VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, [2], 3, 4 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 18:26:20 02/12/04 Thu
Author: Kuzibah
Author Host/IP: 68.80.18.137
Subject: Re: New Fanfic: Two Hearts- part 4
In reply to: Kuzibah 's message, "New Fanfic: (BtVS, Post-Chosen) Two Hearts- part 1" on 18:22:25 02/12/04 Thu

Dawn fell asleep curled into a leather armchair halfway through “Maid in Manhattan,” which was ironic, considering she had wanted to rent it in the first place. Buffy considered taking it out in favor of a real comedy, “Underworld,” but when Willow and Kennedy quietly withdrew to the library, she took herself into Giles’s study to get some email correspondence with Faith, Robin, Andrew and the other “field agents” done.

The pale winter sunset filtered into the library, which always smelt of dust despite Giles’s concerted efforts at neatness. Kennedy led Willow to the ancient couch and pressed her down into the cushions, kissing a delicate line along her jaw and down her throat.

“I love you, baby,” she whispered huskily, and Willow arched up to her lover’s touch.

v v v v v v v v v v v v

The church, though not small, was completely packed for the wedding the following morning. Giles and Xander slid into a pew near the back, and studied the various guests. Many were clearly performers, as they had worn their spangled and elaborate costumes. Oz had told them the night before that this was likely, as, in many cases, the satin and sequin confections were the best clothes the traveling players owned.

Oz stood at the front, in white tie and tails. Beside him was Niklos, Bema’s brother, Nox, another friend, and Brandon Carling, the son of the circus’s owner. Bema entered from the vestibule and was escorted up the aisle by her father. She wore a plain, flowing gown, and a veil trimmed in embroidered flowers. Her face shown with happiness, and at the altar she shyly took Oz’s hand.

The priest nodded to them both, and opened his prayer book. He raised one hand and began.

The ceremony was, of course, entirely in Greek, but it seemed to be the usual one. Xander found himself thinking of Anya, not surprisingly. There was still a hole in his soul where she had been, and Xander wondered if he would ever love anyone again.

But Giles was thinking of all the children who had come under his mentorship over the years. Though he had resisted taking a parental role, had been advised against it for most of his career, circumstance had placed him there again and again. Now, he was watching as one of his children married, sitting beside another who had grown into a fine young man, and proudly guiding the women who traveled the world to train and lead humanity’s best defense against the creatures of darkness.

The priest concluded the ceremony, and gently, almost shyly, Oz kissed his bride. The pews erupted with applause and cheers, and Oz and Bema exited in a shower of rice.

They returned to the villa to find the surrounding grounds crowded with vans and trailers, most painted with murals advertising Circus Internationale, The Parliament of Wonders, and the various acts therein.

A large group of musicians played as the bride and groom and all of their extended family danced through the grass, vast amounts of food were served, and Giles and Xander worked through the crowd, meeting travelers from all over Europe.

Finally, as the sun began to set, the strings of lights were lit, and the well fed guests took their seats around the tables. Bema and Oz were set on a platform so all could see them, and the presentation of gifts began.

Many of the gifts were handmade, and most were eminently practical for a nomadic lifestyle. The Carlings gave them a storage trunk that doubled as a bench. They received linens and kitchenware, cloth and trim for costumes, soft leather boots, a kerosene stove, and candles for their lamps.

Niklos and his “husband,” Eligio, gave an assortment of chains and shackles. “for certain occasions,” they said, laughing. Giles presented the couple with three tomes on the lore of werewolves, with a caveat that he might have to call for consultation in the future. Both readily agreed.

Then it was Xander’s turn, and they unwrapped the white and silver tissue paper to reveal a large, elaborately-carved wooden spoon. There were interlaced knots, hearts, a horseshoe, and the head of a wolf, all intricately detailed.

“It’s a Welsh token of love,” Xander explained. “A cabinet maker I met this past fall taught me to do them.

“You made this?” Oz asked, surprised. “It’s really amazing, man.”

