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snoggedTitle: More Than A Mission
Author: snogged
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and many other corporations own the characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I don’t. Please don’t sue.
Pairing: Willow/Riley
Rating/Warnings: FRT-13/PG-13; angst, language
Word Count: 4,334 words
Summary: Willow gets recruited for the Initiative.
Setting: BtVS, Season 4, set after “Wild At Heart”
Beta Crew: The lovable![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
velvetwhip. All other mistakes are mine.
Author’s Note: Written for the Which Willow 2012. Many thanks todragonydreams for her continued efforts that support this fabulous challenge. I hope for many more Which Willow challenges in the years to come.
“Didn’t we do this already?”
Willow glanced over at her best friend who was tapping a bright pink fuzzy pen against the packet of papers that Riley, the teaching assistant for Psych 101, had just passed down their row.
“I’m pretty sure we did because I’m seriously déjà-vu-ing here.”
“We did career tests in high school,” Willow pointed out. “You’re also lucky the stack is bigger for you given the way you bonked him on the head when you first met.”
“Hey!” Buffy protested. Willow offered her a small smile and that seemed to make Buffy relax. “You know, if I recall, I’m pretty sure that career inventories lead to bad things like cute boyfriends getting….”
Buffy paused, clearly noticing the pained grimace on Willow’s face and therefore graciously opting not to mention the time that Oz had been shot by a member of the Order of Teraka. Or that Oz was actually her ex-boyfriend and not currently cute or dating her.
Willow sighed deeply, wishing her friend was more careful with her words.
“Sorry. But I think you know what I’m trying to say, Will.”
“It’s okay, Buffy.” Willow said, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. In an effort to seriously distract herself from ever-present wellspring of agony, she began rifling through the stack of papers and checking out each of the titles. “We’ve never taken the Myers-Briggs before. It’s one of the finest psychometric questionnaires out there. Jung’s typographical theories are oh-so-very-fascinating.”
Buffy raised a doubtful eyebrow, but fell in line with Willow’s decision to venture down the path of distraction, for which Willow was grateful.
“You’re telling me you never took this test? You are like the queen of test-taking. If there is a test, I’m sure that you not only taken it, but you’ve ruined the curve for everyone else too.”
“Okay, fine,” Willow admitted, color burning her cheeks. “I’m an INFP. But I promise that I was six the last time I took it.”
“I knew it!” Buffy blurted out, obviously much louder than she intended to as half of the class, including Professor Walsh, turned their eyes towards her.
“Is there something you wish to share with the class, Ms. Summers?”
“Uh….no,” Buffy murmured.
“Well, then I’d advise you utilize this time to complete the inventories that Mr. Finn has provided for the class. Your lips do not need to move for this exercise,” Maggie replied sternly, narrowing her eyes.
Buffy nodded submissively and Willow offered her a sympathetic glance. It was just like Buffy to draw attention to their row. Not that Willow minded her friend’s outgoing, extroverted personality, but there was a time and a place for these things and now…really wasn’t that time.
Willow picked up her pencil and proceeded to mark circles on the first test on her pile. (Note: I deleted an extra sentence here.)It was called the Lockhart-Walsh inventory and she had a sneaking suspicion that her new psychology professor was the Walsh.
It didn’t take long at all to complete the questionnaire, which had a few multiple choice and a few short answer questions. Willow had to admit though that a few of the questions had seemed a little…weird. Yep, weird summed it up nicely because she could have sworn the “trick” questions, which usually asked if she saw any red cars on the road this morning, had instead asked if she’d ever met a Tog’rath demon or slain a vampire before.
When the bell rang, Willow rose from her seat and joined the very end of a queue of students putting their completed assessment packets back into Riley’s hands.
Riley smiled softly when Willow finally had her turn. She was reminded suddenly of the way he had saved her when she’d tried to end her life by walking into oncoming traffic. Reminded of the way his strong arms had wrapped themselves around her, cocooning her, keeping her out of harm’s way.
If only there was a way to do that for her insides.
Broken hearts were far harder to protect.
“Ah, so you were the lucky recipient of the Lockhart-Walsh this year,” Riley replied, scanning her answers.
“What do you mean?” Willow asked, forcing her happy-Willow-face into play.
“See, Maggie only gives this test to one student in each class each year. I was the lucky guy two years ago.”
“So she uses it to determine who’s going to be her teaching assistants?” Willow asked, doing her best to understand the point of the test.
Riley chuckled a little. “You’re not far off the mark, but it’s a little more complicated than that.”
“What do you mean?” Willow asked. The last time she had gained special privileges from taking a test, she had ended up in the teacher’s lounge dining on cookies and jelly doughnuts and…meeting Oz for the first time.
Willow bit down on her bottom lip, trying to distract herself from the gamut of emotions that rubbed her nerves raw.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Riley replied, sounding pretty noncommittal as he handed her a folded-up piece of paper that resembled an invitation.
“Care to vague that up?” Willow asked.
Normally, Riley’s response would have triggered about a thousand red flags given that it was the sort of thing that creepy guys said and it almost always foretold that badness was coming. She seemed to be having her fair share of scummy guys in her life lately, but maybe it was different when Riley said it. She knew he wanted her safe. He had already shown her that by making sure she wasn’t another number in Sunnydale’s rapidly increasing death count. What reason did he have to steer her wrong?
No reason.
No reason at all.
“There’s no need to,” Riley replied, tilting his head towards the paper she clutched in her hands.
