~*~
Willow’s class left after a successful lesson and Willow smiled to herself. Gage Petronzi hadn’t shown up, which wasn’t unusual
for him, so Willow didn’t worry about his earlier conflict with Xander. She’d have to give him an ‘F’
anyway since he hadn’t shown up for any of the tests they’d
written.
She
packed the stuff she needed to prepare the next lesson back into her backpack
and fished through one of the smaller pockets of the pack for her keys whenshe
saw him out of the corner of her eye.
“Oz?”
she asked with a weak smile as she turned to face him.
“Hey.”
He
didn’t say more. Just looked at her with his hands in
his pockets. He wore baggy black pants and a purple t-shirt that said 'I
was in Woodstock - I think.’ in big white letters. The silence
stretched into discomfort as they looked at each other.
“I’m
leaving Sunnydale.”
Willow fell back into her chair in shock at her
ex-boyfriend’s words. “Leave?”
“Early-Graduation test. I’m taking it tomorrow.”
“But
Oz, you can’t… I mean why?”
“Pretty much you.” He’d stopped looking at her and was now
inspecting his shoes.
“Oh.”
Willow felt so bad about hurting him. Apparently hurtinghim
so much that he wanted to leave… but there was no other way, staying with
him while she knew of her feelings for Buffy would have been just as wrong.
“I never meant to hurt you.”
“I
know.”
Silence
reigned over the room again. Willow felt like she was loosing him right
before her eyes and her heart ached at the prospect of loosing such a greatguy
as a friend. Again Oz broke the silence.
“It
wasn’t the wolf-thing, was it?” he asked and the vulnerability in
his voice hit Willow right between the eyes.
“Oh god, Oz. Never! I wouldn’t… It had nothing to do with our breakup,
please believe me.”
“I
know it must’ve been hard with me turning into… and you know, I
just thought you’d want a less-complicated relationship, part of me
always believed it.” It must have been the longest sentence Willow had ever heard him speak and all she
could do was shake her head and look into his eyes. What she saw in them was
doubt. Doubt in her and most of all himself.
“Oz. I like you, we have so much in common and you’re interesting and
I think if Buffy wasn’t there… My feelings for her, they were there
before I ever met you. Just like that stupid crush on Xander.
You waited till I was over him. It just wasn’t enough time to get over
Buffy, too. If we’d had more time… Iknow
I would have been very happy being your girlfriend. And somebody will be and
she’ll make you happy and she will love you and only you and won’t
have a bunch of feelings she’s only half-aware of and she won’t
hurt you…” Willow only stopped to take a deep breath and
Oz smiled.
“I’ll
miss you Willow Rosenberg.”
“No,
you won’t, because I have no intention of letting you go anywhere without
at least knowing your email address.”
He
smiled. “Give me time?”
“As much as you need.”
“Good.”
Without
another word he turned and left the room. It would be nearly a year before Willow would hear from him again.
~*~
The
rest of the day went by quickly and before they knew it Willow and Buffy were walking side by sideon
their way to the Rosenberg’s house.
“How
was the rest of your day?” Buffy asked softly. “You were so quiet
at lunch.”
“Oz
is leaving.”
“Oh.
Where’s he going?”
“He
didn’t say. Said he’s taking the early-graduation test tomorrow. I
guess he’ll try to get into the next semester of college, it starts in
three weeks.” They walked in silence for a while.
“How
do you feel, Willow? Talk to me. Please.”
Willow stopped walking and turned to Buffy. Wordlessly the
slayer opened her arms and Willow stepped into them. They stood in the
middle of the side walk, hugging, about half a block from Willow’s home.
“I’m
gonna miss him. He said he’d contact me as soon
as he was ready.”
“But
that’s great, isn’t it? Loosing you must be the hardest thing there
is, Willow. Give him time, as much as he needs and he’ll
be your friend when he’s over your break-up.”
“You
really think so?”
“I
know so. Despite being the bestest
of girlfriends you’re also a great friend. Oz has enough brains to not
let you go.” Willow didn’t answer, but took Buffy’s
hand and they resumed walking. Buffy knew that Willow was thinking (when wasn’t she?)
so she remained silent as well.
