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lyl_devilTitle: In Another Life (9/22+Epilogue)
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lyl_devil
Rating: PG-15
Fandom: BtVS, Numb3rs
Pairing: Willow/Don
Beta:strangevisitor7 & kallie_kat
Words: ~36,000 (as of Dec 4, 2008)
Disclaimer: I don’t own either show. I just like to play in their sandboxes.
Summary: Every action has a consequence and every deal comes with a price. Willow’s life is wiped clean, so she makes a new one for herself in LA.
Master Post
Note: I don’t claim to know anything about magic, medicine or the FBI – what I didn’t pick up from tv and books, I made up.
~!~
Part 9
For once, Willow was having the time of her life at a company party. The music was good, the people were interesting to talk to - when they weren't talking about work - and the hors d'oeuvres were delicious. But then, that was par for the course when Arctic Morgan threw an extravagant party. The difference this time was that she had someone to share it with.
Don was an excellent date, and was proving to be a master at small talk. Willow figured he'd honed his skills at many functions like this over the years, as well as his years of interrogating suspects. No matter the origin, she loved him for that. He managed to steer away from embarrassing or personal conversations, moving them from group to group in a timely fashion until she realized they'd spoken to most of the people in the room.
All this was interspersed with the occasional dance, where Don would sweep her onto the floor and hold her close. She was enjoying this party far more than any in the past, and it was all because of Don.
When the CEO had done the official release announcement earlier, Don had held her hand the entire time, making her heart beat like mad. It was a common experience since they'd officially become a couple. Willow had felt like a thirteen year old in love with her first crush, ever since that first dinner as a 'couple', and didn't know what to make of it. She supposed in some ways she was like that sappy thirteen year old, this being her first real romantic relationship that she could remember. She couldn’t help that being near him made her feel all immature and girly. Her heart sped up every time Don did something boyfriend-like, and her mind kept drawing out elaborate fantasies of their rose-coloured future. Every time she said 'boyfriend' out loud, she couldn't stop the ridiculously sappy smile and giggle that emerged.
Milo was getting sick of it, but his girlfriend Patty thought it was cute.
Don just smiled and kissed her.
"Ready for something to eat?" he asked her as they left the dance floor.
"Please."
They were waylaid enroute to the food table by Jack Munroe, the CEO of Arctic Morgan, and his wife.
"Ms Rosenberg, it's good to see you here tonight," he said, motioning for drinks from a passing waiter.
"And you brought a date," teased his wife.
"Now, Annalise, don't embarrass the girl," he chided.
"This is Don Eppes. Don, this is Jack and Annalise Munroe - he's the CEO of Arctic Morgan," Willow introduced.
"Ah, yes. Willow's mentioned you," said Don, shaking their hands.
“Really? Well she's never mentioned you,” said Jack, giving Don a thorough look over, as if determining his worthiness. Jack was a little over protective of her at times, but Willow was rarely bothered by it.
“Oh, Jack,” laughed his wife, hitting him lightly on the arm. “Willow rarely talks about her private life.”
“True, true,” laughed Jack, and Willow felt herself smile. She'd met these two her first day at Arctic Morgan, and hadn't realized until later that it was an unusual occurrence. They'd taken a personal interest in her from the start, and it was apparently on Jack's approval that she'd gotten that first contract position. Her history made her a problematic hire, as she'd discovered at the FBI. But Jack had taken a chance on her, for which she'd be forever grateful.
“Have you given any more thought to our proposal?” asked Jack, turning serious for a moment. He was a hands-on manager, keeping track of every project the company had going. Willow knew it was a rare occurrence for the CEO to have knowledge and understanding of each project his company was working on, but it had worked successfully for the last fifteen years.
“I'm still thinking it over,” she told him as diplomatically as possible.
“What's this?” asked Don, turning to look at her questioningly.
“We've asked Willow here, to start work on a stalled project full-time,” said Jack. “We're still waiting to hear her answer.”
“Willow? That's great news,” said Don, sounding happy and excited for her. She was happy and excited, but was stalling on making a firm decision. “Isn't it?”
“No, it is. It's great,” she said, casting a quick glance to the older couple. “I just – it would mean leaving the FBI.”
Don met her eyes, and for a moment it felt like they were the only two in a room full of people. Her heart started to beat faster when he smiled, and she wondered why she'd been so scared to tell him. Don looked happy for her, and confused by her reluctance.
