FIC: Let Love In

["agentmandarin" <agentmandarin@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Let Love In
Author: Xekari

Disclaimer: All the Buffy characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant 
Enemy and other corporate types. I own nothing. If I did, there'd be 
a lot more lovin goin on  :D
Summary: Buffy and Willow spend a fun little girls' night together 
and it gets kinda confusing for them both.  

Pairing: Buffy/Willow

Spoilers: Season 4 up to and including Hush

Rating: NC-17 overall

Feedback: Better than sex, as long as you don't hurt me too much. 
Distribution: If you want it, that rocks!  Just let me know :)
AN: I took the title from a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album.
Special thanks and lots o' love go to Aether, for being the bestest 
beta ever  :D  Without her help and encouragement, this never 
would've been posted.  



Let Love In


	"I just don't know what to say to him, Will.  I mean - I'm 
the Slayer, Chosen One and all that, and he's some weird G.I. Joe 
wannabe.  I just don't know if he'll understand."  Buffy looked 
pleadingly at her best friend.
	"Well...Riley saw you fighting the Gentlemen and he still 
wanted to see you after that, right?" Willow reasoned.  
	"Yeah, but you should've seen us - we could barely speak to 
each other.  I think the whole Super Buffy thing wigged him out," 
she heaved a sigh, "All I wanted was a nice normal guy and I end up 
with another weirdo." 
	"At least he seems like a nice weirdo, you know, no evil 
tendencies.  He'd probably never hurt a fly, unless it was a demony 
fly," the witch frowned slightly as she wondered if there actually 
were demon flies and how one would tell the difference.  Her trip to 
Willow-land was cut short when Buffy snorted.
	"They never seem evil&until I make with the smoochies," 
Buffy stood and started pacing.  "I just can't deal with this right 
now.  I've got school and slaying and babysitting Spike, I barely 
have time for my friends, much less worrying about Commando Boy!"
	Willow stood from her desk and walked over to her agitated 
friend.  "Buffy," she said quietly as she placed her hands on the 
other girl's shoulders, "you need a break." 
	At this the blonde laughed dryly.  "No rest for the Slayer 
in Sunnydale," she smiled weakly.
	"But there should be," Willow said determinedly, "and I'm 
going to see that there is, at least for one night."  She smiled at 
the look of confusion on Buffy's face.  "I'll call Giles.  He and 
Xander can handle patrolling for one night.  You and I are gonna 
have a girls' night.  No slaying, no homework, no commandos or 
vampires&just pizza, movies and relaxation."
	Buffy grinned and threw her arms around the red head.  "I 
love you, Will!  We haven't had a night off in forever.  I'm gonna 
get a shower while you call Giles."  
	Buffy was practically bouncing as she gathered her bathrobe, 
towel, and shower supplies.  Willow smiled and sat back at her 
desk.  She still had some work to finish and plenty of time, Buffy 
always took forever to get ready.  As the Slayer stepped into the 
hallway to go to the showers a tall guy wearing a bright Hawaiian 
shirt ran right into her.  "Hey, babe!  You ready for the party 
tonight?"  He shoved a flyer into her hands and rushed off, giving 
the flustered blonde a wink.  
	Buffy glanced at the bright pink paper.  "Oh, shit," she 
sighed as she handed it over to Willow.  "There goes our quiet 
night."
	Willow frowned as she read the flyer, "5th Annual Stevenson 
Hall `Get Leied' Luau, free beer for freshman honeys.  Geez, 
there'll be a mob in this place tonight."
	Buffy's shoulders sagged as she walked over and flopped down 
face first onto her bed.  "It was a good idea, anyways.  Too bad we 
live in Party Central," her muffled voice whined.  
	Willow pouted for a moment, then her face lit up as a 
thought came to her, "Hey, wait!  My parents are out of town again, 
we can just hang out there!"  Buffy looked up hopefully.  "No stupid 
luau will ruin my night o' fun," Willow beamed proudly.  
	Buffy grabbed her friend and gave her a quick kiss on the 
cheek, "Will, you're the greatest friend a Slayer ever had!"  With 
that the once again bouncy girl left for her shower.
	"I never thought I'd be so happy to have absentee parents," 
Willow thought.  "But she really needs a normal night.  I can't 
remember the last time she had a night off without any distractions."


