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~Part: 11~
Willow showed Drusilla the guest room, helping the vampire sit on the bed. She looked at the blood covered dress and said, "We need to get that dirty dress off of you and clean the wound before you go to sleep. I have a couple of old T-shirts you could use, but you're a little bit taller than me so I don't think they'd even reach your knees."
"Why do I need a shirt?" Drusilla asked, not understanding the human's words about T-shirts and lengths.
"To sleep in," Willow said with a puzzled frown. "You know, a sleeping shirt or a nightgown. Whatever you wear when you go to sleep."
"I do not wear clothing when I sleep," Drusilla said with her own puzzled frown.
"Oh, well, um," Willow found herself stuttering, a slight blush crossing her face as she explained to the confused vampire, "you really need to wear something tonight to keep the wound from getting reopened. You know, protect it while you sleep."
"Okay," Drusilla agreed, understanding the reasoning behind that explanation but intrigued by the blush that had crossed her pretty angel's face. "Do you wear clothing when you sleep, Willow?"
"Of course," Willow said, "it's sort of a custom we humans have. I mean, there are some people that like sleeping naked, but I'm not one of those. You never know when there's gonna be a fire or something and you'll have to run and leave the house and I don't want to be standing on the street naked where anyone can see me and yeah, I wear sleeping clothes."
"Fire?" Drusilla repeated, not clearly understanding why sleeping clothes would matter if there was a fire but deciding that her kitten was still young and just had not experienced the pleasure of sleeping with the sheets caressing her bare body. She knew that humans were quirky and odd, having their own strange rules and morals. She assumed clothing themselves as they slept was yet another weird quirk. She stood and pushed the dress off of her body, telling Willow, "I will wear your sleeping clothes, Willow, because you asked me to, though I do not understand why you would cover your body as you sleep."
"I can see that underwear must not be part of the vampire lifestyle either," Willow said, her face now bright red as she found herself confronted by a nude Drusilla. She wondered if that went for Angelus and Spike also, finding her blood heating up at the idea that Angelus had been nude beneath those leather pants as he'd held her that night at the school. Oh boy, that thought then brought out many other thoughts that needed to stop. At least until she was alone and could give them her complete concentration. What had she been talking about? Oh yeah, no underwear. She knew she should just let Dru sleep as she normally did, but she was still a bit prudish about things like that. It was kind of surprising to her considering her vivid fantasies about Angelus and Spike and nakedness and biting and…okay, Willow, stop it. Anyway, she wasn't quite ready to have a naked vampire sleeping in the next room so there would definitely be some sleeping clothes tonight. She smiled suddenly as she remembered, "I know what you can wear tonight. I'll go grab it and get some water and a rag to clean the blood from the wound. I'll be right back."
Drusilla sat on the bed, glancing at the wound on her side. She saw the slight green tint to her skin, recognizing it as a side effect from the poison. She had been lucky that the demon had only cut her once. The poison had been rather strong and had made her pretty weak just from one slice of his claw. The scent of toxin was fading, letting her know that the majority had worked its way into her blood and was in the process of being destroyed by her system. She looked up when Willow came back into the room, sniffing the air as she said, "I smell the slayer."
"Wow, that smelling thing is pretty darn good," Willow observed as she moved to sit on the bed beside Dru, no longer nearly as embarrassed at the sight of the nude woman. She picked up the rag and dipped it in the water, looking at Dru in surprise when the vampire took the cloth from her.
"There was poison," Drusilla explained softly as she moved the rag over the wound. She gave Willow a small smile as she said, "I do not want you to touch the nasty old poison, precious. I can clean it all up. Why do I smell the slayer?"
"Poison?" Willow suddenly understood why Drusilla had been so weak and tired from what hadn't been a very large cut. "Are you okay, Dru? Do you need more blood or anything?"
"I am tired," Drusilla said with a faint smile as she got the blood and left over poison off of her wound. "But I am not hungry."
"I'm going to let you borrow one of Buffy's nightgowns. She spends the night a lot and always manages to forget something," Willow explained to Drusilla, not at all sure now if it was a good idea to bring up Buffy and remind the vampire that she was best friends with the slayer.
"I do not smell her in this room," Drusilla said as she continued to clean her wound. She knew that her angel was friends with the nasty smelling slayer, but she did not mind. The slayer protected her Willow and kept her safe. That was what was most important.
"Oh, she sleeps in my room," Willow said as she held the bowl of water for Drusilla to rinse the blood stained rag.
Drusilla looked up and caught Willow's green eyes, asking, "May I sleep with you tonight?"
"You want to share my bed?" Willow was honestly surprised, not at all expecting that comment from Drusilla following a discussion about the slayer. "It's not very big and I think you'd be more comfortable in here where you can have the entire bed to yourself."
"It is big enough for you and the slayer," Drusilla pointed out, not wanting to upset her angel but also not wanting to sleep in this strange room all alone. She had not asked before, not sure if there would be room for her to sleep with her Willow. Now, though, she knew there would be room. She quietly said, "I do not want to be alone tonight, Willow. Please may I share your bed?"
"Of course," Willow said, amazed at the sanity she saw in the woman's eyes as she quietly explained that she didn't want to sleep alone. She knew that Dru had been scared after getting attacked, knew now that she'd been fighting off poison as well as blood loss. She watched as Drusilla smiled a large smile, deciding that she'd made the right decision. "Do you need help putting on the gown? Buffy's shorter than you are, but it's pretty long on her so I thought it would be the best choice."
"It's pretty," Drusilla said as she moved her hand over the lilac colored cotton. "It has lace. I love lace."
"So does Buffy," Willow said with a relieved smile as she saw that Drusilla was going to wear the gown without complaining that it smelled like Buffy or anything. She knew that it did smell like baby powder and apples because most of Buffy's clothes smelled of those two scents with the occasional scent of cucumber melon. She also knew that her best friend gave off some sort of slayer scent that demons could smell and figured that was the smelly scent that Drusilla had in mind when she had talked about the smelly slayer.
"Will you help me?" Drusilla asked, holding her arms above her head as Willow took the gown and began to slide it over her arms. She lowered her arms and pushed the pretty gown into place. Willow had been right. She was several inches taller than the slayer so the gown fell just below her knees. It was loose, a bit surprising to her since the other times she'd seen the slayer the petite girl had been wearing very tight clothing that had not seemed very practical for slaying but had not stopped the girl from defeating her enemies.
"Good, it fits," Willow smiled, watching as Drusilla moved her hands over the material.
"So soft," Drusilla said, "smells like apples."
"Come on," Willow took the vampire's hand and helped her stand, smoothing out the gown before she continued, "we'll go across the hall to my room and get you into bed. I'm going to take a bath and then I'm going to sleep, too."
"So very tired," Drusilla said as she followed Willow into a room. She glanced around quickly, deciding that she would examine it more closely when she felt stronger. For now, she was tired and wanted to crawl into the large bed and sleep until she felt better.
"You can choose your side," Willow said as she pulled the covers down, "I don't really care which side I sleep on."
"Willow," Drusilla sat on the left side of the bed because it was the closet, looking at Willow and smiling softly.
"Yes?" Willow asked, rather glad that Dru had chosen that side. She honestly didn't really care which side she slept on, but she preferred the right side, liking to sleep on her right side and see the window. Windows! She would need to close the curtains before going to sleep. It wasn't like her room got very sunny anyway, but it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.
"Thank you," Drusilla whispered before she laid down, her arm reaching for the stuffed bear that had been laying on the pillows. She snuggled against the teddy bear, her eyes closing as she drifted to sleep.
Willow smiled at Dru's words, the smile widening as she watched the vampire snuggle against the teddy bear that Xander had bought her for her birthday several years ago. She moved towards the bed, pulling the covers up and tucking them around Drusilla as she whispered, "You're welcome, Drusilla."
~Part: 12~
Drusilla snuggled under the warm covers, moving her cheek over the soft fur of the teddy bear she was holding. She opened her eyes reluctantly, not wanting to leave the peaceful world of her dreams. A smile crossed her face as she saw Willow sleeping beside her. The redhead was snoring softly, obviously enjoying a much needed sleep. Dru had been awake for a while, not opening her eyes for fear that she had dreamed the events of the previous evening. She'd not wanted to wake up and find herself alone in the cold room that had become her home three months ago when her Daddy had come back. So, she'd kept her eyes tightly shut and enjoyed the warmth that surrounded her and the soft material of the teddy bear that she was sleeping with. The teddy was warm and fuzzy and not at all as cold as her dollies. When she'd finally decided that she wasn't dreaming about the warmth of the covers or the warmth coming from someone beside her, as well as listening to the soft sounds of Willow's breathing and occasional snoring, she'd opened her eyes.
She was all better now. She could no longer smell even the faintest hint of toxin in her system. Her strength was back, also, the weakness and pain she had felt the night before fading as she had slept. She was alert and curious, staring at the face of the pretty angel that had saved her life. She did not understand why the girl had helped her, knowing that Daddy had been playing his games with the slayer and her friends. She remembered the kindness and strength she had seen in the girl's green eyes, could remember the beautiful smile that could very well be the closest thing she'd seen to sunshine since she'd died so many years before, could remember the gentle way Willow had taken care of her. The girl was intriguing and nothing at all as she had imagined a human, especially a friend of the slayers. Dru had never spent a lot of time with humans, never finding them interesting or important. They were food and could sometimes be fun to play with, though her William and Daddy were the ones that really enjoyed playing. She'd always dismissed them as being weak but a necessary part of her survival.
Now, though, she was looking at a human that had risked her own life to take care of her. Drusilla was not accustomed to having someone other than William or Daddy care about her. She wished she had Miss. Edith to explain to her why it felt so nice to have the pretty redhead take care of her. The stars had sung about the girl before she'd arrived, a lovely tune of friendship and affection and change. She had not understood some of what the stars said, but they often whispered things that she did not understand. She moved her hand to touch Willow's face, feeling the girl's warm flesh and smiling before moving her hand away. She did not wish to disturb her, knowing she needed her rest. Her curious eyes moved away from her sleeping angel to look at the room the girl called home.
