FF: Thank you

["Christeen Demons" <Shyfox30@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey Guys,

I'm Baaaaaack...the Archangel is in the house. Quite recovered from my 
nasty brush in with the T/W's and returned from my sabatical from atop Mt. 
Olympus. Thanks for your patience during the whole trevail, I apprecaite 
it. I promise I wont disappear like that again...at least, not for a 
while...so without further ado...my latest in the Sappho's spell series.


Disclaimer: These characters belong to Joss Whedon, and co. I wouldn't 
dream of
making a profit from these works, merely simple words of praise.:-)

Subtext: You bet, two women in love here.

This story follows To be or not to be, the Slayer, in my Sappho's spell 
series.

Songs are borrowed quite without permission by Collin Raye and Tim McGraw.

summary: I figured Buffy and Willow needed a little R and R after 
everything that's been
going on...this is my shot at giving them some peace and quiet.:-)


Thank you


Baby, I bought wine and roses on my way home.
Yeah I know we can't afford it but life doesn't last too long.
This world has gone half crazy,
And knocked us both to our knees.
I'm fumbling for the words to try to tell you,
I love you for hanging on to me.

When anyone else would have been long gone.
Packed it up and headed back home.
And not a soul would blame you after what I put you through.
Yeah, anyone else would have gone insane.
Called the game on account of rain.
Anyone else, anyone else, anyone but you.

Mayday baby, all the rivets popped loose, it's a total tailspin,
Too much grindstone, too little time with you,
Girl you know it's wearing thin.
Baby let's trade in these teardrops,
For warm kisses on skin.
You've got a drawer full of IOU's,
and it's high time you called those things in.

When anyone else would have been long gone.
Packed it up and headed back home.
And not a soul would blame you after what I put you through.
Yeah, anyone else would have gone insane.
Called the game on account of rain.
Anyone else, anyone else, anyone but you.

You've passed up so many chances,
To walk right out that door.
Instead of dodging a champagne cork.
And watching the wet clothes fall to the floor.

When anyone else would have been long gone.
Packed it up and headed back home.
And you can hide behind that Chesire cat grin,
But you know it's true.
Yeah, anyone else would have gone insane.
Called the game on account of rain.
Anyone else, anyone else...
Girl, anyone but you.
Collin Raye

Buffy couldn't help the excited grin that insisted on shining on her face as 
she barreled into the house. Tonight, she was taking Willow out for the 
first time since the attack, and she swore that she was going to make it a 
memorable evening. She wanted everything to be
perfect, from the candlelight dinner at their most favorite, romantic spot, 
to the wine-red roses she had bought, and whose scent brought back pleasant 
memories of a sand covered beach and a long white gown, not to mention the 
elusive beauty her wife had projected on that most wonderful day.

She hadn't told Willow where they were going, but she knew the red-head 
would recognize the place the instant she saw the Italian restaurant, after 
all, it was the place they'd held their wedding reception. Mario was 
certainly looking forward to seeing the red-head again. The rotund Italian 
had been so happy when Buffy had walked through the door to his 
establishment, so happy in fact that he had picked her up off of her feet 
and swung her around in a little circle.

"Bambina, you're okay!" He had cried out, in his thick Italian accent. He 
had seen the news footage of her falling off of the apartment building, and 
had been so worried about her that he had gone to mass and said several 
prayers for her recovery.

"Whooaah..I'm...fine...stop..cease..desist...check please!!" Buffy screeched 
happily as she was spun about.

Putting a dizzy Buffy back on the floor, he had looked at her critically, 
searching her body from head to foot for any sign of her injuries. Upon 
seeing her free from scars, the smile had reappeared on his face. "Ah, they 
have been treating you well at home, no?" The
Italian had asked, a gentle gleam in his eyes.

"Couldn't have been treated better, Mario." Buffy had answered, a smile 
lighting her face. For once, the busy restaurant had been relatively free 
of customers, which Buffy had been grateful for, it would have been 
embarrassing to be swung around like that in a roomful of strangers.

