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Changing Hearts Series - Damage Control -- by Ruby
Rating: PG-13
Description: Willow talks to Riley, sequel to Hurting.
Note: Spoilers -- Wild at Heart, The Initiative.
Disclaimer: Joss owns all.
"That probably wasn't the smartest thing you've ever done," Giles said as he handed Spike a bag of ice.
"It made me feel better, though," Willow replied.
"What's wrong with him? It's like he's possessed or something. Hey! You don't think--"
"Oz is possessed? No," the man shook his head.
"Obsessed, perhaps. How is Buffy?"
Willow flinched as Spike laid the ice bag over her swollen knuckles, "I don't know. She said she wanted to be alone, so we all left. Riley is with her."
"I expect they have some talking to do," Giles replied.
"If he's come between them the way he tried to get between Spike and me, I'll go after him with a baseball bat," the redhead vowed.
"Willow--"
"I know," she sighed, cutting off the former watcher's admonition. "Murder isn't an acceptable form of revenge."
"Always worked for me," Spike interjected.
"There, see?" Willow grinned.
Giles groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Riley," Willow spoke, helping herself to a chair at his table in the dining hall. He closed the text book he'd been reading and smiled softly at her.
"How are you?" he asked, eyeing the bandage around her hand.
"The swelling has gone down. It'll be fine in a couple more days. I'm more concerned about you."
"Why is that?"
"I haven't seen you since the explosion at Buffy's house last night. And from the look of you, you aren't any happier than she is," Willow told him. "You can't let him get to you."
"You saw the look on Buffy's face when he threw Angel at her," he replied. "It was obvious he hit a nerve--a very raw nerve."
"How much has she told you about Angel?"
"Not a lot," he admitted. "I know how much they loved each other, how hard it was for her to let him go."
"You've only known her for a few months, and that was after Angel left for L.A.," she said. "After everything they'd been through together, there's no way losing him could have been anything other than hard. Maybe part of her anger at Oz has been because of losing Angel, but that's not all that it is. Her pain helped her to understand mine when Oz left. We both watched people we loved walk out of our lives. The difference is, Angel had the kindness to stay away, to let Buffy build a new life. Oz came wheeling back into town insisting that I should fall back into his arms."
"Maybe that's what Buffy really wants where Angel's concerned," he suggested.
She shook her head, "Oz doesn't think I should have moved on without him. He doesn't believe my feelings for him could have changed. I was supposed to wait for him--to drop everything and run into his arms whenever he felt like coming back. He isn't interested in my happiness or in what I need. He wants what he wants when he wants it. I wonder that he hasn't stopped to consider that the line between love and hate is a very thin one, and he's pushing me over that line every time he gets in my face. Angel wants Buffy to be happy. He's given her the time and space to heal and find a new life. She's trying hard to do that, Riley. Partly because she has to, but also because she wants to. Don't give up on her."
She held his gaze as he considered her words, and he squeezed her hand gently, "I guess I was beginning to feel comfortable with--whatever our relationship is developing into. But that look on her face really shook me up, Willow."
"It takes a lot of time to get over that kind of loss," she told him. "Even longer for the memories to stop feeling so painful."
"You've managed to do it," he replied.
"And you know how difficult that was for me," she answered. "I don't know how I would have done it if I hadn't had someone to just be there for me."
"Spike," he nodded.
"He was patient. He listened when I needed to talk. He distracted me when I needed to stop thinking. He seemed to know what I needed even when I didn't," she grinned. "That comes from listening with your heart, and his doesn't even beat. If a soulless vampire like Spike can do that, so can you. Just be there for her, Riley."
"Maybe I should give her a call," he said softly.
"Thank you."
"Just repaying the favor," she smiled. "Spike never has told me exactly how you and Buffy were involved in us ending up together, but I know that you were."
He bit back a grin, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yeah, I know. No one ever does," she laughed and stood up. "I'm supposed to meet Ivy in half an hour, so I should get going. By the way, Buffy's studying on the lawn outside the library. A person could accidently bump into her if he happened to be walking that way."
A wide smile broke across the young man's face, "I'll see what I can do."
The End
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