16608/How things come to pass.

How things come to pass.
Date of Scene:	09 November 2024
Location:	Harry Dresden's Office, Kingston Falls
Synopsis:	Willow confronts Harry, finds she is forgiven, and gets accepted to her doctorate program to boot!
Cast of Characters:	Harry Dresden, Willow Rosenberg

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Harry Dresden has posed:
What is worse than your girlfriend potentially being evil? Getting dragged from the city in the middle of that by the only thing that might do it. A coin turned up, three of them actually. Harry dispatched the knights, Molly, and Sabrina on a mission so there wasn't much he could do except go himself.

Opening the door and lowering the wards and he sighs,"Well that was a waste. One out of three I guess." Closing the door and the wards he mutters softly,"Flicum biccus." Candles spring to life in the office area,"Next disaster."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
There a soft knock at the door.

*tap tap tap*

Barely a sound.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Sighing softly, Harry doesn't look yet. Just the timing of it all,"You can't say you didn't ask for that one." He turns towards the door and notices the one at the door. He pauses and studies her a moment, his shield bracelet falling to his wrist almost on reflex.

He studies her for a long moment and takes in what he sees. The hair, the not crazy evil aura. Touching his forehead, his third eye opens and he studies her for a moment longer.

Finally he walks to the door and waves a hand, lowering the wards. Opening the door he studies a moment longer,"Willow. You're you again. I've missed you." He motions her into the office.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"I brought steak sandwiches and beer from Mac's. I didn't know if you had eaten.. You don't have to invite me in. I get it. But I wanted you to hear it from me."

Willow lets go a breath. "It's a long story. And I'm not the same as I was then - before Dark Willow. I figure you have all the reasons to dump me. And you kinda earned the chance to do it to my face. Oh, Mac says your monthly bill is due."

Harry Dresden has posed:
"I haven't eaten. Come in and have a seat." he tells her. He's gruff most of the time, but he is trying to not be totally gruff,"My third eye showed me you aren't carrying the specter of her with you, but there will be a shade that follows you. Nobody understands that better than me."

He goes to the desk and lets her follow if she wants,"There are reasons yes. For those that haven't seen what we have. I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't give up on my friends. One would think you of all people would be the most worthy of a battle."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow follows him into the office. Where she smiles a lopsided smile at him. "You also had the biggest reason to be angry with me. I wasn't very.. good.. when you last saw me."

She takes up the seat across from him. "I had Mac throw in a cheese sandwich. I figured if you threw me out it wasn't very expensive. I got two beers, though. One for both of us. Beer never goes to waste here!" A laugh almost escapes her.

"It's a little more complex than a shade. You still may not want to go out with me? I can try to explain?"

All the while she divies up the meal. "Pickles?

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Always had a soft spot for the bad girls." he replies. That hasn't ever been proven true. Most of his past relationships were simlar to Willow before. Still.

Once she settles he tells her,"You bring food. You know that is a step in the right direction." He smirks at her comment about the beer and nods,"You seem to have things figured out. The third eye shows me a lot and I know you have a lot going on."

He nods once more and adds,"Pickles yes and I would be interested to hear what you have to say about it."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow cuts the pickle in half, and takes the bigger half for herself. ..That is new!

"Well, the Coles notes is Dark Willow isn't a shade. She's me. The part of me I keep hidden away. The darker side. The powerful side. The side who is moody. And selfish at times. In some ways she was.. is.. more human than I was."

"I'm still feeling my way around having her be a part of me. But if I can't find a way to embrace that portion of my entity, I think she will just take over me for good. She knows me too well."

Harry Dresden has posed:
If he notices the pickle situation he doesn't indicate it. Instead he listens to her and lets her get it out. He opens his beer and takes a drink,"Better Cole's notes than Cole's law." he mutters.

He considers longer and nods,"Everyon has touched their dark side. We're all in danger of being corrupted. The loose comparison to the two wolves in the soul of every person comes to mind. Still."

