Militat Omnis Amans (Every Lover is a Warrior) Part 10d/?

["Beckett, Kevin" <kevin.beckett@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Militat Omnis Amans (Every Lover is a Warrior) Part 10d/?
K. Beckett (c) 2000, with the exception of musical lyrics which are (c) the
individual artists / labels.

Disclaimers:
Buffy, Willow and all of the other characters and places from the show
belong to Joss Whedon, WB and Mutant Enemy etal. Everyone and everything
else is mine. None of my characters are meant to resemble anyone living,
dead or un-dead, if you see yourself you are looking way too hard.

This story contains descriptions of sexual acts between consenting adult
women, and was written in a jurisdiction where it was legal to do so. If
this offends you, don't read.

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All four women then began an evening of mutual pleasure, using all of their
creativity to try to find new ways of stimulating each other. Late in the
evening, as they all lay in a tangle of limbs under the covers of their bed,
Willow turned to Aiofe and Bridie and said, "I am so happy that we found you
two."
"I'm glad," replied Bridie, "and I must admit that it's been our pleasure
also."
"Obviously," quipped Buffy, "if the last three hours wasn't pleasure, I
think that I'd die experiencing it."
"You know what she meant," said Willow as she stuck Buffy with a pillow,
"quit being so obtuse."
"Obtuse," replied Buffy as she replied with a pillow of her own, "thems
fighting words woman."
Buffy and Willow immediately began a pillow-fight, and as errant strikes
began to hit Aiofe and Bridie they also joined into the fight. After twenty
minutes or so, with pillows and covers scattered throughout the room,
exhaustion set in and the four women ceased their battle, remade the bed and
snuggled in before resuming their conversation.

"Now," said Willow, "before we were interrupted, I think that I was
appreciating the friendship that we have formed with both of you."
"We too have come to see you and Buffy as close friends also," replied
Bridie.

<Lover, what's this leading to?>
<Buff, we need to think of something to give them as bridesmaid's gifts.>
<Ask them. If what they want is possible, we'll get it. We owe them that
much.>

"Ladies," continued Willow, "on our world its traditional for a bride, or in
our case the brides, to give a gift to their maid of honour, or in our case
maids. So, since neither Buffy or I have a clue what to get you, we have
decided to let you choose something, and if it's in our power to do so we
will give it to you."
"This is new to us," replied Aiofe, "but will you allow us some time to
think it over and let you know?"
"Of course," said Buffy, "take all the time you need. Just let us know
before the hand-fasting."

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The next three days flew by, as everyone became involved in preparations for
the upcoming nuptials. Amana and Grael worked with Aiofe and Bridie in
making sure that everything was ready for the ceremony. Frankel worked with
Sonya and the other new arrivals to clean the common room of the inn, which
would be used for both the ceremony and the feast, which would follow.
Daithi and the guardsmen spent their time cleaning and polishing their arms
and armour; Buffy had asked them to be guards of honour for the wedding, a
job that Daithi had immediately accepted.

At last, the day arrived. Buffy woke with a start, with more than an hour
to go before the dawn broke over the mountains. This was far earlier than
she usually awoke and it took a moment for her to register the reason why.
There was a warm empty space beside her, a space that would normally have
been occupied by Willow. Moving quietly, to not disturb the other women,
Buffy left the warmth of the bed and wrapped herself against the pre-dawn
cold in a thick dressing robe. As she was leaving their room thinking to
herself, "I wonder where she has gotten herself to," she wasn't that
surprised to receive an answer.
<I'm in the kitchen.>
<Morning love, what are you up to?>
<Morning Buff. Just sitting and talking with Lynda, and getting some bread,
cheese and small-cider.> 

Lynda was one of the three village women who had been hired by Willow to
cook for her strike force. She was a wizened older woman who had seen and
weathered much hardship in her life and was a steady source of country wit
and wisdom.

<What are you doing up at this hour?>
<Couldn't sleep, so I decided to get up and watch the dawn. Care to join
me?>
<Love to, just let me get dressed. See you in ten or so.>

Just under ten minutes later Buffy joined her lover in the kitchen. Both
young women had dressed in thick woollen pants with a heavy down jacket,
more than adequate defence against the cold pre-dawn temperatures. Buffy
went up to Willow, who was sitting at the kitchen table and reached around
to give her a good morning hug and kiss.
"Worried," she asked as she slid into the chair next to Willow, "it is the
big day."
"Not worried," replied the arch-mage, "after all, I don't think you are
going to leave me at the alter or anything like that. I think I just needed
some time to collect myself before chaos settled in around here for the rest
of the day."

