FIC: Militat Omnis Amans (Every Lover is a Warrior) Part 12a/?

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

Militat Omnis Amans (Every Lover is a Warrior) Part 12a/?
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 are (c) to Joss Whedon, WB and Mutant Enemy etal. and are used
without their knowledge.

Rating: R - for sexual acts between women. If this offends you, 
don't read.

Other: 
The Latin and Gaelic are mine; I take the responsibility for any 
translations of them. In addition, the descriptions of the 
rituals, spells and other craft work come from my traditions, so 
please don't take offence if something described here does not 
match your traditions or what you think it should.

Archiving etc.: 
On "Stake and Chakram Library" 
http://members.spree.com/entertainment/kerrison29
Which is maintained by Bill LaBarbera
Also, on the Pumpkin Patch http://www.squige.org/~pumpkin
Which is maintained by Pumpkin - Anyone else, just ask and I will 
say yes.

Spoilers and other ramblings:
Everything up to the middle of season four - I diverge then.

Feedback: - Please. And thanks to all who have commented, I 
appreciate everything that was said. As before, all meaningful 
criticism, support and suggestions are welcome. 

Please note that things perceived by characters other than by the 
five acknowledged senses have been enclosed in - -.

mailto:kb_writer@xxxxxxxxxxx

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A priori:

The newlywed's honeymoon was interrupted by news that the demon 
force that had been hunting for Willow's strike group was getting 
closer to the village. Amana and Grael learned something new 
about Sonya and the rest of the new arrivals; apparently they are 
this world's slayers. While looking for the demons Willow, Buffy, 
Aiofe and Bridie come across a scene of carnage at a farmstead. 
Buffy attacks the demons, after Willow provides an incendiary 
distraction, killing or driving off all of them, and freeing a 
number of human prisoners in the process. Buffy captures the 
leader of the demons; when they bring him back to the inn, they 
discover that he is Hugh d'Troville the demon who instigated the 
attack that nearly killed Willow.

Synopsis for part XII:

Grael will make a breakthrough in the interrogation of Hugh, and 
will begin to receive some very disturbing information. Buffy and 
Willow will go into labour and deliver their babies. Willow will 
finally track down an idea that has been running through her mind, 
and it will lead to a solution to her hell-mouth closing problem.

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Part XII - Aspirat primo Fortuna labori (Fortune smiles upon our 
first effort)

It's not too near for me 
Like a flower I need the rain 
Though it's not clear to me 
Every season has it's change 
And I will see you 
When the sun comes out again 

As I lay me down to sleep 
This I pray 
That you will hold me dear 
Though I'm far away 
I'll whisper your name into the sky 
And I will wake up happy 

when the sun comes out again.... 
I will wake up happy.... 
This I pray....

A I Lay Me Down,
Sophie B. Hawkins, Whaler
(c) 1994, Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Blackness. He was in a realm of utter darkness, and completely 
devoid and deprived of most forms of input to his senses. The 
demon Hugh d'Troville had been imprisoned, in an isolation cell. 
The early winter wind added to the plunging temperatures outside, 
but he felt no temperature change. The fires and lanterns in the 
inn were all lit to ward of the cold and the dark, but he saw no 
light. The inn was filled with the sounds of its inhabitants 
getting ready to celebrate the impending birth of two children, 
and the upcoming solstice, but he heard no sounds. The various 
members of Willow's strike force had settled into a steady and 
dependable routine of activities, but he was totally incapable of 
calculating the passage of time. He was being subjected to this 
deprivation in an attempt to make him totally dependant on one 
other person, that person being the mage Grael. The situation 
was beginning to drive him to the breaking point, and he knew 
that he wouldn't be able to hold out too much longer. 

-------------------------------
Grael had explained his interrogation technique to Willow four 
months earlier when she and Buffy had brought in Hugh as a 
prisoner. He had indicated that by depriving the demon of any 
base of reference that he would soon become totally dependant on 
the information given to him by others. That would then result 
in his trusting that person, and therefore providing to that 
person anything, or any information, in order to avert being 
returned to a situation of total seclusion. To create this 
situation the demon had been imprisoned in a cellar, deep 
underneath the inn, and Grael had added extra shielding and 
insulation around the room to create the total isolation cell.