"When are you going to bring, Little Willow in, eh? I have missed her so 
much." Mario asked, and Buffy could see the worry in his eyes. She felt 
guilty for not coming to see this sweet man sooner.

"Soon, Mario...I promise. Actually, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to 
you about. I need a favor...well, actually, two of them." Buffy started 
hesitantly.

Wisdom filled the older man's eyes as he nodded his head. "Sure, sure, why 
don't you have a seat, I'll bring you a plate of pasta, and then you can 
tell me what's troubling you." Mario said, before bustling off to the 
kitchen, not giving Buffy time to protest.

'Geez, that guy is always trying to feed me...' Buffy thought, rolling her 
eyes, though a chuckle escaped from her lips.

But it wasn't long before Mario had returned, and Buffy could spell out her 
worries, the tension easing from her shoulders as the older man's eyes had 
lit up with an inner gleam, and Mario had transformed her worries into a 
viable plan, the second part of which she would carry out tonight.

*****

Willow stared pensively at the reflection that stared back at her from the 
vanity mirror. She had tried on every dress that she had, the ones that had 
once lined her closet, yet were now strewn haphazardly about the room in a 
display of frazzled nerves and indecision. This was clearly a sign of the 
redhead's nervousness, for she never just let her clothes land anywhere, and 
yet she couldn't even really put her finger on why she felt this way. Except 
that everything that she had tried on had looked all wrong on her changed 
frame, and she couldn't help sighing in frustration in her thwarted attempt 
to look stunning for her spouse, something she had known was impossible from 
the beginning, and yet she couldn't help wanting to try.

When Buffy had asked her to go out tonight for a mysteriously special 
occasion, the redhead had felt butterflies start swimming in her belly, now 
they were doing the Cha cha, as she settled into the dark green dress she 
had finally decided on. Buffy liked her in green, and the color did enhance 
her eyes, her one feature she had never, at any time, felt self-conscious 
about.

"You look beautiful." Joyce's warm voice coming from the doorway startled 
her a little as she turned to look uncertainly at her mother-in-law.

"Do you really think so?" Willow asked, tugging self-consciously at the 
material before a hand settled around the rounded form she carried around 
her middle. "Does it cover...I mean...do you think Buffy will like it?"

Joyce smiled in sympathy at the young woman, who had never felt really 
attractive, that was until her daughter had turned her all consuming 
attention onto the redhead, and even then, Joyce had still seen flickering 
of self doubt emerge from time to time, although those
had become few and far between. Until recently, that is, now that the baby 
was starting to grow more and more into focus on the redhead's slight frame. 
She hadn't gained much weight with the pregnancy, and Joyce had a feeling 
that had to do with the stress that Willow had been forced to undergo in the 
recent months. She was eating more healthy
now, much to Joyce's relief, and she felt better now that Willow was back 
home where she could keep an eye on her.

"Honestly...I don't think Buffy will be able to help herself from falling 
all over you." Joyce answered, with a chuckle, predicting her daughter's 
response with an unwavering gleam in her eye, and took great pleasure in the 
blush that spread up the redhead's fair neck. "Honey, Buffy adores you. 
She's going to think that you're absolutely stunning."

"Thanks." Willow smiled, appreciating her mother-in-law's attempts to 
bolster her flagging nerves, before casting a quick, questioning glance back 
at the mirror, still not quite sure what Joyce saw that she didn't see. 
"Did Buffy say where she was going?" She asked, remembering her wife's 
quick dash out of the house about an hour earlier, with a
hurried promise that she'd be back in time.

"No, just that she had to get something and would be back in plenty of 
time." Joyce said, shaking her head. Sometimes she didn't know what went 
through her daughter's head. Then she heard the sound of the door closing 
downstairs and Willow met her eyes with a quiet, "Eep."