“Willow, this sounds like a great opportunity,” he said. Don knew how much not being able to get a college degree had hurt her job prospects, but here and at the FBI they'd overlooked that, willing to hire her based on her skills, not her education. And now she was being given the chance to further her career even more. “You should take it.”
“Really?” she asked, her pulse starting to race. “I – we won't be in the same building, anymore,” she finished off lamely.
“Easy lunch dates are no reason to turn this down,” he said, squeezing her hand and smiling.
Her hesitation was really more about the huge change her life was about to take. She'd be going from three jobs to one, already having given her two weeks at the Java Bean. That job had never been about the money, but learning to deal with a wide range of people. However, even before starting this thing with Don, she'd found her free time in short supply. Her life was no longer about work, meeting people and learning about what she had lost. She had good friends, hobbies, co-workers, and now a boyfriend.
She'd been ready to leave the Java Bean, but hadn't even considered moving on from the FBI. Don was right; this opportunity was too good to let pass because it wasn't simply another contract. Jack and the others in the original meeting had made it clear that they wanted to hire her on full-time. This was a long-term offer, and would provide some stability in her life, both financially and professionally.
“Okay,” she said, smiling at Don in return. Turning to Jack and Annalise, she said, “Okay. I'll do it.”
The smile on Jack's face was warming, and Willow felt like she was dancing on air. This night was turning into the perfect evening, and it seemed like nothing could go wrong.
“Excellent! You'll need to sign some papers and fill out some forms--” began Jack, who was always so captivating when talking about a new project or idea.
"Oh Jack, talk about that next Monday. Let's not monopolize the young couple with talk of work," chided Annalise. "I'm sure they want to get back to dancing."
"Actually, I was going to go see how the guys were doing," Willow said with a big smile she couldn't seem to wipe off her face. She motioned to the cluster of twenty-something men in the back of the ballroom who were too engrossed in their discussion to realize a party was going on around them. "I promised I'd dance with them if they'd refrain from getting into a slap-fight over C++ versus Java."
"And for that we are all heartily grateful," said Jack, clearly remembering the Christmas party.
Giving Don's hand a last squeeze, she started to head towards her co-workers.
Of course, that was when the gunfire started.
End Part 9
Part 10
Author:
lyl_devilRating: PG-15
Fandom: BtVS, Numb3rs
Pairing: Willow/Don
Beta:
strangevisitor7 & kallie_katWords: ~36,000 (as of Dec 4, 2008)
Disclaimer: I don’t own either show. I just like to play in their sandboxes.
Summary: Every action has a consequence and every deal comes with a price. Willow’s life is wiped clean, so she makes a new one for herself in LA.
Master Post
Note: I don’t claim to know anything about magic, medicine or the FBI – what I didn’t pick up from tv and books, I made up.
~!~
Part 9
For once, Willow was having the time of her life at a company party. The music was good, the people were interesting to talk to - when they weren't talking about work - and the hors d'oeuvres were delicious. But then, that was par for the course when Arctic Morgan threw an extravagant party. The difference this time was that she had someone to share it with.
Don was an excellent date, and was proving to be a master at small talk. Willow figured he'd honed his skills at many functions like this over the years, as well as his years of interrogating suspects. No matter the origin, she loved him for that. He managed to steer away from embarrassing or personal conversations, moving them from group to group in a timely fashion until she realized they'd spoken to most of the people in the room.
All this was interspersed with the occasional dance, where Don would sweep her onto the floor and hold her close. She was enjoying this party far more than any in the past, and it was all because of Don.
When the CEO had done the official release announcement earlier, Don had held her hand the entire time, making her heart beat like mad. It was a common experience since they'd officially become a couple. Willow had felt like a thirteen year old in love with her first crush, ever since that first dinner as a 'couple', and didn't know what to make of it. She supposed in some ways she was like that sappy thirteen year old, this being her first real romantic relationship that she could remember. She couldn’t help that being near him made her feel all immature and girly. Her heart sped up every time Don did something boyfriend-like, and her mind kept drawing out elaborate fantasies of their rose-coloured future. Every time she said 'boyfriend' out loud, she couldn't stop the ridiculously sappy smile and giggle that emerged.
Milo was getting sick of it, but his girlfriend Patty thought it was cute.
Don just smiled and kissed her.
"Ready for something to eat?" he asked her as they left the dance floor.
"Please."
