Chapter 2: Cocktails Anyone?
L.A…
Willow stood by the sliding glass door at Buffy’s house observing the petite blonde sunbath by the pool all alone on her back patio. Buffy had her big thick glasses mounted on her face and her earphones plugged into her ears as she looked like she was trying to lose herself in the music. She was taking the opportunity of relaxing in California’s weird warm weather in the middle of November.
“Lisa, how long has she been out there?” Willow asked, tilting her head to the side and continuing to watch her friend from behind the glass.
“Practically since Saturday.” Lisa, one of Buffy’s employees said from her place at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. She’s got a thick French accent, long black hair, and glasses. She seemed to be sporting an intelligent sort of look but her attitude seemed a bit snoody and stuck up.
Willow wiped her head around to look at Lisa. “Four days?”
Lisa shrugged and muttered something in French to herself. But then she spoke English once again, “For the last few days she’s been moopy around the house and pool with a bottle of vodka in one hand….”
Willow slowly turned back to Buffy, “That’s not like Buffy…” Willow whispered to herself and started to venture outside quietly.
Buffy didn’t take notice to the red head until she felt someone blocking her view of the sun. She lifted her sunglasses off her head and sat them on top of her head. Her eyes were a little hazy; she had to squint to make out the face.
“Willow?” Buffy sat up from her chaise lounge in surprise.
“Has it been that long that you’ve forgotten what I looked like?” Willow frowned.
Buffy giggled and jumped up and hugged her old friend. Willow took instant notice at how thin and fragile Buffy was by seeing her in a bathing suit and hugging her small frame.
“It’s so good to see you.” Buffy whispered and pulled away from the hug.
”You too…” Willow smiled and watched as Buffy grabbed an oversized shirt and threw it over her head. Willow bit her lip, holding back all the things she wanted to ask about the alcohol.
“So when did you get into L.A? Was the flight okay?” Buffy smiled, acting all friendly and much like a teenage girl seeking gossip.
“I…I got in this morning…just jumped into a taxi and well, here I am.” Willow smiled and pushed few pieces of hair out of her eyes and looked around nervously.
”Well do you want something to eat? Drink?” Buffy offered.
Willow knew it was terrible to think but she instantly thought, ‘If it’s a bottle of gin Buffy then no.’ “Umm I’m good.”
”Well then…” Buffy moved over to the patio table and took a seat. “Tell me what’s up? How’s New York?”
“Good…good…everything is alright. Oz is going to be touring in Austria, France, and Belgium this summer. He’s convinced me to go with him.” Willow started to talk about what’s new in her life. Talking about her long term boyfriend, Oz, who Buffy already knew since the time when Willow and Oz were living in California a few years ago.
“Oh that’s good.” Buffy smiled and ran a finger around the glass rim of her ice tea.
“And I’ve talked with Spike…”Willow causally chimed in, instantly wondering what reaction she would get from the blonde.
Buffy didn’t look up from her glass as she asked, “How is he?”
”Good…he got a movie deal. He’ll be starring along side an upcoming actress…Winifred Burkle or something…” Willow shrugged and looked around the backyard and at the pool.
With Willow’s back turned to look around the yard, Buffy took the opportunity to take a long big gulp out of her glass.
When the red head turned back around she lifted an eyebrow at the almost empty glass in front of Buffy. She bit her tongue once again and changed the subject. “So….how’s Angel?”
”He’s fine…shooting a movie in Europe.” Buffy couldn’t resist rolling her eyes at the mention of her husband.
“Buffy is something wrong? Are you okay?” Willow asked with a worried look.
”Sure…are you sure you don’t want a drink?” Buffy asked as she practically slurped the rest of her drink down.
”Ummm…I’m fine…but Buffy—“
”I’m going to get more ice tea.” Buffy jumped to her feet and walked back towards the house in a hurry.
Willow just stared with an open mouth as she watched her friend walk away in a rush. She reached across the table and picked up the empty glass of ice tea and took a small smell and a little taste from the little drops left in the glass. Willow detected a taste of ice tea and a shot of vodka. The red head glanced down at her watch; even though jet-leg was throwing her off a little bit she remembered to set her watch to Pacific Time. The clock read ten in the morning. ‘Little early to be spiking your ice tea don’t you think?’ Willow thought to herself with a frown.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Willow phoned home after spending the early afternoon with Buffy. The whole time she watched as Buffy poured glass after glass of “ice tea” until she told her she was “tired” and would give her a call later.
“Hey honey.” Willow spoke on the phone with Oz.
“Hey babe. You see Buffy?” Oz asked with a smile as he fiddled with his guitar on his lap. He knew how excited his girl was to see her old friend and that Willow would instantly go directly to see Buffy when she arrived in L.A
”Ya…about that…umm we have a major problem.” Willow informed Oz.
”Problem? Something wrong?” Oz asked quietly with worry.
“I’ve spent the last three hours with someone who looks like Buffy…talks like Buffy…well kind of when she’s not plastered, but this girl isn’t Buffy Oz.”
”She was drunk? In the middle of the day?” Oz raised an eyebrow at hearing that America’s favorite actress liked her cocktail for breakfast.
“I don’t know what to think. Lisa, one of Buffy’s assistants talked about how this has been happening for a while. I’m worried Oz. She never was like this…ever.” Willow sighed.