Hugh was now nearly at the breaking point. Grael had indicated 
at the morning briefing that the demon was now almost totally 
unaware of his surroundings, and that what internal resolve he 
had left would almost certainly be gone in the next day or so. 
He had begun to trust only Grael, and had become dependant on him 
for all food and conversation.

"Finally," said Buffy, playing with her breakfast, "when you told 
us about this technique, lo those many months ago, I never 
thought it would take this long."

"Frankly," said Grael, "neither did I. However, it looks like we 
will soon be able to start asking some questions, and finally get 
some answers."

"You'll keep us informed," said Willow, finishing her mug of 
cider, using it to wash down Amana's collection of herbs that she 
was taking as part of her pregnancy routine, "and, please make 
sure that at least one of us is there."

Grael nodded his head, in understanding and acceptance.

"Why is this taking so long," asked Aiofe, "how has he been able 
to hold out?"

"Some beings are just more resistant," answered Grael, "he's 
strong, but nobody can hold out forever."

"Well," added Amana, "it's better than beating the information 
out of him. This way we're almost certain that everything he 
tells us will be the truth."

"Not that I'd have minded beating him," said Buffy, "for what he 
tried to do." 

Buffy and Willow had learned the true identity of their prisoner 
when Grael had greeted him. It had taken all of Willow's 
strength and persuasive abilities to hold Buffy back from killing 
Hugh, once she had realized that he was the one who was 
responsible for the attack that nearly killed her lover. Even 
now, months later, Buffy was often incensed over the attack that 
nearly killed her lover, and had to be restrained from going 
downstairs and taking out her anger on the captured demon.

But that was mostly water under the bridge. Buffy had more 
important matters to worry about just then, the least of which 
was Sonya and the other slayers and how to continue their 
training in the depths of winter. Buffy and Willow had been 
notified of the remarkable performance of the new arrivals, and 
of Frankel's theory, shortly after their return from their 
honeymoon. This had resulted in several busy days as the slayer 
and the arch-mage struggled to make sense of this new 
development, and to try to determine how thirteen new slayers 
could help Willow in her quest to close the hell-mouths. 

Over the last four months, the new slayers had made steady 
progress until now their skill would rival an un-pregnant Buffy. 
However, over the last week or so, they had not demonstrated any 
significant progress in their abilities. It was becoming apparent 
that they would have to find something for Sonya and the rest of 
the new slayers to do, or they would begin to lose their newfound 
skills and talents.

"Training alone isn't going to do it for much longer," said Buffy 
as the morning briefing turned to other topics, "they are going 
to have to get out and face demons, if only to prove to 
themselves that they can do it."

"I agree," said Willow, "and we've been over this before. Its 
not as if we can put up a sign saying, 'yoo-hoo! Demons! Come 
here and be practice targets,' now is it?"

"No, but," replied Buffy, standing up from the table and 
stretching out her back, trying to get some relief from the 
pressure her soon to be bourn daughter was placing on it, "oh, I 
don't know. It's just that if I were in their shoes, I'd be 
consumed with self-doubt. I never had to worry about waiting for 
vampires, my first watcher essentially threw me into the deep end 
to see if I could swim."

"Fundamentally because you refused to believe a word he was 
saying," said Willow, "if what you told me was correct, -and I 
know it was now don't I,- you were a typical valley-girl, only 
worried about your hair and other 'light' topics."

"Yah, but."

"Yah, but nothing," said Willow, smiling at the sometimes single-
mindedness of her spouse, "I think that as long as we get them 
something to do in the next month or so, we'll be fine, don't 
worry sweetie. Meanwhile, they can continue to help Daithi with 
the patrols, it's just that we will have them take the lead in 
any encounters. This will give them some confidence, knowing 
that they will have experienced backup. It's not as if these 
women are totally ignorant of demons and the threat that they 
place on humanity, now is it?

"Now what's next on the agenda?"

Over the previous months, Willow had developed into a true 
leader. She now had poise and self-confidence, and was 
comfortable making decisions. She met daily with her closest 
advisors, what the rest of the inn's inhabitants and the 
townspeople had taken to calling her command group: Buffy, Aiofe, 
Bridie, Amana, Grael, Daithi and Frankel, to plan out the daily 
minutia of caring and providing for the twenty-seven residents of 
the inn. Not to mention the additional work required in her 
expanded role of providing employment and protection for the 
other inhabitants of Morning Breeze. She had, in fact if not in 
name, replaced the town's mayor as the leader of the entire 
community.

