SUBJECT: Fic. "Phoenix." W/A Prologue.
PART: Sequel to "Flood Watch". Phoenix Series Prologue.
AUTHOR: Ciderbreak (Lucy)
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon and the WB own all BTVS characters. Not for profit,
no infringement implied.
DISTRIBUTION: Charity's Site, Fever of Fate, this list's site. And Kate.
SUMMARY: Must read "Flood Watch" to understand this series; Willow and Angel
in LucyWorld, trying to create a life together out of the ashes of the past.
NOTES: Yep. A Series of about 5 stories that shed light on their past and
will help in determining their future.
Willow opened her eyes and rubbed the sleepy goo out of the corners,
stretching her aching back and letting out a little squeak. A shower would
surely take care of the numb feeling she had after four days of being doped
up on two kinds of Robitussin and every regenerative soup Angel could cook in
her kitchen. The flu she'd encountered was a normal physical reaction to
having a secret trapped inside her that was sort of supernatural in origin,
or so Angel informed her. He dutifully tested a sample of the green fluid
she'd puked up and then researched its effects on humans, noting any new
observations in one of her journals. Willow, lying flat on the cold bathroom
tiles, just moaned. In between the splitting headaches and the nausea she
tried to convince him there were better ways to play doctor, but Angel just
smiled and held her hair back for her. Guess when you see someone at their
very worst, it means you really love them.
And witchy flu was not pleasant, Willow winced, remembering the side effects
of Gatorade encountering some really pissed off germs in her system. Made
the green liquid start glowing. At least her fever was down after two days
of mild delirium. She shuffled to the bathroom with her black robe hanging
off her thin frame and managed to take a long hot shower without her knees
buckling like last time. That had been embarrassing and she had the bruise
on her hip to prove it. By the time she'd brushed her teeth, combed her hair
into its wild wavy red layers, and gotten dressed in her overalls, she was
ready for a nap.
"Hey," Angel said from the doorway of the bedroom. She jumped, not expecting
him to be there. "You look a lot better."
Willow snuck a peek at her reflection and saw purple shadows under her eyes,
a pallid complexion and dry lips. What had she looked like before?
"Thanks. Uh. You too?" she said to him. When Angel smiled the room
brightened exponentially. He wore a lightweight gray sweater and soft twill
pants and was in his sock feet. Willow grinned when she noticed that. It
meant he was going to stay the day and not rush off to save the world.
"Want to come downstairs?" he asked solicitously. "I have the blinds closed.
I- I could read to you. I have Yeats and Poe and.. and a first edition copy
of the Crestin Sonica. With etchings."
"Ooh, a demonology text. Angel, you're such a romantic."
"Hey, I have Yeats."
"He was a hottie in his day," Willow noted. She liked the rebellious Irish
poet for his unbridled heart and his "scoundrel" possibilities. Even if he
might be considered a stalker in this day and age, at least back then he got
some good creative energies flowing from his unrequited love. Also, there
was nothing better than listening to Angel read the passionate lines in his
dark, mellifluous voice with him unconsciously slipping now and then into an
Irish accent. She liked to joke that if the Powers That Be ever granted him
grace and let him off the hook, he could get a job speaking for Books On
Tape. "Or phone sex," Doyle had chimed in and she'd thrown a book at his
head. Unrepentant little demon.
When they settled in the oversized, overstuffed chair in the library, Willow
snuggled against him and decided it was time for them to talk, not read.
"Something needs to rise up," she announced firmly. Angel had absolutely no
idea what she meant but somehow guessed she was not making sexual innuendo.
Not with the "resolve" tone in her voice. "We need to look back and take
account of everything that's happened and figure out where to go from here.
I need your help in fighting Seren because I have no idea what she's up to
and if she's not dead then she's up to something."
"Agreed."
"But I still have a company to run and you have a city to protect from evil.
And never mind the different time schedules and the commute and so we need
something new. A new plan. A phoenix plan."
"Beautiful bird rising from the ashes," Angel murmured, finally
understanding.
"So let's get going," Willow prodded him. "Think of this as an all-day
meeting, with breaks for chicken soup and back massages… and whatever it is
that you need."