Willow unfolded the note quickly and spotted the words “Lowell House” in the center. Around those words was an announcement for a Lockhart-Walsh reception to honor students who showed great promise. She recalled that Lowell House (I took out the ‘campus map’ reference because later you have Willow recalling that this is a party house so she clearly knows more than just what’s on the map.) was a dormitory on campus and that it wasn’t too far away from her own dorm. She could only foresee one problem with this.
“Buffy wants to go to the Bronze tonight. She claims it will cheer me up,” Willow replied.
“It’s no biggie,” Riley replied, reaching out to squeeze Willow’s hand. “I know it’s short notice and I’m sure cocktails and bad dancing will be the solution to your problems, but if you feel like reconsidering?”
Willow pondered his words for a moment, feeling a twinge of guilt in the pit of her stomach. She wanted Buffy to be able to get her best friend skills on, but spending the night at the Bronze? The same place where Oz used to play gigs? The same place where Oz met that skanky ho?
Not exactly the place where her broken heart was likely to be healed.
“I’ll be there. I promise.”
“Great,” Riley said, a soft smile curling the corners of his lips. “I’ll see you later tonight.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Willow replied.
*
Buffy had been surprisingly okay with Willow’s decision not to Bronze it up. Probably because it meant that Buffy wouldn’t have to deal with her super-angsty friend and that always made the Slayer’s life so much easier.
Willow sighed, approaching the counter of the Espresso Pump. She ordered a caramel mocha with all the fixings and nursed the drink as she walked over to Lowell House, which looked suspiciously quiet for being UC-Sunnydale’s renowned party house. Not that she minded. It was better that it was quiet. That meant there would be fewer people asking her why she looked so damn miserable.
She took another swig of her coffee and the slightly chilled liquid slid down her throat. The caffeine was not a cure-all, but it certainly didn’t hurt any.
Willow pressed the buzzer for room 409 and the front door made a noise that sounded like a swarm of mosquitoes. She pulled on the door handle and headed up the stairs. When she arrived at room 409, Riley had the bedroom door open before she could even raise her fist to knock.
“Hi,” Willow chirped.
“Hey,” Riley replied, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him, though he wasn’t fast enough to prevent her from seeing a pair of plaid green boxers that had been left on the bed. It reminded her of the time that Angel had spotted her wayward underthings and the thought was enough to make her blush. “Everyone’s waiting for us.”
“I thought the reception was here?” Willow asked.
“It is. It’s just…you didn’t think we were meeting in my bedroom, did you?” Riley scanned the hallway, clearly checking for stragglers.
“I guess not,” Willow asked, feeling suddenly very silly for making that assumption.
“It’s okay. Call it first year jitters. It happens to the best of us.” Riley said reassuringly.
“Just follow me.” Riley slipped his hand into hers and led her towards a bank of elevators. His fingers were warm against her skin, his grip was strong but kind, but the contact wasn’t enough to make this situation feel normal. In fact, she was definitely starting to panic a little bit, so she subtly wriggled her hand out of his grasp.
Willow tried not to let her anxiety show as Riley punched a code into the elevator’s instrument panel. Had she been wrong to trust Riley so much? Was he taking her into some sort of trap to be demon chow? After all, the Lockhart-Walsh had asked her experience with demons…and…and….
The stainless steel elevator doors opened wide and Riley gently shoved her inside. Willow watched as Riley leaned over and the faint red light of a retina scanner passed across his face.
“Riley?” Willow asked, completely and utterly confused.
“The subject is in custody. We’re on our way down.”
“What’s going on?” Willow inhaled sharply, her heart racing. She liked Riley. She wanted to trust Riley. But she’d been spending a fair share of her time lately with liars who wore honest faces so this…this was definitely looking like a very, very bad thing.
“You’ll see,” Riley responded. His face showed almost no expression, but his warm eyes betrayed…something almost like delight. He appeared to be happy about something, but he didn’t seem inclined to tell her what that ‘something’ was and Willow didn’t like that one bit.
The doors opened and Willow was nearly blinded by the white light that flooded the elevator shaft. She blinked a few times, adjusting to her surroundings as Riley led her into the thick of it. The first thing she saw was an army-issued tank flanked on all sides by people in immaculate white lab coats.
“What is this place?” Willow asked.
“Welcome to the Initiative,” Riley replied, spreading his arms out wide to demonstrate the vastness of the facilities that stretched out before her. Willow had to admit that it looked pretty darn impressive.
“That’s my line,” Professor Maggie Walsh quipped. Willow could tell she was intending to make a joke, but the delivery came across a little bit halting and a little bit awkward. Humor was definitely not her psych professor’s forte. Still, it did make her feel a lot more relaxed that Professor Walsh was down here. Definitely made things seem more on the up and up.
“Professor Walsh,” Willow started, still feeling shaken from the whole ‘subject in custody’ bit. On the bright side, she was feeling less like a hostage and more like…a confused person finding out that her psychology professor and Riley appeared to actually be G.I. Joe and G.I. Jane. Of course, with a little more explanation, secret identities were actually something Willow had experience with. “Thank you for the invitation and all, but I’m not sure what you want me to….”
“Miss Rosenberg, I can promise you that you have been placed in good hands with Mr. Finn and all of your questions will be answered in due time. How about you start with the lab, Riley?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Riley replied, his spine straightening almost audibly as he stood to attention. Once again, Riley took Willow by the hand and this time Willow didn’t let go. Instead, she allowed him to lead on and hoped that this tour would all make sense very, very soon.
Riley stopped in front of a door marked with the number 106 and pulled a badge out of his pocket. With ease, he swiped the badge and the door buzzed open. Inside were four men and two women madly typing away at keyboards, their eyes locked intently on the cyberspace world that unfolded in front of them.
