just…" She looked at him helplessly, and his expression softened.
"Will. I'm not mad, okay? I just want to know you're all right. And, okay, I'm worried. But I'm not gonna freak out. Now that you're conscious, that is." He gave her a smile that spurned her on.
"Okay, I was just doing some…astral projection." She ducked her head and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, as if expecting an explosion.
"Wha—is that even a real thing? Like, a real thing that you can do?" he asked, incredulous.
"Yes, and yes," she replied, a bit relieved that he wasn't yelling, though maybe that was worse. Now came the detailed explanation and probably some admonitions from him. "It's kind of like remote viewing, except it's like you're actually there. I could show you some stuff online, if you want."
"Maybe later, Will," he said, still befuddled. "So, still kind of in the 'suspension of disbelief' phase here, but I need to ask you one question, and I want you to be totally honest with me, okay?" She nodded, and he continued. "Is it safe? For you, and for the baby. Is it?"
"It's safe, Xander," Willow assured him. "The baby is fine. It's not magic, I promise. My body didn't go anywhere—just my mind. So the baby and I were both here the whole time, completely safe."
"You were so cold. I thought…I was afraid you were…" He didn't need to go on. His expression and the force of his hands gripping hers were enough.
"The body gets cold. That's why I was in bed with the covers over me. I'm so sorry I scared you, Xander." She lifted her hand to his cheek. "Please don't be worried anymore, okay? I'll tell you anything you want to know about it."
"Okay," he said. "Then…why?" He leveled his gaze at her. "Why do you do it?"
Willow looked into his face—so determined to be clinical, to keep his fear from her. "You want to know why?" she asked softly. He nodded. "Well, if you must know…I did it to see you."
Xander looked confused. "But I was only at work," he said, shaking his head. "I know I'm a hell of a guy, Will, but you could've just waited a few hours—"
"In Africa," Willow broke in. "I know we promised…I know it was cheating, but I missed you. And when I found out I was pregnant, I just…I wanted to see you, but I couldn't, you know, see you. In person or anything. Because of our alone-time pact. So I did some research, and I figured I could do it. I mean, if I could split the Slayer birthright into a thousand pieces, I could at least split myself into two." She paused, her breath catching. "And I sent one of them to you." There were tears in her eyes as she ventured a look at him.
He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly to his chest, kissing her hair roughly. "No matter where you've been, you were always with me, Will." He took her shoulders in his hands, pulling away slightly to look into her eyes. "Just…now that we're on the same continent, try not to leave me too often, okay?"
Willow smiled and kissed him quickly. "I'll try," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "And, hey, next time you leave me sleeping in your bed all 'Angel of the Morning,' try to leave me a key, wouldja?"
He laughed. "I'll go make you one right now."
"No, right now you'll go make me some dinner," she said in her best nagging wife voice.
"If by 'make' you mean order, I'm on it," Xander said, jumping up from the bed. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then moved his lips to hers, lingering there softly.
"Wow," Willow breathed. "I should order you around more often."
"I'm yours to command, Miss Rosenburg," he laughed as he backed toward the door. Willow lay back down with a happy sigh to sleep until the food arrived. Xander paused with his hand on the doorjamb and looked back at Willow, so content in his bed. He couldn't help smiling. "Man," he thought, "am I in trouble."
.
To be continued (still!)...