FicWad

Tara walked into her house with a smile on her face. Even though Willow was still in a wheelchair, she had a smile on her face very often because she was actually getting to spend time with her girlfriend or at the very least, talk with her on the phone. And part of the thanks went to her brother.
Speaking of her brother, she hadn't seen him the past two days at home. And this worried her just a little. But she knew that he could take care of himself. He had proved that a few times over. And now, he had started taking care of her as well as their mother.
Gratefully, her father was yet to be home. And that was a very good thing indeed. She slowly made her way to her room. Before she entered, she heard a noise coming from her brother's room. The door was opened slightly so she made her way and peered in. He was busying shoving his clothes in a big army duffel bag.
She slowly opened the door and knocked as she did so. "You going somewhere, big brother?" It still felt weird that the two of them were on this good of speaking terms. Years of abuse did that to someone unfortunately.
Donny turned and smiled sadly. "Yeah, I am." He saw the sad look on her face and sighed heavily. "My birthday is Saturday. And dad says that I can either stay here and keep taking his bullshit or I can move out. So, I'm moving out." He looked worriedly at his little sister. "And that means you and mom will be on your own. I don't like that thought. Not one bit."
Tara made her way and sat on his bed. She looked around the room. She hadn't realized how little possessions that either of them had. It seemed like all they had were each other and their mother. Well, she now had Willow and her friends. "I'm going to miss you. We just started getting along." Little tears formed in the corner's of her beautiful blue eyes.
"Hey, now." He threw down the duffle and quickly sat next to her, taking her left hand in his right. "When I woke up to the stupidity that was me, I made myself a promise. I was never going to be the one that made you cry again. And here I am, making you cry. Listen girl, I will never leave you totally. I couldn't do that. Leave you here with dad. I will visit when I can. And I will make sure and see you at school." He sighed heavily. "After I graduate, I'm thinking of joining the army. And I know that will leave you alone again, but I think you've got some good friends now." He smiled with one eyebrow raised. "After all, don't you have one redheaded girl that's just crazy about you?"
Tara laughed softly. Her brother had indeed changed so much over the past couple of years. It amazed her how good he was now. "Yeah. She and I will be together no matter what. I don't care if she can't ever walk again, I'm thinking this has forever written all over it. Even if we're both only fourteen."
Donny shrugged. "There are some people who meet their soulmates at a young age." He smiled tenderly at her. "You, I think, are one of those lucky ones."
**
Buffy couldn't believe what she had done. She had broken up with Spike, the one guy that had been so different with her. And over what? Just because he was suddenly getting along with his brother? No, it was because he wasn't talking to her. Well, at least not about what was going on in that mind of his.
Her bed squeaked as she sat up on it. She glanced over at the bed stand where a picture of her and him at that first dance was sitting. It made her sigh heavily. Especially since she had heard that Spike had not been in school.
She got up and picked up the phone. She knew she had overreacted. And she knew she had to try and make it up to him. Somehow, someway she would. The blond had to track him down so that she could tell him how sorry she truly is.
"Hello?" Spike answered and it surprised her. She thought for sure that he would still be gone. She was speechless for a moment. "Who is this? I can hear you breathing, you gint."
Buffy shook her head to break out of the stupor she had found herself in. "It's me." That's all she said. It was all she could think to say.
"Oh." Spike's voice dropped to a near whisper. "So why ya callin me. I thought we was all broke up and all."
"We were." Buffy hoped that he would catch the way she used the past tense. After a moment or two of silence, she continued. "And we never should have been in the first place. I acted like a brat. And I can't believe I was so not understanding. Especially after the way you've been with me and with all my friends. So much is going on."
"I know." Spike sighed heavily. "Listen. It's not all your fault. Actually, it's mostly my fault. You have nothing to apologize for. I'm the one that hasn't been talking. There's something that you need to know. I want to trust you with it. I need to trust you with it. Because it could be very big. And it could get some people into some serious trouble. Me included."