They
spent the afternoon doing homework and preparing a nice dinner (of popcorn and
Ben & Jerry’s). Willow had cheered up again and Buffy just
basked in their easy banter and kissing sessions. Buffy had told Giles thatshe
was taking the night off and he’d agreed to go on patrol with Xander and Cordelia (a decision
he sure regretted already). So as afternoon progressed into evening the girls
had nothing to do but lie on the couch, finishing their ice-cream and watching
movies.
“This
is nice,” Buffy commented as her head rested in Willow’s lap and the redhead caressed
her hair.
“Yeah,”
Willow agreed. “But it could be nicer.”
Buffy
sat up and looked at Willow in confusion. She’d been riding
the emotional yoyo-coaster all day and had become suspicious about sudden
changes of topic. Willow’s serene smile reassured the
blonde.
“Look,
Buffy. It’s night,” Willow said and pointed to one of the windows.
And
Buffy understood. “Is it? My what’s to do
on a Friday night at home with your girlfriend?” she asked innocently.
“I
wouldn’t know,” Willow replied with mischief in her eyes.
“This is my first Friday night with my girlfriend. I think we’ll
start with something I promised you yesterday, though.”
Buffy
smiled in anticipation as Willow stood up and motioned Buffy to follow.
They made their way to Willow’s bedroom where Buffy found that Willow had somehow managed to place a candle
on every even surface. The room was a sea of soft flickering lights and
shadows.
“I
wondered what you were doing in the bathroom for so long,” Buffy gasped
as she let the romantic setting settle in her mind. “It’s
beautiful.”
“Then
it’s only appropriate,” Willow murmured as she stepped behind her
lover and started to kiss the soft skin of the slayer’s neck.
“I
love you.”
“I
love you, too.”
Their
words needed no additions, no explanations as their bodies took over
communication. Buffy turned in Willow’s embrace to capture the teasing
lips of her girlfriend. Her hands caressed the exposed tummy that had made her
crazy her all day. Buttons were undone, zippers were lowered, shirts taken off
and pants as well as skirts were lowered to ankles before the lovers stepped
out of their pile of clothes to emerge in nothing but their underwear. Buffy
kissed her way down Willow’s chest until her lips
encountered the material of a bra. Her arms went around her girlfriend to free
her breasts from the restricting garment. As soon as Willow lowered her arms to allow the bra to
fall to the floor, Buffy’s mouth was attached to one nipple, while the
other was covered by a caressing hand.
Willow’s hands rested on the blonde’s shoulders
to gently massage them, which earned her a small appreciative groan. She
carefully stepped back from Buffy, who pouted immediately. Willow had to laugh at the mighty
slayer’s _expression_.
She
motioned for Buffy to lie down on the bed. When they were both comfortably horizontal
the hacker turned her confused girlfriend onto her stomach. Confusion left when
she straddled Buffy’s lower back and started a full massage on the
blonde’s shoulders. Soft grunts and moans drifted to Willow’s ears as she kneaded the abused
muscles and loosened knots. The moans intensified when Willow trailed her lips down the
slayer’s spine in a series of openmouthed kisses.
Her
hands followed her lips with soft caresses and Buffy sighed in happy
contentment. Taking her sweet time Willow made her way up again until her lips
were next to the slayer’s ear once more. “I take it that I’m
doing this right so far?”
“Oh yeah. Way right. Couldn’t be righter,”
Buffy answered her voice thick with arousal. Willow smiled and encouraged Buffy to rollon
her back, which she did. She tugged the bra,
she’d already unfastened, off the slayer’s shoulders and much like
Buffy latched onto the exposed breasts.
“She
spoke too soon,” Buffy commented between moans. Her hands rose to play
with red strands of silky hair, her concentration decreasing with every lick,
kiss and soft bite.
Willow stopped only reluctantly, but there were other things
on her mind as well. She crawled up Buffy’s body until they were faceto
face again. Looking deeply into her lover’s eyes she lowered her body
until they were touching head to foot. She kissed Buffy’s cheeks softly
as the slayer’s arms encircled her waist to hold her close.
“I
love you.”
“I
love you, too.”