“Yes,” Bema said. “It is beautiful.”

v v v v v v v v v v v v

Kennedy ran her fingers through Willow’s hair, kissing her gently, as both women drifted into a sated doze. “I Love you,” Kennedy whispered again. “I want you to be my wife.”

Willow was instantly awake. “What?”

“We’ll go to Belgium,” Kennedy sighed. “I’ll marry you, Willow, and you’ll marry me.”

Willow said nothing, and after a few moments she realized Kennedy had fallen asleep. There was no sleep for Willow, though. She could only lie still, holding her dreaming lover. She thought about Xander, her oldest friend, suddenly sympathetic of his conflicted emotions during his own engagement.

v v v v v v v v v v v v

When the gift-giving was over, and the dancing began again, a large, black-haired man drew Xander aside. He introduced himself as Luca Hearne, a horseman with the circus.

“You are a carpenter?” he asked. “Where do you work?”

“I was a carpenter in America,” Xander explained. “I can’t really work here legally yet, so I haven’t done any construction.”

“Would you be willing to do some work on my caravan?” the gypsy asked. “Under the table, of course. Come. I’ll show you.”

Luca explained that some of his family’s caravans were over a century old, and though they’d been kept in repair and refitted to be pulled by trucks, many of the decorative details had not been kept up when they suffered wear over the years.

Xander examined the carved gingerbreading, carved wheel spokes, and window and door frames that had been inexpertly mended or simply left in pieces, and his hands ached to put the little caravan to rights. “I can do it,” he said. “As soon as I make arrangements in England. Where do you head next?”

v v v v v v v v v v v v

When Kennedy awoke, she was alone, so she rose and padded into the kitchen where Buffy and Dawn were eating ice cream. “Where’s Willow?” she asked.

“She went out to the garden shed,” Dawn said. “Something about needing some herbs that were drying out there.”

“Thanks,” Kennedy said, stepping into her Wellies and pulling on her coat.

She found Willow at the potting bench, sorting and stacking pots and jars. “Hey,” she said.

“Hi,” Willow said.

“Did I dream that proposal, or did I actually bring it up?” Kennedy asked. “Because I was sort of half-asleep…”

“No, you did,” Willow said.

“Thank God,” Kennedy said. “Because I don’t think I could work up the courage again.” She say down beside Willow and took the jars from her hands. “So then?”

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Re: New Fanfic: (BtVS, Post-Chosen) Two Hearts- part 5 -- Kuzibah, 18:27:22 02/12/04 Thu (68.80.18.137)

Willow sighed, staring at the dirt-packed floor. “Kennedy,” she began, then hesitated, took a deep breath, and began again. “You know I love you, don’t you?”

Kennedy nodded, and Willow could see she was too nervous to trust her voice.

“I loved Oz, too,” Willow went on. “And I loved Tara. I don’t know if I would have stayed with either of them forever, you know, if Oz hadn’t been a werewolf or if Tara hadn’t…” She took another deep breath. “I think I would have, but it never came to that. I’m telling you this so you won’t think it’s because you weren’t Oz, or because you weren’t Tara.”

Kennedy shook her head, tears starting in her eyes. “Don’t,” she said, so quietly that no sound escaped.

Willow could feel the sting of tears in her own eyes, but kept talking. “I don’t think I feel about you the way a person should feel about someone she’s going to spend the rest of her life with. I don’t know, maybe this is how I should feel, but I’m not sure.” Willow looked up, her heart breaking at the look on her girlfriend’s face.

“I do know this,” Willow said. “I can’t make that commitment until I know for sure.” She took Kennedy’s hand. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“Are you telling me to go?” Kennedy said, her voice breaking.

“You don’t have to,” Willow said. “I don’t want you to go, but I can’t ask you to stay. Even if our relationship ends, there’s still a place for you here.”

“That’s it then?” Kennedy said. “That’s all you have for me? ‘A place?’”

Willow lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she repeated.