“Military-issue nerd squad,” Riley teased. “Fastest and most furious fingers this side of the Pacific Ocean.”
A brown-haired woman glanced up at them. She had a beautiful face and soft, wide eyes like Elizabeth Taylor. “You only wish you knew these fingers, Finn.”
Riley chuckled low in his throat, but didn’t engage his coworker in any banter. Instead, he pulled Willow out the door again. Willow couldn’t help but wonder if there was something between them, but she was hesitant to ask.
Instead, she let Riley take them to another set of doors. He swiped his badge again and the door opened up to reveal the sort of room that the police used for interrogations, at least on TV shows and in movies. There was a table, two wooden chairs, and a naked light bulb dangling from the ceiling in the center of the room.
Riley gestured to a chair and Willow hesitantly sat down. Riley took the other chair, moved it to the other side of the table, and promptly spun it around so that when he sat down, his legs straddled the chair and his arms lay on the back rest. It was intended to be an easygoing, relaxed look, but it didn’t erase her growing feelings of wariness.
“Willow, we know what you are.”
Willow tensed, averting her gaze from Riley’s. “What do you mean?”
“We know you’re a witch. Under standard operating procedure, that would require us to classify you as a hostile.”
“But I’m not…. I mean, I am a practicing Wicca, but I’m…friendly. Very friendly and I would never hurt anybody.” Willow’s hands flailed helplessly in front of her and she was terrified that her worst case scenario had come true. She wasn’t going to be fed to demons. They thought she was a demon and this was the room where Riley was going to torture and kill her because…because they thought she was evil.
Assuming that meant that this weird military organization did that sort of thing, which they probably did because the Army protected the people…from the bad guys.
Oh, this was bad. This was very bad.
“On the contrary, Willow. We want you to work with us. Your results on the Lockhart-Walsh were processed and Maggie and I both agree that you are a suitable candidate for this job.” Riley explained.
“Oh,” Willow replied. This was a surprise – and a relief. “That’s…not what I was expecting.”
“Will you consider it?” Riley asked hopefully. “I’d love to have you on board. Your skills are remarkable and your country would….”
“Why me? Why not…?” Willow clapped her hand over her mouth, painfully aware of the fact that she had almost blurted out Buffy’s name. Just because Riley knew that she was a witch did not mean he knew that Buffy was the Slayer. It was likely that he did know seeing that the government was a lot like Big Brother, but if he didn’t know? Buffy’s identity was definitely a secret that Willow had no authority to share.
“Because you have raw talent, Willow, and because….I think you need us.”
“So that I can be all I can be in the army?” Willow teased.
“Something like that,” Riley replied, grinning. “So are you in?”
Willow chewed on her bottom lip, considering the possible ramifications of Riley’s request. She still really didn’t understand what the Initiative did yet, with the exception of something to do with Hostiles. She had a feeling that might be their term for the demon residents of Sunnydale, but she hadn’t confirmed that yet. She also wasn’t certain what they wanted from her. But, there was something about Riley’s good nature and seemingly solid character that made her want to give this a chance.
That made her want to say…
“Yes.”
*
The next day, Willow reported for duty, once more showing up at Riley Finn’s door after she finished her classwork for the day.
Her breath hitched in her throat when he answered the door. His hair had fallen over his eyes the way it always did, but instead of looking like a teacher’s assistant, he looked like a soldier. An All-American GI-Joe in his black combat fatigues that showed off his broad chest and his strong arms and his….
Bad Willow.
She was so not ready to start thinking about other boys right now. Especially dating other boys.
“You ready to go?” Riley asked.
“Yep,” Willow replied. “Bring on the vague and confusing.”
Riley chuckled, directing his gaze down the hallway as two other men dressed in similar gear marched towards them. “It’s not that bad. Maggie’s letting you on the HST floor tonight.”
“The HST floor?”
“Hostile Sub-terrestrial holding units. Also, I’d like you to meet Graham and Forrest. They’ll be helping me orient you.”
“Pleasure,” Graham replied as Forrest grunted a hello.
Willow nodded. “Hi.”
The four of them made their way down to the elevators and Riley proceeded to speak to the elevator the same way he had the day before. Forrest and Graham pulled out their badges and held them up to a camera that was blinking in the upper right-hand corner. Willow merely waved a little.
When they reached ground zero, Riley stepped off the elevator and was promptly handed a lab coat, which he passed over to Willow. “Regulation.”
Willow acquiesced, sliding the garment on quickly as the boys in black didn’t seem to have the patience to wait for her to dilly-dally. This job would definitely not be the right fit for Buffy. She would go crazy if she couldn’t spend 30 minutes harping over the color choice.
Riley strolled up to a set of doors and slid his badge through. Then part of the wall slid open and he leaned forward, pressing his hand against a pad that had appeared. The door made a clicking noise and Riley wrenched it open, revealing a long hallway with shiny linoleum floors and even shinier fluorescent lights.
On either wall, there appeared to be glass boxes, each with its own twelve-button keypad and green and red lights that appeared to indicate full or empty. What was inside those boxes - though, cages might be a better word - was not at all what Willow was expecting.
There was a dirt-encrusted vampire on her left that growled and smacked at the glass pane, making his prison shudder, but not making it break. To her right, a humanoid demon was huddled in the corner of its cell, restlessly tapping its claws against its puke green-colored knee.