It was a large room with things covering the walls and books stacked everywhere. Drusilla glanced back at Willow and chewed on her lip for a moment before deciding to explore. She would be quiet as a mouse, she thought to herself as she swung her bare legs over the side of the bed. Her feet touched the floor, a smile crossing her face as wiggled her toes on the rug that was beside the bed. She giggled at the sensation of the material tickling her feet before she covered her mouth, eyes again moving to Willow to make sure the girl was still asleep. Her pretty needed rest so she'd be alert and strong when she woke. Drusilla moved towards a desk that was in the corner, her eyes looking over various pictures that covered the wall. She moved her fingers over the smiling faces, a soft smile crossing her face as she traced Willow's happy face. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the blonde that was in many of the pictures. Slayer. Her eyes glanced at the gown she was wearing, remembering that Willow had mentioned that it belonged to the girl she called best friend. She touched the soft material before her eyes moved back to look at the pictures. There was a boy that looked familiar. He was smiling and seemed very happy. A slight smile crossed her face as she traced his goofy smile, knowing that this boy must be one of Willow's dearest friends. He was in many pictures, from a very young age all the way to very recent pictures. He looked friendly, his eyes having the kind look that Willow's had. She knew him, frowning until she suddenly remembered. Daddy had said it was a spell that made her ache to have the boy, though she was unable to remember what had happened.
She looked away from the photographs, her eyes scanning the titles of the books that were stacked on the desk. She smiled as she saw a couple that William had read to her. She enjoyed laying against her pretty boy and hearing his voice as he read to her or told her stories. After the accident, when she had felt so weak and nearly given up and just died, he had spent many hours holding her and talking to her, reading her book after book until she had realized that giving up would mean leaving him alone and she had not wanted that. She wanted her William to be happy, she wanted to see him happy, so she had decided to ask the stars for help. It was then that they had told her about finding Daddy, about the Hellmouth, about getting stronger and finding her family. They had not told her of this before because she had never asked. When they had come to this town, it had not been as the stars had said. She had been angry with them, not understanding why her Daddy did not want to be with them. Later, when she was strong again, she had known that the stars had not lied. She had to be patient and she had been rewarded. Her Daddy was back and her William was happy and she was stronger. She had become restless, though. While she loved her Daddy and her William, they were busy with their plans and their games and she would often be alone or left with the minions. She did not like the minions. They were mean to her and laughed at her and teased her when they thought she was not listening. She always heard, though, knowing their ugly words and mean thoughts. She had killed ever so many of them, glad that Daddy did not realize their absence for fear that he would be angry with her for keeping her secrets and not sharing with him. The minions left her alone now, never speaking about her or talking to her.
She moved away from the desk and walked towards the window. She could see faint light surrounding the curtains, her hand moving over the material and feeling the warmth of the early morning sun. She missed the light. She could no longer remember what the sun had looked like or the feeling of its rays on her skin, but she had seen a movie once that had the sun shining high in the sky and she'd remembered then how wonderful it had felt to dance and spin underneath the large ball of fire. Now, she danced for the moon and it was just as wonderful. But, sometimes she missed the light. She was tired of the dark, tired of the cold, tired of being alone. She sighed softly as she glanced away from the curtains to look at Willow. Willow was like the light, like the sun. She was alive and warm and kind and reminded Drusilla of the same feelings of what it had been like to have the sun on her as she had danced. A smile against crossed Drusilla's face as she moved from the curtains to the closed closet door. She opened it carefully, her eyes looking at the contents curiously.
She moved her hand over the material, stopping her hand when she felt a fuzzy material. She pulled the material out, seeing that it was a large sweater. She moved her cheek over the material, loving the feel of it. The sweater was a dark orange and very large. She removed it from the hanger and pulled it on over her gown. It fell slightly past her waist and was ever so warm. She wrapped her arms around herself and inhaled the scents that were now Willow in her mind: vanilla and jasmine and apples. She smiled as she continued to look in the closet. Once she had examined the contents, she shut the door and continued on her way. She was at a bookcase that held many books, awards, pictures and hats. Her eyes widened in pleasure when she saw the brightly colored hats. She pulled one down that was a rainbow of colors. There was red and green and blue and yellow. She put it on her head after tucking her hair behind her ears. With a giggle, she spun around the room, watching as the pale purple of the nightgown spun around her. She spun until she was dizzy, a large smile of happiness on her face as she moved back to the bed.
Drusilla crawled up the bed, taking extra care not to bump Willow. Finally, she rested on her knees, her bottom on her ankles, and picked up the teddy bear. She looked into its face, cocking her head to the side as she tried to talk to him. He was sleepy and didn't want to talk so instead she brought him up against her chest and hugged him, resting her chin on his head as her eyes moved back to Willow's face. She relaxed as she looked at the girl that had done so much for her, patiently waiting for Willow to wake up and smile and maybe tell her a story. She so loved stories and had a feeling that the redhead probably knew a lot of good stories. She moved her left hand to touch Willow's hair, so soft, and began to stroke it softly as the girl continued to sleep.
~Part: 13~
Willow's dream about Angelus and Spike faded away as she slowly started to wake up. She didn't want the dream to end, having not gotten to the good parts yet. There had been no naked flesh or begging or anything. She couldn't really remember what had been happening, but she knew that she rarely forgot naked Spike or Angelus so it wasn't anything naughty. As she moved from sleep to consciousness, she became aware of several things. First, she was not alone. Second, there was someone touching her hair. No, not really touching. Petting her? Third, did she mention that she wasn't alone? Her eyes flew open and she gasped when she saw herself looking into Drusilla's smiling face. She reacted instinctively at finding someone kneeling beside her and petting her by jumping back. Real good plan. She ended up falling off the bed, hitting her arm on the bedside table and cursing herself as she fell. With a loud oomph, she landed on the floor. She began to rub her arm as she looked up to find Drusilla laying across her bed and peeking over the edge of the mattress at her. She'd been so caught up in sleeping and her dream that she'd forgotten everything that had happened the night before. Finding Drusilla in her bed had been startling and she had the sore elbow to prove it.
"Pretty pet, are you okay?" Drusilla asked worriedly.
"Fine," Willow managed to say from her position on the floor, her smile rather sheepish as she admitted, "I kind of forgot that you were sleeping with me."
"Did you hurt yourself?" Dru asked, watching as the redhead ran her hand over her arm, having heard it hit the table, knowing it must hurt.
"It's okay," Willow assured the concerned vampire, looking at Drusilla with curiosity as she realized that something was different. She seemed almost normal, completely in control of herself, strong. Willow's eyes widened as she saw the brightly colored hat that was perched on Dru's head. Buffy had bought it for her when they'd gone to the carnival last year, laughing at how silly it looked and declaring that it was perfect for her best friend to always remember that no matter how bad things sometimes seemed, sometimes you just had to laugh. Now, sitting on the floor with a sore elbow and aching backside, Willow felt her lips twitching. Finally, she gave in and laughed.
"What's funny?" Dru asked, a smile crossing her face as Willow laughed, deciding that there must not be too much pain or the redhead wouldn't be so happy.
"The hat," Willow smiled, "I just didn't expect to ever see you wearing that hat. Not that I ever really expected to see you wearing anything of mine but that hat is just so cute and you're wearing my sweater!"
"Do you mind?"
"No, it's fine," Willow said, deciding that this was probably not the best way to start off a Friday morning. Falling on her butt, hurting her arm, laughing at a strong and feared vampire. Yeah, real smart, Rosenberg. "The color looks good on you."
"It's warm and fuzzy," Drusilla explained, smiling as she moved her hand over the sweater.
"Are you cold? I didn't realize that vampires got cold," Willow said as she got to her feet, her hand moving to rub her butt where she'd hit the floor with the loud thunk. Definitely going to bruise.
"Not cold now," Drusilla said, moving to sit up. She shrugged as she said, "I get cold a lot, but others of my kind do not. I like being warm."
"Oh, that's cool," Willow said, taking a second to laugh as she realized just how weird it truly was to be having a conversation at, she glanced at the clock, twenty three minutes after six with one of the most feared vampires in the world about warm and fuzzy sweaters. "I like being warm, too, though I do love the winter and being cold. I'm not a huge fan of summer so maybe it's that I like being warm after being cold more than I really like just being warm. Of course, there is a difference between being warm and being hot. Hot is definitely not a good thing. It usually means sweaty and sticky and tired. How do you feel this morning?"
"All better," Drusilla beamed, enjoying listening to Willow talk. She didn't really understand everything the girl was saying, but she had a lovely voice and was smart and interesting.
"That's good, then," Willow said, able to say that since Drusilla hadn't made any move to have her for breakfast. And, since she had apparently been awake long enough to put on a sweater and a hat as well as pet her hair as she slept, the vampire could easily have killed her any number of times. No, there was no threatening look in Dru's eyes. Instead, she looked happy and amused and comfortable. Willow sat in her desk chair as she covered a yawn. She'd slept pretty good, over four hours which was a lot for her, but she was still pretty tired. Her back and arms were a bit sore from the lifting and carrying she'd done the previous night and now her elbow was throbbing as was her butt. It was only an hour until she was supposed to meet Buffy for the walk to school and she honestly just wasn't too excited about that idea. She also wasn't too sure about leaving Drusilla alone all day by herself, imagining coming home to find a pile of dust in her living room or who knows what. After last night, she'd earned the right to skip school. She never missed school so one day wouldn't be that bad. She glanced at Drusilla and saw that the vampire had picked up her teddy bear and was now whispering to it. Okay, so maybe that hadn't been sanity she'd seen earlier. Or, at least, not complete sanity. Definitely couldn't leave her here alone.
"I think I'm going to miss school today, Dru. Just hang around the house, stay with you until dusk when you can go back home," Willow said after she finalized her decision.
