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Changing Hearts Series - Found Out -- by Ruby
Rating: PG-13
Description: Ivy visits Willow and Spike, sequel to Damage Control.
Note: Spoilers -- Wild at Heart, The Initiative. Dedication -- For Cottie. Those speedboats and pond scum crack me up!:-)
Disclaimer: Joss owns all.
Ivy sat in the armchair nervously fidgeting with her fingers. The handsome blonde man whose arm was wrapped around Willow put her on edge, though she didn't know why. Something about him exuded power and anger, and the darkness that permeated his home did little to set her mind at ease. It was only late afternoon, but the windows were heavily curtained against any brightening affects the rays of the sun might have created to dispel the gloomy shadows in the room.
"I thought you might--might hate me," her voice sounded small and weak in her own ears.
Willow gave her a reassuring smile, "You haven't done anything wrong. Oz lied to you as much as he lied to me."
"He did tell me about you," Ivy pointed out. "Well, as much as he wanted me to know, anyway. He said he wasn't planning on coming back here anytime soon, that he wasn't sure if he'd ever see you again. So, I thought--"
"You don't have to apologize," the redhead told her.
"It was his decision to go back to your place, and it was his decision to leave you the next morning without a word."
"I feel pretty stupid," she admitted. "It seemed so romantic--like we were just two people looking for a way to ease our loneliness. I'd deluded myself into thinking we'd found something special. The truth is, other than a few hours of conversation, I didn't even know him."
"Loneliness can drive people to do all kinds of crazy things," Willow said softly. "I've done more than my share. I'm just sorry you got hurt by all of this."
"I don't understand him," Ivy replied as she looked from Willow to Spike. "I mean, it's obvious the two of you have been together for awhile. You look happy enough to me. Why can't Oz leave you alone?"
"I don't know," she shrugged. "I've changed a lot since he left. I guess he can't see it, or maybe he just doesn't want to."
"Has he been carrying on like this since he came back here?" Ivy asked.
"Pretty much," she nodded.
"Then I don't understand why she told me..." the young brunette's voice faltered as Willow's eyes widened with curiosity.
"Who told you? What?" the redhead prodded.
"Oh, nothing," Ivy had gone back to twisting her fingers around one another. "I shouldn't even have--"
Willow shot Spike a quick glance before turning back to the woman, "I think you should tell me. We've had enough lies."
She sighed, "I guess you're right. It's just--well--someone told me that Oz kind of--missed me. That he--"
"Someone?" the redhead's eyebrows shot up. "From Sunnydale?"
She stood up and turned to face Spike, hands on her hips, "Okay, mister, what the hell is she talking about?"
"It wasn't him," Ivy told her. "It was Anya who phoned me."
"Uh huh," Willow nodded, her eyes fixed on Spike.
"Now, I _know_ you're involved. Why would you drag her all the way up here? Just to hurt Oz?"
"Are you telling me he didn't deserve it?" he asked.
"That isn't the point! There are a lot of other people--"
"Bloody hell, Willow," he stood up and put his hands on her shoulders. "The mutt's been lying to everyone since he came back here! He stuck his muzzle into everything you'd been doing since he took off. But he never talked about where he'd been or what he'd done while he was gone. Made me wonder what the hell he was hiding. So I found out."
"Okay, then why didn't you just tell me?" she asked.
"Why did you have to drag Ivy into all of this? He hurt her, too!"
"Funny thing, pet. Yours is the only pain I give a damn about," he told her. "What if I had told you about his one-night fling? He would only have denied it."
"You think I would have believed him over you?"
"Maybe not, but it would have been his word against mine. He went on and on about how lonely he'd been, how he could never hurt you like he did before he left. It took him awhile, but he finally had everyone else believing that he was sorry. He's been lying to you for weeks, Willow, and you never twigged. None of you did."
Her eyes dropped from his, "Okay, that's fair."
He placed a finger under her chin and drew her eyes back to him, "When his little secret showed up in town--in the flesh--he couldn't deny it. And hell, yes, I wanted that bastard to hurt. But mostly, I wanted to destroy any last chance he ever had of getting you back."
"He never had a chance," she spoke softly. "Not even a little one."
"Couldn't risk it. He hurt you, baby, and it took you months to finally struggle back onto your feet. When he dragged his sorry ass back here, I swore then and there he'd never do that to you again. He underestimated me, pet. When he found out that I'd been--" he paused and shot a quick look at the brunette who was listening with open curiosity. "He thought there was nothing I could do to fight him. Aside from ripping your heart to shreds, it's the biggest mistake he ever made. He should have known I'd have done whatever it took to keep him away from you and out of your life. If other people got hurt in the process--well, I didn't really give a damn. I'm a cold-hearted bastard, Willow. You know that."
She shook her head and brought her hands to his cheeks, cupping them gently, "Not to me."
Spike's arms slid around her waist, and he pulled her into a fiery kiss, heedless of the one-woman audience watching in rapt fascination.
The End
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