The concept of her being taken over gets a hint of a scowl,"Then I suggest we get Bob back here and look at ways to make sure she doesn't take you over for good. He will likely know of ways to balance things despite his own unhinged personality."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Not all people go to my extremes to keep their dark side hidden. It's just.. My whole life the only way I got love, or acceptance was by being smart. Not speaking up. Hiding in the shadow, while other people got the kudos. Being wishy-washy, and let other people make up my mind for me. In some ways I was just as guilty as the people who walked all over me. And when Buffy was ..different?" Those first few years of university, that still needed to be explained properly. "I spun out of control."

"Then Dracula happened. And the Book. And you were there. It wasn't pretty."

"Bob would be helpful. And I think Wanda offered. She has gone through similar before. It still feels like my body is someone else's. With Dark Willow my boundaries are ever widened. I feel like I only lived in one room in a mansion and suddenly I found the door. Like that. Only bigger."

Only a magic user could understand what she means.

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Did you only get the love and acceptance because of that or is it because you perceived it that way." he asks. Not being a smart mouth, just asking,"Make no mistake if you and I are to move forward together you and I are a partnership. I don't expect you to expect me to make up your mind. We're partners. 50/50."

He raises a brow at the mention of Dracula, but for now laves it there,"I'm not expecting pretty all the time. Just an honest partnership. No teacher/student. No lesser half. You and I are equal. We both have our strengths and you have yours. You have to accept that."

The mention of Wanda gets a quirked brow,"Always be willing to learn from others. Well others that mean you well. As for Bob it will take time to get him back here. I will get calls put out. Just time to see your boundaries. Beyond time you took over the mansion."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"It's not that simple. My being with you is such a short period of my entire life. There have been things that have been building up my whole life, regardless of how good you have been for me. With me. I'm not blaming you. I'm trying to explain myself so you can understand."

Willow picked up her sandwich, but doesn't eat it yet.

"I was so screwed up, eventually what we had got twisted around. And I am sorry for that. The mess with Buffy started picking at my ego? Rack built it up. But the Book finished it."

Harry Dresden has posed:
He nods and listens to her talk. Sometimes the best thing to do is let someone talk for a while. If she wants to explain then he can shut up and listen. He picks up his sandwich finally and takes a bite.

The mention of Rack gets a raised eyebrow. A dark cloud crosses his features and she might get the impression that Rack had better be long gone. Magic can corrupt, he knows this so he lets her have her say.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow notes Harry's raised eyebrows at the mention of Rack. "I know that now! And knowing that Dracula told me about him should have told me everything I needed to know about him. Just.."

"it wasn't the first time I went to someone who I probably shouldn't have. Tala. She was my mentor for a time. She said I was more powerful than I believed. I think she was planning on using me. For a while, though, she made me feel good. In a rather icky way."

Harry Dresden has posed:
He raises his beer to his lips and takes a drink. A nod and he agrees,"Not the best crowd, but I have dealt with vampires in the past. Fae as well. I don't always make the right choices either." he admits.

He considers the last name, but doesn't comment. Either no opinion or now idea who she is. He listens to Willow unpack things and tries to keep interruptions to a minimum.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"That's not quite as helpful as you meant it. But it's a start?" Willow actually manages to smile lopsidedly. "I mean, I tried to look for the best in everyone. so I hung around with demons and vampires, and I was one of the Scoobies! We are supposed to banish them."

Harry Dresden has posed:
He shrugs and takes another bit of his sandwich,"Human nature. Looking for the best in people. Sometimes that works out. Sometimes it doesn't." he admits,"You're a human like the rest of us. Learn from the past and move on." Not the best at speeches.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow cants her head to the side.

And then, "You mean that, don't you? You aren't going to hold anything against me?" She boggles. "I was so angry with Buffy. Even when it was apparent that she didn't do it.. something made her forget. I really wanted to forgive her.."

And here she stops.

"I guess I didn't forgive her quite as well as I thought."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Shrugging, Harry replies,"I mean I can hold grudges with the best of them if you really want." He takes a drink and continues,"I've nearly killed some when I was angry. I did kill one that was. It nearly cost me my life."

