The Power of Love
By The Senshi of Valis & 5hadow Lady
It was Sunday morning, the last day off from school for the weekend when the new Vandom sisters sat at the table eating breakfast with their mother. A mother who wasn't too sure what to do after staying up most of the night thinking about how to explain the newest addition to their small family. Of course she could say Willow was Will's cousin but there simply no records of the girl. No social security records, no school records and no medical records. And after thinking about it, if Willow was originally supposed to be some magical clone of Will then it was safe to bet that they had the same finger prints and most likely the exact same DNA.
This didn't mean that she was giving up, she may have known Willow for a single night but she loved the young red head. She was as much her daughter as Will was and even though they were supposed to be the same they acted so differently. Will acted more like a tomboy while Willow acted the complete opposite. That wasn't the only opposites though, while Will seemed to be doing a lot better Willow was having a hard time as what that bastard did haunted her relentlessly making her waking hours miserable and her sleeping hours unbearable. Will seemed to hide what she was feeling for the most part while Willow didn't a whole lot.
"Mom…I've been thinking about it and…Can I please go see that therapist?" Willow asked shyly while playing with her scrambled eggs, pushing them back and forth with her fork.
"Of course you can honey, I'll call and make an appointment for as soon as possible." Susan said, "Would you like to go to Will?" Susan asked.
"I don't want to see some damned counselor." Will said finishing her breakfast, "Besides, I have too much to do right now with the pet shop."
"Will, it's nice that you are spending so much time helping out but you need time for yourself." Susan said.
"It's my damn fault he is as sick as he is now mom, I am not going to abandon him when he needs me!" Will snapped.
"Will!" Willow gasped, "Please don't…"
"Look, I'm sorry I snapped but I have to go or I'll be late." Will said pushing away from the table and leaving angrily. Susan wanted to go after her but Willow seemed to need her more at the moment.
"Are you okay, dear?" Susan asked moving to sit by Willow and pulling her into a hug.
"I…I don't know, mom…" Willow said a little tensely, "What…What are you going to do if this goes all the way to trial?"
"What do you mean, Willow?" Susan asked a little confused.
"If they call you to the stand…Will you…Will you really testify against him?" Willow asked, tears falling freely as she trembled a little. Susan hugged her tighter swearing to herself to tear that bastard to pieces if she ever got her hands on him. She had to wonder if Will was truthfully thinking the same thing as well, it was just so hard to tell but it scared her to think it was possible. She felt as if she was on the verge of losing Will completely as well as losing Willow, the daughter she just gained.
"Honey, I want to see that bastard pay for what he did to you." Susan said stroking Willow's hair, cursing herself once again for the choices she made since coming to Heatherfield and the trouble that it caused between mother and daughter.
"I'm sorry, mom…I just…I'm scared of being abandoned again…" Willow cried clutching Susan's shirt. "I…I don't want you to hate me…I don't want to…"
"Shh…I promise you I won't abandon you." Susan whispered into her new daughter's hair as she herself began to cry. What had she done to Will, in extension to Willow. Will must have felt the same was at least at some point and to some extent. Had she already lost Will, was it too late to get her daughter back and fix their relationship? "I…I love you so much Willow…I love you both so much and I'm so sorry for everything that I've done…This…It's all my fault…"
XXXXXXXXXX
Will walked quietly to the pet shop ignoring everything as she walked not wanting to deal with everything else. She was so tired of everything, her so called friends, her mother…her very life. She didn't know why she was feeling this way but ever since she woke up that morning she had been in a dark mood. She had a dreams during the night of Phil which had to her growing suspicions of him being Phobos himself. He betrayed her in her dreams, stealing the heart and destroying her heart at the same time when he laughed at her and forced himself on her. She was starting to feel he was only tying to betray her like everyone else had done recently one way or another.
Then again, her mom was acting so differently lately, no longer ignoring her and doting on Mr. Collins. A part of her blamed her mother for what he did to her, she couldn't help it after everything that happened recently. She knew her mother loved her and wanted to help, she even loved her mother but knowing and feeling where two completely different things and right now all she cold feel was the depression growing stronger turner her very thoughts darker. A part of her wandered if perhaps the counselor would be a good idea to go see, maybe they could help her sort her thoughts and feelings out where she was finding it difficult to do so.
Finally making it to the store she pulled the keys out and unlocked it going inside while still ignoring everything as she closed the door and locked it behind her. She screamed when a pair of arms circled her around the waist from behind and drew her into a masculine chest.
"Its me, Will, I'm not going to hurt you." Phil whispered as she struggled in his arms, finally turning around to come face to face with her nightmares from last night.
"Wh-What are you doing here?" Will asked a little fearfully, looking into his kind and gentle eyes which started to relax her.
"Mr. Olsen was here earlier when I showed up so I helped him clean up and he went home." Phil explained, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her eye while still holding her around the waist with his other arm. "I stayed to tell you and hopefully spend a little time with you."
"Why…Why would you want to?" Will asked a little surprised, at both him and herself as she actually found the prospect of spending time with him appealing even though she was still a little frightened of him from her dream.