Angel kissed the top of her head and drew her tighter into his arms.
"All right, where do you want to start?"
Phoenix Series. Part 1
Time: post-Island, when Willow returns to her friends in Sunnydale.
"So, that's it?" Giles asked when Willow finished recounting her tale.
"That's it." Willow leaned back against his couch cushions and let her head
fall to Xander's shoulder. She was mentally exhausted after two full hours
of interrogation by her friends. Luckily, when Spike had botched the plan
Buffy was able to redeem the evening; the enemies were vanquished and the
rest of them died at sea with Angel and Willow. That was the short story.
Xander shifted and put his arm around her comfortingly.
"Well, we killed the bad guys and saved the day and Willow got a little
tropical vacation. That doesn't suck," Buffy pointed out. "Too bad you got
all nocturnal because of Angel, or you could have gotten a really good tan."
"Aw, I wish. All I ever do is burn."
"I burn once and then I tan. Have you ever thought of going to a tanning
booth or something? You could build up a good base and then-"
"Buffy, I hate to interrupt the beauty tip of the day, but don't you have a
patrol to do? And Riley to follow?" Giles, always the voice of
responsibility.
Buffy sighed and stood up.
"Sorry, Will."
"I understand. Riley's a big mystery might-be-evil kind of guy. I'll see
you back at the dorm."
Giles waited several minutes after Buffy left to ask his last question of
Willow. She looked sleepy and Xander was quietly making plans with her for
the next day, but there was still one missing piece of the puzzle he had to
know.
"Willow, did you have sex with Angel?" he blurted out.
"Woah! Giles!" Xander protested. A sarcastic comment died on his lips when
he felt Willow's shoulders stiffen underneath his arm. Protectiveness surged
up in his heart and he looked the Watcher straight in the eye. "That's none
of your business."
"Perhaps not. After all, he is permanently souled, has no tie to Buffy
anymore by their mutual choice and is a free man." Giles' voice sounded
angry despite his clear logic. Sure, there was nothing keeping Willow and
Angel from being with each other. Xander and Willow were both perplexed as
to why he'd press the issue, then.
"I didn't tell Buffy because I knew it would hurt her. Lame, I know, but it
will come out eventually when we're both a little less close to the subject.
Angel and I parted as friends, not lovers, so you shouldn't have anything to
worry about, Giles. And that's all I'm going to say on the subject."
"But-"
"No." Resolve face. End of Story.
***********************
Present day. Willow's mansion.
"You think Giles knew something we didn't know?" Angel questioned her.
"I think he was withholding information," Willow shrugged. "I didn't want to
hear it. And Xander was being so kind and supportive I didn't want him to
think less of me, which he might have if he'd known all the gory details."
"Xander would never stay mad at you for longer than a minute, Willow."
"Agreed. But after that arduous storytelling session I was tired of
explaining myself to everyone. I just wanted someone to take me home and
give me chocolate, which he did. But seeing them for the first time after
the whole Island thing was a definite turning point for me. It meant I was
on my own. Nothing's been the same since."
"Do you think Giles knew what would happen the next time you visited LA?
Like, a premonition or something?"
Willow laughed, trying to picture Giles clairvoyantly eavesdropping on the
future and keeping mum about it. Not bloody likely.
"There's no way he could have predicted the fire I saved you from, but he
might have sensed the danger, somehow. I don't know. It's sort of a done
deal. Why are you smiling? What?" Willow twisted her body around and
captured Angel's face in her hands.
"Oh. Well, I'd forgotten all about the fire."
"The fire that wouldn't die, like those trick birthday candles? How on earth
could you forget that? That was one of my shining moments when a spell
actually worked!"
"I guess I'm focusing on your shining moment after the fire. When we went
back to my bedroom and you-"
"Yes, I remember perfectly well, thank you. No need to rehash that old
embarrassing moment."
"Willow, it's not your fault the spell had side effects that made you a
little more… aggressive than usual."
"And the part where we do NOT rehash the moment would be now." Willow
squirmed uncomfortably.
Angel chuckled low in his chest and bent his head to her ear. He whispered
the next words softly enough to make her shiver.
"I still have the pictures, Willow."
