Title: Becoming Real
Author: Carol A. Clarke
Email: Carol.Clarke@mail.state.ky.us

Chapter 14
The Edge of Sixteen


It was midnight when the phone rang at the Wilson's' house. “Hello, Mrs. Wilson is Duncan there?”

“I don’t allow the girls to have company this late Ms.… which one of them are you again?”

“McClain, Tara McClain and can you please check. “

“Is she there.” Buffy anxiously asked on one end of the phone as Paul Wilson asked his wife, “Who is it Honey?” on the other end from the background.

“It’s those women. They want to know if Rachel is here.”

“That would explain the whispering outside of Amy’s door.” Paul stated, he had been on his way to ask his wife to look in on the girls. He preferred her to catch them doing things rather than himself. He didn’t like being the bad guy.

“Why didn’t you find out.” She shouted at her husband. “Here you talk to them.” Shoving the phone in his face before storming out of the bedroom door.

“My wife is checking.” Paul spoke into the phone.

Chris Wilson burst into her daughter’s room expecting to find? Actually she had no idea what she expected to find. What she did find was her two daughters’ and Rachel Duncan sitting in different corners of the room. Rachel was hugging her bag as tears poured down her cheeks. In a second she knew what had happened.

“You ran away from home didn’t you.” She asked, Duncan just nodded her head. “With your parents I am not surprised. You can stay tonight and we will talk about it tomorrow.” Chris Wilson said looking at the girl. “Amy, you and your sister get her something to eat.”

Chris got her settled in and left the girls in the kitchen. Paul was still on the phone when she returned.

“I don’t know they went to the kitchen.” He tried to explain to three frantic women.

“Paul let me have the phone.” Chris said holding her arm out.

“She’s ok?” Buffy asked from the other line.

“Other than the bruise across her neck she seems ok. Do you want to tell me what happened?” Chris asked.

“We had a fight. We are coming to get her.” Buffy stated.

“Not tonight. I think you two need some time apart. Come by in the morning after a good nights sleep, things will be better.” Chris could hear Buffy crying on the other end as well as at least one of the other women. Chris may not have liked their lifestyle but she knew they loved the girl.

“But she is safe?” Buffy asked.

“Thanks Ms. Wilson we are grateful to you. We have been worried sick since we found out she left.” Tara said on the other extension.

“How long has she been gone?”

“Almost three hours.” Willow said from the third phone line.

Soon after they had found Duncan Buffy left to go on patrol. Willow and Tara both knew she had gone to wait outside of the Wilson's house. Duncans leaving had devastated Buffy. After Kate had fallen asleep Buffy had gone upstairs to check on Duncan and found her gone. Thanks to Kate’s cool head they had called her friends homes first. The slayer had been fit to be tied. Buffy was torn between so many emotions.

Her immortal Slayer Angel Shiva had experience of numerous lives that were buried within her subconscious. That part of her psyche was furious and feeling betrayed by her beloved Reinfield. The slayers anger swelling each minute. The Buffy part was just hurt and scared. She had been with Duncan so long she couldn’t fathom life without her. She needed Duncan. Loved her, wasn’t that enough?

Buffy just found a spot across the street from the Wilson’s to wait. Her Shiva part wanted to storm the house and drag Duncan from it kicking and screaming. She wanted to take the girl home and chain her in the basement for a month. Take the whip to her skin. Beat out whatever had possessed her lash by lash. Instead Buffy wrapped her arms around herself and let her mind drift to happier times.

“Whoosh Whoosh” Duncan said holding her doll up to show Buffy how Xena fought off demons. “Whompa balmba, bozuba whoosh whoosh.” Duncan continued as her Xena Doll beat up her Venom action figure. Buffy couldn’t stop laughing at the girl.

“Buff… eeeee liiiiiike Whoosh… kkkkkill… bbbaaadd tring.” Duncan explained happily handing her Xena doll to Buffy before curling up in her lap.

“Buffy like Whoosh and kill bad things.” Buffy translated. She loved the way the girl thought of her as a hero. Duncan smiled and leaned up to kiss her. Buffy took her lips and deepened the kiss while her hand drifted between her legs. Duncan responded by spreading her legs open and pushing her tongue in Buffy’s waiting mouth. Love making with Duncan was always so simple. The girl was always ready, happy to do anything Buffy desired. Buffy gently pushed the girl off her lap and opened her own legs. Duncan set her Xena doll off to the side and kissed Buffy’s knee. She would work her way slowly up the slayers legs with her gentle kisses.