"Was I breaking the world? Not yet. I could have wandered down that path too. Power is tempting and can corrupt the best of us. You will have to use your power and be mindful of the darkness that has shaded you, but better that than lose you fully. There were plans going into place that I didn't want to have to do."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Oh?" For a brief instant she was curious. And then everything clicked. "OH! Was I that bad?" Admittedly she didn't do much, but the darker part of herself was planning on doing Very Bad Things(trademark). She almost did things to Wanda. And to Buffy - she had been driven to the point of almost no return.

"I guess I ignored that part of myself thinking it was the better way. And now, I know it was cowardice.I'm not a good girl because I avoided bad, that just made it worse. To be good you have to face down your grayer sides, to know then, and still not do them. And because of the way I completely ignored them, I was ignoring what I should be. Dark Willow taught me that. She was so furious with me. I don't blame her."

Harry Dresden has posed:
"You were decidedly not your usual self." he replies with a smirk,"Everyone has a dark side. You will learn how to keep her power your own. What is more noble? Someone he is good and remains so or someone that over comes the darknss within."

He finishes his drink and admits,"You're a good girl because you over came the odds and didn't remain fallen." he continues,"Give people time and things will align back as they should."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"I hope so?" Willow is not absolutely convinced. "At least you have forgiven me? I was wondering how I could get my books back without you noticing. I thought.. well never mind what I thought. I have a lot of books in your apartment!"

"The trouble is, I missed the due date for my doctorate. So.." She shrugs.

Harry Dresden has posed:
"If I don't forgive you, there are plenty that don't have to forgive me. Besides. Sooner or later I am bound to do something stupid. You'll owe me one." he comments with a shrug.

He gets up and walks to the office area. He takes something from the desk and walks to her. He offers it and says,"I think this might interest you. I am not sure how it got here, but I don't ask questions."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"You might get away with two or three mistakes given mine!" Willow giggles. "We'll work it out."

She watches him go into the office, and return. Blinking, she held out her hand. "Must be something from the university. I put your address as an alternative. Probably my marks." She winces as she says that. "Near the end, my studies weren't exactly on the top of my list."

But the envelope looked important. More so than her final grades. "You don't think they booted me in my last semester? I know I wasn't paying attention, but I didn't think I was failing?"

She holds the envelope in her hands nervously.

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Two or three. I like that." he teases softly and looks at her. He knows they can't soul gaze anymore, but his third eye studies her for a moment. A nod and he says,"One way to find out. I can see you, but I can't see through that without some real magic."

He picks up a letter opener and hands it to her. He considers and adds,"Whatever happens, you will find a way. If you have to start a new one you'll do so with a unique perpective though I doubt it will come to that."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"No more than three, I think." Willow makes a mock stern gaze. Then laughs.

When Harry passes her the letter opener, she looks at the letter. "Yeah, I suppose. After all, it would be my own fault for doing the things I did. It would be the first time I failed at school." For Willow a B was a failure. Though this time she might be talking a F. That time was a bit muzzy in her memory.

"Here goes."

Slowly she ripped the envelope open, and blew it so that she could get the letter out.

"Ms. Rosenburg.. yada yada.. we are pleased to offer you one of the two spots in the dual sciences Computer and Maths in our prestigious university.. Please confirm.." Willow stopped. Read it again to herself. Then held it out for Harry to read. "I don't understand?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Three it is." he replies and goes to get a new microbrew.

"Take it as it comes. Don't invite trouble. Let it come if it will." he suggests.

When the reading is done and the letter offered he reads it,"College isn't my strong suit Willow, but it sounds like you have been accepted to the program." he muses,"Gift horse and all that."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"College isn't everybody's niche, you know. But what I can't remember is when I mailed in the application. It's a tough major to get into. Yet, there it is, in black and white.. holy cow! I'm going to earn my doctorate!"

Willow breaks out into a smile.