Achieving Love

["carebear8789" <carebear8789@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Achieving Love
By: Kari
Summary: Buffy and Willow spend a night together that 
changes their future. 
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own any of the characters. I don't 
think I have enough money to get sued saying that I do, therefore?
PLEASE don't sue me!! Joss rules in the Buffy-verse. 
Feedback: Yes oh yes!! Please be nice though?I'm still new at
this! 


The night air hung cold around her shoulders like a familiar 
sweater. She would have much more preferred to be at home holding 
her love. After everything that had happened, the way she fled the 
house, she wouldn't be surprised to find it empty in the morning. 
The evening had started off nice. A movie, popcorn, and some 
wine coolers-hey they meant to have one enjoyable evening. Thirty 
minutes into the movie though, something happened. She realized that 
her friend had curled up in her lap, lazily playing with her 
fingers. She looked down at her smiling and ran her free hand 
through the beautiful red locks of the person she swore to never 
hurt. 
How could she have been so stupid to not realize everything? 
All those years of them getting so close, her jealousy over Oz, her 
deep sorrow that she hadn't said something before Tara. 
As she rounded an old crypt a vampire jumped out in front of 
her.
"Hey sweetie, whatcha doin' out tonight alone?"
"Kicking my ass for being so stupid-and sending yours back 
to hell." She replied without even breaking stride and dusting
the 
vampire before he could attack. 
*Why, how, there's no way she can be serious about what she 
said! Why would she want to?with a slayer? *
~~~~Flashback~~~~
Buffy looked down to see Willow gently caressing her hand. 
Willow's touch was so soft, so smooth-so loving. Buffy sat there
a 
minute before she carefully reached down and ran her fingers through 
her hair. They had lain this way together before but this time, 
there was a feeling that something between them was different. 
Willow looked up at her, "Buffy?"
"Yes."
"What are you doing?"
"I, uh, nothing. Ok, I was just feeling your hair? It's so 
smooth and pretty. You don't mind do you? I mean-" Buffy
stammered 
getting nervous. Why was she feeling Willow's hair?
"No, no I don't mind. It was just, I, you seemed kinda 
preoccupied or something." She said as she sat up and scooted a 
little closer to Buffy's outstretched body. "What are you
thinking 
about?"
"Slaying. No, that's not it. I was thinking about how this 
movie is so lame. Why did we pick this one again?" Buffy babbled 
gesturing to the movie, which was Apocalypse Now, her favorite.
Willow giggled and unconsciously placed her hand over 
Buffy's. "Because it's your favorite movie and you picked
it. We can 
do something else if you want?" 
Both girls stalled for a moment and looked down at their 
hands. Buffy cautiously turned hers over so that she was holding 
Willows. "You know I love you right?"
Willow gasped a little bit, hoping beyond all hope that she 
meant love in a "I want to be with you forever and kiss you and
hold 
you" way but she knew that it would never happen. "I know you
do. 
And I love you." Willow stopped for a second and squeezed
Buffy's 
hand a little. She breathed in and thought *I might as well do it 
now. Seems the times right. What do I have to lose?come on
Willow, 
harness YOUR inner-slayer and tell her! * 
"Buffy-" 
"Yes?" Buffy said and looked into Willow's green orbs 
worriedly. She sounded like something was terribly wrong. "Is 
everything ok?"
"No. Its just, I, I mean-there's something that I've
been 
wanting to tell you forever and I might as well tell you now because 
we seem to have missed half the movie anyways and you always 
said, `Live in the moment' so I'm going to try to do that
so just 
stay with me on this because I have no idea how to say this the 
right way its just that-" Willow babbled off at an extremely high 
speed even for her. 
Buffy leaned in and put a finger up to her lips to silence 
her. "Breathe! I don't think I've ever heard you babble
that much! 
What is it? You know you can tell me anything." 
"I know. But I don't know about this. I just don't want
you 
to hate me. Please don't hate me! I couldn't live with you
hating 
me, you're my best friend, Buffy!" Willow whispered as a
single tear 
fell. 
"I could never hate you-never! Don't ever forget that." 
Buffy insisted as she pulled the red headed hacker in her lap and 
rocked her. "Willow, tell me, please, what is it?"
Willow took a deep breath, *Here goes nothing? *
"Buffy-I?I 
love you."
Buffy smiled a little silently thinking, *If only she meant? 
* "I love you too, Wills."
"No, that's not what I mean. I mean-I love you. As in I want 
to hold you, kiss you, and make love to you. I've loved you ever 
since I met you. I just never had the guts to tell you because I was 
afraid that you would hate me and think that I was perverted. I'm 
sorry, I never should have said anything." Willow cried out
pushing 
against Buffy's toned stomach and scooting to the far end of the 
sofa. She wrapped her arms around herself and pulled her legs in as 
tight as she could get. 
Buffy sat there completely stunned, gazing at the most 
beautiful creature in the universe. She had said everything that 
Buffy wanted to hear. *Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!! She *loves 
* me- me!! Oh my god, what do I do?!* Buffy stood up quickly and 
stared down at Willow as she silently cried. She had no idea what to 
do so she turned and ran from the house. Trees, cars, and the 
occasional vampire sped past as a blur. Everything that Buffy had 
ever waited for in her life had just knocked on her door to be 
invited in and she fled. She ran through 3 graveyards before she 
stopped to catch her breath. 