"Spike, what exactly is going on?" Buffy felt so anxious. Something was happening and she wasn't sure what it was. "Does this have something to do with your brother?"
Spike laughed softly. "It has everything to do with him. And that's part of the problem, now isn't it?"
Buffy sighed. "We have to talk, but not over the phone. Care to meet me at the park. By the swing set. We can meet in an hour. And than we can really talk. Face to face."
"I'm afraid that there is a lot to talk about." Spike hung up the phone. He couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing. But he had to tell someone what was going on. He couldn't keep it all bottled up. After all, he was partly responsible for his friend Willow being in a wheelchair. And he was partly responsible for Drusilla's death. That was a lot for one person to take on. And he didn't count Angel. Not yet anyways. So it had to be her. The one that he was in love with.
**
Anya felt Xander's stare. He had been staring for the past half an hour, trying to get her to talk to him. She had yet to say where she had been over the past week. After all, she had just disappeared without even saying anything to him.
Finally, she swallowed hard. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything. It was kinda a rush thing. And it was rather painful. I wish you could have been there for support. But Willow needed you more than I did. At least, she did need you more than me. I've got you now, right?"
Xander finally broke out of the glaring type stare he had been giving her. It instantly turned to one of instant worry and caring at the same time. "You know I'll be here no matter what. I could have been here for both my girls, if you'd have let me."
Anya shook her head. "I had to fly to Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's where I grew up. My dad, my blood father was killed in a car accident. We had to, well, deal with all that come with that."
Xander shook his head as he pulled her into a hug. "Man, it's like a black plague around here. First, Willow's nearly killed in an accident and has yet to recover the use of her legs, next I hear Drusilla died of a drug overdose, and now I hear that my girl had to deal with her father dying without me by her side. Can things get any darker?"
This made Anya smile a little. "I wanted you by my side. Trust me. But Willow and Tara were so scared. And I knew that you wanted to know what was going on with her. You've been friends now for thirteen years, right?" Xander shook his head. "I get jealous of her sometimes."
Xander smiled big at this statement. "Obviously, nothing to be jealous of. Willow is into the ladies as am I. Well, one particular lady anyways. The rest kind of seem to get pushed out of the way whenever I even think about you. I'm so darn lucky to have you. It's not even funny."
Before he had a chance to react, Anya was leaning in to kiss him tenderly on the lips. "I really missed you," she said as she pulled back. "Not to get all sad again, but I really wasn't that close with my father. It just hit me hard with all that has been going on lately. I think you're right. There is like a black plague going on. We should try and stop it somehow."
"How about a night at The Bronze?" Xander smiled big. "At least I haven't been there in a couple weeks. Too busy worrying about both my girls."
Anys smiled. "This could be just the thing to get me back into a happy mood. Spending the evening with my guy. Nothing I couldn't think of that would make me any happier."
**
Oz held his hands over his girlfriend's eyes. He had made her close them the whole time that they were driving to this special spot. At least it was special to him. And he was hoping that it would now be special to her as well.
"Are we frickin there yet?" Faith didn't like to be kept in the dark about anything. But Oz was so sweet and so caring, she couldn't not help but trust him implicitly. "This all part of that surprise thing you were goin on about earlier?"
Oz chuckled to himself. She definitely had a wild heart to her. And she was different than any other girl that he had ever dated. That was what was so interesting. Their differences. He was quiet and to himself. She was always out there and definitely dressed to get attention. But they had one thing in common. They both had big hearts that could easily get hurt.
"Not much longer." He made sure that she did not trip over a stone wall. "Keeping in mind this would be better at night."
"All right." Faith began wriggling in his embrace. They had stopped walking. "Can I frickin open my eyes now? It's like been forever and you're driving me nuts here."
"That's part of the plan." Oz smiled as he removed his hands from her eyes. This was hopefully going to be so good.