"Because I want to get to know more about you." Phil said softly, honesty in his expressive eyes. "You intrigue me…I've never met anyone who made me feel the things you do. I…I don't really understand it…I want to though…"
"You are probably feeling disgust…" Will said, a little jokingly though a little seriously as she thought about it. How couldn't he not be disgusted with her?
"I don't think so…If it was disgust I would know…I would never have rescued that child from that man…I probably wouldn't have even gave the scene a second look." Phil said leaning his face a little closer to Will's.
"Wh-What child?" Will asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" Phil said sadly.
"Try me." Will said, feeling his warm breath on her face. She was torn between kneeing him in the groin and leaning in to kiss him. She should be disgusted by how close he was to her, she hated the thought of him forcing her to do anything. And yet…She felt safe in his arms, loved and wanting to love him.
"I…I haven't been a very good person in my life because of what happened in my childhood. I let hate freeze my heart as I made the people who hurt me pay then I met this beautiful girl who melted the ice around my heart and made me see the things around me again. I found this man striking a small girl and…And I looked at her face…She reminded me so much of this girl and I refused to let him hurt her anymore so I stopped it. I…I started thinking about the pain I went through as a child, the pain the Goddess was in and the pain that child was in. I decided to stop trying to get vengeance and decided it was better to try and make a better world, to protect the ones who are close to me…I want to…I want to protect you…" Phil said, his speech sounded so truthful but it made Will certain of one thing, this was Prince Phobos.
"Do you recognize this?" Will asked pulling away from him and pulling out the Heart of Candracar.
"The Heart…" Phil gasped in shock, "You…You are a guardian…"
"Just take it." Will cried as she slammed it against his chest and turned away from him. She hugged herself tightly knowing that he was probably going to attack her now, finish her off while she was at her weakest. She was surprised when she didn't feel an attack, instead he gently turned her around and slipped the Heart back around her neck.
"I no longer want the Heart of Candracar." Phil whispered, stroking her cheek, then taking hold of her face gently while wiping the tears away with his thumbs. "The only heart I want is yours…"
Will didn't have time to respond when he captured her lips in a gentle, loving kiss. At first she started to struggle angrily until she actually found herself not only returning the kiss but deepening it. She wasn't sure how long they were there, locked deeply in a kiss but the banging on the front door brought them out of their tender moment.
"I…I'm sorry if I…" Phil started.
"Don't be sorry." Will said touching her lips, "I…I liked it."
"Will, please open up if you're in there." Irma's voice came from the other side of the door.
"I'm coming already, give me a minute will you!" Will called back while rubbing her eyes before giving Phil…Phobos a look that said, "I'm Sorry."
"Its okay, I'll be in the back so you can talk to your friend if you want." Phobos said.
"Thanks, I…I want to talk some after she leaves." Will said softly. She went to open the door as Phobos disappeared through the door to the back room and let an upset Irma into the pet shop.
"Will, is it true that you took that little girl back to the prince of evil?" Irma asked worriedly.
"Yep, she missed her father so I returned her." Will said.
"Will, he wasn't her father!" Irma snapped, a little anger in her voice.
"Yes he was, as far as I'm concerned he is a better father than a man who hits his own daughter for nothing." Will said angrily, was Irma turning on her now too? Of course she was, she was probably never really on her side anyways…
"What do you mean?" Irma asked a little shocked.
"I don't have to defend myself, Irma." Will said, "I did what I felt was right at the time."
"Will…Do you think that maybe you just wasn't thinking straight…You've been through a lot recently…" Irma said sadly.
"Irma, I didn't ask to suddenly have a child dropped on me out of the middle of nowhere when it should have been Caleb watching her if he was so worried about her." Will said, "The kid's dad beats the hell out of her and Phobos saved her from it…What would you rather me do, take her back to an abusive father or a man who cared enough to stop it?"
"But Phobos…" Irma started, pausing when trying to figure out what to say.
"Has changed, Irma…Face it, we are out of a job." Will sighed.
"Will, there is no way someone like that can just change overnight." Irma said.
"Irma, please just go for now." Will sighed, "I…I need some time to myself. I have a lot to think about."
"If you want I can stay…It helps having someone to talk to." Irma said.
"Irma…No offense but right now I don't know who to trust…" Will said sadly, "I can't trust my mom really…I can't trust you guys…I don't even really trust myself. I just need some time alone, please."
"If you're sure." Irma said sadly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"I…I do care for all of you." Will sighed hugging Irma, "I just need to sort out everything…Please understand…"
"Okay, but if you need anything just call me." Irma said.
"I will." Will promised before letting Irma leave.
XXXXXXXXXX
AN: Sorry for the delay in updates, I really am trying to at least do 2 a week but depending on the type of week at school (Yes I have to do one more year because of some stuff beyond my control) I may not be able to keep to that schedule. I have not abandoned any of my stories but depending on what mood I'm in determines which story I work on. I will try not to start any new stories except for one that Brit and I are working on based on a story a friend of mine wrote, Sokai's "Requiem for a Dream" so check out the original in my fave stories or fave author's list and look for mine coming soon. Unfortunately, until I get caught up with some stuff I won't have time for much reading unless I want to fall back in writing and school work but I will be catching up on reading some of my fave author's and fave stories as soon as possible.
Until next Time,
Ja Ne