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
* * * * * * 



	The pizza was long gone; they had finished it during the 
teasers on Fried Green Tomatoes.  Buffy was having such a good time, 
Xander always whined when they suggested renting girly movies.  She 
enjoyed a good action flick as much as the next guy, if only to 
critique the heroes' moves, but it was nice to cry your eyes out 
over a fictional character's problems instead of your own every now 
and then, too.  It was just normal, healthy vicarious-catharsis&
every girl needed it sometimes.  
	They were halfway through Beaches when Buffy realized that 
Willow was falling asleep.  They had snuggled up on the couch to 
watch the movies.  Buffy was leaning against the back of the couch 
propped up on her elbow.  She looked down at her friend as Willow 
tried to fight sleep off.  Her eyes fluttered almost completely 
closed and every few seconds one of her legs would jerk.  Buffy 
laughed silently.  "She's so cute," she thought as she lightly 
rubbed the witch's shoulder to coax her awake.  Willow jolted awake 
and almost fell off the sofa.  Luckily, Buffy caught her around the 
waist before she made it off the cushions.  
	"Wha-What's, oh wow I was almost asleep."
	"Almost?" Buffy teased, trying to hold back a chuckle.
	Willow grinned sheepishly, "Okay, maybe some sleeping was 
going on.  Thanks for the wake up."  She turned on her back and 
looked up at Buffy as she tried to catch her breath.  
	"Sorry, Will.  Who knew you were so jumpy?  I was just 
trying to give you a little wake up call, not a heart attack."
	"Well at least you got those Slayer reflexes working for 
you, otherwise I'd be flat on my face right now," Willow said as she 
looked down at the deceivingly thin arm still wrapped around her 
waist.  
	"Yup, guess I'm a workaholic, just can't stop saving 
people."  Buffy smiled proudly, "I'll always be there to save my 
Willow."  
	Their faces were only inches apart now and Willow noticed 
when the blonde's gaze flicked down to her lips before quickly 
looking away.  "What was that?" Willow thought.  "I know what that 
was, that was a kiss-look.  She wanted to kiss me.  I know that 
look; I've given that look&and received, too.  But not from Buffy!  
Okay Will, you're still half asleep, you're seeing things.  Why 
would Buffy look at you like that?  Buffy does not look at you like 
that, ever.  You don't even want her to give you that look.  Just 
let it go as a sleepy mirage or something."  Even as she gave 
herself this little scolding she became very aware of how close they 
were.  She could feel the other girl's breath on her face and smell 
the light scent of her hair.  Willow took a deep breath and closed 
her eyes for a moment.
	"Will?  Don't go to sleep on me again," Buffy said as she 
poked her side.  "We've still got another movie to watch, unless you 
want to go to bed already."
	Willow's eyes snapped open.  "Nope, no bed&I mean no 
sleeping.  Just thinkin' about snackins," she claimed as she hopped 
up.  "Want popcorn?"  Willow walked quickly into the kitchen trying 
to calm her breathing.  
	As Buffy watched her friend leave the room she had to remind 
herself to breathe at all.  The sudden urge she'd had to kiss her 
best friend had taken her completely by surprise.  It was a weird 
feeling.  Not the kissing a girl part, she'd thought about that 
before.  How could she not with Faith throwing herself at her 
constantly when she'd been around?  But this was different, this was 
Willow.  Her sweet, innocent, (sexy) best friend.  Wait, sexy?!  
Where'd that come from?  No, no sexy Willow thoughts.  Sweet, 
innocent, (incredibly kissable)&Damn it, stupid hormones!  Buffy 
jumped off the couch and went into the kitchen.  Willow was standing 
at the counter watching the microwave.  Her back was to the door and 
she seemed oblivious to her surroundings.  Buffy watched as she 
shook her head and softly muttered something to herself.  "Willow?" 
Buffy said quietly.  
	The red head in question whirled around to face the Slayer, 
hand pressed to her chest.  "Geez, Buffy, you scared the hell out of 
me!  Have you been doing extra sneaking training lately or 
something?"
	Buffy laughed as she walked over to the refrigerator, "Nope, 
just natural Slayer abilities, I guess."
	Willow put on her stern look for Buffy, "I thought you were 
only supposed to use your powers for good?"
	Buffy just smiled and shrugged in response.  She grabbed two 
cans of coke out of the fridge and hopped up on the counter.  Willow 
turned back to the microwave, shaking her head again.  The other 
girl's lithe grace, even in that simple move, gave her a fluttery 
feeling in her stomach that confused her.  "What is with me 
tonight?" she went back to muttering again.  