They were waylaid enroute to the food table by Jack Munroe, the CEO of Arctic Morgan, and his wife.
"Ms Rosenberg, it's good to see you here tonight," he said, motioning for drinks from a passing waiter.
"And you brought a date," teased his wife.
"Now, Annalise, don't embarrass the girl," he chided.
"This is Don Eppes. Don, this is Jack and Annalise Munroe - he's the CEO of Arctic Morgan," Willow introduced.
"Ah, yes. Willow's mentioned you," said Don, shaking their hands.
“Really? Well she's never mentioned you,” said Jack, giving Don a thorough look over, as if determining his worthiness. Jack was a little over protective of her at times, but Willow was rarely bothered by it.
“Oh, Jack,” laughed his wife, hitting him lightly on the arm. “Willow rarely talks about her private life.”
“True, true,” laughed Jack, and Willow felt herself smile. She'd met these two her first day at Arctic Morgan, and hadn't realized until later that it was an unusual occurrence. They'd taken a personal interest in her from the start, and it was apparently on Jack's approval that she'd gotten that first contract position. Her history made her a problematic hire, as she'd discovered at the FBI. But Jack had taken a chance on her, for which she'd be forever grateful.
“Have you given any more thought to our proposal?” asked Jack, turning serious for a moment. He was a hands-on manager, keeping track of every project the company had going. Willow knew it was a rare occurrence for the CEO to have knowledge and understanding of each project his company was working on, but it had worked successfully for the last fifteen years.
“I'm still thinking it over,” she told him as diplomatically as possible.
“What's this?” asked Don, turning to look at her questioningly.
“We've asked Willow here, to start work on a stalled project full-time,” said Jack. “We're still waiting to hear her answer.”
“Willow? That's great news,” said Don, sounding happy and excited for her. She was happy and excited, but was stalling on making a firm decision. “Isn't it?”
“No, it is. It's great,” she said, casting a quick glance to the older couple. “I just – it would mean leaving the FBI.”
Don met her eyes, and for a moment it felt like they were the only two in a room full of people. Her heart started to beat faster when he smiled, and she wondered why she'd been so scared to tell him. Don looked happy for her, and confused by her reluctance.
“Willow, this sounds like a great opportunity,” he said. Don knew how much not being able to get a college degree had hurt her job prospects, but here and at the FBI they'd overlooked that, willing to hire her based on her skills, not her education. And now she was being given the chance to further her career even more. “You should take it.”
“Really?” she asked, her pulse starting to race. “I – we won't be in the same building, anymore,” she finished off lamely.
“Easy lunch dates are no reason to turn this down,” he said, squeezing her hand and smiling.
Her hesitation was really more about the huge change her life was about to take. She'd be going from three jobs to one, already having given her two weeks at the Java Bean. That job had never been about the money, but learning to deal with a wide range of people. However, even before starting this thing with Don, she'd found her free time in short supply. Her life was no longer about work, meeting people and learning about what she had lost. She had good friends, hobbies, co-workers, and now a boyfriend.
She'd been ready to leave the Java Bean, but hadn't even considered moving on from the FBI. Don was right; this opportunity was too good to let pass because it wasn't simply another contract. Jack and the others in the original meeting had made it clear that they wanted to hire her on full-time. This was a long-term offer, and would provide some stability in her life, both financially and professionally.
“Okay,” she said, smiling at Don in return. Turning to Jack and Annalise, she said, “Okay. I'll do it.”
The smile on Jack's face was warming, and Willow felt like she was dancing on air. This night was turning into the perfect evening, and it seemed like nothing could go wrong.
“Excellent! You'll need to sign some papers and fill out some forms--” began Jack, who was always so captivating when talking about a new project or idea.
"Oh Jack, talk about that next Monday. Let's not monopolize the young couple with talk of work," chided Annalise. "I'm sure they want to get back to dancing."
"Actually, I was going to go see how the guys were doing," Willow said with a big smile she couldn't seem to wipe off her face. She motioned to the cluster of twenty-something men in the back of the ballroom who were too engrossed in their discussion to realize a party was going on around them. "I promised I'd dance with them if they'd refrain from getting into a slap-fight over C++ versus Java."
"And for that we are all heartily grateful," said Jack, clearly remembering the Christmas party.
Giving Don's hand a last squeeze, she started to head towards her co-workers.
Of course, that was when the gunfire started.
End Part 9
Part 10