They
lips met again and again until their tongues joined them in some serious French
kissing. Hands started exploring again until Willow broke the kiss and with heavy breathing
and a smile she lowered herself down Buffy’s body. Her hands trailed down
from shoulders over breasts to tickly Buffy’s stomach, down the hips and
claves. From her new position she started back upwards. Sticking to theme of
massaging she dug her fingers into the tight muscles of Buffy’s leg until
she reached the knees. Massaging was abandoned in favor of soft caresses and
kisses until she reached the blonde’s panties.
~*~
Buffy
was mindless with pleasure. The things Willow did… Every touch had the most
amazing effect on her body. Every nerve ending tingled and every thought that
wasn’t closely connected to Willow and what she was doing had long left her
mind.
“Willow - please,” she gasped as the
redhead kissed and caressed her way up her thighs. Her whole body trembled when
Willow complied and cupped her sex through the panties she
still wore. She lifted her hips slightly and Willow took the hint and tugged the panties
off until they came past Buffy’s feet and the slayer was left naked.
Willow stopped a couple of seconds to simply look at the
creature that was Buffy Summers. Her loving smile warmed Buffy’s heart,
but a different kind of heat threatened to ignite the slayer as Willow, without much preamble, leaned downto
place tiny kisses on Buffy’s blonde curls.
Buffy
gasped, moaned, groaned and the pleasure she felt was only building. One finger
playfully moved through the blonde’s pubic hair along the pleasuring lips
until they dipped into the warm pool of Buffy’s pleasure.
Both
girls gasped and Buffy didn’t stop for a long time as Willow decided to let her tongue follow her
fingers, tasting, teasing, arousing…
“God Willow. Don’t stop.”
~*~
‘Wouldn’t
dream of it,’ Willow thought as she marveled at the
slayer’s taste. She didn’t try to describe or analyze it or puther
feelings into words of any kind, all she did was enjoy it.
She
slipped one finger into Buffy, which drew a series of groans from the slayer.
Her hand moved slowly in and out of her lover’s tight channel and after a
while she added a second finger. Buffy’s reaction was instantaneous. She
nearly flew of the bed and called Willow’s name at the top of her voice. Willow smiled to herself before she closedher
lips around the panting slayer’s clit. Her hand instinctively sped upand
Buffy’s breathing seemed to be connected to Willow’s hand somehow as it sped up as
well.
~*~
Buffy
was about to burst. Pleasure was zipping through her body like lightning,
always headed to her core and she was gasping for air like a fish on land. She
felt her orgasm building slowly. Each lick of Willow’s tongue
heightening the sensations.
“Willow!” she called helplessly as she
felt herself starting to fall.
Willow’s lips abandoned the little nub of pleasurefor
a second to whisper three words. “Let go, lover.” Before she returned her lips to the
slayer’s centre and sucked hard on the blonde’s clitoris.
Buffy
fell.
Waves
of pleasure rolled over her body for long seconds until at last a wave seemed
to collapse in itself and return to her core in an indescribable feeling that
made her squeeze her eyes shut. The back of her eyelids was replaced by an
explosion of light that ebbed away only slowly.
When
her senses returned she felt Willow’s hand still move inside her very
slowly and Willow’s lips still placing feather light kisses on
her core. She smiled a lazy smile which Willow matched when she finally stopped her
ministrations, content that the slayer had felt every tiny aftershock.
Buffy
drew her lover up her body and kissed her deeply. They separated breathlessly
and Willow snuggled up to Buffy’s side. The flicker ofthe
significant smaller candles danced over their skin as both girls lay smiling on
top of the covers.
“I
love you.”
“I
love you, too.”
All
was well.
~*~
Epilogue
~*~
Ten
Years Later
Willow opened the door to their apartment with some
difficulty due to the large bag of groceries she was carrying. She nearly fell over
the shoes carelessly lying on the floor in front of the door.
She
cursed Buffy’s laziness like every night and made her way into her home.
“Buffy!
How many times have I told you not to leave your shoes around like that?”
There was no answer and Willow hadn’t expected one. It was
almost a ritual. Buffy wasn’t really lazy. She did most of the housework
since she mostly worked at home these days, but the shoes… Willow was certain Buffy did it on purpose.
