Disclaimer: All BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

( kacoe@nac.net )

Her moves were swift and certain. She ducked an incoming right hook and punched the gut of the offender in front of her which sent him literally up off the ground a few feet. A snarl came from low within his gut and he doubled the efforts. She sidestepped his next attack easily which sent him headlong into a row of potted azaleas. “One hundred thousand sperm and YOU were the fastest?” She dead-panned.

“Adam saves! Adam will save us all. The time of judgment is upon you!” He got to his feet and growled again.

“Yeah, yeah. Adam saves!” She attacked him again and threw a roundhouse kick to the left side of his face. “. . .He Passes It To Summers. . .Summers Shoots” He reeled back and she plunged the stake into his chest. “. . .She Scores!” She straightened up and wiped the dust off of her jacket. She stood there a moment then shook her head in disappointment. ”You know. I work long and hard on my quips. You’d think they’d applaud or at least throw quarters before upping my dry cleaning bill.” She shook her hair out with her hands. “That’s the last of them. You okay, Will?”

Crimson hair poked up from behind a headstone then slowly a pair of green eyes appeared there too. She nodded and cleared her throat. “Was that. . .it? The last of them?”

She smiled and walked over to her hacker friend. “For tonight.. Thanks for the help.”

She stood and brushed the leaves off her long skirt. “Yeah, cowering behind a headstone’s always a big help. Glad I could be of service.” She smirked.

Buffy smiled. “Hey, you help. I never would have found them if it wasn’t for you.”

She shrugged and entwined her fingers together. “Yeah well, it was kind of hard to miss the whole fleeing in terror thing.”

Buffy smiled. “Come on. We deserve a girls night. We’ll go back to the dorm and have popcorn and hot coca.”

”With little marshmallows?” Her eyes widened.

“Wouldn’t be the same without them.”

Buffy walked next to her friend in silence. Slaying on campus was, to say the least, convenient. She decided to widen her patrol to include the three cemeteries within walking distance. Campus had been quiet for a few weeks and it was all the same to her. Slay the vamps who were attacking the helpless co-eds or the ones that dug out from their graves waiting to grab a happy meal with legs, as Spike once said. She saw Willow running in the distance and three dark figures closing in behind her. It was lucky too, Buffy was about to end patrol and head back to the dorm. She furrowed her brow at the thought.

Willow noticed the changing expressions in her best friends face. To say she was unreadable at the moment was an understatement. “Bad thoughts?”

Buffy broke from her inner line of questioning. “Huh? Not really. What were you doing in the cemetery, Will?”

“Shortcut.”

Buffy nodded but didn’t press for more. They approached Stevenson Hall and Buffy pulled her keys out to unlock the door. She froze and looked down at the knob.

“Buffy, what is it?” Willow’s voice took on a tinge of concern.

She pressed her finger to her lips and whispered. “Someone’s in there.”

Almost soundlessly she cracked open the door to find the room darkened. She peered inside and saw a figure laying on Willow’s bed. She motioned for Willow to stay put and crept inside.

Taking baby steps, she made her way to the bed and pounced on the intruder. He, and it was a definite masculine yelp, was sent flying to the other side of the room and crashed into the wall with a resounding thud. Willow reached her hand into the room and turned the lights on.

Just as Buffy was about to plant a size nine into the creeps face Willow yelled. “Buffy no!”

She stopped inches away. The familiar features and manner of cowering registered in her brain. “Xander!”

He gave her a much too goofy grin. “Thanks for the warm welcome oh, ‘slay now ask questions later’ one.”

She put her hand out and helped him up. “Hello! The wheel is turning but the hamster must be dead. You should know better than to sneak around in a dark dorm room. I could have taken your head off!. What? You bored in your parents basement and decided that slacking off someplace else was in order?”

“Needed a change of scenery. And I wasn’t sneaking, I was sleeping. Besides, I haven’t seen my best buds in a while and I thought I’d surprise you. Apparently I’ve succeeded.” He straightened out his shirt and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“How did you get in?” Willow piped in from her desk.

“You gave me a spare. Remember?” He offered a sheepish grin.

“Sorry Xand. Will and I declared this an official girls night about ten minutes ago. Now, if you went on patrol with me like you said you would, you coulda had a fighting chance.”

He blushed a little. “I was, um, delayed by unforeseen events.”

