FF: Guess who's coming to dinner Part 1

["Christeen Demons" <Shyfox30@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Okay, I thought I'd drop the first part of this story on you guys before I 
go to bed.:-) No, it's not finished but I figured I could get away with 
putting it into two parts...so, here you go.:-) Hope you like it.BG


Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to Joss 
Whedon, I'm merely playing in his playground.:-)

This is the sequel to Christmas in your heart, in the Sappho's Spell series. 
Buffy and Willow share a rather special loving relationship...if that kind 
of thing bothers you...what the heck are you doing on this list, anyway?:-)

Guess who's coming to dinner? Part 1

Buffy?s sleep was disturbed by a sharp pain in her left thigh which spread 
down to her calf as another sharp pain erupted in her ribs. Buffy?s smoky 
blue eyes flew open just in time to see an elbow heading straight for her 
nose. She wasn?t quick enough to avoid it, still being dazed from waking up 
in pain, and the elbow caught her right on the bridge of her nose. Feeling 
white hot pain explode in her head, Buffy rolled out of bed, clutching her 
nose with one hand while she used
her other hand to steady her balance by leaning on the side of the bed. She 
could feel blood trickling out of her bruised nostrils, so she pinched them 
shut to slow the flow, and looked wide eyed at the person who had disrupted 
her sleep in such a painful way.

Willow was thrashing around on the bed, her head shifting back and forth on 
her pillow, as she moaned in her sleep. ?No...no...? She cried, piteously, 
the sound going straight to the Slayer?s heart. Buffy sat back on the bed, 
grabbing a tissue to catch the blood that continued to dribble slowly from 
her bruised nostrils, and put one hand on Willow?s waist trying to stop her 
movement. Much to Buffy?s surprise the move intensified Willow?s restless 
action, her sleeping lover getting increasingly agitated as Buffy tried to 
restrain her.

?Will.? Buffy murmured in her lover?s ear, almost getting head butted in 
the process.

?No...Not my baby...Don?t take my baby.? The words struck Buffy right in 
the throat, and she felt herself tearing up as she took Willow into her 
arms, using her Slayer strength to hold the still struggling woman.

?Shh...Will. Shh...everything is find...The baby is find...she?s right 
there inside you.? Buffy kept whispering reassurances into her lover?s ear 
until Willow woke up, groaning.

?Buffy?? Willow whispered, groggily, trying to get her bearings and figure 
out where she was.

?It?s okay. You had a nightmare...a doozy of a one by the sound of it.? 
Buffy sounded like she had a cold, because of her injured nose, and Willow 
turned her head slightly to see if she could
see why her lover was talking so strangely.

?Why do you sound like you have cotton in your mouth?? Willow asked, 
foggily.

?I bumbed by dose.? Buffy answered, trying to shrug it off.

?In bed?? Willow asked, trying to figure out how that could possibly 
happen.

?Well...by dose kinda bumped into your elbow.? Buffy answered rather 
quickly.

?Oh no! Your poor nose...I?m so sorry!? Buffy could see Willow?s pained 
expression in the early morning light and tried to reassure her lover. 
?It?s okay, Will. You know my healing powers. I?ll be good as new in no 
time. It doesn?t even hurt anymore.? Seeing the skeptical look on Willow?s 
face, Buffy amended. ?Much.? She still felt the silent throbbing behind 
her eyebrows.

Willow took the tissue from Buffy?s hand and daubed the dried blood away 
from her nostrils. ?See...good as new.? Buffy commented glibly.

?Hmph.? Willow grunted, still not happy with herself for causing Buffy 
pain.

?So...you want to tell me why I became a punching bag in my sleep?? Buffy 
joked, lightly, regretting it when she saw the pained look return to her 
lover?s eyes. ?Come on.? Buffy cajoled, as she settled them back on the 
bed, moving Willow so that she was resting comfortably with her head on the 
Slayer?s shoulder.

Willow sighed as she called up the dream, remembering the feeling of 
helplessness that had hit her as her parents took her baby away from her. 
The supreme panic as she watched them hand her over to a couple of complete 
strangers. She shook her head as she tried to answer her worried lover, ?I 
don?t remember too much. My parents yelling at me...wanting me to give up 
my baby. They were in my hospital room...and I was holding her...and before 
I knew what was happening my mom took my baby and started to walk away with 
her.? Wet tears trickled down the hacker?s cheeks, dripping cool on the 
Slayer?s shoulder.

Buffy sighed in regret for what Willow was going through. ?Will...I knew 
your argument with your parents was bothering you...but, I didn?t know it 
was bothering you this badly. You haven?t talked to them since you told 
them. Maybe if you talked to them...?

?They don?t want to talk to me.? The red head sniffed quietly. ?And even 
if they did, they?d probably just ask me to give her up again. I won?t 
listen to that.? Willow said, stubbornly.