Another time, another place. Buffy remembered having Duncan pinned to the ground in the living room. All the furniture broke and out of place. The room a mess. She remembered not being able to stop laughing as Willow stood in the door hands on her hips. “You two will never watch Xena in the same room at the same time again.” Willow had announced but even she was smiling as she said it.

Thoughts of the family’s first camping trip. Duncan caught upside down in her sleeping bag. Duncan catching her first fish. Tara and Willow trying to set the fish free after Duncan had caught it. Duncan and her shopping at the mall. Taking Duncan to see Star Wars Episode III and trying to explain to the girl that it was the third episode but the sixth Star Wars film. Duncan loved movies so much. Giles yelling at her for corrupting the girls mind. Duncans first report card. She was so proud of Duncan for going to school.

Duncan was somewhere between child and lover to Buffy. She had been a child herself when she was bound to Duncan and they had both changed so much.

Inside the Wilson house Duncan peeked out the window. It was still a few hours to sunrise. She had felt Buffy’s presence for a long time and she still didn’t know how she felt about that. Not that Duncan knew how she felt about anything at that moment. She had never been human. Never had human emotions and feelings and now that she was having them she didn’t understand them at all.

She was happy Buffy had found her. She was also angry that Buffy had found her. She loved Buffy and hated her all at once. Mostly she didn’t know how she felt. Which was how most teens feel in the long run. Looking around at Amy’s room, at the life she would never have Duncan quietly picked up her bag and left the room.

Duncan walked quietly down the stairs and opened the back door. She knew Buffy would see her. Knew that either Buffy’s night vision would pick up her movements or her bond would. Either way she knew Buffy would come into the house. Duncan opened the basement door that led to the family room. She didn’t want to wake the Wilson’s. Humans needed more sleep then Slayers and Reinfields.

Buffy entered the house and closed the door. She then moved to the basement door and followed Duncan downstairs. She had never been in this part of the Wilson house. Duncan was seated on the coach. Buffy sat down on the floor facing Duncan. The two just sat there for several minutes not speaking.

“I can’t be your slave anymore.” Duncan stated out of the blue.

“I don’t think you can survive without the bond. Besides you are too young to be on your own.” Buffy replied fighting back the tears.

“I can’t be your slave any more.” Duncan repeated.

“Duncan I didn’t create the world I didn’t make things the way they are. You belong to me. I can’t change that, I don’t want to change that. I need you. Damn it, I love you.”

“No you own me. There is a difference.” Duncan said quietly.

“Would you prefer me to sell you to someone else. You have to be bonded. I could bond you to Will or Tara.” Buffy offered as the tears began to fall.

“Willow or Tara belong to you, being bonded to them would be the same as being bonded to you now. And I am not talking about being bonded. You’re the only one I have ever wanted to be bonded with. I would rather die then bond with anyone else. I just can’t be your slave anymore. I want a safety word.” Duncan said frankly.

“You want a safety word? If that is all you wanted Duncan you only had to ask.”

“That’s just it Buffy I had to ask?”

“I am missing something again.”

“When you took Kate in, how many times did you go over the safety words. Made sure she would use them. No matter what you did to her, you made sure not to hurt her. You gave her a means to opt out. You gave her a choice. Buffy I never had a choice. Never.”

“I’m sorry.” Buffy said trying to figure out exactly what Duncan was saying.

“You never had a choice either, so you may not understand. They made you what you are, they made you a slayer. Not that you would know how to be anything else. And if you thought about it you don’t want to be anything else.”

“I don’t have to think about it. I like being a slayer Duncan. There was a time when I hated it but .. I like my life. I like helping people. I love You, Willow and Tara. Even Kate. I have great friends, Giles, Beth, Xander and Anya.”

“Who could blame you. You’re Xena. You’re the Hero. You save people. I’m not even Gabrielle. Not even the sidekick, you have Tara and Willow for that. And now you have Kate too. I’m your dirty laundry. The secret from your past like when Xena would reveal some terrible thing she did when she was evil Xena. I’m a fucking Reinfield. A bug eating sex slave. Nobody wants to admit I am part of the story. I’m Joxer the Mighty without the crush on Gabrielle and the song. I’m comic relief. But nobody admits to sleeping with Joxer.” Duncan said as she began to pace the room.

“Meg, Meg slept with Joxer.”

“That is not the point and you know it.”

“Maybe it is. I never bought the ‘all these people just look like me’ thing. What if Meg was just a sluttier version of Xena?”

“Now you are really not helping.” Duncan said floppy on the floor next to Buffy.