"You're staying with me?" Drusilla looked up from the conversation she was trying to have with Teddy to smile at Willow, pleased at the idea of spending the day with her new friend.
"Yeah," Willow nodded, giving the woman a smile. "I'll call Buffy and let her know I'm missing school today and then I'll get dressed and we can get some breakfast. Are you hungry?"
Drusilla smiled, "Yes, I am hungry. Oh, we'll have such fun today, Willow-mine. We can talk and you can tell me stories and we can dance."
Willow watched as Dru began to dance around in circles, having to smile at how happy the vampire was at the idea of hanging around her house for the day. She decided that she was just better off not trying to understand how Drusilla though and just accept her as being unique and a bit weird like the rest of her friends. She picked up her phone and dialed Buffy's number, wondering what she was going to do to entertain Drusilla all day. She was relieved when Buffy picked up, having not been sure if her friend would be awake yet, "Morning, slayer."
"Too early," was Buffy's mumbled response as she moved her hand over her eyes and covered a yawn. "What do ya want, Will?"
"Just wanted to tell you that I'm missing school today," Willow said, smiling at Buffy's demanding question, not feeling at all guilty for waking the slayer up. It was after six thirty and the lazy girl needed to be awake.
"What?" Buffy was awake when she heard that, "Are you sick? Do you need anything? I can make chicken soup. I mean, I sometimes burn it a little but that's usually when I don't put in enough water but for you I could make it perfect. How do you feel?"
"I'm fine, Buffy," Willow said, glad that she wasn't sick because the idea of eating something Buffy cooked would certainly not help her recover quickly. "I'm just tired. A bit achy and I just feel like staying home and being lazy girl today. No chicken soup needed, but thanks for the offer. I've got to do some thinking today. We'll talk soon. I just wanted to let you know that I was going to miss school today so you wouldn't worry when I wasn't at the corner waiting for you."
"Okay, I got it," Buffy said, adding, "I'm going to take a shower now since someone woke me up so early! It's not even seven yet, crazy girl! You'd better be glad that you're my best friend and I love you to death or I might be annoyed at being woken up!"
"I love you, too, Buffy," Willow laughed, knowing how the slayer hated getting up in the morning. "Now get your lazy butt out of bed and take your shower. I'll talk to you soon."
Buffy's only response was a loud groan before she hung up the phone. Willow smiled as she put the phone down, turning her attention to Drusilla and the problem of what to do with the vampire until dark.
~Part: 14~
"Okay, that's done," Willow said after she hung up the phone. She looked at Drusilla and saw that the vampire was still spinning and giggling, having to smile as she said, "Dru, you're making me dizzy!"
"The world is spinning, my sweet," Drusilla said with a large smile as she stopped turning, her eyes focusing on Willow. She had heard the conversation the redhead had with the slayer, heard the love in her voice as she spoke to her friend. She wanted to hear her angel speak to her that way, with that same love and affection in her voice and the soft smile on her face. She liked making the redhead smile, all too aware that the smiles had not been as common lately as they should be. There had been teasing in her Willow's voice, light and fun and affectionate. It had not been like the teasing she was used to, the mean tone in the minion's voice as they spoke of her. She would not mind the teasing that Willow had done with Buffy, all too aware that the words were said with love and affection.
"It tends to do that if you spin around," Willow said with a laugh as she got up and moved to her closet. "Let me get dressed and then I'll go downstairs and vamp proof the room for you. After that, we can get some breakfast. Does that sound good?"
"May I brush your hair?" Drusilla asked softly, watching as Willow got some clothes out of her closet.
"Um, well, sure," Willow said after glancing at the vampire and watching as a smile of pleasure crossed the woman's face. She picked out a pair of blue jeans and an old Sunnydale High T-shirt from the closet to wear, moving to her dresser to get a pair of socks and a bra. She nodded towards the bathroom, "I'm going to go get dressed and brush my teeth and stuff, but I'll be back in a couple of minutes. Then, you can brush my hair."
"Such pretty hair," Drusilla said, her eyes moving over the nearly waist length auburn strands, knowing that it was ever so soft. She moved to Willow's dresser, finding a brush as well as various clips and things. She picked up a clip and squeezed it, having never used one like that before. William usually fixed her hair for her using pins and ribbons that Willow did not appear to have. Drusilla loved brushing her dolls' hair and knew that she would love brushing Willow's. She would use a ribbon, she decided, liking how pretty Willow looked with her hair around her face.
She did not have a ribbon, though. Only those weird little bits of colored fabric. She picked one up, playing with it. It was like a rubber band, she realized, only it was covered in pretty material. She moved her hands behind her head, wrapping one around her hair. It kept it from falling past her ears in a messy tangle so she smiled. The hat was keeping her hair away from her face, but the length in the back was scratching her neck. William would curl it for her so that it did not constantly brush against her neck, or he would pin it up in styles that made him smile and thus made her happy. But, her William was not there today to fix her hair for her so she would do it herself. The colored band was good enough, she decided. Perhaps later Willow would brush it for her and fix it in a pretty way with her strange clips and things.
"All done," Willow said as she left the bathroom, tossing her sleeping clothes on her chair before moving to make the bed. "I see you found my scrunchies."
"Scrunchies?" Drusilla repeated with a curious look in her eyes.
"The thing you have in your hair," Willow said with a soft smile. She knew that Drusilla was like a hundred and fifty, but there were times it seemed like she must have been living in a cave for the last few decades.
Her smile faded as she found herself wondering how Drusilla had actually been living. She knew that she'd been hurt before coming to Sunnydale, knowing that was the reason Angel was needed for some ritual before the whole soul losing thing. She had to remind herself that Drusilla had lived several lifetimes no matter how innocent she seemed to be about some things. She was a vampire that had killed hundreds for survival or fun, a vampire that appeared to be involved with two men, one whom she called Daddy which was just a bit disturbing in Willow's opinion, a vampire that talked to stars and seemed to have some sort of psychic gift as well as a gift for magic, a vampire that was now looking at her and repeating the word scrunchies while giggling at how it sounded coming from her lips.
"I like that word, scrunchies," Drusilla decided with a smile, glad to have a name to put with the cloth covered rubber bands. She saw Willow's grow thoughtful and moved closer to the bed, liking the way Willow's eyes changed color when she was lost in thought. She spread out the cover and began to help Willow make the bed, knowing that the sooner it was made, the sooner she could brush her angel's hair.
"Sorry about that," Willow smiled sheepishly, realizing that she was better off not dwelling on trying to figure out the contradiction that was Drusilla and just concentrate on the fact that the vampire seemed to be enjoying herself and having a good time despite the strange circumstances. "I do that a lot….get caught up in my thoughts and drift off."
"It's okay," Drusilla smiled, not sure why Willow was apologizing but deciding that it wasn't very important. What was important was that the bed was made and she could now brush her hair. "Can I brush your hair now?"
"Actually, why don't I go on downstairs and make sure the windows facing east aren't getting any direct sunlight and then you can come down. You can brush it after we eat some breakfast," Willow suggested, having heard her stomach growling when she'd been getting changed. "I'm kind of hungry. I didn't eat dinner last night and now my tummy is all growly."
"Growly tummies are not good," Drusilla said with an amused smile, deciding that she could wait to brush her angel's hair. She loved talking to Willow. She loved how the redhead looked at her and listened to what she was saying and spoke to her as if she was a friend. She loved her Daddy and her William, but there were times when they would not listen to her or they would say things and not wait to see if she was listening. Willow did not do that. Willow spoke to her as if she was listening and would look at her expectantly awaiting a response.
"No, they aren't," Willow agreed with a giggle before shaking her head, "I'll run downstairs and check those windows. I'll call you down when it's safe."
"I will bring the brush and a ribbon," Drusilla said as she watched the redhead leave the room. She moved to pick up her dress that was torn and bloody, using her fingernail to snag the light blue ribbon that was sewn along the bottom. She carefully removed the ribbon, planning to use it in Willow's hair. She glanced up when she heard Willow call for her to come downstairs, a large smile crossing her face as she dropped the dress on the floor and moved into the hallway. Her eyes looked over everything on her way down the stairs. She had been so tired the previous evening that she had not paid a lot of attention to anything.
"I'm in the kitchen, Dru," Willow called out, having put some blood in the microwave. She knew that Dru hadn't made any attempts at trying to bite her, but it would be better all around to just feed the vampire before hunger made her neck appear tempting. She looked up with a smile as Drusilla walked into the kitchen. The beautiful vampire was wearing that rainbow hat with a pink scrunchie twisted into the length of her hair, a very large orange sweater, and a pale lilac nightgown that fell slightly past her knees and a large smile on her face. It was definitely something Willow had never expected to see, a happy Drusilla standing in her kitchen wearing various bits from her closet and Buffy's nightgown. "I'm heating up some blood for you."
"It smells good," Drusilla said sweetly, moving to sit down at the table, her eyes watching Willow as the redhead prepared a bowl of something. "What are you eating?"
"Cocoa Puffs," Willow said as she poured milk into her bowl. She looked at Dru and saw the curious look on the vampire's face, asking, "You've never had Cocoa Puffs?"
"No," Drusilla shook her head.
"That's just terrible!" Willow declared as she put the bowl in front of Drusilla. "I mean, I know you're a vampire and that human food is probably not all that good to you, probably tasteless or something, but you've got to try Cocoa Puffs. They're the best! Here, you can have this bowl. I'll make me another."
"They smell like chocolate," Drusilla said as she inhaled the sweet scent. Willow was right. She didn't usually like human food, having only tasted a few things throughout the many years. Chocolate was one of the few things she did like, often receiving it as a treat from her Daddy and her William.
"Here's the blood," Willow put the glass down as she sat down, her own bowl of Cocoa Puffs in front of her. She took a sip of orange juice before picking up her spoon. She smiled at Dru as she said, "You need to try them. They're like chocolate."
"Yummy," Drusilla declared after her first three spoons of the chocolatey tasting treat. She took a sip of blood and then went back to eating the puffs.