Joyce smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Take a deep breath and relax, 
I'll tell her your finishing up." She watched as Willow nodded, then turned 
to peruse her appearance once more. The older woman shook her head, 
chuckling to herself as she left the nervous atmosphere of her daughters' 
room. 'You would think this was their first date.' She
thought as she made her way downstairs to where Buffy was standing, looking 
around nervously in the hallway.

"Buffy, you look wonderful, and roses...nice touch." Mrs. Summers said, 
with approval, as she came down the stairs and gave her daughter a once 
over.

Buffy blushed, looking down over her outfit. She didn't think she was 
wearing anything too overly special, just a pair of black slacks, and a 
white loose fitting shirt. But she had made sure she was wearing Willow's 
favorite perfume, so she guessed she looked okay.
"Thanks, Mom." She answered, trying to beat back her blush, then looked 
around at the deserted living room before casting a curious glance toward 
the stairs. "Willow ready?"

"She's getting there. She's just finishing up with a few more touches and I 
think she'll be ready." Joyce answered, then bit her lip, trying to keep 
the teasing smirk off of her lips, but couldn't keep the humor out of her 
tone. "Buffy...I think it's so cute you two are going
on a date."

"Mom!" Buffy protested, flushing scarlet. Joyce started giggling, while 
Buffy sent her a warning glare. "You don't want me teasing you about you 
going out with Giles." Buffy warned, watching her mother turn a little pink 
herself before she backed down.

"Okay...you win..." Joyce said, holding up a hand as she headed towards the 
kitchen. "...but I still think it's cute.", she said, just before the 
kitchen door swung in behind her.

Buffy shook her head, before chuckling silently to herself. 'Mothers.' She 
did think they were a crazy bunch at times, but then her favorite little 
mother made her entrance on top of
the stairs and it took Buffy's breath away. 'Scratch that idea.' She 
thought to herself, as she watched a vision in green descend the stairs 
towards her. "Beautiful." She whispered, a smile lighting her face as she 
took in her wife's appearance.

Willow was all smiles as she saw her wife waiting for her in the hallway 
below. Seeing Buffy at the bottom of the stairs, smiling at her as if she 
were the only person in the world that mattered, made all of her effort 
worthwhile. 'I did this for her.' Willow thought, her
eyes focused on the person that loved her and waited for her. 'She's all 
mine.' She thought suddenly, and not without a renewed sense of wonder. 
'Wow.'

Buffy didn't take her eyes off her once as she made her way down the stairs, 
and the way that she stared caused Willow to wonder if she was dressed 
appropriately for their date. "Is this okay?" She asked, hints of the 
uncertain person she had once been filtering into her voice as she looked 
down over her dress, hesitantly. "I mean...you didn't tell me where we were 
going, just that it was special, and..."

"Okay?" Buffy asked, incredulity and her own desire causing her voice to 
squeak. "Willow, you look gorgeous." Buffy assured her in a whisper, 
tasting Willow's lipstick with her own lips.

"These are for you." Buffy said, handing her love the roses and trying not 
to blush as Willow gasped over them.

"Buffy...you didn't have to...these must have cost..." But Buffy cut her 
wife off before she could speculate further over how much they might have 
cost.

"I wanted to." She assured her, her eyes gazing seriously into the green 
ones she loved so much. "You deserve them, Will...after everything...I just 
wanted..." Buffy started and stopped so many times Willow thought her head 
was going to come off. "I needed to do
something special for you."

"Thank you." Willow said, wisely choosing not to argue with her over 
whether her wife needed to do this or not...she was just glad that she had a 
wife that did, making her feel immensely special in the process. "I'll just 
put these in some water and then we can go to
that place that you won't tell me anything about."