“Fuckers,” Forrest hissed as they passed several more cells containing demons. There was a Tog’rath pacing back and forth, shooting them death glares with its four pairs of eyes. Another vampire was gnawing on what looked like a blood bag. A Brachen demon was curled into a fetal position, bruised and battered. “Should gas the whole damn lot of them.”
Willow stayed silent. She was all for saving the world and keeping people safe from harm, which the Initiative certainly seemed to be doing, but she didn’t much care for Forrest’s Final Solution approach.
Riley seemed to notice her discomfort because he immediately turned around and headed back towards the main doors.
“Come on, Willow. I’ll show you something that I know you’re going to like.”
“But Riley…,” Graham started. “What about the mission? What about Hostile 17?”
“I’m off-duty tonight,” Riley murmured.
“Whatever,” Forrest replied. “We’ll go without you, Finn. I’m sure that Gabriel and Helms will be thrilled to tag along.”
Forrest and Graham left and Riley turned his attention back to Willow.
“How are you feeling?” Riley asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I know it’s tough to digest that there are demons in this world but….”
“I’m from Sunnydale,” Willow interrupted. “Strange and unusual is pretty much the norm around here. Plus, since you know all there is to know about me, you should know that I’ve met my fair share of demons. Demons that have tried to eat me. Demons that have tried to date me….”
“Date you?” Riley asked.
Willow averted her eyes. “Long story.”
“We have time.”
“Scanned a demon from a book into the computer. He flirted with me in a chat room. I learned the dangers of talking to strangers over the Internet,” Willow explained, a small, embarrassed laugh leaving her lips. “Guess it wasn’t that long.”
“Guess not,” Riley replied, offering her a sympathetic smile as he pushed open another door. This time, they walked into an office that had a standard metal office desk, a few leather chairs, and a plush loveseat that looked a little out of place.
“I sleep in here sometimes,” Riley confessed. “More comfy than those dorm beds.”
“Can’t say I blame you,” Willow said, plopping down on the couch. He was certainly right about it being comfortable…so much so that she would be willing to just stay down here forever. Riley sat down beside her and draped his arm across the back of the sofa. He wasn’t touching her, per se, but his presence was definitely noticeable.
“So what do you think of us so far?”
“I think you’re pretty different,” Willow admitted.
“Is that bad?” Riley asked.
“No, it’s just that…when we…I mean, when I’ve fought demons before, it’s never been about capturing them. It’s always been about saving the world from a threat. Besides, not all demons are bad. Some are good and they help save the world too.”
Even though the words had left her mouth in good faith, she wasn’t sure she could defend them if Riley called her out on them. She liked Angel and would happily agree that he devoted his life to saving the world, but Angel could become Angelus and if that happened again, Willow wouldn’t mind so much if he ended up in a cell like the one the Initiative had. But then there was the fact that once upon a time, Oz had been a pretty damn good guy too, even with the werewolf aspect. And even now, as much as he’d hurt her, Willow knew he didn’t belong in one of those cells.
“They’re all evil, Willow, and we’re finding ways to fix that,” Riley argued. “There’s technology, methods we’ve developed, to stop them from hurting others and….” Riley looked at her, his eyes softening. “I’m stopping now. I just think it’s important for you to understand where we’re coming from.”
“I think I understand where you’re coming from, but I also know that it isn’t black and white. There are definitely shades of grey. Living in Sunnydale has taught me that lesson many times.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Riley spoke again.
“I’m glad you’re here, Willow. I think you’re going to bring something special to our operations.”
“Me too,” Willow agreed.
She meant it, too. Riley still had a lot to learn about the shades of grey in the world, but with a little help, she imagined he could learn. He was a teaching assistant after all.
Willow noticed that the tension from their previous discourse had all but dissipated, almost as if Riley had some magic of his own. Willow figured he must have some kind of powers because he was a guy who could make her angry and then turn around and make her feel welcome, all in just a few minutes.
His arm fell from the back of sofa, draping itself over her shoulders. Willow let herself be embraced, let herself relax. It was soft, secure, and safe.
Definitely safe and definitely different from being with…
“Oz,” Willow said quietly.
“Should I stop?” Riley moved to lift his arm, but Willow reached up and gently placed his hand back down on her shoulder. Her fingers brushed lightly over the tops of his knuckles before she let her own hand fall back into her lap. “I know you’ve been hurt, Willow, and I’m not here to make that worse for you so if you want me to….”
“No,” Willow said. “I mean, I don’t know. I don’t want you to stop, but I’m also still hurting. There’s lots and lots of healing that needs to happen before I can…you know, be with someone new. Is that bad?”
“Not at all,” Riley answered. Willow settled against Riley’s strong frame as his other hand stroked the top of her knee.
It was nice.
Nice enough that she tilted her face towards his and allowed his lips to cover hers, sealing the moment with a kiss.
Riley pulled away briefly and a soft smile twitched at the corners of his lips. “Was that bad?”
“No,” Willow replied softly.
Riley captured her mouth with his own again and Willow turned her body into his, feeling the press of his chest against her own, the beat of his strong heart against her broken one.
This was exactly how the healing process needed to begin. And if she could help make the world safe at the same time? So much the better.
Author: snogged
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and many other corporations own the characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I don’t. Please don’t sue.
Pairing: Willow/Riley
Rating/Warnings: FRT-13/PG-13; angst, language
Word Count: 4,334 words
Summary: Willow gets recruited for the Initiative.
Setting: BtVS, Season 4, set after “Wild At Heart”
Beta Crew: The lovable
velvetwhip. All other mistakes are mine.Author’s Note: Written for the Which Willow 2012. Many thanks to
dragonydreams for her continued efforts that support this fabulous challenge. I hope for many more Which Willow challenges in the years to come.