"I told you," Willow said as they kept eating. She glanced at the clock, seeing that it was already after seven. She laughed as Drusilla nearly purred while eating the Cocoa Puffs, wondering if the vampire would demand that Angelus buy her the cereal when she returned home. She had to giggle at the image of Angelus in the supermarket picking up a box of Cocoa Puffs.
"May I have more?" Drusilla asked when the bowl was empty. Upon Willow's nod of agreement, she stood, "I shall fetch them, my sweet. You finish your breakfast so you no longer have a growly tummy."
Willow watched as Drusilla poured a bowl full of the Cocoa Puffs, wondering if the vampire could possibly get it back to the table without spilling some over the side. It would appear that Dru could compete with Xander in the fullest bowl of cereal category. Drusilla had just sat down when she heard her front door close. A smile crossed her face as she realized who it was, glad that her best friend had actually understood their earlier conversation.
"Hey, Will! I brought doughnuts. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?" Buffy called out as she shut the door behind her and put her key in her purse. She dropped her bag on the floor and walked into the living room. She had been a bit sleepy when Willow had first called, but she'd understood Willow's comments about talking to her soon well enough to know that the redhead appeared to want to talk to her. She'd told her Mom that she had a migraine and played the cramps card again, glad that her Mom was too busy to actually keep track of how often she excused pain from patrolling and stuff like wanting an excuse to skip school and hang out with her best friend as being female problems, so here she was with a get out of school free card from her Mother and she had a dozen doughnuts and was curious why Willow had been cryptic girl over the phone.
"We're in the kitchen, Buffy," Willow called out, glancing at Drusilla carefully to make sure the vampire didn't suddenly change from the happy and rather fun personality into the bloodlusty vampire upon realizing that the slayer was in the next room. She was relived when Drusilla glanced up with a slight frown before looking at her and smiling and going back to eating her Cocoa Puffs.
"We?" Buffy repeated as she walked into the kitchen, "Who's we?"
"Doughnuts are definitely a good thing," Willow smiled at her best friend, watching as Buffy froze in the doorway, her eyes widening and her mouth dropping open when she focused on Drusilla.
"Drusilla," Buffy said in shock, looking at Willow and pointing out, "Willow, Drusilla is in your kitchen!"
~Part: 15~
"Yes, she is," Willow nodded as she moved to take the box of doughnuts from Buffy before she dropped them.
"Drusilla in your kitchen, Willow," Buffy repeated, her eyes moving back to the female vampire. "That's Drusilla."
"Very good, Buffy," Willow couldn't resist a smile at Buffy's obvious shock and surprise, knowing that she'd have acted the same way if it had been her walking in and finding the vampire sitting at the table with her best friend. Since it wasn't and she'd had many hours to get used to the idea of Drusilla being around, she was able to enjoy Buffy's reaction. "You-Buffy. Her-Drusilla. Me-Willow."
"Drusilla is sitting at the table," Buffy said, shaking her head as her hazel eyes continued to stare at the vampire, wondering if she'd somehow fallen asleep while in the shower and this was just some weird twisted dream. Or maybe she'd never even taken a shower. Maybe she'd gone back to sleep as soon as she'd hung up the phone. Yeah, that had to be it. She reached up and pinched her arm hard, "Ow…"
Drusilla finished her bowl of cereal, oblivious to what the slayer was thinking. She didn't really care that Buffy was there, knowing that the blonde was Willow's best friend and had kept her angel safe and alive. She stood and took her bowl and glass to the sink, rinsing them for Willow so that her pretty pet wouldn't need to waste time cleaning them before she could brush her hair. She turned back around, her eyes moving over the slayer for the first time since the girl had come into the kitchen. She wasn't overly impressed with Buffy, personally. She'd seen slayers that were meaner and bigger. She disliked the slayer on principle, but did not consider the girl an enemy really. She rather believed that slayers were needed to keep things tidy and in order. Without the slayer, who knew what trouble might be started? She did not tell her Daddy or William about those thoughts, though. Her William had killed two since she had sired him and she'd been proud of his skill and ability, though she did not understand the purpose of killing either of the women. When one died, another took her place. It was just a bit silly to her.
This slayer was Willow's best friend which meant she was different than the others. This girl had also brought her Daddy back, something of which Drusilla was ever so grateful. She did not smell as bad as she often had during those silly games she had played with William and Angelus, Drusilla decided. She smelled a lot like her sleeping clothes, baby powder and citrus and apples. Willow smelled of apples, too. They used the same scent, the two humans that were standing in the kitchen with her. Drusilla decided that she wanted that scent, knowing that it would remind her of her angel. It would also remind her that the slayer was around to keep her Willow safe whenever she was not around which was comforting.
"You're not dreaming, Buffy," Willow said when she saw her friend pinch her arm. She rolled her eyes when Buffy continued to ignore her, instead constantly repeating that Drusilla was in her kitchen, as if she didn't know.
"Willow, why is Drusilla in your kitchen?" Buffy asked, frowning as she watched the woman that had been on the opposing side of several battles over the last few months rinse her bowl and glass and then turn to stare at her. She fidgeted in place, not liking being studied by someone that she considered an enemy.
"She got hurt last night and I found her and brought her here so that she could heal and wouldn't die because that would have really pissed Angelus off and we don't need him angry now that he seems to have calmed down a bit and isn't so anti-slayer and trying to kill us constantly and all that," Willow began to explain, only becoming aware that Buffy still wasn't listening when the slayer spoke again.
"That's the Hat of Happy of Thoughts!" Buffy said when she got over the shock, well, when she at least accepted that shock, and moved on to studying the vampire in return. She had bought that hat last year after it had made her and Willow laugh because of the style and the rainbow of colors. Now, Drusilla was standing in the kitchen wearing it. "Willow, why is Drusilla wearing the Hat of Happy Thoughts?"
"If you're going to ask questions, you really should listen," Willow muttered, making a face at her best friend before smiling and saying, "You see, aliens came to Sunnydale last night and took over your mind so what you're seeing isn't real. You're really stuck in a spaceship being taken to some faraway planet where they're going to do research on why people ask questions and don't listen to the answers and keep talking and repeating themselves in situations where it really isn't necessary."
Drusilla felt her lips twitch as she heard Willow's words, giggling softly as she finally looked away from the slayer, glancing at her angel as she said, "Did you see the aliens, my pretty pet?"
"Aliens?" Buffy repeated, finding it even more odd when Drusilla spoke, having only heard her a few times before, usually rambling on that neat accent about stars and a bunch of other meaningless stuff that Buffy just ignored during her battles with Angelus and Spike. Now, though, she was talking about aliens and calling Willow her pretty pet. "Pretty pet? Willow, why is Drusilla in your kitchen?"
"Buffy, I've already told you," Willow said with a smile, moving to put her arm around her best friend's shoulder and saying, "I know this is a bit weird and I'm sorry that I got you involved, but you're my best friend and I thought you should know and I thought you might want to help, especially since it meant missing school."
"A bit weird?" Buffy repeated, having to give Willow a slight smile as she said, "That, my dear, is an understatement."
"Drusilla, I know you've seen her before but it was in circumstances that we don't really want to remember right now, so why don't we start over?" Willow suggested, smiling in relief when Drusilla nodded, her eyes curious but not threatening. She'd figured if anything would set the vampire off, it would be confronting the slayer, but it was a risk she'd had to take. She would never lie to Buffy and knew it would be much easier if the blonde was involved from nearly the beginning rather than finding out later. Besides, it would be nice to have someone else to help figure out how to spend the day. She held out her hand to Drusilla, gesturing the vampire closer. Drusilla took her hand, her eyes on hers as she smiled, "Drusilla, this is my best friend Buffy. Buffy," Willow turned to look at Buffy, seeing the uncertainty in her friend's eyes and giving her a reassuring smile, "Buffy, this is my new friend, Drusilla."
"Hello, Buffy," Drusilla said politely, deciding that she could be nice to the slayer if Willow wanted her to. Besides, the girl had long pretty honey blonde hair that she might let her brush if she was very nice.
"I can't believe this is happening," Buffy muttered before she sighed, knowing that she'd do anything for Willow, even put up with a vampire until she at least understood what was happening. She gave Drusilla a strained smile and said, "Hello, Drusilla. It's nice to meet you."
"Thank you," Willow whispered in Buffy's ear before looking back at Dru, "Did you want to brush my hair now while I explain everything to Buffy?"
"Oh, yes, please," Drusilla smiled, letting go of Willow's hand and moving into the living room where she had left the brush and ribbon. She spun around the room, laughing as she felt the warmth of the room. Willow had left the curtains open where there wasn't a threat of direct sunlight, which had allowed Drusilla her first glimpse of a light in longer than she could remember. She'd moved her attention from Willow's face to looking out the window and back while she had been eating.
"Willow," Buffy glanced at her best friend before looking back at the twirling vampire, a reluctant smile crossing her lips at Drusilla's enthusiasm and apparent happiness at the idea of brushing Willow's hair. Okay, so maybe she hadn't been lying to her Mom about that migraine.
"Yes, Buffy?" Willow said, laughing as Drusilla finally collapsed on the sofa, her hand moving to put the hat back on her head where it had started to fall.
"During your explanation, can you be sure to explain one particular thing to me?" Buffy asked as she looked back at Willow.
"Sure, what?" Willow asked, wondering what specific thing Buffy wanted to understand. It was probably about how Dru had ended up in her house. Oh, darn, Buffy was going to kill her when she heard about her adventure alone to Willie's. Maybe she'd…no, she couldn't 'forget' to mention that since the topic of blood and feeding would certainly come up.
Buffy arched a brow as she said, "I want to know how Drusilla ended up wearing my favorite nightgown with that hat and that sweater! It so doesn't match at all!"
"What?" Willow looked at Buffy in surprise, having to laugh when she saw Buffy's smug smile.