”Why do think the sudden change?” Oz asked as he tried to get as much information on the situation so he could help.
”I’m thinking Angel…she didn’t seem so thrilled when I asked about him. Maybe they’re fighting or something.” Willow shrugged and collapsed onto her hotel bed with the phone still in hand. “But I don’t get why she didn’t call me about this…I would have helped and listened….I’m a good listener.” She pouted.
”I know.” Oz whispered with a smile.
Willow paused, “I…I just wished she turned to someone for help instead of relying on the bottle.”
”Think it’s serious enough for an intervention and rehab?”
Willow sat up at the instantly when the word “rehab” were referenced to Buffy. “Woah…lets slow down. This is Buffy we’re talking about. She doesn’t deserve to be put through that.”
”Honey, if she’s got a problem she needs professional help.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions…” Willow stuttered and started to get up and pace the hotel room. The thought of sweet innocent Buffy being an alcoholic was unthinkable to her, “I see her get drunk one day and we are already are thinking about locking her up.”
”Spike had a problem if you recall.” Oz quipped in as a helpful fact.
”Ya and he got it fixed without professional help.” Willow quickly in defense and ran her hands though her long hair.
”He didn’t go to rehab, no…but he did get help. You think Dr. Harbor was just an imaginary friend he went to every Thursday?” Oz joked.
Willow rolled her eyes, “No…I’m not in denial and—hey did you just make a joke?” Willow changed the subject for a minute when she realized her one note boyfriend said a joke.
Oz shrugged, “It happens.”
Willow shook her head and got back to the topic of Buffy, “Yes, I know Spike went to see a psychiatrist but he was in really bad shape…”
”How do you know Buffy isn’t?”
Willow wanted to cry at that statement. She really didn’t know if Buffy had gone completely off the deep end since she hadn’t been around to observe closely. Sure, she had brief phone calls with the blonde and saw her at big television award shows but that didn’t really count. That just made Willow just like the rest of America, watching what the photographers and cameramen showed her. Willow never got to see the behind the scenes glance into what the life of Buffy Summers O’Connor was really like since their television series ended.
“What about Spike?” an idea popped into Willow’s head.
“What about Spike?”
”Maybe he can help?” Willow took a long shot at bringing up the topic of Buffy and Spike together again. She and Oz knew the history of Buffy and Spike like they knew their own relationship.
”I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Oz shook his head with the phone still on his ear. He didn’t like where his girlfriend’s mind was drifting.
”Why not?” Willow shouted in frustration and desperation.
”I can give you a million reasons why this will not work.”
”Give me one!” She challenged.
”Umm…Spike may still have feelings for Buffy and it will screw with his mind if he sees her…two, Buffy’s married to Angel and shouldn’t be hanging out and sharing her feelings with Spike instead of Angel, three…reporters will jump on both Spike and Buffy if they’re spotted together.”
”I said one reason…besides you made your point.” Willow interrupted before Oz could go on and list more reasons why Spike helping Buffy was a bad idea. The red head collapsed back on to the bed and hugged her flat pillow in her arms.
”I still say they would have made a better couple than Angel and her.” Willow grumbled into the phone.
She was saddened still after all these years that Spike and Buffy never took a chance.
”I know, I know.” Oz sighed, “But you got to let it go…Spike moved on…well, I’m not sure if that’s true but he’s still living with what happened and Buffy’s married.”
”Someone should drag me out in the street and shoot me…” Willow whined.
“What for?” Oz laughed at her puppy dog impression over the phone.
”Because I was the writer of the old show that wrote Angel’s stupid character into the show.” She said in disgust.
“You can’t beat fate.” Oz told her, knowing Willow couldn’t really blame herself—fate was fate.
”No you can’t…” Willow whispered, “But you can still beat me up.”
*~*~*~*~*~*
New York….late at night….
The apartment was quiet when William walked in. He threw his coat over the couch as he traveled into the living room. Outside his big picture window the bright lights of the exciting world of New York called out for him. But he decided a long time ago that night clubs and bars didn’t make him happy.
He walked over to his DVD collection beside his big screen TV and pulled out the box set of the hit television show of ‘Blinding Lights’. On the cover there were many images of the cast members but the ones that jumped out instantly was the big close up shots of Buffy and himself.
Spike stood and stared at the photos on the box and brushed over the image of Buffy with his fingers. He opened the box set and took out a disk and popped it into his DVD player. He grabbed the remote and sat himself in the middle of his couch. As he selected an episode the opening credits started to roll and he watched the episode begin. It had been a long time since he sat down and watched an episode of the show he was in. In the past whenever his friends were over they thought it was funny to watch an episode or two and make funny of him. The DVD set was actually bought by a friend for the main reason to make fun of him. But this time he watched for a different reason. This evening he was watching as part of his own version of therapy.
The other day when Cordelia saw him react the way he did at seeing Buffy made William realize that he couldn’t go around acting like this again. He had to control himself whenever he saw her and mentioned Angel’s name and he needed therapy to do it. Even though people would think it was twisted to get over a girl by watching her ever night on the television screen, William thought it was working. Every time he saw Buffy’s character named ‘Claire’ come on screen and say her lines it broke William’s heart that he couldn’t have her. It reminded him that she was married and three thousand miles away and that was the way it had to be.
TBC....sorry about NEVER updating this story..just decided to hold up on my homework cause i had the urge to write.
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