"Well boss," said Aiofe, "we have to go over the winter supply 
situation for the inn and the town, and the improvements required 
to the fortifications on the north side of town."

"Goddess," said the arch-mage, "this administrative stuff is 
taking huge chunks of time. How am I ever going to figure out 
closing the portals, if all I'm doing is solving the next food 
crisis."

"Not to mention that sometime in the next few days, you'll also 
be busy feeding and caring for your baby," said Bridie, somewhat 
unhelpfully.

"Don't remind us," said Buffy and Willow simultaneously, as their 
babies began to do a three-step fandango. 

"Besides," said Willow, "I have been delegating my jobs, so that 
once these parasites arrive, I will have less to do."

"They can't come too soon," said Buffy, continuing her pacing 
behind the table.

"Well," said Amana, "it's often said that pregnancy is one month 
too long. And that that month always seems to be three times 
longer than all the others, it's also true that at this stage 
they are taking everything from your bodies that you can give."

"I'll agree with that; but the anticipation is beginning to drive 
me nuts," said Willow as she got up from the table, she and Buffy 
had been on constant pins and needles for the past week or so, 
thinking that every little twinge was the start of labour, 
"Amana, you and Grael handle the rest of the agenda, I've got 
another appointment with the bathroom."

"I'm with you," added Buffy, also feeling the call from her 
flattened bladder, "once this is over, I'm going to bronze the 
seat. It's seen more of me than you have recently."

"But it doesn't love you like I do," said Willow as she walked 
out of the common room, hand in hand with her lover. 

Ever since the babies had dropped two weeks earlier and engaged 
in their pelvic cradles, both women had beaten a constant path to 
the bathroom; it seemed like every time they drank something, 
they were sitting, peeing, ten minutes later. 

Once the two young women had left the room Grael turned to his 
long-time friend and lover and asked, concern and worry evident 
in his voice, "how are they doing?"

"They're fine," said Amana with a little laugh, "all first time 
mothers go through this. The babies are fine, they are fine, 
they've done all the proper exercises and they've practiced as 
best they can for the birth."

"Aiofe and I will be their coaches," said Bridie, "and we've been 
dutifully practicing all of our breathing techniques."

"And Willow has done an excellent job of starting the delegation 
of her duties," said Amana, "knowing that once the babies are 
here she is going to have to re-prioritise her life."

"I'm just worried," said Grael, "our future depends on them."

"Don't worry, love," said Amana gently, "you were the same with 
me for each of ours, and everything worked out now didn't it?"

"Yes, but."

"In the words of our leader," said Amana, "yes, but nothing. 
They will be fine. They have enough on their minds without 
having you hovering and worrying non-stop. Now lets finish our 
work here so that we can get the rest of the day underway. After 
all, we are hoping for a breakthrough with Hugh."

The six remaining members of the command group then turned their 
attention to the rest of the daily briefing, before starting the 
rest of their day.

-------------------------------
After completing their business in the bathroom, Buffy and Willow 
had decided to sneak out, play hooky and have a relaxing bath. 
It was just one of those days where they needed the soothing, and 
buoyant, pleasure of a long soak. It seemed like neither woman 
could keep her mind focused on anything, and they both thought 
that a bath would help.

The renovations to the bath complex had continued over the fall 
and were now complete. There were several rooms for changing and 
relaxing after bathing, complete with fireplaces, and comfortable 
furniture. The three baths had all had their tile linings 
repaired and the plumbing, which went from the deep wells and the 
boiler, had all been refurbished so that there was now constantly 
circulating water for all of the pools. The fireplaces and brick 
wall lanterns had all been cleaned and re-pointed, and the 
windows and skylights had had their glass replaced. The walls 
had been freshly painted; mythical creatures now sported on new 
frescos decorating those walls in addition to the ceilings. The 
complex was back to its original splendour, and as a result was 
almost constantly occupied by either the inhabitants of the inn 
or by people from the town.

Buffy noticed that she and Willow had lucked in, the baths, for 
some reason, were deserted, allowing the two of them some much 
needed, and missed, privacy. As she slipped into the warm water 
Buffy let out a soft sigh that dissolved days of tension away 
from her, "this is exactly what I need." Buffy then lay with her 
head on the edge of the sunken bath, pillowed on a rolled up 
towel, and her body floating out over the water.