Buffy sighed, unsure how to comfort her. Willow noticed how tense she got 
and rushed to reassure her. ?Hey...I?m okay...really...that dream just kind 
of shook me a little...that?s all.?

?Are you sure? Maybe...I don?t know...maybe I could call them...talk to 
them...? Buffy hedged, unsure what she would say to Willow?s parents if she 
managed to make the call and get them on the phone, but willing to try for 
Willow?s sake.

?No. If they want to talk to me...well, they know where I am. They were in 
the wrong, not me. They can call me.? Willow said, her arms crossed, her 
most resolved face firmly in place.

?Okay...okay.? Buffy relented, rubbing Willow?s chilled arms with her 
hands. ?Whatever you want, Wills. I just want you to be happy.?

Willow looked up and lost herself in the deep blue pools that were her 
Slayer?s eyes. ?I am happy...with you.? She said, kissing her lightly.

Buffy responded, kissing her back just as lightly, while caressing her cheek 
with one hand.

Willow pulled back, peering into Buffy?s face for a long time. ?You know 
how you can really make me happy?? Willow asked coyly, straddling her 
lover.

?Yeah?? Buffy whispered, meeting the red head?s lips in a long kiss that 
took her breath away.

?Yeah.? Willow answered, decisively, determined to shake the lingering 
effects of the dream by making wild, passionate love to her fiancée.

*****

Buffy was sitting on a stool by the kitchen counter, talking over her 
concerns about Willow with her mother when the phone rang. ?Always when I?m 
in the middle of something.? The Slayer muttered, shaking her head at the 
ringing telephone. She got up and ambled over to it, picking it
up on the fourth ring. ?Hello.?

?Uh...Hi. Is this Bunny?? Sheila Rosenberg?s voice sounded tinnily over 
the connection, and Buffy shot a startled look to her mother. ?Speak of the 
Devil.? She mouthed, before she answered the woman on the phone.

?Uh...It?s Buffy, actually.? She corrected, automatically, wondering why 
Willow?s mother could never seem to remember her name.

?Oh, right. Sorry dear...Is Willow there?? Sheila asked, a rather vague 
tone to her voice.

?Uh...yeah...she?s roaming around here some place.? Joyce questioned her 
daughter with her eyes and Buffy shrugged slightly.

?Could I speak to her please?? Willow?s mother asked, politely.

?Sure...let me see if I can round her up.? Buffy replied, placing the phone 
on the kitchen table.

Walking from the kitchen to the living room, she called out for her lover, 
hearing a startled squawk as she saw Willow start to tumble off the ladder 
she had been standing on, out of her peripheral vision. Buffy would never 
be able to recall later how she had moved so fast. In one second, she had 
seen Willow starting to fall off the ladder, heading for a surely painful, 
if not costly, landing. In the next, she was holding her securely in her 
arms, her heart pounding to beat the band and her breath coming in short, 
shaken pants.

?God, Will. Give me a heart attack!? Buffy exclaimed, feeling her legs 
starting to tremble from the shock. She sat down in the nearest chair, 
clinging tenaciously to her lover, as she tried to get her stolen breath 
back. ?What were you doing on that ladder?!?

?Taking down the Christmas decorations.? Willow answered, feeling a little 
guilty. She knew Buffy didn?t want her on the ladder, for the very reason 
both of their hearts were pounding so furiously now. ?It?s almost 
January...I figured it was time, and I wanted to save you from having to do 
it.?

Buffy felt her breathing start to even out again, as her body started to 
recover from the near miss. ?Well...thank you...I appreciate it. But next 
time, anything requiring you to climb up onto high things...like a tree...or 
a ladder...or the roof, for instance...forget about it. I want you a little 
closer to the ground, like right here, for instance.? Buffy said, 
tightening her arms around her lover to indicate their current position.

?Mmm, I kinda like it right here myself.? Willow murmured, feeling the safe 
hold of Buffy?s arms. After a few minutes of this, Willow remembered that 
Buffy had been looking for her earlier. ?By the way, was there a reason you 
were looking for me??

It was kind of comical the way Buffy rolled her eyes and slapped herself on 
the head. ?Oh, God. I can?t believe I completely forgot.?

?Forgot what?? Green eyes crinkled up inquisitively.

?You?re mother?s on the phone. She?d like to talk to you.? Buffy said, 
gently, trying to read Willow?s reaction.

?Oh.? Willow said, quietly, picking at the top two buttons on the Slayer?s 
shirt.

?You don?t have to talk to her if you don?t want to. I can always say I 
couldn?t find you or something.? Buffy said, after a few minutes of 
silence.

?No...I?ll talk to her.? Willow responded, quietly. ?I?d kind of like you 
there, though.?

?Just try and keep me away.? Buffy growled, playfully, then turned more 
sober as she watched her lover?s mood. ?Come on.? She said, holding out a 
hand. Willow took it and pulled her up, then retained her hold on it as 
they went headed for the kitchen together.