"Gotcha!" Buffy said with a smirk, seeing Willow's reaction and knowing full well that her best friend had not expected such a silly question. She was rather proud that she was able to make a joke at the moment considering that she was still in shock and not sure yet how she felt about Drusilla being at her best friend's house, laughing and giggling and being referred to as a new friend. Buffy had to laugh, giving the redhead a hug before saying, "Let's go sit down so you can tell me everything that happened after I left you at school yesterday."
"Let me get the doughnuts and my juice. Do you want something to drink?" Willow asked, moving back into the kitchen, turning to see Buffy moving cautiously into the living room before taking a seat in a chair opposite the sofa where Drusilla was sitting, both women staring at each other with curiosity.
"Orange juice is good," Buffy said, studying Drusilla and trying to see what was different about the vampire from the other times she had seen her.
Willow popped another bag of blood into the microwave and got Buffy a glass of OJ. When the microwave was finished heating, she emptied the bag into a glass and carried the three glasses and the box of doughnuts into the living room. She put everything down without dropping anything and smiled as she sat down beside Drusilla. She looked at Buffy and smiled, so proud of her best friend at that moment. She handed the glass of orange juice and the box of doughnuts to the slayer and said, "All right, I'm ready to tell you everything, again. Try to listen this time, okay?"
"Smart ass," Buffy muttered as she took out a chocolate covered doughnut and settled back in the chair, giving Willow her complete attention, "Okay, I'm ready. Tell me what happened."
~Part: 16~
Willow rolled her eyes as she watched Buffy make herself comfortable in the large chair, the petite blonde slayer kicking her shoes off and tucking her feet underneath her as she managed to hold her glass of juice without sloshing and to keep possession of the chocolate covered glaze doughnut. Once she was situated, Buffy's hazel eyes looked at her and told her that she was ready to hear what happened. Willow couldn't even muster any annoyance at being called a smart ass by her best friend because said friend had completely surprised her during the last half hour. Not only had Buffy, albeit a bit reluctantly, been nice and polite to Drusilla, the slayer hadn't once threatened to stake the vampire or raised her voice in horror at finding a vampire eating a bowl of Cocoa Puffs at Willow's table. Drusilla had remained calm throughout the events also, seemingly content to accept Buffy in exchange for brushing Willow's hair.
"Willow, sweetie, the internal thinking thing can wait until after I hear what happened last night," Buffy declared as she watched Willow's face, recognizing the signs of deep thought that had taken over her best friend's eyes. The redhead's was gnawing on her bottom lip and her eyes were focused on the table, two definite signs that Willow was lost in thought.
Normally, Buffy wouldn't care at all if Willow wanted to spend hours thinking, though personally she wasn't all that big on the entire thinking thing unless it was connected with keeping her and her friends alive or other slayerly type duties such as skipping school to hang out with her best friend. Today was not normal which meant she wasn't ready to sit for who knew how long it took for Willow to figure out whatever it was she was currently lost in thought about. After she found out what on Earth had happened that would cause Drusilla, evil psychotic insane Drusilla, to be sitting at a table with Willow, bestest friend in the entire world, intelligent, caring Willow, then she'd try to be patient while Willow thought about whatever it was she wanted to think about. Now, though, she wanted some answers.
"Are the doughnuts fresh?" Willow asked, giving Buffy a sheepish smile as she pulled herself from her thoughts. She had eaten a bowl of cereal but was still hungry. She had to admit that the doughnuts smelled good and it might offend her best friend if she didn't eat at least one, or two, or maybe three.
"Delish," Buffy declared with a smile before saying, "And don't think you're going to get out of telling me what happened. I might not be near as smart as you, but I'm not about to forget the purpose of this conversation."
"I can explain and eat at the same time," Willow said as she reached for a doughnut, noticing with amusement that Buffy had gotten a dozen of the chocolate frosted and nothing else. "I mean, not at the same time because then I'd be talking with my mouth full and that's kind of gross and Xander-like so I'll chew with my mouth closed and talk in between bites but the doughnuts really smell good and you got all chocolate frosted which is our favorite and I just can't talk without eating at least one."
"You can have more than one," Buffy said with a smile, "If you don't, I'll just be tempted to keep eating them so they're not wasted. Thank God for slaying, the best exercise program in the world. I'll work off a few doughnuts in no time with just a quick patrol."
"Dru, have you ever had a chocolate frosted doughnut?" Willow asked as she looked at the vampire that was sitting next to her. The woman had been rather quiet since they'd sat down, a smile on her pretty face as she kept looking between Willow and Buffy, listening to their teasing and friendly banter.
"Chocolate?" Drusilla said, her smile widening as she shook her head as she asked, "what's a doughnut?"
"Oh my God!" Buffy suddenly shouted, her eyes wide as she stared at Drusilla in shock. "You've never had a chocolate frosted doughnut? You're like over a hundred years old. There is just no excuse for not having experienced the sheer pleasure of the creation that is chocolate frosted."
"She hadn't had Cocoa Puffs either until this morning, and she likes chocolate," Willow said, shaking her head sadly, a smile on her face as she watched Buffy forget that she was talking to a vampire that had previously tried to kill her due to her shock that there was someone who hadn't enjoyed her favorite treat of chocolate frosted doughnuts.
"Drusilla!" Buffy just shook her head, "That's just awful! Two of the greatest pleasures for a chocoholic and you hadn't ever had them! Here, you must have a chocolate frosted. Willow's story can wait for a few minutes. These are the best thing ever invented. And you're so lucky because, hello, you're dead so you don't even have to worry about calories or anything like we mortals do."
"She's funny," Drusilla whispered to Willow with a giggle as she watched the blonde slayer move from her chair, still mumbling about the tragedy it was that she'd never had the tasty treat before.
"Yeah, she's a little crazy but I love her," Willow said with a smile, relaxing as Buffy put a chocolate covered glaze on a napkin and handed it to a smiling Drusilla. Her worries about Drusilla suddenly attacking the slayer or about Buffy suddenly deciding to stake Dru were fading fast as her best friend shared the experience of breakfast food with the vampire.
"I heard that Willow," Buffy said, giving Willow a large smile as she said, "and all I'm gonna say is that I love you, too. Here is the doughnut, Drusilla. It's going to be one of the best things you've ever had. Trust me. It's kind of sticky and messy with all the glaze and the chocolate, though. Of course, during my many years of experience in eating chocolate covered doughnuts, I've discovered the secret."
"Secret?" Drusilla asked, curious what the blonde slayer was talking about, watching as the girl's hazel eyes lit with amusement as she leaned forward and spoke.
Buffy looked around as if making sure that no one was listening before she leaned towards Drusilla, whispering, "The best thing to do is just lick your fingers when you're finished."
"Lick my fingers," Drusilla repeated with a smile as she took the napkin that Buffy handed her. She was glad that her Daddy and William were not here. She did not think that they would be pleased that she was smiling at the slayer or that she was accepting a treat from the girl that they had both wanted to see dead. She took a small bite from the treat that Buffy had given her, moaning as she tasted the chocolate mixed with the sweet glaze. It was far sweeter than the Cocoa Puffs had been and very tasty. She took a larger bite, loving the taste of the chocolate. She had always liked chocolate but had never known that there were so many different ways in which to eat the candy. Soon, she had eaten the doughnut. She sucked her fingers into her mouth, licking the remains from the flesh before looking back at Willow and Buffy who were both eating their own doughnuts and watching her with expectancy.
"So, what do you think?" Buffy asked, forgetting for the time being that this was Drusilla, the nutty childe of Angelus, and instead focusing on it being Drusilla, Willow's new friend and thus, by extension, her new friend.
"It was very sweet and very tasty," Drusilla said with a charming smile, "May I please have another?"
"Help yourself," Buffy beamed, flinching only slightly when the vampire drank from the cup that she knew contained blood. Okay, so that was a little freaky. She shook her head slightly before turning her attention back to Willow, "How did Drusilla end up in your living room sharing chocolate covered doughnuts with us?"
"Well, you skipped school and brought over a box of a dozen," Willow said sweetly, laughing as Buffy tossed a napkin at her.
"Kitten saved me last night," Drusilla spoke up as she answered Buffy's question, licking her fingers as she finished another doughnut. She would ask Buffy later where the slayer had purchased these treats. She had never really bothered tasting humans' food and now found herself enjoying two lovely chocolate flavored confections. She was also enjoying sitting with Willow and Buffy, listening to the girls tease each other and share smiles that included her and laugh. She felt as if she was surrounded by warm and affectionate arms when she was with her angel. She liked that feeling, liked sharing a smile with the pretty redhead that had called her friend. Drusilla had never had a friend before unless you counted her dollies. And now she had one friend and perhaps another, her eyes moving to look over Buffy's face as she studied the slayer that would have been considered one of her greatest enemies not an hour ago and that was now being considered a potential friend. She smiled a sweet smile at the slayer as she said, "I shall tell you about it while Willow-mine finishes eating her breakfast."
~Part: 17~
Buffy studied the vampire silently for several minutes. Several different emotions were running through the slayer, had been running through her since she had arrived at Willow's house about an hour before to find her best friend hanging out with their enemy. She loved Willow, considered the redhead the most important person in her life after her mother, more than Giles and more than Xander, though Buffy would never admit that fact. She had never really had close friends when she'd lived in LA, even before the whole destined to be a slayer thing had come up. There had been the people that she was supposed to be with, the popular girls with whom she'd shop and party and all that usual high school nonsense, but she'd never really been friends with any of them. Of course, during that time, she'd believed they'd all been great friends and that her crowd was perfectly wonderful. Now, though, she knew that it had all been an act. She'd done what had been expected and not cared enough to bother questioning whether she actually liked her friends or not. Then, the whole slaying thing had happened and she was actually pretty relieved that she hadn't really had any close friends. When she'd moved to Sunnydale, the last thing she'd expected to find was a shy, intelligent redhead that would teach her what true friendship really meant and how special it really was to find a friend that, at times, seemed to be the other half of her soul. She loved Willow and had faith in the redhead's judgment. Hell, she trusted Willow in a way that she didn't trust anyone else, even Giles.