	"What?" Buffy asked, her Slayer hearing catching every 
word.  "Are you okay?  You seem kinda preoccupied."
	"Yeah, I'm good.  Just still waking up I guess."  Willow 
smiled at her friend and turned back to take the popcorn out.  Buffy 
grinned deviously and stealthily grabbed an ice cube from the 
freezer.  As Willow poured the popcorn into a bowl, she snuck up and 
slipped the ice down the back of her friend's shirt.  
	"That oughta wake you up," Buffy laughed evilly as Willow 
yelped and danced around trying to dislodge the cold intrusion.  It 
finally fell out the bottom of her shirt and she turned to face her 
tormentor with a dangerous look in her eyes.
	"That does it; you are in so much trouble, Slayer!"  She 
threw a handful of popcorn at Buffy and then dashed into the dining 
room with the bowl.
	"Is that all you've got, witch?" Buffy yelled as she filled 
a cup with water from the sink.  She ran into the room to find 
Willow crouched behind the dining table.
	"Not quite," Willow grinned as she levitated the bowl and 
sent it spinning, flinging popcorn all over Buffy.  
	"You got it in my hair," she whined, trying to pick out all 
the little pieces.  Willow attempted to escape while she was 
distracted, but Buffy caught her easily and held the water over her 
head threateningly.  "Don't mess with the Slayer's hair, everyone 
knows that," she growled.  Willow struggled to get away, but she was 
no match for slayer strength.  Buffy grinned at her helpless friend 
until Willow pulled out the big guns on her.  		
	She knew the one weakness of the Slayer.  Any vamp would've 
paid dearly to learn the only way to fight back in a situation like 
this&tickle her.  Now it was Buffy's turn to feel trapped.  She had 
no control over her body as she flung her limbs about, trying to 
escape the torturous fingers of her best friend.  The cup was thrown 
into the air and cold water came raining down on them both.  Willow 
gasped and released Buffy when it hit her.  She turned and fled to 
the living room while her friend recovered from the attack.  It 
didn't take long and she chased the red head into the room and 
tackled her.  Buffy easily pinned the weaker girl, straddling her 
thin waist and forcing her wrists to the ground above her head.  
They were both flushed and breathing hard.  "Damn, she looks sexy 
like this," Buffy thought.
	"Gave you a bit of a workout, eh Slayer?  Giles would be so 
proud of me," Willow teased.  
	Buffy pouted, "Wasn't fair, you used magic on me."
	"Hey, you should know better than to mess with Big Bad 
Witchy Willow," she grinned.  "Not that this is exactly fair 
either."  Not that she wasn't enjoying it, she felt she might like 
this a bit too much, really.
	Buffy leaned down so her face was a mere inch or two from 
Willow's and whispered, "Looks like I won.  What are you going to do 
now, witch?"
	That did it.  Being held down, strong thighs squeezed 
against her waist, the intense look in the Slayer's eyes and that 
husky whisper.  Willow felt warm wetness between her legs and she 
blushed furiously.  She turned her head, trying to hide her sudden 
desire.  "No, she'll think I'm a freak.  Bad, bad Willow!  How could 
you think about Buffy like that?  She's your best friend, she trusts 
you and you start feeling all sexy about her when she just wants to 
play with you?  You are a bad, bad friend!"  She couldn't even look 
at Buffy now, the guilt was too strong.  
	Buffy noticed the girl's sudden unease and wondered if 
Willow could tell what she'd been thinking.  They were just playing 
around like they had tons of times before, but this time felt 
different.  Never before had wrestling with her friend felt so 
exciting.  She'd never realized that pinning the squirming girl 
beneath her could feel so good.  She knew she should get up and let 
this feeling go away, but she didn't want it to end.  "Willow thinks 
you're playing.  You'd better get up before she realizes what you're 
feeling and freaks out," Buffy told herself.  "What am I doing?  I 
am just playing.  No, you're flirting, big time.  Would you feel 
like this if you were wrestling with Xander?  No, but he would, 
which is just ... ick, totally creepy.  Oh, god!" she thought as she 
jumped up off Willow, "I'm being creepy!"  She tried to act normal 
as she extended a hand to help Willow off the floor.  "Sorry," she 
said with a closed mouth smile, "Didn't want to hurt you."
	"Yeah right," Willow thought.
	They both looked away, silently cursing themselves for 
thinking bad thoughts and making the other feel awkward.  
	"Movie?" Willow suggested.
	"Yes, movie.  We should definitely watch the other movie 
now," Buffy rushed, relief evident in her voice.  She sat down at 
the end of the sofa as Willow popped in the last video.  Willow 
returned to the couch to sit at the opposite end.  