"Is that all you need," asked Willow, as she stood, naked, over 
her lover at the edge of the bath.

Buffy looked up to see her lover's muscular legs straddling her 
head. She continued her upward gaze to see Willow's legs join at 
her dark and inviting cleft, before her body flared out at her 
hips into the swell of her pregnancy. Buffy noted the pale pink 
lines, indicating Willow's stretch marks, running along side of 
her belly, and the thick black line running from the patch of 
light red hair before disappearing over the swollen abdomen. In 
the distance, Buffy could see the rounded swell of her spouse's 
breasts, now ready to provide the needed nourishment to her soon 
to be borne child, and Willow's face, framed in a mass of long 
red hair. Willow had taken her hair down, and had taken it out 
of the braids that usually imprisoned it.

Buffy's breath caught in her throat as she whispered, "lovely. 
You are a vision that I will never tire of."

"I just bet you say that to all the girls," said Willow. She 
looked down at her lover, her long blond hair escaping the casual 
braid in which it had been placed that morning to float out over 
the water and sparkling with reflected sunlight. She saw the 
swell of her breasts, which rounded to peaks of dark-brown, 
tipped with thick red nipples. She admired the swell of Buffy's 
pregnancy, and sighed softly when she saw the proof of the 
Goddess's favour in the tattoo of the flaming red sword, which 
started between the slayer's breasts, continuing over her abdomen 
with the point of the sword out of view, hidden by the pregnancy.

She moved beside Buffy before also slipping into the water, 
exhaling softly as her body entered the warm water, "you were 
right, love, this is exactly what we needed."

"Soon," said Buffy, "soon it will be over."

"Not over, just a new beginning."

"Yeah, you're right, a massive new beginning."

The two young women then lay in silence, enjoying the soporific 
effect of the warm water. Before long, they were in a semi-sleep 
state, relaxed and not worrying about anything at all.

-Lover,- said Buffy.

-Yes?-

-What do you really think it's going to be like?-

Willow slowly swung her legs down from where they had been 
floating and sat on one of the benches that had been installed 
along the inside of the bath. 
"Don't know," she said after reflecting for a few moments, "its 
not something that mom and I ever really talked about."

"All mom ever told me was that it was painful," said Buffy, as 
she too sat up in the water, turning on the bench to face her 
lover, "I'm scared."

"We'll have Amana, Bridie and Aiofe, not to mention our skills at 
self healing," said Willow, "we'll be ok."

"But, we probably won't have each other," said Buffy, embracing 
Willow in a bear hug. Buffy was giving voice to the prevailing, 
unsaid, belief that, given the way their pregnancies had gone so 
far, they would go into labour at the same time, and most likely 
deliver within seconds of each other.

"We will be together," said Willow, "I promise." She then began 
to lightly kiss her lover, starting at the curve of her neck and 
working her way along Buffy's breastbone. She then moved lower 
and planted several soft kisses along the underside of each 
breast before she moved upwards and gently sucked in an engorged 
nipple, tickling it with her tongue. 

"I just love your new shape," said Willow pausing for a moment 
from her suckling, "so much more to enjoy."

"Be gentle, they are very sore today."

"Don't I know it," said Willow, as she once again bent down to 
blow softly on each of Buffy's erect nipples.

"That feels so nice," said the slayer, closing her eyes, "don't 
stop, it has been so long."

For the last month or so Buffy and Willow had not been able to do 
much to relieve each other's sexual needs. They were unable to 
find a position that was comfortable for both of them, due to the 
pregnancy-induced changes in their bodies. They had therefore 
resorted to brief snatches of pleasure; they had also made due 
with their various magical skills, but it wasn't the same as the 
actual touch of their lover's fingers and tongue. They hadn't 
had a good night's sleep in weeks, and even falling asleep in 
each other's arms was no longer possible. This situation had 
led to very frustrated, and horny, women.

Buffy moaned as the efforts of her lover began to have an effect 
on her body. She noticed that her breath was becoming shallow, 
and that the fine hairs on her body were all erect, "damn," she 
thought, "she's only paying attention to my breasts. What's 
going to happen if she moves her attention somewhere else?"

-You'll pop like a firecracker,- said Willow, smiling as she did 
so, -that is my intention.-

Continued in 12b....