*****
Joyce watched Willow flutter around the kitchen, a satisfied grin tugging at 
her lips. It did her heart good seeing her two daughters so happy with each 
other again. During that whole mess with the accident and what happened 
afterwards, she'd had some serious doubts that she'd ever see them this 
happy and content again. But now, with that whole
mess behind them, and Buffy looking to go into retirement of that whole 
Slayer nonsense, Joyce could see the future spreading out before them like a 
long white cloud, full of nothing but happiness and grandchildren.

"Have a good time." Joyce called to the departing pair, receiving jovial 
waves as they made their way out of the house. "And do stay out of 
trouble." She muttered a parting wish, before an evening alone in the house 
entered her mind and her thoughts immediately turned to Rupert. "Well..." 
She thought, mumbling to herself as she headed for the phone. "There's 
nothing that says I can't have a good time too."

*****
Willow gave a short screech of joy as the Jeep turned the corner and the 
familiar restaurant came into view. "Mario's!" Willow cried out, almost as 
excited about seeing the Italian the restaurant was named after as for the 
delicious food she knew her stomach would be
enjoying shortly. "Italian food! Nummy, nummy!" She said, enthusiastically, 
grinning from ear to ear. "Baby thanks you too." And she leaned over the 
space between the two front seats and gave Buffy a short, but..invigorating 
nibble on the ear. Buffy concentrated
very hard and missed the fire hydrant on the corner with a whopping three 
centimeters to spare.

"Anything for my family." Buffy grinned at her, letting out a sigh of 
relief as she brought the car to a stop, thrusting the gear into park before 
turning off the engine. She could sense that Willow just wanted to hop out 
of the car, but Buffy had something else in mind.
"Hold on, a sec." She grinned again, before opening the car door, letting 
it slam behind her, as Willow watched in curiosity as she made her way over 
to her side.

"There you go, my lady." Buffy said, with a twinkle in her eye, trying not 
to giggle, as she helped her wife out of the car. She felt the raindrops 
trickle down over her face, and sent a quick, silent thank you, to her mom 
for letting them borrow the car. 'I can't imagine
walking in this.' She thought, holding Willow's hand tightly as they dashed 
through the rain toward the front door.

Mario looked up as they dashed through the door, bringing a spattering of 
rain drops with them. A welcoming smile flared into life as he saw them, 
not wasting a moment as he stepped forward to greet them. "Ah, it does my 
heart good to see you." He greeted Willow warmly, swallowing the wiccan's 
smaller form inside of his massive embrace. "I
trust you did not let her walk all the way here in this weather?" He asked, 
turning his attention to the Slayer.

Willow took great pleasure in the mild chastising Mario gave her young wife, 
grinning at her impishly from behind the man's elbow. Buffy saw the look 
and winked. "Nope." The Slayer grinned, quirking her thumb at the parking 
lot. "Mom's jeep is right outside."

"Good...good." Mario replied, smiling again, as he motioned someone forward 
to take their coats. "You're table is right this way. Follow me."

Mario wasn't one to make light of a task, so when Buffy asked for a romantic 
dinner for two that would take her wife's breath away, he put all of his 
effort into doing exactly that. In a secluded corner, an elegantly laid out 
table, the light of the candles mixing with the
shadows casting an illusion of solitude over the table, a table that waited 
for just the two of them. He hadn't missed a detail, from the ornate, lacy 
white tablecloth to the fine crystal glasses, everything was set up to cast 
a romantic aura around the dining couple.

"Wow." Willow gasped, looking in awestruck wonder at the place setting, 
then turned wondering green eyes on the restaurant owner. "Mario, you 
didn't have to..." She started to protest, but the older Italian simply 
raised his hands in protest.

"I admit, I did the work, but the inspiration belongs solely to your wife. 
She wanted the best for you, and I could do no less." Mario answered, 
honestly, receiving an embarrassed grin from said wife, who herself was 
struck speechless by the simple elegance of his work.

Buffy simply shrugged when the green eyes turned her way. "Anything for 
you, love. I meant it." Buffy said, kissing Willow lightly on the lips 
before seating her at the table. She loved the sight of the redness creeping 
up on her wife's own cheeks, and caught a chuckle just in time.

