Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Chp.6

Rugs and Redheads

Information: 1st chapter

Thoughts are in ' ' Don't know why italics won't work.

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The little, redheaded office assistant of Dr. Giles sits behind her desk, looking over the file of William Osborne. A man of about twenty-eight, and if she weren't gay, she'd say that he was a mighty handsome young man. He's also her girlfriends' favorite patient. She had seen him in his room, on occasion, as Tara stopped in to check on him before heading home.

Her breath catches as she reads the entry on the file from last night. She reads it again, just to make certain that it's correct. 'Williams, awake.' Her eyes dart from the report to the door of the doctor's inner office. 'UH-OH!' She knows that she needs to tell him, but he's in a meeting and he shouldn't be interupted.

Willow runs the hand not holding the file though her shoulder length hair. She stares at the folder, re-reading it yet again. She lets out the breath. Looking around, then glancing back at it.

The file reads: William Osborne awoke from a catatonic state at 9:00pm tonight. What had caught her rapt attention is on the last line.

Tara had come home really excited last night, snd told her that William had come out of his coma. That wasn't the surprise.

But, the last line says that there was another catatonic patient that had woken up not more than a few moments after him. Tara hadn't said anything about that. The name of the person was what had hit her so hard. The girl had been a student with her during their freshman year of high school. "Buffy Summers." She whispers, "I always wondered what happened to her."

'She seemed normal enough. Who knew she'd end up here.' She thinks, looking up at the clock on the computer screen that's sitting in front of her.

She lays the file down and pushes it back. Making a mental note to it place with the other records in the cabinet to her left.

Turning to the computer, placing her fingers on the keyboard, she starts to think about the dinner date Tara and she had the night before last with Alex and Anya. They'd all been best of 0friends since high school, even though at that time she'd been going out with Oz, and didn't know that Tara had a crush on her. The evening was nice, and one of the few that both Alex and Tara were off. She smiles at the memory.

As she sits thinking of the evening, and totally ignoring the work she's supposed to be doing, the office door eases open, admitting Tara and two other young people into the waiting room.

Hearing the squeaky door open, brings Willow back to the here and now, and she smiles as she looks up to see who just stepped in the door.

The smile spreads as she takes in her lovers little pink nurse uniform. "Hey, Baby." She greets, as the blonde approaches the desk.

"Hi, Sweetie." Tara says, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I brought Giles a couple of visitors." She smiles, and looks over to the two people that had followed her into the room.

Willow gets up from the chair she's sitting in, and walks around to the front of the desk. As her eyes take in the couple, she slowly walks over to them, and then gasps. "Buffy? Buffy Summers?"

It didn't take much to know who the blonde man beside of her was, although she hadn' t seen his face. She'd know who he is, just by the wild mop of sandy colored hair on his head. "William?" She knew that he'd awoken, but hadn't expected to see him so soon.

Hearing his name spoken, Spike looks up from the conversation that he is having with his 'slayer'. He knows she's not a slayer in this world, and never was, but the 'delusions' were so vivid that in his mind she'd always be his slayer.

A smile spreads across his face as he turns Buffy around to face the red head, which'd been directly behind her. "It's Spike, Red." He retorts, still smiling slightly.

Looking the girl over, Buffy makes sure that she hasn't slipped into another delusion. Spikes hands are still on her shoulders so there's no way that this is one. She concludes. A barely audible "Willow." Whispers from her lips, taking the two steps that separates them she throws herself at the red head, and envelops her in a huge embrace.

As the blonde woman that she hasn't seen in seven years puts her in a death grip, Willow doesn't know what to do or think. She looks at Spike for help, but he's more interested in his study of the doorframe. She finally decides to lightly place her hands around the tiny woman, and hug her back.

Spike turns from the door, saving the puzzled red head from suffocation, as he places his hands on Buffy's shoulders, and gently tugs her away. Turning her to face him instead, and trying to keep from laughing, "Pet, you have to remember that these versions of your friends, aren't the ones from the delusions. They don't know you from Jack." He points out, looking over to the other occupants of the room. "Even though they seem the same." He adds taking her hand between his two larger ones. "They may act like, talk like, smell like, but they aren't who they seem to be, luv." He smiles reassuringly, as she gazes at him.

Willow listens intently to the whispered words. "See now that's where you're wrong, William." She quietly replies.

At his pointed look, she backtracks,"Uh, I mean Spike. I do know her. She was in my homeroom, freshman year of high school. Granted we really weren't that close, but we were acquaintances." She explains, wringing her hands nervously, then picking at the short nails.

Spike raises his eyebrow at her as she giggles. "What's so bloody funny, Red?"

"Oh!" She giggles again. "I was just remembering Alex and Jesse. Alex was totally in love with her." She points at the blonde, still standing inches from her. " He and Jesse followed her all over the place. Of course she didn't give them the time of day, but still they followed her like two little lost puppies. They took whatever crumbs she'd throw them, which wasn't much at all. I couldn't believe those two, but it was funny to sit and watch. Alex finally got over it, when she didn't come back sophomore year. He found something in Cordy, and for some reason she seen it in him, too. Well at least for a little while. Then along came Ahn, junior year, and he fell head over heels, they're still together, and went through hell, but they came out of it like troopers. Now they're happily married." She finishes the rambling explanation, smiling and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Making the material of the long red skirt, she's wearing swirl around her ankles.

Stepping up to the group Tara places one petite hand on Willows shoulder. "Willow, Honey. Slow down and breathe." She speaks softly in her girl friends ear. She then looks over to the couple, and smiles shyly. "She babbles when she gets excited." She apologizes.

Turning to each other and grinning, "Don't we know it." They say together, as they turn back to Tara.

With confusion written all over their faces, Willow and Tara look into each other's eyes.

Her eyes straying from her lovers, and taking up residence on the pair at the door, "How?" is the only word that Willow can form with her voice.

Buffy slowly takes a look around the room, and notices a chair and couch in a little alcove on the other side of the room. It looks like a good place to tell her 'delusional' best friend the story of Sunnydale.

"Here, let's go over and sit, this is a way long story. Your feet might get tired. So you might want to be sitting for it." She explains and grabs Spikes hand basically dragging him over to the couch.

On the way over, Spike stumbles on the corner of a very familiar looking Oriental rug that's laid out in front of Willows desk.

"Hey! I know that rug." He points down to the floor. "Well, I remember what happened under it." He smirks, as Buffy turns to see what the heck all his excitement is over.

She stops, following the pointing finger to the rug in question. Upon seeing it, Buffy's face turns beet red, and she tries to cover the embarrassment with her free hand. Then decides that it's better to get away from the embarrassing rug, before Spike figures out that she remembers, too. Tugging on his arm insistently, she makes him move off it.

Spike noticed the flush of her face, and smirks. "OH! HO! I see someone else remembers, too." He says loud enough for everyone else within ten feet of the room to hear. "Don't you, Goldilocks."

Her face now glowing like a neon sign, Buffy tosses her hair over her shoulder, and glares evilly over her shoulder at him. "Shut-up, Spike." She demands through her gritted teeth, then literally drags him over to the couch, she plops down hard making the seat shudder, and hides her still heated and glowing face from everyone.

Spike shuts his big gob, but is still smiling, Satisfied that he'd embarrassed her, and slouches back, sprawling his legs so no one, but he and Buffy can sit there. With a sly smile, he slides his arm across the back of the couch. Directly behind her, and lays his fingers lightly on her shoulder.

(That took forever. It's long, and the first paragraph it didn't want to come out right while I typed it. I started it over like three times.)