Title: Into the Woods
Author: blameburner
Feedback: Sure… Always a plus
Summary: While the men are away, the ladies will play. Anya, Buffy, Willow and Tara head into the woods for a little female bonding. Hijinks and wackiness are sure to follow.
Spoiler Warning: None - it's AU, I guess. It's sent in the present - but no big bads, no S6 nastiness. Anya and Xander are together, Giles never left, Buffy never died, Dawn still exists, Spike helps out the Scoobies cuz he gets paid, and Willow and Tara never broke up since Willow was never addicted to magic. Pretty much think "Everyone's happy, together, and their usual amusing selves."
Disclaimer: Not my characters, but oh how I wish they were! Joss, blah blah, ME, blah blah.
Rating: R for now. I know, I know... we'll see.
Pairings: W/T… duh. Also B and A. But not B/A cuz, well, Buffy and Anya? That would just be scary - they'd kill each other!
Angst: Huh? What angst?
Part 1
"I can't stand this anymore!"
Willow and Tara just watched Anya pace back and forth across the Magic Box floor. They had never seen the ex-demon this agitated before.
Anya stopped pacing and turned on the two witches, putting her hand on her hips. "Well?"
Willow and Tara shared a confused look. "Okay, I'll bite," Willow said after a moment, looking back at Anya. "Well, what?"
"What do you mean, 'well what?'" Anya said in exasperation, now tapping her foot impatiently.
"It's like we're playing who's on first," Tara grumbled quietly.
Willow smirked. Even Tara, with her infinite patience, had had her fill of Anya's crankiness.
"Anya-" Willow started to say.
"Are you not my friends? When I'm troubled, are you not supposed to comfort me? Go out for coffee with me? Give me a facial? Take me shopping?" Anya was shouting now.
"Um, okay?" Willow said uncertainly. "You want us to take you shopping?"
"God, no!" Anya laughed. "Just look at the clothes you two pick out for yourselves! You'd probably have me wearing a sailor suit with a 'Hello, Kitty!' t-shirt underneath!"
"What's wrong with our clothes?" Willow said defensively, looking down at her black and yellow striped skirt and yellow t-shirt with the big happy puppy on the front.
"I think you look cute," Tara said, patting Willow's arm soothingly.
Willow flashed a look at Tara. "Oh, no, missy. She was talking to both of us. That means you too."
Tara looked down at her own outfit and frowned.
"Oh, no baby! I didn't mean... you don't look bad... I mean... you know I think green tye-dye goes with anything... especially orange checks... really, baby! I love the way you look... I mean, not that anyone doesn't love the way you look... I mean-"
Tara cut off Willow-babble with a quick yet firm kiss. Tara knew their fashion sense was, well, quirky, to say the least. Their mutual quirkiness in this regard was one of the things she loved most about their relationship.
"Will you two knock it off!" Anya shouted. "We're helping me here, remember? It's all about me!"
Willow rolled her eyes and Tara giggled, turning back to the ex-demon.
"Okay, Anya, what's the problem?" Willow asked as politely as possible.
"You know perfectly well what the problem is!" Anya shouted. Actually, it was more like a shriek.
Willow cringed, rubbing her finger in her ear and checking to make sure she hadn't broken an ear drum.
"Xander?" Tara asked, taking over the questioning for her now partially deaf girlfriend.
Anya nodded, biting her lower lip, which had started to tremble.
"Oh, honey," Tara said, rushing over to hug the ex-demon, who was now sobbing hysterically.
Honey? Willow thought, pouting internally. I'm the only one she's supposed to call honey! Willow sighed. She supposed she should be gracious about it. After all, Anya was really upset because...
"And he left me! He. Left. Me!" Anya hiccuped between sobs, and then buried her face into Tara's shoulder, practically knocking the blonde over.
Tara just patted Anya's shoulder and looked helplessly at Willow. The redhead shook her head, but Tara raised her eyebrow and put on her resolve face. Willow sighed and stood up. She never could refuse Tara.
"Anya, he didn't leave you," Willow started to explain for the hundreth time. Well, it was actually the eighty-seventh time in the last three days, but still...
"Yef h'did." Anya's whine was muffled by Tara's shoulder.
Willow groaned, but continued. "No, he didn't. He just went out of town, Anya. On a construction job. So he can make extra money which he will bring home to you next week!"
Anya let out a wail and continued to sob. Willow threw her hand sup in the air. "Why do I even bother?" she asked no one in particular.
"Why do you even bother with what, Wil?" Buffy answered as she walked in the door. Then she saw the sobbing ex-demon clinging to the helpless blonde, added that together with the red-faced redhead, and she knew.
"Oh. Xander again," Buffy said, nodding at her own understanding.
"Baaahhhhh!" Anya cried, balling even harder at the mention of her boyfriend's name.
Willow turned on Buffy. "Tell me again why we can't call Giles?" Willow demanded.
"Because," Buffy explained again, "he's in England, meeting with the Watcher's Council, having a stuffy-old time bonding with his books and his Brits."
"So?" Willow challenged.
"Come on, Wil. Don't you think that's punishment enough? I mean this," she said, waving her hand at Anya, "I wouldn't even wish this on Spike."