In fact it looked like a small amount of chaos had already descended on the
inn. Lynda and the other cooks, in addition to four other women who had
been drafted into assistance for the day, had all been hard at work for
several hours. They had been baking mountains of breads, cakes and pastries
for the festivities. Later they would begin on the preparation of the
equally large amounts of vegetables and main dishes which would be needed to
feed the entire village, at one point in the day they would be joined by
Amana who would be responsible for the final, and secret, seasonings of the
head table dishes.

"Till be a grand day Sara," said Lynda to one of the other cooks as she took
another batch of bread out of the baking ovens, "I still remember the
anticipation I felt before my wedding day."
"How, you old goat," replied the other woman good-naturedly, "you can't
remember that far back."
"I remember better than you, you old biddy," retorted Lynda, "you don't even
remember the name of your first husband now do you?"

Willow and Buffy gathered their breakfast and took their leave as the two
cooks continued their usual teasing, which had been a constant presence in
the kitchen since they'd started, and according to other locals had been
going on for years.

The two young women headed out of the inn and climbed a short distance above
the inn to a place that they had found a few weeks earlier and had made
their own. It was a sheltered copse of woods, with a large flat outcropping
of stone. It looked down on the inn and the village and offered an
unobstructed view of the eastern slopes of the valley. They sat on the
ground, wrapped themselves in a blanket that they had brought with them, and
ate their breakfast looking out at the crystal clear pre-dawn sky, filled
with stars.

"Everything will be ok," offered Buffy as reassurance, "I'm positive that
Amana will have thought of everything."
"I know," replied Willow, "Its just that I've been thinking."
"Yes?"
"It's just that I sometimes wonder if I am the right person for all of
this."
"All of what?"
"You, my magic, you, this leadership thing, you, the baby, you, the
responsibility, you, the power that I can wield in my hands, you, the job
I've taken on, you, my family - who must be worried sick by now, you, what
the Goddess has planned for us, you."
"I admit," replied Buffy after a moments pause, "that I too have been
worried about some of that, particularly about our friends and family, but I
couldn't think of any two people better suited, or able to handle it. Once
we get home we can worry about the family thing. They'll be so happy to see
us they just might overlook the marriage and babies. Now fess-up, what has
led you to this train of thought on what is supposed to be one of the
happiest days of your life?"
"Well, for one thing, I've been told that you are supposed to reflect on
your life on your wedding day."
"And?"
"And, they told me what they would like as gifts."
"When?"
"Last night, after you had collapsed asleep, we got to talking."
"And?"
"They would like me to make them pregnant, with each other's baby."
"What!" Said Buffy as she turned to look at her lover, incredulity written
on her face.
"You heard me, they want to have children and they asked me to do the deed
so to speak."
"What did you tell them?"
"That I'd think it over and talk to you before answering."
"That'll teach me to fall asleep after great sex," said Buffy who after a
moment of thought then continued, "can you even do something like that?"
"Oh yes," replied Willow softly, "I can."
"Oh!"

Just then the dawn began to break over the mountains. Both women turned to
the east and sat hand-in-hand in quiet reflection as the blue-black of the
pre-dawn sky was first pierced with streaks of pink, then reds before giving
way to a mix of pastels as the stars slowly dissolved in the eastern sky.
The first rays of the sun then began to creep over the mountain, casting
long shadows down into the valley and the village. As the crest of the sun
peeked over the mountains the sky exploded in a mix of blues, yellows and
reds as a new day was born.

"Wow," said Buffy softly, "that never ceases to amaze me."
"It is a wonder," agreed Willow, "now what do we do?"
"I don't have to think this one over," replied Buffy, "we owe them, and I
know that you are ok with it so, as you no doubt already knew, we do it.
One thing though."
"Yes?"
"If I can, I want to help."
"I was going to ask anyway," replied Willow with tears beginning to run down
her face, who then turned to her lover and embraced her in a bone-crushing
hug.
"You were afraid I'd say no?"
"No," said Willow, "I knew you'd agree, but I didn't know if you were
willing to help."
"I admit that it is a little freaky," replied the slayer, "but, where you
go, I go."
"Yes Ruth," replied Willow with a small laugh.
"You are really happy about this," said Buffy as she delicately kissed the
tears away from Willow, "I think I understand but why?"
"It allows me to do something powerful with my gift," replied Willow, "that
isn't destructive."
"I love you," was the only reply that Buffy could make, as she reciprocated
Willow's hug.