“Didn’t we do this already?”
Willow glanced over at her best friend who was tapping a bright pink fuzzy pen against the packet of papers that Riley, the teaching assistant for Psych 101, had just passed down their row.
“I’m pretty sure we did because I’m seriously déjà-vu-ing here.”
“We did career tests in high school,” Willow pointed out. “You’re also lucky the stack is bigger for you given the way you bonked him on the head when you first met.”
“Hey!” Buffy protested. Willow offered her a small smile and that seemed to make Buffy relax. “You know, if I recall, I’m pretty sure that career inventories lead to bad things like cute boyfriends getting….”
Buffy paused, clearly noticing the pained grimace on Willow’s face and therefore graciously opting not to mention the time that Oz had been shot by a member of the Order of Teraka. Or that Oz was actually her ex-boyfriend and not currently cute or dating her.
Willow sighed deeply, wishing her friend was more careful with her words.
“Sorry. But I think you know what I’m trying to say, Will.”
“It’s okay, Buffy.” Willow said, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. In an effort to seriously distract herself from ever-present wellspring of agony, she began rifling through the stack of papers and checking out each of the titles. “We’ve never taken the Myers-Briggs before. It’s one of the finest psychometric questionnaires out there. Jung’s typographical theories are oh-so-very-fascinating.”
Buffy raised a doubtful eyebrow, but fell in line with Willow’s decision to venture down the path of distraction, for which Willow was grateful.
“You’re telling me you never took this test? You are like the queen of test-taking. If there is a test, I’m sure that you not only taken it, but you’ve ruined the curve for everyone else too.”
“Okay, fine,” Willow admitted, color burning her cheeks. “I’m an INFP. But I promise that I was six the last time I took it.”
“I knew it!” Buffy blurted out, obviously much louder than she intended to as half of the class, including Professor Walsh, turned their eyes towards her.
“Is there something you wish to share with the class, Ms. Summers?”
“Uh….no,” Buffy murmured.
“Well, then I’d advise you utilize this time to complete the inventories that Mr. Finn has provided for the class. Your lips do not need to move for this exercise,” Maggie replied sternly, narrowing her eyes.
Buffy nodded submissively and Willow offered her a sympathetic glance. It was just like Buffy to draw attention to their row. Not that Willow minded her friend’s outgoing, extroverted personality, but there was a time and a place for these things and now…really wasn’t that time.
Willow picked up her pencil and proceeded to mark circles on the first test on her pile. (Note: I deleted an extra sentence here.)It was called the Lockhart-Walsh inventory and she had a sneaking suspicion that her new psychology professor was the Walsh.
It didn’t take long at all to complete the questionnaire, which had a few multiple choice and a few short answer questions. Willow had to admit though that a few of the questions had seemed a little…weird. Yep, weird summed it up nicely because she could have sworn the “trick” questions, which usually asked if she saw any red cars on the road this morning, had instead asked if she’d ever met a Tog’rath demon or slain a vampire before.
When the bell rang, Willow rose from her seat and joined the very end of a queue of students putting their completed assessment packets back into Riley’s hands.
Riley smiled softly when Willow finally had her turn. She was reminded suddenly of the way he had saved her when she’d tried to end her life by walking into oncoming traffic. Reminded of the way his strong arms had wrapped themselves around her, cocooning her, keeping her out of harm’s way.
If only there was a way to do that for her insides.
Broken hearts were far harder to protect.
“Ah, so you were the lucky recipient of the Lockhart-Walsh this year,” Riley replied, scanning her answers.
“What do you mean?” Willow asked, forcing her happy-Willow-face into play.
“See, Maggie only gives this test to one student in each class each year. I was the lucky guy two years ago.”
“So she uses it to determine who’s going to be her teaching assistants?” Willow asked, doing her best to understand the point of the test.
Riley chuckled a little. “You’re not far off the mark, but it’s a little more complicated than that.”
“What do you mean?” Willow asked. The last time she had gained special privileges from taking a test, she had ended up in the teacher’s lounge dining on cookies and jelly doughnuts and…meeting Oz for the first time.
Willow bit down on her bottom lip, trying to distract herself from the gamut of emotions that rubbed her nerves raw.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Riley replied, sounding pretty noncommittal as he handed her a folded-up piece of paper that resembled an invitation.
“Care to vague that up?” Willow asked.
Normally, Riley’s response would have triggered about a thousand red flags given that it was the sort of thing that creepy guys said and it almost always foretold that badness was coming. She seemed to be having her fair share of scummy guys in her life lately, but maybe it was different when Riley said it. She knew he wanted her safe. He had already shown her that by making sure she wasn’t another number in Sunnydale’s rapidly increasing death count. What reason did he have to steer her wrong?
No reason.
No reason at all.
“There’s no need to,” Riley replied, tilting his head towards the paper she clutched in her hands.
Willow unfolded the note quickly and spotted the words “Lowell House” in the center. Around those words was an announcement for a Lockhart-Walsh reception to honor students who showed great promise. She recalled that Lowell House (I took out the ‘campus map’ reference because later you have Willow recalling that this is a party house so she clearly knows more than just what’s on the map.) was a dormitory on campus and that it wasn’t too far away from her own dorm. She could only foresee one problem with this.
“Buffy wants to go to the Bronze tonight. She claims it will cheer me up,” Willow replied.
“It’s no biggie,” Riley replied, reaching out to squeeze Willow’s hand. “I know it’s short notice and I’m sure cocktails and bad dancing will be the solution to your problems, but if you feel like reconsidering?”