"I guess..." Willow said, reluctantly. "So what are we going to do? I don't know how much more I can take before I turn her into a rat."
"Willow!" Tara warned.
"Sorry," Willow said, her head hanging down slightly in shame. But just slightly.
"Well, actually I've been thinking about that," Buffy said. She really wasn't sure how they would all take what she was about to suggest.
"What?" Willow said excitedly. "Anything! I'll do anything! Just please make her stop crying! I can't take it anymore!"
Buffy smiled. "Remember you said that."
"Uh-oh," Tara said. Willow barely even noticed.
"Come on, Buff. Spill it," Willow said.
"Well, I think what she could use - what we all could use - is some good old fashioned female bonding time," Buffy said, punctuating her plan with a nod.
Anya lifted her head and sniffled, then grinned slightly. "Bonding time?"
Willow gulped. "Bonding time?"
"Assume crash positions," Tara said quietly, but with a hint of amusement.
"Yeah, bonding time," Buffy said, stepping up to Willow. "It's obvious Anya is just lonely with Xander gone. What she needs are her friends. A little concentrated female-centered fun."
"Um, Buff? I like Anya and all but, um, not in, um, that way," Willow said uncertainly.
"Willow! Get your head out of the gutter," Buffy chastized. "I meant female-centered in a strictly platonic, girl-power, sorority-sister kind of way."
"Oh," Willow said, visibly relieved. "What, you mean like a slumber party or something?"
"Well, kinda," Buffy said, grinning. "A prolonged slumber party. In the woods."
"Huh?" Willow was now thoroughly confused. And worried.
"Camping trip," Buffy said simply.
"Ooooo, with tents and campfires and marshmellows?" Anya asked excitedly.
Buffy nodded, looking to Tara for approval. The blonde witch nodded enthusiastically. Then three sets of eyes turned to Willow, who's own eyes were wide as saucers.
"You mean... the four of us... in the woods... together... for days?" Willow gulped again.
"Come on, Wil, it'll be fun!" Buffy pleaded. "I mean, Anya needs this. I think we all do. Besides, you and I could use some one-on-one best friend time, which would give Anya and Tara a chance to bond. And all of us together? What could go wrong?"
Willow cringed. Yeah, right. What could go wrong? she asked herself sarcastically. She had to admit, though, Buffy did have a point. It seemed like the only time she and Buffy spent together anymore was about research or Scooby meetings or slaying. They really hadn't had any quality best friend time lately.
Willow looked over to Tara, who was giving her best puppy-dog expression. The redhead knew Tara and Anya had become fairly good friends, having bonded over their mutual outsider origins. Willow hated the fact that even after all this time, Tara still felt a bit like an outsider. This camping trip might just be the thing her lover needed to break that illusion for good. And sleeping next to Tara under the stars certainly couldn't be put in the category of bad ways to spend my time, she thought.
"Oh, all right," Willow said finally.
Anya, Tara, and Buffy all whooped in celebration and ran over to the startled redhead and pounced, enveloping her into an enormous group hug.
"Um, guys? Oxygen. Becoming an issue."
The three women giggled and released Willow, who couldn't help but smile at her friends' enthusiasm.
"So when do we leave?" Willow asked.
"The sooner, the better," Buffy answered. "Dawn won't be back from her Janice's family's cabin until Friday, so I need to be back by Thursday night. If we leave tomorrow morning, we'd have tomorrow night plus four full days, then we drive back Thursday afternoon."
"What about patrol?" Tara asked.
"I'll get Spike to take over. A little money, a little blood, and a little smacking around - yeah, he'll do it," Buffy said happily, cracking her knuckles.
"Anya, who's going to run the shop?" Willow asked.
"I'll close it!" Anya said, running behind the counter to grab the "closed" sign.
Everyone gaped at the ex-demon.
"Um, you're going to, um, close the shop? Voluntarily? And miss out on all that money?" Buffy asked, stunned. The one thing she hadn't thought of was what Anya would do about the Magic Box.
"Yes. Do you really think I'd miss out on my very first female-bonding time vacation? Please! That's at least worth the potential sales I'll miss out on," Anya said happily. "Besides, you all can help me with the "Sorry We Were Closed But Now We're Open Again" sale we're going to have when we get back!"
Willow groaned, and then shook her head in amazement. "Okay, then. I guess we should go home and pack?" Willow suggested. "I mean we need tents and sleeping bags and bug spray and canteens and marshmellows and... oh!... I need a flannel shirt!"
"Oh, great. No, no stereotypes there," Anya snorted. "Okay, butch."
Willow glared at Anya, but it was soon forgotten when Tara whispered in her ear, "I think you look sexy in flannel."
Willow blushed, then grabbed Tara's hand and rushed out the door to go home and "pack."
"This should be an interesting vacation," Buffy said.
********************
"And remember... if you hurt her I will beat you to death with a shovel. A vague disclaimer's nobody's friend. Have fun!"
Edited by: xita
at: 10/27/02 1:18:28 pm
and 
under the stars. Awww... 
Heh...
WOLFLORD 
Thanks...And Hey! I loved the update...stupid Buffy. She should now better than separating them! 
at: 6/30/02 9:59:40 pm