"Woah!" Faith looked around her. They were somewhere up in the hills surrounding the town of Sunnydale. It appeared that there hadn't been anyone up there in quite some time. You could see the whole little town from their vantage point. Just at the edge of the hill that was pretty darn steep sat a nice plaid flannel blanket. And on that blanket sat an old style wicker basket. "What's all this?"
"Your surprise." Oz smiled even bigger. There was almost a childlike curiosity going on with his girl. And he was enjoying seeing her this happy.
"All this is for me?" She walked over to the blanket and slowly sat down. There was a card that sat on top of the basket. "And this?" He shrugged. She rolled her eyes at him but deep down was loving every minute of it. She tore the envelope open. The card inside had a bouquet of red roses on the front. 'For Someone Special' was written on the cover. She opened it and at first only smiled at what it said. By the time she got to the signature, she looked up at him almost too stunned for words. "You can't be serious." Inside, 'a beautiful girl is hard to find. But a girl that is beautiful on the inside is nearly impossible. With you, I've found both'. And than, the signature. 'Love, Oz'.
"And why wouldn't I be?" He couldn't help but laugh a little at the look on her face. "You stole my heart, Faith Wyndom-Price." He finally made his way to sit next to her. "And I'm glad that you did." He leaned in and gave her a tender kiss. "I do love you."
"Woah!" Faith looked him in the eyes for the longest time. Again, she had the quick relationship happening. But this time, the guy wasn't going anywhere. Boy, what a change. "I love you too." And she leaned in and kissed him. This time a lot longer and a lot more passionate. "I've never been with someone that makes me feel so good."
Oz sighed. "And I'm going to have to leave you."
"What!!!" She screamed and an echo came out from the rolling hill beside them.
"Sorry." He kissed her again. "Not the best way to put it. Band. Tour. For a month. Sorry."
Faith exhaled a breath that she didn't know that she was holding. "Don't do that, dude!" She shook her head. "I'm not sure how I'm going to survive without you for that long."
"I know." He shrugged. "Cell phone."
"That will have to do." She leaned in to kiss him. "Better get in all these that I can before you take off on me."
***
Angel sat beside a headstone. One that he felt totally at blame for having to be there. After all, if he hadn't been so stupid and used the girl to make Cordelia jealous, she might not have gone back to the drugs the way that she had.
And he was also thinking of a certain redhead. He didn't really know Willow that well, but he knew one thing for sure. He was to blame for her being paralyzed. Yes, he wasn't the one driving. But he might as well have been. Again, if he'd paid better attention to Drusilla she would never have gotten behind the wheel of the car.
A solitary tear ran down his cheek. He sighed heavily knowing that he shouldn't be here. Not really. It might open up some questions. He had been dating her but they were not that close. And to be sitting here crying at her grave a week after she died was getting to be too much.
He was so into his own thoughts that he didn't hear the car pull up to the side of the road. A familiar blond made her way out of her car and slowly over to where Angel still sat. He was still so into his own thoughts that he didn't hear her at all.
"Were the two of you really that close?" Her husky voice startled him so much that he jumped up to a standing position. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
Angel shrugged, relaxing a lot when he realized who it was. "Just lost in thoughts, Darla. And no we weren't that close. Dating yes, but not that close." They stared at each other for a few minutes. "I'd best get back. Father'll probably send out a search party if I'm gone much longer."
"Things have changed." He stopped and looked at her. "Or they haven't and you just don't want to be around me."
Now the brooding young man sighed heavily. "No, things haven't changed. And trust me when I say that you are the only person that I truly want to be around. Maybe the only one besides Spike that might understand. But I'm not sure if I can say anything. It's a lot to take in."
Darla made her way to stand directly in front of Angel. "Listen. I know that we were very close once upon a time." She smiled at the memories. "And I'd like to get that close if you'll let me. So if there's something to tell."
Angel stared down into her eyes. The eyes that had always had so much comfort when he was younger. "I need someone to trust. Spike and I are getting a long better, mostly because I've realized what a jerk I was being, but because it involves him. I need to know that I can trust you."
"You can trust me with your heart." Darla put her hand gently on his chest for emphasis.