*Why, how, there's no way she can be serious about what she 
said! Why would she want to?with a slayer? * Buffy dusted off
the 
vampire ashes and continued walking around the crypt. The night had 
gotten a little bit colder since she first ran out of the house. 
Buffy wrapped her arms around herself silently wishing that she had 
a jacket-or Willow- to keep her warm. *Willows never going to want 
to talk to me again! I ran out when she was confessing her love to 
me! Her *love * !! Willow loves me!!*  
A few minutes later, Buffy heard a grunt and the sound of 
someone being thrown on the ground followed by a scream.
"Willow!" 
She took off running as fast as her legs would take her to her love. 
Two crypts over she saw a large man hovering over a struggling body. 
Buffy recognized a black leather jacket-hers-on *her Willow* 
"Get 
your dirty hands off?MY?WILLOW!!!" Buffy screamed as she
threw 
herself into the vampire's side knocking them both off Willow and 
rolling into the side of the crypt. The vampire landed under Buffy 
and kicked up knocking the slayer off him. They both jumped up and 
began to circle. The blonde slayer rushed him throwing right hooks 
and roundhouse kicks everywhere. The vampire didn't even have a 
chance to fight back before he felt a stake penetrate his dead 
heart. "If she's hurt, I'll personally resurrect you and
kill you 
again-slowly!" Buffy growled as his body poofed into dust. 
She stood there a second before turning around to see the 
beautiful Wicca sitting on the ground holding her ankle.
"Willow-Oh 
my god! Are you ok?" She whimpered as she ran to hold her. 
"I think I broke my ankle when I fell?" Willow grimaced as 
the strong girl pulled her into a hug. "Although that wont be a 
problem if you kill me from lack of oxygen!"
Buffy released her death grip on Willow to look at the 
swollen ankle. Her hands tenderly ran over her ankle and up her calf 
a bit before stopping and moving back down. "I think you just 
sprained it. Lets get you home and bandaged." Buffy stood up and 
picked Willow up and began to walk out of the graveyard. 
"Buffy!!" she giggled, "I can walk! Ok, I can limp!! Put
me 
down!"
"No way, Wills. Its my fault your hurt anyways, you are not 
walking or limping home. By the way, how did you find me?"
"I, uh, remember how I'm a witch?" Willow couldn't
stop 
giggling as she bounced lightly against Buffy's shoulder, "I
just 
did a tracking spell on you. You leave a beautiful red glow 
everywhere you go. I just followed it."
"Beautiful red glow, huh?" Buffy perked up and giggled a 
little bit to now before sobering up again, "I'm sorry. For 
everything. For running, for not being there for you, for getting 
you hurt-I'm just sorry." She held Willow tighter feeling her
lay 
her head on her shoulder. 
"Don't be. It's all my fault. I never should have said 
anything and you wouldn't have to be rescuing me once more?"
"That's what I do. Rescue the people I love. I'm good at it. 
And it's not your fault. I'm glad you said something. The mighty 
slayer is too much of a wuss to have said it first." She
whispered 
the last bit hoping that Willow would understand. 
"First-said it? What are you saying, Buffy?" Willow asked, 
her voice tinged with fear and nervous energy. 
"I love you, Willow Rosenburg. More than my very life. I 
have since I saw you at the water fountain. I was just afraid to, to 
tell you, to love you. I don't want to get you hurt and
that's all 
that happens to you when you're around me." She had stopped
walking 
and just held Willow. 
The night sky opened up and began to cry the tears of all 
the past slayers watching the present one achieve love and 
happiness. The slayer just stood there holding her mage as their 
hair dripped diamonds into their eyes. Willow pushed at Buffy's 
shoulders for a second and them gingerly dropped to her feet leaning 
into Buffy's protective embrace for support. She looked into
Buffy's 
beautiful hazel eyes, "W-w-what?" Willow's heart beat
like crazy in 
her chest threatening to stop right there. 
Buffy did that little half smile thing that supposedly all 
the guys liked-when in reality it made Willow weak in the knees- and 
said, "I said I love you Willow. Very very much." With that
out in 
the open she leaned in and took Willows lips in a slow and 
passionate kiss. Willow tensed for a second and then kissed back 
trying to put all the love she felt for her in it. After a minute 
they broke away leaning against each other. "We really should get 
home before we get a cold in this rain. You're already
shaking." 
They took about two steps before Willow winced out load and 
stopped. "I'm sorry, its just-"
"Don't apologize. Here." Buffy said and picked the girl
up 
again. She walked in relative silence the rest of the way home just 
relishing in the feel of Willow in her arms. Buffy promised herself 
that as long as she lived she would protect her with her life and 
everyone else's if it came to it. Buffy reached their house and 
opened the door and walked in. Willow pushed the door shut behind 
them along with a door on their old lives. 
Behind the closed door the two girls began a new life-
together and full of love.