	They both just sat there for a while absorbed in their own 
thoughts.  Gradually they relaxed and got wrapped up in the movie.  
Over the duration of the video they shifted positions on the sofa 
until they were once again snuggled together; Buffy leaned back 
against the cushions with her arm around Willow.  She reached to 
hold her friend's hand as they watched Julia Roberts's character 
collapse on the screen.  Willow unconsciously stroked Buffy's 
fingers.  It felt so good the blonde couldn't resist returning the 
soft touches.  
	Buffy's fingertips moved languidly up Willow's palm, barely 
grazing her flesh and softly brushed her forearm in a slow pattern - 
up and over and back down to the witch's fingers.  She thought she 
might be crossing a line here with her friend and just hoped that 
Will was okay with this, whatever this turned out to be.  
	Willow was in heaven.  She was so focused on the way the 
Slayer was touching her that she completely lost track of the 
movie.  All she could concentrate on was the feeling of the hand 
lightly teasing her skin.  Without thinking of what she was doing, 
Willow began to return the caresses.  Her fingernails moved up the 
underside of Buffy's upper-arm, then meandered back down towards her 
elbow leaving behind faint trails that Buffy could swear were 
burning her flesh.  
	"She doesn't know what she's doing to me," Buffy thought as 
her heart pounded, "It's all just innocent to her."  The movie 
ended, but neither one moved.  It was as if they were under a spell; 
everything between them tonight just felt so strange, but 
wonderful.  Each one was afraid that doing or saying anything might 
shatter this new connection they'd somehow created.  Buffy couldn't 
see Willow's face from her angle, but she could feel the girl's 
heart racing against her.  "Maybe..." she thought.  Never one for 
thought over action, Buffy leant down and gently bit Willow's neck 
just below her ear.  She just couldn't help herself.  Those soft 
touches had been driving her crazy; she knew if she didn't do 
something about it; the moment would soon be lost.  She didn't know 
what she wanted to happen here, just that she didn't want the close 
contact to end.  Somehow, she got the impression that Will wouldn't 
mind so much.
	Willow's eyes went wide as she felt Buffy's mouth on her 
neck, the teeth closing ever so delicately.  Her breathing increased 
as they lightly scraped across her skin when the blonde pulled 
away.  She turned to look up at Buffy.  "You shouldn't do that 
anymore," she said in a husky whisper.  
	The Slayer looked into her friend's eyes, the horror of what 
she'd done settling on her.  "Why not?" she finally managed to choke 
out.  "Guess I might as well hear it now, get the weirdness out of 
the way," she told herself.  
	"I know you were just playing, but it makes me feel funny.  
I just don't think it's a good idea," Willow said quietly.  She 
turned her head away and muttered, "You don't know what it does to 
me."  
	Buffy frowned for a moment, but perked up as she heard that 
last comment.  She smiled, relief flooding through her.  "I'm sorry, 
I didn't know it would make you feel funny," She said as she leaned 
in to take Willow's earlobe between her lips.
	"Buffy?  What are you...?" Willow started to ask as she 
started to sit upright.
	Buffy firmly pushed her back down to the sofa and straddled 
her hips.  "I thought you would've learned by now: no one escapes 
the Slayer."  She held Willow's gaze as she lowered her head to bite 
the girl's neck again, roughly this time.  She heard a tiny gasp and 
released her hold to find that she'd left a small red mark.  
	"I think you've been hanging around vamps too long, Slayer," 
Willow whined, but the desire shining in her eyes belied her 
complaint.  
	Buffy gently kissed the quickly fading mark.  "Does that 
make it better?" She asked looking up at her friend with a 
mischievous smile.
	Willow gave her a serious look, "Buffy, you-you...."
	"Don't know what I'm doing?" Buffy finished for the 
flustered girl as she sat up to meet her gaze.
	Willow blushed and nodded.
	"Well, what if I do?" the blonde asked as she slid her hands 
down Willow's arms.  Willow looked at her doubtfully as Buffy 
grasped each of the girl's tiny wrists.  "What if I know exactly 
what I'm doing, witch?" she continued teasingly as she lifted 
Willow's arms to rest above her head.  Buffy kept her grip on the 
red head's arms as she leaned down to whisper, "I'm just getting a 
little revenge."  
	Buffy's breath tickled her ear and caused little goose-bumps 