Mario couldn't help but grin as he watched the exchange. 'Ah, this is what 
I like to see...too people so much in love.' He watched as Buffy seated her 
wife, then helped herself to the seat across from her, waiting patiently to 
take their orders. But there was something in the Slayer's appearance that 
he hadn't noticed the night before when they had talked about this 
excursion. "Bambina, what happened to your face?" He asked, noticing that 
both of their heads jerked up at the question.

Buffy shared a conspiratorial guilty look with her wife, then quirked an 
eyebrow at the older gentleman. "Would you believe I cut myself shaving?" 
She asked, sardonic humor in her tone.

"No." Mario replied, shaking his graying head.

Buffy hesitated, searching around for some plausible story that she could 
tell him, but there really wasn't anything she could say to explain the 
rapidly healing scratches away. "Would you believe I had a nasty encounter 
with a few blood suckers?" Meaning the vampire kind, and not the leaches 
found in some lakes.

"Yes." The older eyes blinked with awareness. "That I would believe." He 
finished, with a wink, surprising the Slayer who had expected a longer 
lecture on how she should be more careful.

Mario took their orders, and then, very wisely disappeared back to the 
kitchen, leaving the happy couple to themselves.

"So..." Willow started, taking a small sip from her water glass, while 
watching her partner carefully. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, 
because I'm not. This is definitely fun and yummy and not just a little bit 
romantic..." Willow teased her wife with her eyes, the
green gleaming mischievously.

"But?..." Buffy prompted, fighting the blush that seemed determined to 
flare into her cheeks.

"But..." Willow continued, matching her wife's stare. "What's all of this 
for?"

'Well...you had to know that one was coming, didn't ya?' Buffy asked 
herself silently, taking a deep breath while letting herself think about how 
she was going to answer that one. "Well...actually..." Buffy started, then 
stopped, looking deep into her wife's eyes.
'Come on, damnit, this is your wife...your best friend, surely you can talk 
to her about what you're thinking about.' She cursed herself suddenly, 
wondering why she always had a hard time saying how she was feeling. 
"Umm...two reasons really." Then thought about it
for a half a second. "Well, actually three...one, Mother's day is coming 
up. I wanted to do something nice for my favorite Mother-to-be." She said 
with a blush, noticing how
Willow's eyes lit up in pleasure at that, even as her fair cheeks blossomed 
in rose.

'Heh, I got her with that one.' Buffy's mind chortled, even as she 
continued, now on a more serious and somber note. "And also...I..." Buffy 
started playing with her fork, her mind thinking furiously. 'Okay, one more 
time...take a deep breath and just let it out.' She instructed herself, 
from the calm side of her psyche. "I wanted to...thank you...for...I know 
the last few months haven't been easy." Buffy started slow, but finished in 
a rush. Willow's eyes widened as she realized what her wife was trying to 
say. "Buffy..." She shook her head in protest, wanting to spare her wife 
the agony this must be causing her.

"No...wait...I want to finish this...please?" Buffy asked gently. All 
Willow could do was nod her head. "When I think about all you must have 
gone through after that fight with Faith...I can't help but think that you 
had every reason in the world to walk away...you could have left me at any 
time and I wouldn't have even known the difference." Buffy said, a bitter 
note of self-recrimination in her voice. She saw the jump of startled 
concern in her wife's eyes and gentled her remark's effects by adding, "And 
how deeply grateful I am that you didn't."

Willow watched the shadowed face across from her, lit by the jumping spark 
of the candle's flame and wondered, her heart aching in sympathy at the 
guilt that ghosted over her wife's face. She wondered not for the first 
time, at how much weight Buffy carried on her slim shoulders for that one 
single event. "How could I have left you?" She asked,
finally, her voice quiet, in the secluded spot of the restuarant. "You are 
my life...my wife...I would have done anything to get you back." The words 
were said with conviction, the truth of it shining from the emerald gaze.