****


?No...I?m not sure where they are...wait, here they come.? Joyce was 
talking to Sheila on the phone as Buffy and Willow entered the kitchen, 
their hands still entwined. ?What took so long?? Joyce mouthed to Buffy as 
Willow took the phone from Joyce?s outstretched hand. Buffy just
shrugged at her mother, as she sat down on the stool beside Willow, who was 
saying hello to her mother.

Buffy could just barely make out the conversation Willow was having with her 
mother, hearing only Willow?s replies was lending a weird slant to the 
conversation, and at times her lover looked pained, like when apparently her 
mother had mentioned that she hadn?t come home for Hanukkah and that she had 
been missed. Buffy squeezed her hand in reassurance as Willow told her 
mother that she had observed Hanukkah with Buffy and Mrs. Summers. It 
seemed to appease the woman, because the conversation changed.

?Dinner?? Willow?s voice squeaked, as she shot a startled look at her 
lover. She hadn?t had dinner with her parents since the night she had told 
them she was pregnant, and just the thought of having dinner with them 
brought back the unpleasant memories. Willow gulped slightly before
answering. ?You want me to come over for dinner?? She repeated her 
mother?s request out loud.

?Well...New Years? Eve is tomorrow...I thought it would be nice if we could 
celebrate it together...unless you already have plans?? Sheila asked, 
really hoping her daughter would come.

?Umm...mom, can you hold on for a second?? Willow asked, covering the mouth 
of the phone with one hand. ?She wants me to come over tomorrow night for 
dinner.? She whispered to her nearby partner. A pale eyebrow rose at the 
announcement. They had made plans to go to Mario?s
for dinner to celebrate the engagement, not to mention seeing in the New 
Year together...but getting Willow back on the right track with her parents 
was more important to her, so she nodded her head in agreement.

?Uh...hi...sorry. Yeah, I?ll come...on one condition.? Willow agreed, 
reluctantly. She hated to be breaking their plans like this, but Buffy 
looked like she really understood, and she smiled at her lover in gratitude.

Sheila Rosenberg was so relieved that she would have agreed to almost 
anything. ?Sure, honey...you just name it.?

?I get to bring Buffy with me.? She might have to cancel their plans at 
Mario?s, but there wasn?t any way that she wasn?t going to see the New Year 
in with her fiancée by her side.

?Sure honey, whatever you want. So, I?ll see you tomorrow night around 
six?? Sheila asked, neglecting to include Buffy in the invitation.

?We?ll be there.? Willow said, quietly.

Buffy watched as Willow finished up the conversation and said goodbye to her 
mother before she let loose a low whistle. ?Boy, that?s going to be more 
fun than taking on the Master and Acathla at the same time.?

Willow looked instantly apologetic. ?I?m sorry for volunteering you. I 
should have asked you first if you wanted to come...I know it?s not going to 
be the romantic dinner we had planned at Mario?s. In fact, it?s probably 
going to be a lot more tense and less fun than that.?

?Hey, it?s okay. You need me there...I?m there. With bells on.? Buffy 
reassured her, nuzzling her cheek and placing a light kiss on her cheek. 
?You okay?? She asked, pulling back and gazing into the troubled green 
depths. Willow nodded, and Buffy smiled and kissed her again, on the lips 
this time, before she stood and stretched. ?Well...I?m going to go take 
down the rest of the
decorations before you get any more ideas about ladders.?

?What?!? Joyce asked, peering at the two girls, and noticing how Willow was 
blushing. Buffy turned Willow to face her mother, and rested her hands on 
her shoulders.

?This one thought it would be a great idea to get up on a ladder to take 
down the Christmas decorations.? Buffy said, wryly, rolling her eyes.

?I would have gotten them all down if you hadn?t come in and startled me.? 
Willow defended herself.

?Falling off the ladder in the process, I might add. I?m telling you mom, I 
nearly had a heart attack. Luckily, I caught her...but it was a very scary 
moment that I don?t want to repeat.? She gave her properly chastised lover 
a rueful grin. ?Now do your motherly duty and give her a good scolding 
while I go finish up in there.? She told her mother before strutting into 
the living room.

Joyce and Willow followed her with amused eyes until the swinging kitchen 
door cut off their view, then they looked at each other and laughed a 
little.

?She?s very protective of me.? Willow noted, wryly, smiling a little bit at 
how safe Buffy made her feel.

?As well she should.? Joyce commented, dryly, earning a blush from her soon 
to be daughter-in-law, if she could wrap her mind around that one. Then 
again, if she wrap her mind around the fact that her daughter is a vampire 
slayer, she could wrap her mind around anything. And she really couldn?t 
pick a better person for her daughter to love.

(to be concluded...) In Part 2.
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