Kennedy pulled away from Willow’s hold, and returned to the house alone.

v v v v v v v v v v v v

Giles and Xander lingered long after the party was over, catching up and learning all they could about Oz’s new life. By the time they left to return to the hotel, Xander had made arrangements to meet up with the circus at the beginning of March, and do building and repair until they headed out in the spring.

Giles suggested they stop by the hotel bar for a drink, and Xander was so astonished by the suggestion he could only nod.

“I’m very proud of you, Xander,” Giles said when they’d been served. “I know I don’t tell any of you that often enough, but I was thinking perhaps I should.”

Xander’s earlier astonishment paled beside this new revelation, and he froze, waiting for Giles to continue, and yet not wanting the moment to end.

“In some ways we’re very much alike,” Giles said musingly. “Without a birthright or supernatural powers, we have both taken the Slayer’s mission as our own. But even I was born to it, cultivated to be a Watcher from a young age. You were nearly grown when thrust into the thick of it. Other men, lesser men, would have walked away.”

Giles took a sip of his drink, and Xander did, too, hoping to steady himself.

“You’ve grown into a fine man,” Giles said. “I only hope you are aware of that yourself.”

“I… thank you,” Xander said, his voice hushed.

“So, off to Venice, then,” Giles said, abruptly changing the subject. “Are you looking forward to getting back to the carpentry work?”

“Uh… yes, I am,” Xander said. “I miss working with my hands.”

v v v v v v v v v v v v

Willow stayed in the shed until driven inside by the cold. She found Buffy and Dawn most of the way through their final film of the evening and dazedly joined them, watching in silence.

“I don’t like that flute girl,” she said after a few minutes. “She’s so vulgar.”

“Kennedy’s upstairs,” Buffy said.

“Did she tell you?” Willow asked.

“Sort of,” Dawn said.

“We got the gist,” Buffy said.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes. “Is she packing?” Willow asked, her voice small.

“She didn’t say,” Buffy said, her tone filled with sympathy.

“I guess it doesn’t matter,” Willow said. “If she isn’t, she will be soon.”

“There’s still time,” Buffy said. “I know sometimes when you say it out loud, it clears your head, and you realize what you said wasn’t how you really feel. When Riley left…”

“No, it’s not that,” Willow said. “I did mean what I said. I just wish I hadn’t had to say it. I didn’t want to hurt Kennedy, but…”

“I know,” Buffy said. “It’s up to her, now.”

v v v v v v v v v v v v

Giles and Xander entered the cottage’s front hall and dropped their bags. That is, Xander dropped his while Giles put his carefully down. The house smelled of stale popcorn and curry and wine, and throw pillows and lap blankets were strewn around the den. There was no sound of anyone in the house.

Giles had just begun a cursory examination of the downstairs when the front door opened and Buffy and Dawn came in carrying bags of groceries.

“Welcome back,” Buffy said. “We were just re-stocking the larder.”

“So I see,” Giles said. “I trust your weekend was… uneventful.”

Buffy and Dawn exchanged looks.

“Well, not really,” Buffy admitted.

“Willow and Kennedy broke up,” Dawn blurted.

“Oh, no,” Xander said. “Where’s Willow?”

“She called the coven,” Buffy said. “Some kind of transitional, letting-go, breakup cleansing or whatever. Something with burning herbs and neck massage, she said.”

“Is she okay?” Xander said.

“As okay as she can be,” Buffy said. “I’m glad the coven was here to help her re-direct the negative energy.”

“It was getting kind of… humid,” Dawn said.

“What about Kennedy?” Giles asked.

“Gone,” Buffy said. “Called Faith and left on the train this morning.”

“Poor Wills,” Xander said.

“Yes, it’s a pity,” Giles said. “Still… hardly a surprise.”

The others nodded in agreement, and slowly moved into the kitchen. Buffy and Dawn unpacked the groceries and Buffy began directing the preparation of the meal, every so often referencing printouts from easycooking.com.


[ Edit | View ]


Forum timezone: GMT-5
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.