"Keeping your promises, huh?" Buffy asked, thinking back to another night 
spent in this very restaurant, and the promises that they had made to each 
other, right outside, on the night before their wedding. Not to mention the 
ones they had made on the very day itself.

"Always." Willow whispered, reaching across the table and taking one of her 
wife's hands into her own. "Not even Faith could destroy what we have, even 
though she tried really hard." The redhead acknowledged, a bitter smile 
pulling at her face before she shrugged the painful memories off, a 
determined look taking it's place. "I love you Buffy
Rosenberg-Summers, and I'm never letting you go, again."

Buffy smiled, tears filling her eyes at the love, strength and determination 
in her wife's every move or gesture and wondered once more at the gift she 
had been so lucky to be granted with. "I love you too Willow 
Rosenberg-Summers." Buffy beamed, loving the way the name coming out of her 
mouth filled her with pride, and enjoying the soft look that it brought to 
her love's face.

Willow was caught up in the emotions of the moment, so it was slow to dawn 
on her that Buffy had only mentioned two of the reasons she had brought her 
here. "So...Buffy...you said there were three reasons you brought me here 
tonight, you've only mentioned two, what's the last one?"

"I just love it when you do the math." Buffy grinned, and was about to 
answer her question when a commotion near the front caught her attention.

"What do you mean we can't come in here?" An obviously very drunk man was 
shouting, drawing the attention of the diners filling the restaurant. "This 
is a restaurant isn't it?!"

"Yes sir, it is." Buffy could hear Mario replying to the besotted idiot as 
the man and his rowdy friends surrounded him menacingly. "But this is a 
family restaurant, and you're upsetting my other customers."

"We're paying customers and we demand food old man," The one in the lead, 
causing the most disturbance pulled out a knife at this point and started 
brandishing it towards Mario's rapidly paling face.

"Whoops, looks like you're going to see first hand." Buffy muttered to 
Willow as she slipped out of her seat silently and made her way towards the 
front of the restaurant, Willow looking on in concern.

"Is there a problem, here?" Buffy asked, projecting an air of menace as she 
stopped behind them, crossing her arms over her chest as they turned to look 
at her.

The drunk men gawked at her in befuddlement for a moment, before the 
confusion turned to lewd posturing. "It's really none of your business, 
baby, but if you want to stay I'm sure I can find some way for you to 
entertain me." Scum number one, said, grabbing his crotch
suggestively, while his friends giggled in amusement.

Buffy tuned out the startled gasps of fear and horror coming from the 
patrons surrounding her, and even managed to block out Mario's face, which 
had gone from being relieved at her presence, to concerned for her safety, 
and examined the group of miscreants thouroughly, letting her senses honed 
as a Slayer pick up on the shifting of their bodies,
the way their bodies smelled of alcohol, and a subtle tinge of anger or 
fear, she wasn't sure which. There were four in all, but they all seemed to 
be taking direction from a tall guy in a black leather jacket, a scar maring 
the left side of his face. He wore his hair in a crew cut, and his eyes 
were ice cold, almost soulless.

Buffy focused her attention on him, keeping watch on the other three from 
the corners of her eyes, as she smiled coldly on the leader. "I believe you 
were asked politely to leave. Now I'm gonna ask, and if you push me, it 
won't be polite."

"Yeah?" The leader grunted, showing smoke stained teeth. "What the fuck 
are you going to do about it, Bitch?" He asked, taking a step towards her, 
attempting to use his greater height to intimidate her.