She cared about her watcher, had grown used to his guidance and his support and considered him more of a father than her own whom she'd rarely seen when her parents had been married due to his constant work and social schedule, but she didn't completely trust him. She knew that horrible to admit even in her own mind, but it was true. He was her watcher, her friend, her surrogate father, but a part of her tended to wonder if he really cared or if he cared because it was his job to care. Oh, she knew he cared about her as a watcher should care about his slayer. And she liked to think that it went beyond that, that he saw her and the others as the children he had never had, but there was always that slight bit of doubt in her mind that he would do whatever was necessary to follow his orders from the council. Luckily, she'd never had those very slight doubts proven and, as time passed, the doubts started to lessen and her trust in him strengthened. Willow, though, had her complete trust. She would do anything, anything, for her best friend and she knew that Willow would do anything for her.
She had just never really expected that 'anything' to include being friendly to a vampire that was the daughter of her former love turned Sunnydale master, a vampire who appeared to obviously be a fellow chocoholic, which in itself was weird, and who had stood beside Spike and Angelus during several battles whose outcome was intended to be her death and the deaths of her friends which included said redhead who was now calling the vampire friend. She knew that she would never understand how Willow thought. The girl's mind was the most developed of anyone she'd ever met her age or even close to her age. Willow was always thinking, always planning, and was always the logical one. She knew that Willow had a reason for helping Drusilla the night before even though she wasn't entirely sure what that reason happened to be. Of course, knowing Willow, the redhead might not even entirely be sure why she'd saved the vampire. Buffy hated to admit it, knowing it wasn't very slayer like, but Drusilla wasn't nearly as bad as she'd figured. She'd read about the beautiful girl that Angelus had become obsessed with, filling in the few blanks all too easily to imagine what the poor girl had gone through before he'd finally turned her. She'd never admit it, okay maybe she'd confess it to Willow because they had promised to not have secrets between them, but she sort of felt sorry for Drusilla after what she'd read in the Watcher's Journal. That pity didn't mean that she wouldn't stake the woman without hesitation if she appeared to make any threatening movements, but Buffy was reminded of those stray thoughts she had had all those months ago when first hearing Drusilla's story as she looked at the beautiful woman.
Drusilla was one of the most dangerous and feared vampires in the world. It was well known that she was not the most sane person around, having been driven over the edge by Angelus during his courting of her. There hadn't been a lot of information on the vampire in the journal, mostly sightings of her with Angelus and then with Spike. The watcher at the time did have what he claimed was a fairly accurate account of her turning, the story becoming legend to support Angelus' claim as one of the most cunning and sadistic of his kind during that era. His writing had told of Angelus' obsession with the daughter of a local family. It had told of the family being slaughtered in front of the girl Angelus wanted, of games that the vampire played with the frightened girl that slowly drove her insane, of finding her at a convent and raping her on the alter before turning her. Buffy had faced Angelus for months, had seen what kind of games he was capable of, could imagine what Drusilla had gone through all those decades ago, and she had to admit that she rather admired the woman for surviving. Okay, she would so never admit to admiring a vampire, but it was true. Hell, in her own way, she admired Spike for being a worthy opponent without reducing himself to the mind games that Angelus seemed to love. Spike had nearly defeated her several times based on pure strength and power, without getting inside her head and trying to fuck with her mind.
Angelus was a different story entirely. He knew her weaknesses, having gone after Willow first thing. He knew how much the redhead meant to her, knew that she depended on Willow for support and friendship and would be lost without her best friend. He had continued to taunt her about her lack of ability to protect those she loved, finally killing Jenny to prove his point. Luckily, he seemed to have grown bored with his games. He'd stopped playing with her, seemingly content to be master and to let her do her job without making everything personal. Yeah, she sounded real mature in how she was handling the fact that the man that she had grown to love had become a soul less murdering bastard that was now the master of Sunnydale, but she'd had enough time to sort of become numb where Angel was concerned. She'd looked into Angelus' eyes and seen Angel. She'd fallen in love with a monster that had a soul to make it okay for her to love him, but, deep down, he'd always been Angelus. Now, she wasn't even sure if she'd ever really been in love with him…no, that was wrong. She knew that she had never really been in love with him. You couldn't love someone unless you knew them and she had never really known Angel. She'd been attracted to him, who wouldn't be? She'd wanted him, enjoyed being cared about, liked the risk if she was honest with herself, and she had loved him, but she'd realized over the last couple of months that it had never been the kind of love she'd read about that she had built their relationship up to represent in her mind. After that realization, it had been easier to fight Angelus. He still had the face of her first love, but he was a different person entirely. It hadn't been longer after she'd stopped responding to his taunts that he'd grown bored with his games, killing Jenny and forming an uneasy treat of sorts with her. An unspoken treaty that neither would admit if asked, but she knew that it was there, understood that he didn't care if she did her job as long as she wasn't going after him or his family. The minions meant nothing to him and he couldn't care less if they were stupid enough to get themselves killed. In exchange for her not deliberately seeking him, Drusilla and Spike out, he'd stopped threatening her friends, he'd stopped with his mind games, moved on to just being master and whatever else occupied his time.
Now, she was sitting in the comfy chair in Willow's living room, watching as Drusilla licked the chocolate and glaze from her fingers. The woman was smiling at her tentatively, her eyes happy. Buffy couldn't remember seeing a happy vampire, finding the entire idea that she was talking about chocolate doughnuts with Drusilla and Willow just a wee bit surreal. It was too strange to be a dream so she knew that it was real. She was confused and curious and surprised. Surprised that Drusilla was not the insane crazy vampire she'd assumed. Confused that Drusilla was being restrained and polite to her, a slayer, the natural enemy of all vampires and a personal enemy of Drusilla and her family. Curious as to how this turn of events had happened, as to what had caused Willow to extend her friendship to the vampire and what had caused Drusilla to not only accept the redhead's friendship but to end up sharing chocolate doughnuts with two humans while seeming to be nearly normal. She was also surprised that Drusilla did seem rather normal. Okay, so there was a bit of a crazy aura around her, especially when she was calling Willow her kitten and zoning out, but otherwise it almost seemed like they were all just hanging out. Someone from the outside looking in would think they were just three teenagers having breakfast and having fun with friends. Buffy was also confused about why she actually could look at Drusilla and think the word friend without flinching, without having some slayer revolt at the idea of being friendly to a vampire that did not have a soul.
"Buffy, are you thinking?" Willow looked at the slayer, eyes deliberately widening in shock as she put a hand against her heart and gasped, "Oh my God. Hell must have just frozen over because Buffy was lost in…..thought!"
"Ha, ha," Buffy rolled her eyes as Willow whispered the last word in overly dramatic shocked tones. "You know that I try to avoid the T word as much as possible."
"The t word?" Drusilla repeated as she looked at Willow for explanation. She had been prepared to begin the story of the evening's events when she'd noticed the thoughtful look on the slayer's face, deciding that she did not want to begin her story until the blonde was finished thinking. Instead, she had picked up the brush and moved behind Willow to start brushing her angel's long hair. It hadn't been long before Willow had smiled at her and whispered that she was going to tease Buffy for having been so intent to hear the story only to zone out before it could be started. That was when Willow had spoken up, mocking the slayer and causing the girl to leave her thoughts with a smile and a groan.
"Thinking," Buffy clarified for Drusilla, listening as the vampire giggled as she noticed that Willow was now seated between Dru's legs as the woman brushed her hair. Okay, so maybe her thinking had taken more than a couple of minutes. "Will is the thinker and I'm the girl of action. She comes up with the plans and I carry them out."
"Except I somehow usually get drafted into helping carry them out, too, but she rarely has to bother thinking about them," Willow added with a smile at her best friend.
"Hey now, I help with the plans," Buffy defended, "you're just so darn smart that you hardly ever need my help!"
"You're both silly," Drusilla decided with a smile as both girls turned to look at her.
"Oh great, now I'm being called silly by a vampire," Buffy said, her lips twisting into a smirk as she added, "Drusilla, honey, I don't really think you can call anyone silly when you're wearing that hat!"
"You're teasing me," Drusilla whispered with wide eyes, a smile crossing her lips as she looked at Willow, "she teased me about my hat."
"Yes, she did," Willow laughed softly, "it is a bit difficult to take offense of your words when you're wearing such a creative ensemble, Dru."
"Silly is good," Drusilla giggled, her smile staying firmly in place as she looked back at Buffy, not noticing the grateful smile Willow gave her best friend for including Drusilla or the slight shrug that Buffy gave Willow in return as if to say that she was trying. Instead Drusilla looked in Buffy's hazel eyes and said, "Now may I tell you the story of how I met my angel?"
"I promise, no more thinking," Buffy said as she gave Drusilla her complete attention, wanting to know what had happened with Drusilla and Willow the night before.
~Part: 18~
Drusilla continued to brush Willow's hair as she began to tell Buffy about what had happened the previous evening. She spoke of everything, having no hesitation in telling a slayer details of her existence. Buffy was a slayer but she was also becoming a friend. Drusilla did not quite understand how or why, but she knew it was happening. She trusted the stars, knew that everything happened for a reason. She felt happier during the hours she had been with these human girls, these girls that fought evil and protected the innocent, than she could remember being in years, probably since before her Daddy had been cursed with a soul and left her and William alone. She had enjoyed her time with her William, loving her pretty boy with every bit of emotion that she still possessed, but it had been a difficult time for them both. He had taken care of her, become strong to keep her safe, but he had not been happy. Oh, he smiled and teased her and held her, but the light in his eyes had died a bit when Angelus had left them. In recent months, that light had started to come back.