“Do you remember what our lives were like before I married Willow?” Buffy asked.

“Some of it, not all.”

“Well it wasn’t that great. You and I had some rough times. But even in the worst of it I kept you hidden. Outside of Giles and Beth none of my family and friends knew about you.”

“Expect for Angel.”

“Angel already knew about Reinfields”

“And he could smell me on you.”

“That too but it's not the point. The point is if I wanted to hide you, well we have a fully functional dungeon. You would still be chained to my bed. Duncan I didn’t want to live that kind of life. And one of the reasons was you. I didn’t like hurting you.” Buffy said smiling at the girl.

“I still remember the way Xander would look at me. I knew it was hate he had in his eyes.”

“Why did you bite him. I have always wondered about that?”

“It’s not like I really hurt him.”

“He needed nine stitches and you didn’t answer the question.”

“He called you a bitch. A selfish bitch.” Duncan replied.

“So you bit him? There had to be more to it?”

“It was the way he said it. And I warned him. I growled first.”

“Well that makes all the difference.” Buffy said smiling, then taking on a serious expression asked, “If it happened now would you still bite him?”

“If I bit Xander every time he said something stupid there wouldn’t be enough of him to bury.”

“True. When you say you don’t want to be my slave anymore what do you mean? Explain it.”

“I want control over my body. Safety words. I want to fuck you sometimes instead of the other way around. I want to be real. A real person. I want to be treated like you treat Kate or Willow or Tara. I want to make my own decisions.”

“And if I say no?”

“I don’t know? Being bonded makes running away kind of a waste. Once you calm down and remember you can see into my mind, well what’s the point? Buffy, I need this.”

Buffy sat on the floor thinking for a long time. Just thinking.

“Duncan I have to ask Tara and Willow and I already know I can’t give you everything you are asking for now. You’re too young. That isn’t an absolute no, it’s more like maybe someday. Safety words are easy. And I like being fucked so that too is easy. I also never want to do anything to you sexually that you don’t like so again, no brainer. But you have to come home. You need to finish High School. And if you ask your friends they don’t have total control over their lives. So you’re still grounded. “

“Sooner or later you will have to let me go.” Duncan said calmly.

“Maybe, for now let’s just work this out. Get my wives input. Just don’t ever scare me like this again.”

If Chris and Paul Wilson were surprised to find five people sitting in their living room talking when they got up they didn’t show it.

“Can I get you some coffee?” Chris Wilson asked as she entered the room.

“No thanks Ms. Wilson. We really need to be getting home.” Buffy said “And thanks for letting Duncan spend the night.”

“You get everything worked out?” Chris asked staring at Duncan. She would not let the girl go if things were not all right.

“Most of it.” Duncan answered. “I’m going home now.”

“Well if you need to you can always come back.” Ms Wilson said not knowing why she made the offer.

Less then twenty feet from the Wilson home, Duncan leaned over and said, “I get spanked when I get home right?”

“Do you want to be spanked?” Buffy asked

“Oh yeah, with your belt. Really hard.”

“I had forgotten how fast teenage emotions can switch around.” Tara whispered to Willow.

“Or how black her ass is going to be for scaring us. “ Willow whispered back.

“Promises Promises.” Duncan said as she jumped into the car. She really did like being spanked.

Two weeks later.

“Were the hell have you been.” Buffy screamed at Willow pulling her through the door.

“What did she do this time?” Willow asked taking a deep breath and counting to ten. Fighting demons was so much easier then raising one.

“You want the whole list?” Buffy said already pulling Willow to the kitchen. The redhead noticed the open bottle of aspirin on the table.

“Just tell me what she did.”

“She chained Kate in the dungeon and left the house. Just left, she told Kate to tell me she had a date. A date! I don’t know with who or what! For all I know she is dating a chaos demon or a bantam. Or maybe something worse. And she is still grounded. And she is going to stay ground at least until she is thirty. Damn it she knows better then to leave Kate alone when she is chained up. What if Kate had to go back to work or the house catch on fire? Kate’s not a real Reinfield, she can’t break her chains and free herself.” Buffy was stomping around the kitchen like a bull in a china shop.

“Buffy calm down. Is Kate ok?”

“Fine, Tara is seeing to her. What ever Duncan did to her before she left, well Kate was dripping wet. And not the ‘I just took a shower dripping wet’ kind of dripping wet.”

“You are letting Tara …”

“Yes, Tara is going to make Kate come. I am not that cruel. Who knows maybe I am that cruel? Or not cruel enough? The girl is driving me mad.”