Of course she had seen and fought much scarier things than him, so he didn't 
intimidate her in the slightest, but she could feel Willow's worried eyes 
boring into the skin of her back, and knew she had to end this quickly 
before her pregnant wife threw a conniption, or attempted to fling the 
scumbags magically through the window. Raising a blond eyebrow, her eyes 
frosting over, Buffy gave the leader a once over, letting him know he wasn't 
intimidating her at all. "First of all, get out of my face...your breath 
stinks." The leader rose an eyebrow in surprise, apparently not expecting 
her verbal attack, which Buffy found
comical. "Second, I'm not going to ask you again, if you don't get yourself 
and your stinking drunk buddies out of here, you're going to be picking 
yourselves off of the sidewalk."

"Oh yeah?" The leader, retorted angrily, feeling frustrated that this witch 
wasn't backing down. Buffy rolled her eyes at his 'intelligent' remark. 
Obviously, not one of the world's greatest thinkers. "Well...I'm thinking 
I'd rather have you for dinner." The leader smiled dementedly.

'Oh...no...I was wrong...this guy isn't only stupid,' Buffy thought to 
herself, feeling revulsion crawl down her spine at the low humanity could 
sink to. 'He's sick.' "That's it." Buffy growled low in her throat, 
before swatting the knife out of the guy's hand, like she
was swatting a fly. 'I asked nicely Mario, now I'm doing things my way.' 
Buffy thought as she grabbed the guy's thumb and twisted it back, hearing an 
audible pop before the guy screamed in agony, crumbling to his knees.

"YOU BITCH!!! You broke my thumb! OH GOD, you broke my thumb!" The thug 
cried, tears of pain streaming down his face. His friends circled the pair 
warily, unsure whether to help their friend or stay away from the psychotic 
woman who was much stronger than she looked.

Buffy turned her ice blue eyes in warning, halting them in their tracks. 
"Get out of here." she said, her voice dripping venom. "And take your buddy 
with you." She grabbed the man in her grasp by the back of his leather 
jacket and turned him so he was facing the
door. One solid kick to the seat of his pants and he was flying toward the 
door, hitting the metalic frame, and sliding to the floor. She watched as 
they picked him up, feeling her composure returning as they carried him out, 
hearing him bawling about his thumb until they were a good ways down the 
street.

"Well, did I earn my dinner?" Buffy asked, a still shaken Mario, who was 
only just now starting to regain his color.

"I think you just earned a bonus." Mario said, the tremble still noticable 
in his thick, Italian accent. "Thank you, Bambina...but please, be more 
careful. I didn't hire you as my Bouncer so that you could get hurt all 
over again."

Buffy raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Against those guys?" She asked, 
quirking a thumb toward the now vacant doorway. "Thanks, Mario...but they 
were nothing." Buffy said, with a chuckle. Risking a glance back towards 
her spouse, she winced as she swore she could almost see a cloud of steam 
rising about the redhead's head. 'Now that, on the other hand, is 
something to worry about.' Buffy thought, before she turned once more to 
the restaurant owner. "Thanks, but I better get back to my date and explain 
things before I become flame-broiled with her gaze."

Mario chuckled at the remark and sent her on her way, hoping that the 
redhead would understand that things like this didn't happen every day, just 
enough for him to feel the need to hire Buffy in the first place.

"Reason number three?" Willow asked, once Buffy had returned to the table.

"Uh...yeah...sorry about that. That wasn't quite the way I had envisioned 
telling you." Buffy answered, still seeing the anger and upset in her wife's 
gaze. "I told Mario about wanting to find a part-time job, I thought maybe 
he'd let me be a waitress or a cook, and
then he told me about his need for a Bouncer and that it would be more pay, 
so..." Buffy shrugged as she trailed off, waiting for her wife's reply.

"From Slayer to Bouncer? Gee, Buffy that's quite a stretch." Willow 
replied, humor starting to dance in her eyes.

"Will..." Buffy started to protest, hoping her wife wouldn't be too upset.

Willow held up a hand to halt her. "Just promise me that you'll be 
careful."

Buffy grinned, feeling warmed at the concern and love that radiated from her 
wife. "I promise."

"Good. Now...can we eat please? I'm starving?" Willow asked, as she dug 
heartily into her food.