She
entered the kitchen where two hands relieved her of the heavy bag. Before she
could engage in her daily ritual of scolding Buffy on the shoe issue arms had
encircled her and lips silenced any words she could have spoken. All anger had
been replaced by joy by the time her lips were released.
“Something
smells good,” she remarked and for the first time really looked at Buffy
that evening. She wore an elegant black dress that showed off her attractive
figure and made her hair shine golden.
“Yeah, slaved over the stove for the last hour to cook you dinner.”
“Oh.
What’s the occasion?” Buffy’s face fell at Willow’s question and Willow nearly burst out laughing. With a
finger she tipped the crestfallen slayer’s chin back up and looked deep
into her eyes. She fished something out of the pocket of her trench coat and
held out the brightly colored package. “Happy
anniversary, baby.”
Buffy’s
smile could have lightened the whole city for a week as she dug into paper to
reveal a long velvet box. “Oh you didn’t!” she exclaimed as
it dawned on her what it was.
“Of
course I did. You were nearly drooling when you saw it.” Buffy openedthe
box to find the most delicate necklace in it she had ever seen. During some
window shopping a couple of weeks ago they had spotted it at a little jeweler
in town and Buffy had immediately fallen in love with the delicately woven fine
lines of sliver.
“Help
me put it on?”
Willow took the necklace and stepped behind her lover.
Stopping only to drop a few kisses on a bare shoulder before she fastened her gift
around her loves neck.
Buffy
turned to her with a bright smile on her face and kissed Willow quickly. “Thank you. Even though
you are the meanest person, ever, for making me think you had forgotten.”
“How
could I? Ten years today we were possessed, before we professed.” Willow giggled at her own words.
“And
what a ride it’s been…” Buffy said with a happy smile as she
guided Willow into the living room where she’d gotten outthe
fine china and had a delicious meal prepared. Willow smiled and took off her trench coatand
left it on the couch. Buffy told her to sit down and she did.
“I’ll
be right back. I’ll just put the groceries away. Try the salad and tell
me if it needs more salt.” Willow did as she was told and stabbed a piece
of lettuce with her fork. She chewed carefully, enjoying the flavors of at
least ten different spices she couldn’t name. Buffy’s dressings
were famous among their friends. Who would have thought that the girl that
burnt toast would turn out to be a goddess in the kitchen one day? Willow had given up after the second time the
fire alarm had gone off. She smiled as she sat there, remembering the last ten
years. How she and Buffy had nearly died (yet again) that
fateful night. How they’d professed their love and started their relationship.
The reactions from their peers from supportive to cruel until Buffy had sat
them straight. Their second night together, spent with lovemaking, naps,
lovemaking, ice-cream and lovemaking. How Joyce had cried for an hour that her
little girl had found somebody to love. And how she’d
forbidden sleepovers for almost a year. The re-cursing
of Angelus. The arrival of Faith and the friendship
between the three girls. How happy Dawn had been that Willow had become family. HowWillow really HAD become family
five years ago as she and Buffy had been joined before the goddess. Oz’s return to Sunnydale. Xanderand Cordelia running off to LA after graduation. College
and the conflict of teaching Professor Walsh what a slayer was and that you
couldn’t safe the world by becoming Frankenstein and creating monsters
and putting chips into demons. The growing initiative that helped the slayer to
fight the things that went bump in the night. Spike’s
death at the hand of Dawn during her first patrol. Faith
leaving to join Angel Investigations. Tara kissing her and the good
friend and powerful ally she’d become once Willow had told her she was with
Buffy. Convincing Buffy not to kill Tara for
kissing her. Buffy’s death at the hand of the hell goddess Glory. The dark
three month she’d spent without her lover. How she’d resurrected
her girlfriend. Buffy’s confusion after coming back from heaven. The First Evil’s attempt at an Apocalypse.
Buffy’s proposal between panic, death and dozens of potentials. Her spell that changed all slayer’s destiny. The destruction of Sunnydale by
Angel’s sacrifice. Xander taking over Angel Investigations with his wife Cordelia.
And the newest milestone in their lives, Kathy.