to rise along her neck.  Willow shivered slightly and looked up at 
the blonde.  "Revenge?  I... I didn't do anything," she protested 
weakly.  She was finding it hard to breathe at this proximity to the 
other girl, much less argue.  All she could think about was how 
great it would be if Buffy would kiss her.  Her mind scoffed at the 
silly notion and reminded her hormones that Buffy:gay :: Giles:Dr. 
Frankenfurter.  Totally not happening, right?  Willow's conviction 
slipped a bit as Buffy's tongue traced the edge of her ear and moved 
down to her neck.  She gasped as the Slayer found a particularly 
sensitive spot.  The sudden rush of pleasure seemed to clear her 
mind for a moment.  "Buffy?" she asked quietly, "What exactly are 
you trying to do here?"
	Buffy was surprised at the serious tone in her voice and 
worried that maybe she'd gone to far.  "I'm just playing," she 
answered, trying to sound carefree.  She pulled away so that she 
could look into Willow's eyes and her expression turned serious.  
She watched as fear and desire battled in the crystal green depths 
before her.  Neither one moved.  They stared into each other's eyes, 
trying to make sense of what was happening.  
	Willow's heart threatened to break a few ribs and her mind 
raced.  "What am I doing?  What is she doing?  Why is she doing 
this?  How did we get here?"  Willow could see her trepidation 
reflected in her friend's face.  It was rare to see the Slayer so 
vulnerable and unsure; she was always so brave no matter what she 
faced.  It was these brief moments when Buffy let her guard down 
that Willow felt closest to her.  She knew that few ever saw this 
side of the girl and it made her feel kinda special.  She lifted 
Buffy's chin, coaxing her to meet her gaze. 
	 As their eyes met, it felt as if an invisible force was 
drawing them together.  Slowly their lips touched, barely at first, 
testing this newfound intimacy.  Neither girl expected the kiss to 
last, bracing themselves for the inevitable recoiling of the other, 
each prepared to back away quickly with numerous apologies.  But it 
felt so right, so inexplicably like home.  There was no play for 
dominance, not even an overwhelming passion; just tentative 
exploration of each other's lips.  Gradually, soft and chaste gave 
way to deep soul-searing kisses, as years of pent up frustration 
broke through carefully constructed barriers.  Both girls could 
taste the slight tang of tears mingling with their kisses, but each 
assumed they were their own.  They clung together, desperately 
praying that the elation of this moment would not dissipate in the 
morning sun like every other time.  The rest of the world 
disappeared as they held each other, kissing again and again; only 
breaking apart long enough to murmur soft words of happiness and 
desire.  It was more passionate, more intimate than any sexual 
encounter either of them had experienced.  
	When they finally drifted back to earth, Willow looked past 
Buffy's shoulder and saw the pale blue of morning through the 
window.  She groaned and buried her face in the blonde's neck.  
	"What's wrong?" Buffy asked in a shaky voice.  She was 
certain that Willow had just come to her senses and was expressing 
her regret.  
	Willow stroked the Slayer's back soothingly.  "Not you, 
sweetie.  It's just so late, or early... whatever, it's already 
dawn."
	"Wow, I guess we kinda lost track of time, huh?" Buffy 
commented as she blushed.
	"Yeah, don't know how that happened," Willow said with a 
silly grin.
	Buffy wiped the remnant of tears from the witch's 
cheeks.  "Sorry, I guess I get a little overemotional when I'm 
sleepy," Willow said as she ducked her head.  
	"'Sokay, I must be tired too," Buffy smiled, drying her own 
tears.  
	"Well, it is pretty late, even for you.  I guess we should 
go to bed now," Willow's eyes widened as she realized what she'd 
just said.  "I mean, to sleep," she explained hurriedly.  "I wasn't 
propositioning you or anything, not trying to get you in bed in the 
nakey kinda way..."
	"Will, it's alright, I understood," Buffy said as she leaned 
down to place one last soft kiss on her friend's lips.
	Willow tried to memorize the feeling of their lips melding 
together and the look on Buffy's face when she whispered, "I kinda 
love you, little witch."  Willow knew this might be the last time 
any of this would happen; at least while she was awake.  She closed 
her eyes and sighed sleepily when she felt Buffy get up.  
	"C'mon now, don't make me carry you," Buffy teased as she 
pulled Willow up off the sofa.  