She knew that her William had affection for her Daddy, even as his lovely lips might deny that truth. Her Daddy felt the same way, his dark eyes watching her pretty boy with hunger from that first night she had shared her blood with him. She had been jealous at one time of what existed between them, knowing that she was not needed for them to be happy yet she needed them both to be happy. After her Daddy had gone, she had watched her boy miss her sire in a way that was similar to her own sense of loss. She had given William the gift of immortality, but it was Angelus that had become his true sire. She shared her boy with her sire, something that she did not mind at all. They would usually include her in their outings, the three of them hunting and feeding and returning home where Drusilla would most often retire to her bedroom alone, leaving her boys to find their own fun. She was still a bit jealous of their private outings, like their trip to see the angels, because she did not like being alone. She did not like being left with the minions, as if she meant nothing more to her boys than a child that must be taken care of. She would die for them, kill for them, and they would smile and pat her on the head and tell her to be a good girl. She was not a child, she could take care of herself if needed.
"Ow," Willow squeaked, glancing up at Drusilla as the vampire became silent, obviously lost in thought. She saw the yellow flash in Dru's eyes and frowned, wondering what had made her new friend angry. Feeling the hands pulling her hair, she said, "Dru, hon, you're pulling too hard. You're hurting me."
"I'm sorry," Dru whispered, releasing Willow's hair instantly when she saw the flash of pain in those pretty green eyes. Her lower lip quivered as she moved back against the couch, fear in her eyes as she said, "Please don't leave me. I did not mean to hurt you, my pretty angel. I'll be a good girl and we can laugh and play games and tease. Please don't leave me alone."
Willow exchanged a glance with Buffy, both girls obviously wondering the same thing. What happened? Dru had been doing well, telling them about leaving the mansion the night before to dance for the stars, talking about the demon that she'd killed, drifting off before she got to the part where Willow found her by the river. Now, she was rocking back and forth on the couch with her arms wrapped around her legs and what appeared to be unshed tears glistening in her eyes as she kept talking about being a good girl and begging Willow not to leave her alone.
"I don't like being alone," Dru whispered, her eyes on Willow's as she spoke, "For Daddy and William, I'm a good girl and I'm brave and I don't tell them that I dislike being left alone when they are away."
"They do this a lot?" Buffy asked softly, not wanting to startle the vampire, but having to admit she was a bit curious. She had always believed that Drusilla was Angelus' favorite childe, but she could see the loneliness and fear in Drusilla's eyes, knew somehow that the woman was often forgotten by Angelus and Spike, that she spent a lot of time alone with her stars and dolls. No wonder the poor thing was nutty as a fruitcake. Buffy would probably be a bit crazy herself if she spent over a hundred years being left behind.
"Daddy and William love me," Drusilla said as she cocked her head to the side to study the slayer, "they do not know that the dark is lonely, that the shadows whisper, that I am tired of the dark. They are ever so good to me. They do not make Princess play their naughty games anymore because they know that I do not enjoy playing those kinds of games. And, if I'm a good girl when they are gone, I shall get a prezzie from my Daddy."
"Naughty games," Willow repeated quietly, not able to keep her mind from all too easily flashing vivid images of Angelus and Spike playing naughty games with her. Oh God, the room was getting too warm. She was a pervert, she decided. She was sitting here thinking about naked vampires and biting and kinky things when Buffy was sitting a few feet away and Drusilla was bordering on hysterical. She needed to get control of her lusty thoughts fast. What had they been talking about? Oh, right, she said, "Drusilla, I'm not going to leave you alone. You were just brushing too hard. You didn't really hurt me."
"It's okay. I mean, I've hurt her worse when we've sparred and we're still best friends," Buffy said as she gave in to her impulse to offer comfort, glad that the council couldn't see her now. She'd be their poster child for Bad Slayers. Fuck them, they didn't have to live her life, didn't have to deal with what she had to deal with. She moved to the couch and put her arm around a surprised Drusilla's shoulders and squeezed, "You don't have to be alone anymore. You've got me and Willow."
"Buffy's right," Willow said after she got over the shock of hearing those words coming from Buffy's lips. She'd been going to say them, planning to just include herself since she wasn't too sure Buffy would want to be included. Trust her best friend to surprise her by saying them first. She felt two pairs of eyes look at her and she smiled, "Man, I don't say that very often. Maybe we should write it down or something to remember this rare occasion."
The three girls looked at each other before Drusilla started to giggle, her fears forgotten as her angel smiled at her, and Buffy grabbed a pillow behind her to swing it at the redhead.
~Part: 19~
"Cute, Rosenberg, real cute," Buffy said as her pillow made contact with Willow's arm.
"What do you think the council would say if they could see you now?" Willow had to ask after she managed to get the pillow away from Buffy, taking in the image of the slayer with one arm around one of the most feared vampires in the world who was giggling as she leaned her head against the blonde's shoulder.
"Probably the same things they've been saying since I got called," Buffy said with a smirk, "That I'm unconventional and foolish and dangerous because I do not follow the rules and expected behavior of a slayer. Same old, same old. Been there, heard that."
"You are very strong," Drusilla said softly, her eyes clouding over as she listened to the silence, "you will live a long life because of your refusal to follow their rules. You will survive with the help of your friends, because you will not do as is expected."
"I'm liking the long life bit," Buffy said quietly, wondering if there was truth in the vampire's words.
"I'm liking that help of your friends bit," Willow said with an affectionate smile at her best friend. She could see the hope in Buffy's hazel eyes, knew that the blonde tried to hide her fears that she would die young without living a full life. Maybe Drusilla's words would offer some comfort to the slayer, give her something to look forward to.
Drusilla shook her head slightly, the voices in her head becoming quiet. She smiled as she realized that Buffy and Willow had both said that they would not leave her alone. She had friends. Daddy would probably not be happy about the identity of her new friends, but she did not care. Her eyes moved over Willow's face, suddenly remembering a change in the girl's breathing when she had mentioned her Daddy and William's naughty games. A contemplative look crossed her pretty face as she wondered if her angel wanted to play those naughty games with her boys. She knew that her Daddy was attracted to Willow, having seen sketches he had made of the pretty girl, hearing it in his voice as he had spoken about the redhead. That was how she had known the girl the night before, seeing the face that covered numerous pages on her sire's dresser. She had seen her William with one of the sketches many days ago, had seen the look in his blue eyes as his finger had traced the lines of the redhead's face. Her boys wanted to play with Willow. If Willow did want to play with them, Drusilla would make sure that the boys played nice and that her angel was safe and protected. That would be later, Dru decided, but it might mean that her Daddy would not be too angry with her for becoming friends with her Willow since he and William wanted the girl. She did not want her Daddy to be angry, but she also did not plan on losing her new friends. She liked these girls, liked being part of the light.
"So, where were we?" Buffy asked, making herself comfortable on the sofa as she grew impatient for Drusilla to quit thinking and continue the story. She wanted to hear the part where Willow became involved, wanting to make sure that her friend hadn't done anything stupid, well, besides bringing a powerful vampire home and feeding her chocolate and causing Buffy to actually see the woman as something other than the enemy, as if she could ever see Drusilla as an enemy now after seeing her wearing that funny hat. Trust it to be Willow's fault that a slayer was becoming friends with a vampire. Buffy had to smile, deciding that she wouldn't have it any other way. She loved Willow, was luckier than anyone in the world to have the girl as a best friend.
"Dru had killed the nasty demon thing," Willow smiled, "and I think that's about where I came in."
"Finally, we get to that part," Buffy said, rolling her eyes as she looked at Drusilla, "What happened after you killed the demon?"
"My angel came and found me just like the stars said," Drusilla said, looking at Willow in surprised when the redhead handed her the hairbrush. "I do not want to hurt you again, kitten."
"I trust you," Willow said with a smile before she moved back between Drusilla's legs.
"So, the stars told you about Willow," Buffy said, wondering how the stars had known about Willow. Then wondering why she wasn't just a bit wigged at the idea that the woman sitting next to her was calmly discussing talking to the stars as if she were talking about ordering an ice cream cone. Hmm….ice cream. That sounded pretty good. Buffy shook her head slightly to pull her thoughts away from the vision of a large sundae with chocolate sauce to concentrate on hearing the rest of the events of the previous night. Maybe later they could get ice cream. If Dru hadn't ever had chocolate glazed doughnuts, there was a good chance she'd never had a chocolate covered ice cream sundae either.
"Yes, they told me to wait and that my angel would come and save me," Drusilla said with a smile as she gently brushed Willow's long hair. She was extra careful, not wanting to hurt the redhead again. She still could not believe that the beautiful girl had looked her directly in the eyes and sincerely spoken of trusting her. "Kitten arrived soon after that and she took care of me."
"Dru passed out. I thought it might be a loss of blood cause it was everywhere, but I found out today that it was also poison," Willow told Buffy. "After she was out, I carried her home and then I went to Willy's bar and got some blood and fed Dru. Then, this morning, I was tired cause, hello, she's not the lightest vampire in the world and it was a pretty long walk from the park and that's when I called you and hinted that you should come over to talk so I could tell you what had happened because it was so not something to talk about over the phone because you needed to be hear to see her and understand that I wasn't stupid or crazy, okay, so maybe it was a bit crazy but I don't regret it at all because I ended up making a new friend. That's about it."
"Time out," Buffy said, her eyes narrowing as she paid particular attention to a few words that Willow had said a bit too quickly, "you went to Willy's bar? Alone? Are you crazy?"
"Well, aren't we all a bit crazy," Willow asked, making a face as she realized she'd been stupid to think Buffy wouldn't notice those particular words.
"Willow Anne Rosenberg, don't pull that vague hypothetical or philosophical or whatever ical thing you're trying to pull," Buffy said, "Willy's bar is dangerous. Hell, I don't even go there alone. You could have been hurt or killed or who knows what!"
"It was fine, Buffy. No one bothered me. Heck, Willy even flirted with me a bit," Willow said with a smile. "Not that I was interested because he was kind of sleazy and looked like a weasel. He gave me a deal on the blood and told me to come back if I ever needed anything else."
"Promise me that you won't go there alone again," Buffy said, not even smiling at Willow's attempt at humor at the idea of Willy flirting with her. She was completely serious in her fear that Willow could have been hurt, knowing that, in many ways, going to Willy's was even more dangerous than inviting Drusilla home. The demons and vampires that hung out at Willy's would not be the type to sit around eating Cocoa Puffs and wearing silly hats.