Willow pondered his words for a moment, feeling a twinge of guilt in the pit of her stomach. She wanted Buffy to be able to get her best friend skills on, but spending the night at the Bronze? The same place where Oz used to play gigs? The same place where Oz met that skanky ho?
Not exactly the place where her broken heart was likely to be healed.
“I’ll be there. I promise.”
“Great,” Riley said, a soft smile curling the corners of his lips. “I’ll see you later tonight.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Willow replied.
*
Buffy had been surprisingly okay with Willow’s decision not to Bronze it up. Probably because it meant that Buffy wouldn’t have to deal with her super-angsty friend and that always made the Slayer’s life so much easier.
Willow sighed, approaching the counter of the Espresso Pump. She ordered a caramel mocha with all the fixings and nursed the drink as she walked over to Lowell House, which looked suspiciously quiet for being UC-Sunnydale’s renowned party house. Not that she minded. It was better that it was quiet. That meant there would be fewer people asking her why she looked so damn miserable.
She took another swig of her coffee and the slightly chilled liquid slid down her throat. The caffeine was not a cure-all, but it certainly didn’t hurt any.
Willow pressed the buzzer for room 409 and the front door made a noise that sounded like a swarm of mosquitoes. She pulled on the door handle and headed up the stairs. When she arrived at room 409, Riley had the bedroom door open before she could even raise her fist to knock.
“Hi,” Willow chirped.
“Hey,” Riley replied, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him, though he wasn’t fast enough to prevent her from seeing a pair of plaid green boxers that had been left on the bed. It reminded her of the time that Angel had spotted her wayward underthings and the thought was enough to make her blush. “Everyone’s waiting for us.”
“I thought the reception was here?” Willow asked.
“It is. It’s just…you didn’t think we were meeting in my bedroom, did you?” Riley scanned the hallway, clearly checking for stragglers.
“I guess not,” Willow asked, feeling suddenly very silly for making that assumption.
“It’s okay. Call it first year jitters. It happens to the best of us.” Riley said reassuringly.
“Just follow me.” Riley slipped his hand into hers and led her towards a bank of elevators. His fingers were warm against her skin, his grip was strong but kind, but the contact wasn’t enough to make this situation feel normal. In fact, she was definitely starting to panic a little bit, so she subtly wriggled her hand out of his grasp.
Willow tried not to let her anxiety show as Riley punched a code into the elevator’s instrument panel. Had she been wrong to trust Riley so much? Was he taking her into some sort of trap to be demon chow? After all, the Lockhart-Walsh had asked her experience with demons…and…and….
The stainless steel elevator doors opened wide and Riley gently shoved her inside. Willow watched as Riley leaned over and the faint red light of a retina scanner passed across his face.
“Riley?” Willow asked, completely and utterly confused.
“The subject is in custody. We’re on our way down.”
“What’s going on?” Willow inhaled sharply, her heart racing. She liked Riley. She wanted to trust Riley. But she’d been spending a fair share of her time lately with liars who wore honest faces so this…this was definitely looking like a very, very bad thing.
“You’ll see,” Riley responded. His face showed almost no expression, but his warm eyes betrayed…something almost like delight. He appeared to be happy about something, but he didn’t seem inclined to tell her what that ‘something’ was and Willow didn’t like that one bit.
The doors opened and Willow was nearly blinded by the white light that flooded the elevator shaft. She blinked a few times, adjusting to her surroundings as Riley led her into the thick of it. The first thing she saw was an army-issued tank flanked on all sides by people in immaculate white lab coats.
“What is this place?” Willow asked.
“Welcome to the Initiative,” Riley replied, spreading his arms out wide to demonstrate the vastness of the facilities that stretched out before her. Willow had to admit that it looked pretty darn impressive.
“That’s my line,” Professor Maggie Walsh quipped. Willow could tell she was intending to make a joke, but the delivery came across a little bit halting and a little bit awkward. Humor was definitely not her psych professor’s forte. Still, it did make her feel a lot more relaxed that Professor Walsh was down here. Definitely made things seem more on the up and up.
“Professor Walsh,” Willow started, still feeling shaken from the whole ‘subject in custody’ bit. On the bright side, she was feeling less like a hostage and more like…a confused person finding out that her psychology professor and Riley appeared to actually be G.I. Joe and G.I. Jane. Of course, with a little more explanation, secret identities were actually something Willow had experience with. “Thank you for the invitation and all, but I’m not sure what you want me to….”
“Miss Rosenberg, I can promise you that you have been placed in good hands with Mr. Finn and all of your questions will be answered in due time. How about you start with the lab, Riley?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Riley replied, his spine straightening almost audibly as he stood to attention. Once again, Riley took Willow by the hand and this time Willow didn’t let go. Instead, she allowed him to lead on and hoped that this tour would all make sense very, very soon.
Riley stopped in front of a door marked with the number 106 and pulled a badge out of his pocket. With ease, he swiped the badge and the door buzzed open. Inside were four men and two women madly typing away at keyboards, their eyes locked intently on the cyberspace world that unfolded in front of them.
“Military-issue nerd squad,” Riley teased. “Fastest and most furious fingers this side of the Pacific Ocean.”
A brown-haired woman glanced up at them. She had a beautiful face and soft, wide eyes like Elizabeth Taylor. “You only wish you knew these fingers, Finn.”
Riley chuckled low in his throat, but didn’t engage his coworker in any banter. Instead, he pulled Willow out the door again. Willow couldn’t help but wonder if there was something between them, but she was hesitant to ask.