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
* * * * * *

	Willow didn't think she'd ever get to sleep with her best 
friend lying next to her.  They'd slept in this bed together tons of 
times, but right now it seemed cramped.  No matter which way she 
turned or what position she tried, part of her body ended up 
touching Buffy.  Normally she wouldn't even notice, but now her skin 
tingled at the briefest contact.  "What in the hell happened?!  What 
was I thinking?!" Willow's mind screamed.  She had dreamt of it so 
many times, but those were just dreams.  She never thought anything 
would actually happen between them.  "What did it mean?  Was it just 
a fluke?  She said she loves me... kinda loves me.  Not that this is 
the first time she's said it, but it seemed different this time.  
Could be cause of the smoochies, genius.  Did she mean it in a 
different way?  I know I love her, but do I love her like that?  
Does she want me to love her like that?  What about Riley?  Are we 
just gonna pretend this didn't happen, or are we gonna have to talk 
about it?" Willow's head was buzzing with questions, but her body 
finally won out and she fell into a restless sleep.
	Meanwhile, Buffy was wrestling with her own thoughts.  "What 
now?  I finally feel something again for someone I care about and 
it's a girl!  God, can't my life ever be just a little bit normal?  
I don't want to lose my Willow.  My Willow," Buffy smiled at that 
thought.  "I really do love her.  We could be so good together, but 
she's still in love with Oz."  Buffy's smile disappeared, "What if 
she wants to wait for him?  What if she doesn't even want me?  Maybe 
she just needed someone 'cause she was missing him."  Buffy's heart 
felt heavy in her chest as she drifted off to sleep.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
* * * * * *