"Buffy, calm down," Willow said softly, seeing the fear that was now in her friend's eyes. "I know you think that I can't take care of myself, but I can. You've taught me well and I'm getting a little better with the magic. I could have protected myself if something had happened. Trust me when I say that I don't plan on going back to Willy's to hang out or anything stupid like that."
"Will, it's not that I don't think you can't protect yourself. I know you're getting better at fighting and Giles mentioned that you seem to be a natural with that magic stuff, but I don't want you taking stupid risks like that," Buffy said with a frown.
"Okay, I promise not to go back to Willy's alone," Willow said, pleased that Giles had told Buffy she was doing well with the magic. She knew he worried about her learning based on his own past experiences, but she was glad to hear that he thought she was a natural, adding, "unless it's something really important like last night and I can't find anyone to go with me."
"You can call me," Buffy said, giving Willow a smile, "I'll go with you."
"Yeah, cause you have such a great relationship with Willy," Willow snorted, rolling her eyes. "You know, asking politely gets better results than beating the shit out of him."
"Maybe, but I'm not usually patient enough for polite," Buffy said, sticking her tongue out at the redhead.
"Very mature, Buffy," Willow said in a loft tone, sticking her own tongue out and blowing a raspberry at her best friend.
"You know what!" Buffy suddenly smiled, her eyes taking on a thoughtful gleam. "I've got an idea!"
"Oh, God," Willow said with a scared look at Drusilla, "She's got an idea! Run for the hills!"
"Ha, ha, ha," Buffy said before looking at Dru, "You said that Angelus and Spike won't be back until the end of the weekend, right?"
"Daddy said they'd return Sunday morning," Drusilla nodded, curiosity in her eyes.
"Well, then, you don't need to go back to the mansion until tomorrow. You won't have to be there alone with the stupid old minion waiting for them to get back," Buffy decided, having been considering this idea for the last little bit, knowing it was silly but deciding that it might be fun.
"She can stay here tonight," Willow agreed, looking at Dru, "Would you like to stay here tonight with me?"
"Of course, kitten," Drusilla beamed, having planned to ask her angel that very question if the redhead had mentioned her returning to the mansion. She'd much rather stay with her new friends and be happy than to go to her lonely room to wait for Angelus and William to return.
"With us," Buffy corrected, smiling as she said, "I can call Mom and tell her I'm sleeping over. I'm sure Giles will let me have one night of patrol off, especially since Angelus and Spike are out of town. We can watch movies and eat chocolate and have fun. What do you say, Will? Can we? Huh? Can we?"
"Yes, we can. It sounds like a fantastic idea," Willow smiled at Buffy, not able to resist laughing at the enthusiasm evident in the girl's hazel eyes. "It's been months since we've had a night off to just have fun and be silly girly girl teenagers. Besides, I bet Dru has never been to a sleep over before."
"It sounds fun," Drusilla said with a laugh, listening as Buffy began to explain to her what having a slumber party meant.
~Part: 20~
"Thanks, Giles," Buffy was saying as she walked back into the living room. She rolled her eyes as she said, "I know. I will. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye."
"So?" Willow looked at her best friend, waiting to find out what Giles had said.
"I told him that I heard last night during patrol that Angelus and Spike were out of town," Buffy said as she sat down, putting the phone on the coffee table, "which isn't exactly a lie, it's more like a glossing over of truth. Anyway, I told him that I put a lot of faith in what I heard and he not only gave me tonight off from patrol, but he said that we could all probably take the weekend off. He said he'd do a quick patrol so that we could have a break. That means, no patrol until Sunday!"
"This was Giles, right?" Willow asked, "British, stuffy, never likes to give us one night off much less two…."
"I'm not asking," Buffy said with a large smile, "I'm just gonna enjoy two nights free of patrol. And it's quiet so there isn't a need for research or anything tomorrow. Can you imagine a free Friday and Saturday night? I can't remember the last time I haven't had to patrol for two nights in a row. It's just a great start to the weekend."
"Willow-mine, what do we do for this slumber party?" Drusilla asked, pleased that the humans were able to get a free evening. She was intrigued by this slumber thing that they had been discussing, curious as to what exactly happened and eager to participate in the festivities with her new friends.
"Oh, we don't really do anything specific," Willow explained. "I mean, we sort of sit around and talk and act goofy and watch movies and eat a lot of snack foods."
"We'll introduce you to the joys of junk food," Buffy promised the vampire, sharing a smile with Willow when Drusilla laughed.
"More chocolate," Drusilla laughed, "I think I like this slumber party thing."
"It will be a lot of fun," Willow said, "we've never really had a slumber party. I mean, we've had overnight research sessions and we've had sleepovers where we watched movies and all, but we usually have to patrol or research so it's never been just a good old fashioned slumber party."
"Did I mention how pleased I was at the no patrol thing?" Buffy asked from her position between Drusilla's legs. The vampire had finished brushing Willow's hair, securing the long auburn strands with a pretty clip. After she had finished with the redhead's hair, she had asked if she could brush Buffy's hair. Since she'd left the house in a hurry that morning while using the excuse of female problems, she'd not taken the time to do much more than run a brush through her hair so she'd accepted Dru's offer. She tried not to think about how weird it was to be letting a woman that had tried to kill her several times over the past few months brush her hair. She would then remember that this was Sunnydale and then it wouldn't seem quite as strange.
"Yes," Willow and Drusilla both answered, laughing as Buffy stuck her tongue out at them.
"Smart asses," Buffy muttered, rolling her eyes as she smiled. "So, Will, do you have tons of junk food stocked up or do we need to go to the supermarket?"
"How much do you exactly plan on eating today, Buffy?" Willow asked, giving her friend a pointed look. "I mean, two nights without patrol and tons of junk food…."
Buffy snorted, "Like I care if I gain a couple of pounds. I'd work that off kicking a few demons' asses. Like I said, nothing beats the slaying thing for staying in shape. Besides, you should talk. Dru, this evil wench can eat all the snacks she wants and still be that thin without even having to do the workouts that I do. It's really not fair and I'd probably hate her for her metabolism if she wasn't my best friend."
"It's not my fault," Willow defended with a laugh. "I wish I could gain some weight. I'd give anything to have real curves."
"You've got curves, kitten," Drusilla said, her eyes moving over the swell of Willow's breasts. "You just do not display them for everyone to see."
"Yeah, Will, you've got a great body. You just never let anyone see it," Buffy said. "You always hide behind those baggy clothes, which is just stupid. You looked hot on Halloween. And not only are you gorgeous, you're like the smartest person I know which is pretty darn sexy, too. You've got the complete package, brains and bod, but you just won't see that! It's so annoying!"
"Okay, we are so not going to start talking about this right now," Willow decided, her face turning red at the compliments that Buffy was giving her. She wasn't very good with accepting compliments, hadn't had that much experience during her life. She knew that she had a pretty decent body. Her breasts were ample and she was thin without being stick figure like. She had good legs and her face was kind of cute, though she was by no means gorgeous like Buffy said. Her best friend had been trying to convince her since they'd met that she was a catch, trying to give her confidence that Willow just couldn't really get. She was shy and didn't like people looking at her and she tried, but she just didn't have the confident attitude that Buffy and Cordelia did.
"Willow is a hidden treasure," Drusilla decided with an affectionate smile. She saw that her pretty pet was embarrassed by the attention, not understanding why such a lovely creature would have difficulty accepting how special she was, but she would not further Willow's unease. "What kind of food is junk food, Buffy?"
"Okay, I get it. Changing subjects," Buffy laughed, wishing at times that she could knock some sense into Willow. Her friend still believed herself to be the shy, awkward, gawky nerd that she'd been most of her life. She wouldn't accept that she was a stunning and intelligent woman that had potential to get any guy she wanted if she'd just accept herself as she was and not how she saw herself. Buffy was working on it, had finally started to see the redhead getting a bit more confident over the year they'd been friends, but there were times that she was just sick of trying to be patient. Halloween had been a huge step, though, and since then, Willow had started to wear clothes that fit her once in a while. Now if Buffy could just toss out all the awful fuzzy sweaters and baggy jeans, then Willow would have to acknowledge that she was a hottie. She gave Drusilla a smile as she said, "Junk food is what we call foods that are snacks, full of sugar and just overall bad for you but in a good way."
"You know what?" Willow suddenly spoke up, looking at Buffy as she said, "I just thought of something."
"What?" Buffy asked, giving her friend a curious look.
"Can you pass me the phone?" Willow asked, making a face. "We can't have a slumber party without making one more call."
"We can't?" Buffy glanced at Dru and then back at Willow. "Why not?"
"Because, we can't," Willow said, sighing. "In a way, I wish we could, but it would be rude and I'm trying to be nice."
"Oh," Buffy suddenly understood, grimacing, "Do we have to?"
"We really should," Willow smiled, "it might be fun."
"Yeah, real fun," Buffy rolled her eyes, knowing that Willow was right even if she didn't like it. "You're right, though. You need to make the call. It is getting better."
"The last few months haven't been that bad," Willow agreed.
"What about Dru?" Buffy asked, glancing at the vampire in question before looking back at Willow.
"I don't think that will be a problem," Willow said, having to smile, "Of course, it might be fun to see the expression…."
Buffy had to laugh, "I can already picture it."
"And, who knows? Maybe it will be a no," Willow said, sort of hoping it would be but also having to admit she was curious how things might go if it was a yes.
"That wouldn't be too bad," Buffy said, "but it might not be that awful. As you said, it hasn't been so bad lately. We're all trying and this might be the perfect inclusion."
"What are you talking about?" Drusilla finally gave in and asked, not understanding anything the girls had been discussing.
"We'll explain in a minute," Willow said as she dialed the number after checking the clock and seeing that it was after eleven. She waited four rings before it was answered. After she heard the hello, she spoke, "Hey, Cordelia."