Instead, she let Riley take them to another set of doors. He swiped his badge again and the door opened up to reveal the sort of room that the police used for interrogations, at least on TV shows and in movies. There was a table, two wooden chairs, and a naked light bulb dangling from the ceiling in the center of the room.
Riley gestured to a chair and Willow hesitantly sat down. Riley took the other chair, moved it to the other side of the table, and promptly spun it around so that when he sat down, his legs straddled the chair and his arms lay on the back rest. It was intended to be an easygoing, relaxed look, but it didn’t erase her growing feelings of wariness.
“Willow, we know what you are.”
Willow tensed, averting her gaze from Riley’s. “What do you mean?”
“We know you’re a witch. Under standard operating procedure, that would require us to classify you as a hostile.”
“But I’m not…. I mean, I am a practicing Wicca, but I’m…friendly. Very friendly and I would never hurt anybody.” Willow’s hands flailed helplessly in front of her and she was terrified that her worst case scenario had come true. She wasn’t going to be fed to demons. They thought she was a demon and this was the room where Riley was going to torture and kill her because…because they thought she was evil.
Assuming that meant that this weird military organization did that sort of thing, which they probably did because the Army protected the people…from the bad guys.
Oh, this was bad. This was very bad.
“On the contrary, Willow. We want you to work with us. Your results on the Lockhart-Walsh were processed and Maggie and I both agree that you are a suitable candidate for this job.” Riley explained.
“Oh,” Willow replied. This was a surprise – and a relief. “That’s…not what I was expecting.”
“Will you consider it?” Riley asked hopefully. “I’d love to have you on board. Your skills are remarkable and your country would….”
“Why me? Why not…?” Willow clapped her hand over her mouth, painfully aware of the fact that she had almost blurted out Buffy’s name. Just because Riley knew that she was a witch did not mean he knew that Buffy was the Slayer. It was likely that he did know seeing that the government was a lot like Big Brother, but if he didn’t know? Buffy’s identity was definitely a secret that Willow had no authority to share.
“Because you have raw talent, Willow, and because….I think you need us.”
“So that I can be all I can be in the army?” Willow teased.
“Something like that,” Riley replied, grinning. “So are you in?”
Willow chewed on her bottom lip, considering the possible ramifications of Riley’s request. She still really didn’t understand what the Initiative did yet, with the exception of something to do with Hostiles. She had a feeling that might be their term for the demon residents of Sunnydale, but she hadn’t confirmed that yet. She also wasn’t certain what they wanted from her. But, there was something about Riley’s good nature and seemingly solid character that made her want to give this a chance.
That made her want to say…
“Yes.”
*
The next day, Willow reported for duty, once more showing up at Riley Finn’s door after she finished her classwork for the day.
Her breath hitched in her throat when he answered the door. His hair had fallen over his eyes the way it always did, but instead of looking like a teacher’s assistant, he looked like a soldier. An All-American GI-Joe in his black combat fatigues that showed off his broad chest and his strong arms and his….
Bad Willow.
She was so not ready to start thinking about other boys right now. Especially dating other boys.
“You ready to go?” Riley asked.
“Yep,” Willow replied. “Bring on the vague and confusing.”
Riley chuckled, directing his gaze down the hallway as two other men dressed in similar gear marched towards them. “It’s not that bad. Maggie’s letting you on the HST floor tonight.”
“The HST floor?”
“Hostile Sub-terrestrial holding units. Also, I’d like you to meet Graham and Forrest. They’ll be helping me orient you.”
“Pleasure,” Graham replied as Forrest grunted a hello.
Willow nodded. “Hi.”
The four of them made their way down to the elevators and Riley proceeded to speak to the elevator the same way he had the day before. Forrest and Graham pulled out their badges and held them up to a camera that was blinking in the upper right-hand corner. Willow merely waved a little.
When they reached ground zero, Riley stepped off the elevator and was promptly handed a lab coat, which he passed over to Willow. “Regulation.”
Willow acquiesced, sliding the garment on quickly as the boys in black didn’t seem to have the patience to wait for her to dilly-dally. This job would definitely not be the right fit for Buffy. She would go crazy if she couldn’t spend 30 minutes harping over the color choice.
Riley strolled up to a set of doors and slid his badge through. Then part of the wall slid open and he leaned forward, pressing his hand against a pad that had appeared. The door made a clicking noise and Riley wrenched it open, revealing a long hallway with shiny linoleum floors and even shinier fluorescent lights.
On either wall, there appeared to be glass boxes, each with its own twelve-button keypad and green and red lights that appeared to indicate full or empty. What was inside those boxes - though, cages might be a better word - was not at all what Willow was expecting.
There was a dirt-encrusted vampire on her left that growled and smacked at the glass pane, making his prison shudder, but not making it break. To her right, a humanoid demon was huddled in the corner of its cell, restlessly tapping its claws against its puke green-colored knee.
“Fuckers,” Forrest hissed as they passed several more cells containing demons. There was a Tog’rath pacing back and forth, shooting them death glares with its four pairs of eyes. Another vampire was gnawing on what looked like a blood bag. A Brachen demon was curled into a fetal position, bruised and battered. “Should gas the whole damn lot of them.”
Willow stayed silent. She was all for saving the world and keeping people safe from harm, which the Initiative certainly seemed to be doing, but she didn’t much care for Forrest’s Final Solution approach.
Riley seemed to notice her discomfort because he immediately turned around and headed back towards the main doors.
“Come on, Willow. I’ll show you something that I know you’re going to like.”
“But Riley…,” Graham started. “What about the mission? What about Hostile 17?”