	Willow snuggled into the warmth beside her, pulling her arms 
tighter.  She knew she was still dreaming; that when she opened her 
eyes she would be alone, clutching a pillow and wishing Oz was still 
here.  No wait, she'd had a Buffy dream this time.  Bad Willow, 
gotta stop thinking of Buffy like that; even dreaming, it's just not 
right.  God... it'd been so real this time.  She could still feel 
her secret love in her arms, even smell that special Buffy-scent.  
Willow fought to hold onto the dream; she hated waking up to her 
reality: Oz was gone and Buffy was just her friend.  Her very, very 
straight friend.  She finally let herself wake up fully, sighing 
heavily as she opened her eyes to a very unfamiliar sight.  She was 
in her bed at her parents' house, cuddled up with her head on 
Buffy's shoulder.  She was lost for a moment, until the previous 
night came flooding back to her.  What was she supposed to do now?  
Buffy looked so cute sleeping and the warm snugglins were definitely 
of the good.  It felt so nice to wake up in someone's arms again.  
All she wanted was to lie here all day... and maybe have more 
smoochies.  "No, no that can't happen," she told herself.  "Remember 
Riley, or that she's straight, or that she's your best friend?  
Okay, gotta get up."  Willow decided to take a shower so she could 
just relax and think for a bit.  
	Buffy woke up about ten minutes later.  She didn't even feel 
like she'd been asleep.  Her dreams had been filled with images of 
her and Willow together.  Some had been good: kissing and laughing, 
just the two of them together and happy.  There were a few, though, 
in which Willow had turned away from her in disgust.  She was afraid 
of finding out which would come true.  Both scenarios were kinda 
scary.  Willow was one of the few constants in her life and she 
wasn't sure that any change, good or bad, would be... well, 
good.  "Maybe it would be better if we just forget the whole thing," 
she thought.  She was so confused, but she knew that lying around 
thinking wouldn't solve it for her.  Buffy got out of bed and 
dressed quickly.  Just as she was tying her shoes, Willow walked 
into the room.  They both froze for a moment, not knowing how to act 
or what to say.  
	"Hey," Buffy finally said.
	"Hey," Willow replied shyly.  She hadn't expected her friend 
to be awake yet.  Buffy usually stayed in bed as long as possible.  
Willow had been hoping for more time to think, she still felt all 
muddled.  "You're up early.  You want some breakfast?  There's 
probably not much in the kitchen, but I'm sure we could rustle up 
something slightly edible."  Willow tried to make her tone sound 
light and normal.  She didn't know if she should broach the subject 
of which she'd been thinking yet, or at all... ever.
	Buffy took the cue to ignore the elephant and forced what 
she hoped was a normal looking smile.  "No, that's okay.  I'm gonna 
swing by Giles's, see how the patrol went and then I gotta go do the 
mom thing later," she explained.  
	"Oh, right.  That's cool.  I mean, I don't want to keep 
you... from doing important stuff," Willow said quietly.  
	"You could come to Giles's with me, if you want," Buffy 
offered.
	"Nah, I'll just hang out here for a bit.  You know, 
straighten up the house, maybe work on my paper some more.  But if 
you need anything, I'll be here," she said as she walked Buffy 
downstairs.  
	"Okay," Buffy replied, "I'll give you a call if anything 
comes up."  They stood at the door, unsure of how to say goodbye.  
Finally, Buffy pulled her friend into a quick hug.  She smiled as 
she pulled away, "Talk to you later, Will."  
	Willow smiled back and nodded.  She watched silently as 
Buffy walked down the porch steps and out into the sunshine.  She 
seriously doubted that she would speak to Buffy again that day.  
Regardless of what had been said, the look on Buffy's face had told 
her that much.  She hated that look, the one that meant the Slayer 
had shut down her emotions.  That ability may be useful in battle, 
but not at times like this.  Not that they had ever had a time quite 
like this...  Willow shook her head and wondered aloud, "What the 
hell did I get myself into?"



to be continued...


hope you liked my lil story.  next part will be up soon.  
:D
xekari



------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/RoMolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Willow: "It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy:  "I kinda love you."
                     'Choices'

Community email addresses:
     Post message: buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
     Subscribe:    buffywantswillow-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
     Unsubscribe:  buffywantswillow-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
     List owner:   buffywantswillow-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shortcut URL to this page:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buffywantswillow

Official archive for the list:
     http://www.ikoly.com/fanfic

Other links to Buffy/Willow fics:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buffywantswillow/links  
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buffywantswillow/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    buffywantswillow-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/