***
Cordelia was standing outside the mall. And that was not that unusual. Her at the mall and at The Bronze after school were pretty much givens. But the reason she was standing outside the mall was very different from her usual ones.
"Please, it's for a good cause." She stood in front of a small card table. The table had a picture of Willow Rosenberg on the front of it. There were recent pictures of Willow in the wheelchair and with Tara by her side. "She really needs this. They don't have insurance and it's going to be costly to do all the physical therapy."
Everyone just ignored all her pleas as they either walked in or out of the mall. She flashed back to the several times that people had been asking for donations of one kind or another. It really pissed her off how she had been so rude to those people. She had told herself that they were just schemers and it was best to keep her money were it was. In her pocket. But now, she understood the importance of donating.
Not that she and Willow Rosenberg were friends. Or could she ever really think that she would be friends with her. Actually, since her breakup with Angel, she had pretty much been shunned by the whole popular crowd. So was she doing this just to get in good with the nerd herd as she had so loved to call them not so long ago. Or was it because she had really begun to change.
She was staring at the ground, deep in thought when she heard the rustle of money being shoved into one of the cans that she had decorated herself. "Thank you very much. She can really use the...." She trailed off when she saw who was standing before her. A huge smile was instantly plastered on her face. "Thanks Doyle. Willow will hopefully really appreciate it."
Doyle smiled back at her. "It's the least that I can do. After all, my moms have no shortage of money. I might as well help those that don't."
Cordelia could not help but shake her head. "This is just so strange. Being on this side of asking for charity. And no one really gives a damn. It's so sad."
Doyle nodded sadly. "I know. Most people just think things will take care of itself. But we both know better now don't we."
"Yeah." Cordelia flashed to the funeral. Drusilla was not her friend. But something had made her go anyways. And she had ended up sitting next to Doyle. "Is your mom feeling better?"
"Which one?" Doyle laughed as Cordelia hemmed a little. "Relax. I was just joking. Yes, mother Angela is feeling much better. Won't be long and she'll be up and around again. And she insists that I ask you to dinner, as soon as she is feeling better. You up for it?"
"Wow!" Cordelia smiled big. "Why not?"
**
Jenny watched as Giles got Willow comfortable on the couch. He handed her the phone so that she could of course call Tara. "Do you need anything dear?" Willow smiled up at him and shook her head. "Good. Just let me know if you should need anything. I need to talk with Miss Calendar for a moment."
"Take your time." Willow smiled at him. "And enjoy yourself Uncle Giles." She raised her eyebrows a couple times quickly.
This sent her uncle to blushing. He made his way into the kitchen and out of earshot of his niece. "Have you found anything more on that matter I asked that you look into for me?"
Jenny nodded and handed him a rather thick stack of printouts. "These ones are the most recent records. And they match up perfectly with the ones from Pennsylvania. I think your theory is right. And if it is..."
"If it is, both Tara and her mother are in great danger." Giles sighed heavily. "And I'm not just talking about the physical abuse which is so apparently evident to anyone with half a brain." He shuddered at the thought of what all Tara and her mother had to put up with.
"Calm down." Jenny leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. "You're sexy when you get all protective."
There was that instant blush on his face. No woman had ever gotten to him like this one standing before him. And she was willing to kind of bend the rules to help others in need. "Well, we now have the pretty incriminating evidence. But we've obtained it quite the illegal way. We have to figure out how we're going to expose Mr. Maclay."
Jenny shrugged but smiled as she heard a sudden burst of laughter from the living room. "I'm just glad she's dealing well with everything. Some might not take it as well as she is."
Giles looked out into the living room as he heard another burst of laughter from his niece. It felt so good to finally have a family, even if it was under not so good circumstances. And him being who he is, he'll do anything to protect that family. "She hasn't heard what the doctors have said." He turned back to look at Miss Calendar. "They are now afraid that it might be permanent. Her only hope may be highly experimental back surgery which could basically kill her."