“I’m off-duty tonight,” Riley murmured.
“Whatever,” Forrest replied. “We’ll go without you, Finn. I’m sure that Gabriel and Helms will be thrilled to tag along.”
Forrest and Graham left and Riley turned his attention back to Willow.
“How are you feeling?” Riley asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I know it’s tough to digest that there are demons in this world but….”
“I’m from Sunnydale,” Willow interrupted. “Strange and unusual is pretty much the norm around here. Plus, since you know all there is to know about me, you should know that I’ve met my fair share of demons. Demons that have tried to eat me. Demons that have tried to date me….”
“Date you?” Riley asked.
Willow averted her eyes. “Long story.”
“We have time.”
“Scanned a demon from a book into the computer. He flirted with me in a chat room. I learned the dangers of talking to strangers over the Internet,” Willow explained, a small, embarrassed laugh leaving her lips. “Guess it wasn’t that long.”
“Guess not,” Riley replied, offering her a sympathetic smile as he pushed open another door. This time, they walked into an office that had a standard metal office desk, a few leather chairs, and a plush loveseat that looked a little out of place.
“I sleep in here sometimes,” Riley confessed. “More comfy than those dorm beds.”
“Can’t say I blame you,” Willow said, plopping down on the couch. He was certainly right about it being comfortable…so much so that she would be willing to just stay down here forever. Riley sat down beside her and draped his arm across the back of the sofa. He wasn’t touching her, per se, but his presence was definitely noticeable.
“So what do you think of us so far?”
“I think you’re pretty different,” Willow admitted.
“Is that bad?” Riley asked.
“No, it’s just that…when we…I mean, when I’ve fought demons before, it’s never been about capturing them. It’s always been about saving the world from a threat. Besides, not all demons are bad. Some are good and they help save the world too.”
Even though the words had left her mouth in good faith, she wasn’t sure she could defend them if Riley called her out on them. She liked Angel and would happily agree that he devoted his life to saving the world, but Angel could become Angelus and if that happened again, Willow wouldn’t mind so much if he ended up in a cell like the one the Initiative had. But then there was the fact that once upon a time, Oz had been a pretty damn good guy too, even with the werewolf aspect. And even now, as much as he’d hurt her, Willow knew he didn’t belong in one of those cells.
“They’re all evil, Willow, and we’re finding ways to fix that,” Riley argued. “There’s technology, methods we’ve developed, to stop them from hurting others and….” Riley looked at her, his eyes softening. “I’m stopping now. I just think it’s important for you to understand where we’re coming from.”
“I think I understand where you’re coming from, but I also know that it isn’t black and white. There are definitely shades of grey. Living in Sunnydale has taught me that lesson many times.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Riley spoke again.
“I’m glad you’re here, Willow. I think you’re going to bring something special to our operations.”
“Me too,” Willow agreed.
She meant it, too. Riley still had a lot to learn about the shades of grey in the world, but with a little help, she imagined he could learn. He was a teaching assistant after all.
Willow noticed that the tension from their previous discourse had all but dissipated, almost as if Riley had some magic of his own. Willow figured he must have some kind of powers because he was a guy who could make her angry and then turn around and make her feel welcome, all in just a few minutes.
His arm fell from the back of sofa, draping itself over her shoulders. Willow let herself be embraced, let herself relax. It was soft, secure, and safe.
Definitely safe and definitely different from being with…
“Oz,” Willow said quietly.
“Should I stop?” Riley moved to lift his arm, but Willow reached up and gently placed his hand back down on her shoulder. Her fingers brushed lightly over the tops of his knuckles before she let her own hand fall back into her lap. “I know you’ve been hurt, Willow, and I’m not here to make that worse for you so if you want me to….”
“No,” Willow said. “I mean, I don’t know. I don’t want you to stop, but I’m also still hurting. There’s lots and lots of healing that needs to happen before I can…you know, be with someone new. Is that bad?”
“Not at all,” Riley answered. Willow settled against Riley’s strong frame as his other hand stroked the top of her knee.
It was nice.
Nice enough that she tilted her face towards his and allowed his lips to cover hers, sealing the moment with a kiss.
Riley pulled away briefly and a soft smile twitched at the corners of his lips. “Was that bad?”
“No,” Willow replied softly.
Riley captured her mouth with his own again and Willow turned her body into his, feeling the press of his chest against her own, the beat of his strong heart against her broken one.
This was exactly how the healing process needed to begin. And if she could help make the world safe at the same time? So much the better.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2012-12-28 01:56 am (UTC)Gabrielle
no subject
on 2012-12-28 01:58 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-12-28 01:59 am (UTC)Gabrielle
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on 2012-12-28 02:00 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-12-28 02:00 am (UTC)Gabrielle
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on 2012-12-28 02:58 am (UTC)Also, just a heads-up, the paragraph that starts, “But I’m not…. I mean, I am a practicing Wicca" looks like it has some editing notes in it in parentheses (I deleted a repeated sentence here.)
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on 2012-12-28 03:11 am (UTC)I definitely agree that Willow and Riley had a lot of potential. Too bad the show didn't go there.
Ooh! Thanks for the catch.
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on 2012-12-28 10:46 am (UTC)Great job.
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on 2012-12-31 04:00 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-12-28 09:52 pm (UTC)I really enjoyed it! Great job:)
I would also really love to read a sequel.
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on 2012-12-31 09:18 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2012-12-29 01:51 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-12-31 09:18 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2013-01-01 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2013-01-03 12:15 am (UTC)I would like to think Willow might be a good fit all around, but that would certainly be an interesting question to explore sometime.