"Yes, ma'am." Buffy laughed, before digging into her own plate of pasta.

*****

When they arrived home the house was dark. "Mom?" Buffy called out, 
uneasy about the silence.

"Shh." Willow hushed her. "Maybe she's gone to bed." Buffy shrugged, 
taking their coats and putting them in the closet. "Or...maybe she went 
out?"

"How?" Buffy asked, as she wandered into the kitchen. "We have her car." 
Willow just shrugged, following her wife into the kitchen, and was the first 
to spot the note stuck under a magnet on the refrigerator. Buffy couldn't 
help laughing when she read what it
said.

Hi honey,
After facing a night alone in the house, and deciding that I really didn't 
want to, I called Rupert and asked him to pick me up. Don't worry about me, 
I'll be home in the morning. I guess what they say about old dogs is wrong, 
they really can learn new tricks. Mom.

"Well, I guess that explains where mom went." Buffy said, trying to ignore 
the uneasy feeling that it left in her. For the most part, she'd come to 
terms with her mother's relationship with her Watcher. And she was even 
starting to acknowledge that their being together was good for them. But 
being asked to accept the more baser aspects of that
relationship was still hard for Buffy to do.

"Does this mean we have the house to ourselves?" Willow asked, coyly, 
looking at her wife with a look that Buffy recognized instantly. A look 
that brought an instant grin to the Slayers face.

"I guess so...do you have something in mind?" Buffy asked, quite 
rhetorically actually, as the redhead led her, by the hand, to the living 
room.

Turning on the stereo, Willow turned to her, love shining in her eyes. 
"Dance with me?"

"Anytime." Buffy whispered, as she took her love gently into her arms, and 
started swaying to the music.

Dancing in the dark, middle of the night.
Taking your heart, and holding it tight.
Emotional touch, touching my skin.
And asking you to do what you've been doing all over again.
Oh, it's a beautiful thing, don't think I can keep it all in.
I just got to let you know what it is that wont let me go.

Willow was lost to the outside world, her total and complete focus centered 
on the woman who held her so tightly in her arms. It was her favorite place 
to be. Nothing else seemed to matter when Buffy held her.

It's your love, it just does something to me.
It sends a shock right through me.
I can't get enough.
And if you wonder about the spell I'm under.
It's your love.

As they danced the words of the song playing on the radio slowly permeated 
their brains. 'How appropriate.' Buffy thought to herself. 'That's exactly 
how she makes me feel. Like I'm under a spell...a spell she placed on me.' 
The wiccan had many powers, and she'd been growing stronger in her magic for 
quite some time, but Buffy had to say that this spell had to be her 
strongest one of all.

Better than I was, more than I am.
And all of this happened, by taking your hand.

'Also...the best day of my life.' Willow thought, a smile gracing her face 
as she nuzzled Buffy softly. Buffy was her strength, her protector, and 
though those roles frightened her for the harm they could, and did bring to 
her spouse, she knew Buffy would gladly die
first before she'd give them up.

And who I am now, is who I wanted to be.
And now that we're together, I'm stronger than ever.
I'm happy and free.
Oh, it's a beautiful thing,
don't think I can keep it all in.
If you ask me why I've changed,
all I've got to do is speak your sweet name.

Married life was proving to be, amid all of the chaos and confusion, one of 
the greatest adventures she'd ever been on. Willow had changed her, changed 
her life in so many little and big ways that it was hard for her to count 
them all. But the changes were all for the better, she'd gained so much 
just by accepting this wonderful woman and the love that she held for her.

It's your love, it just does something to me.
It sends a shock right through me,
I can't get enough.
And if you wonder about the spell I'm under.
It's your love.

As the enchanted couple danced in the dimly lit room, both reflecting on the 
love that they shared, the night celebrated the young lovers, and even as 
the dancing changed, voices ringing out to the raftors in love and joy, the 
night smiled.


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