Willow stood and walked over to her daughter’s
bedroom. She slept as peacefully as only three year olds could, cuddling her
blanket and lying upside down in bed with her feet stuck under the pillow.
Willow walked to her and tugged the blanket around the
sleeping body as well as possible, knowing that it was useless against the
nightly travels of her daughter.
One
of the new slayers had been killed when little Katharine, her daughter, had
been a mere three months old and after half a year of fighting Buffy and Willow
had gotten custody of the sweet baby-girl they’d know since birth. Buffy
was even her godmother.
“Hey,”
Buffy called softly as she slipped into the room. Willow smiled and together they left the room
again.
“What
did you two do today?”
“We
went to that new playground in Downypark. She loved
it. They have this little artificial river running right through it, with fish
and everything; we stood there for half an hour just watching. I’m
thinking we need a fish tank.”
“Good
idea. I miss having fish.” Willow flashed back briefly to the gruesome
killing Angel had performed on her fish, but quickly chased the memory away,
that wasn’t how the souled vampire deserved to
be remembered.
“When
we came back and got rid of half the sandbox we had in our shoes we called Amy
and she came over with little Mathew. They get along really well. I took
pictures. Oz picked them up when Mathew was asleep on his feet. I invited them
over for the weekend. I thought we could have a picnic or something at that
playground.”
“Did
you leave the gallery closed for the day?”
“No,
I called mom and she said she could handle it alone if I did the paperwork at
home and she sent it to me via email. I did it when Kathy slept.”
“You’ve
been spoiling her lately. Staying home all day instead of calling the nanny, going
to the playground all the time and don’t think I didn’t notice that
she’s wearing new pjs.”
Buffy
pouted. “It’s just… she’ll start Kindergarten next
week! I won’t see her, she’ll have lots of friends and before I
know it she won’t need me anymore!”
Willow was just about to argue that point when she noticed
that Buffy was holding something. “What’s that?” she asked
and pointed to the package.
“Oh, just a little something. Now go sit down before all gets cold.” Buffy
ushered her love over to the table and they started eating. Through the whole
meal Willow would glance to the mysterious package Buffy had
placed on the empty chair.
In
the middle of a conversation about the new text Giles had sent Buffy, Willow suddenly burst out: “Tell me
what’s in it!”
As
if she’d only waited for that Buffy got up and grabbed the package onher
way over to Willow. She kneeled in front of Willow’s chair and carefully opened the
package to reveal two small velvet boxes. She took one that was of the darkest
blue and looked up into questioning green eyes.
She
opened to box in which a delicate ring waited for its rightful owner.
“Marry
me?” Buffy asked much simpler than the first time she’d asked that
question.
“Again?” Willow asked with a smile that held all the answer Buffy
needed.
All
official documents of their marriage had been lost during the destruction of Sunnydale so legally they weren’t married. They
hadn’t cared all that much about it; their main concerns had been
building up new lives for themselves, helping the new slayers and for the last
three years Kathy.
For
the first time since they’d know each other, their pace was slow, their
time their own, the world’s fate in good hands that weren’t theirs.
Buffy
carefully slipped the ring on Willow’s finger before she took the
second box and gave it to her fiancée. The second box contained an identical
ring that Willow quickly put on Buffy’s hand. She kissed the
finger before leaning over to Buffy to kiss her lips.
With
a groan Buffy broke the kiss. “I have to go on a quick patrol. I’m
not comfortable with letting Jenny patrol alone. She’s only been a slayer
for a year. I’ll try to get her to go home early.”
“Promise?”
Buffy
straightened and smoothed a hand through Willow’s now permanently white hair.“Promise.”
They
finished dinner quickly and brought the dishes into the kitchen. Willow sent Buffy out of the kitchen, telling
her she’d take care of the rest since Buffy had cooked. “Besides,
the sooner you start patrol the sooner you’ll finish.”
“Love
your logic.” Collecting her shoes from the hallway floor Buffy quickly
put them and a jacket on before she went back into the kitchen to kiss Willow goodbye.
On
her way back to the front door she turned to her love again. “Don’t
fall asleep. I think I owe you a good night kiss,” Buffy said before she
slipped through the door with a grin.
Willow couldn’t wait.
~*~
The End.