Buffy nodded and ushered him to the door. “Well, tell the unforeseen event Will and I said hello. Glad to see our friendly neighborhood ex-vengeance demon is keeping you in line.” She smiled. “You have to remind me sometime to ask her how she does it. “

“Fine. I’m not a complete idiot. Some parts are still missing. . .besides, I can tell when I’m. . .” The door closed firmly and he completed his sentence from the other side. “. . .not wanted. Have fun you two.” Came from behind the closed door followed by retreating footsteps.

Willow shook her head. “He really needs to get his act together. All he does is sit around in that basement with Anya.”

”I’m sure they’re doing a little more than just sitting around Will.”

”I know that.” She blushed. “I mean, here we are in college doing the whole higher education thing and he’s being a big lumpy in the basement.” She crossed the room and sat down on the bed. “Most people try to leave their mark in the world. He’ll be lucky if he leaves a stain.”

Buffy couldn’t help but laugh. “Will! That was a little harsh.”

Willow looked at her and her expression changed slightly to one of concern. “You think so? Am I being to hard on him?”

Buffy sat down next to her. “You worry too much Will. He’ll get his act together soon enough.”

She nodded and seemed satisfied with that thought. “I distinctly remember a promise of liquidy chocolate goodness in my immediate future complete with sugary floating things.”

Buffy got up to get the coca. She smiled at the thought of the night ahead of them. It had been a long time since they’d had a girls only night, way too long. Buffy was busy doubling her patrol time looking for Adam and Willow had been spending most of her time with her studies and advanced computer courses. She was almost back to her old self after everything happened with Oz. Buffy remembered how angry she was when Willow told her the whole story with Veruca. She felt angry and sad and hurt and wanted to rip his big furry head off without a second thought. With all of those emotions running through Buffy, she could only imagine what Willow had been going through. She was devastated. If anyone never deserved to be dealt that kind of hand, it had been Willow. Buffy stole a glance at the redhead who was flipping through a magazine on her bed. She’d definitely come through it a stronger person. When she walked back to the dorm with Willow after Riley yanked her from the street, she didn’t say anything. Buffy commented to Giles later that it was like it hurt too much to form words. Now, months later, the old Willow began to immerge again and Buffy was thankful for it. The thought of her best friend healing and becoming herself again made her happy. It was good to have Willow back.

“Good thoughts this time?” Willow looked up from her magazine.

“Nothing but.” She took the cups from the microwave and joined her on the bed. “I was just thinking about how good it is to have you around. The old you I mean.” She handed a cup to Willow.

She smiled. “Thanks. Twice.” She took a sip of the hot coca then frowned. “There was a new me you weren’t fond of?”

Buffy wasn’t surprised by the question. It was classic Willow to take a little compliment and find the one off thing about it. She wondered sometimes how she did it. It was like what ever nice thing anyone said to her had to have a catch. “No, I’m fond of both actually. I’m fond of all of you.” Willow furrowed her brow in confusion. “I just meant that you’ve been more like yourself lately. After the whole Oz thing you had me worried. You had all of us worried.”

“Oh.”

Buffy looked at her again. “I’m sorry. It’s still a sore spot.”

”No, it’s okay. Not so sore, I’m healing nicely.” She smiled at the Slayer and continued. “I’m dealing. I’ve embraced the pain and moved on. It still hurts sometimes, don’t get me wrong, but you just have to accept the fact that some days you’re the pigeon and some days you’re the statue.”

Buffy chuckled. “Interesting view on things Will. I’m proud of you.”

“Life’s just not fair sometimes. You wind up getting the stinky part of the deal at one point or another.” She shrugged and rolled over on her back. “You know what I mean. You’ve been dealt a bad hand a few times, but you got through it just the same.”

”I got through it because I had you. . .and the gang. Sometimes I wonder how much it’s all worth though. To go on patrol every night, do my homework, defeat the bad guys and still try to maintain some kind of normal 19 year olds social life.” She rolled over on her back and got comfortable again. “Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.”

Willow glanced over at her. “That’s a little cynical, don’t you think?”

“Maybe, then again maybe not. I mean I’ve always wanted to be somebody. I guess I should have been more specific.”

”Buffy you are somebody.” Willow rolled over on her side and looked at the blonde next to her. “You’re the Slayer, the Chosen One. . .you keep us all safe. . .”

“What good is it if no one knows? If no one is there to appreciate the callous’ on my hands or the bruises on my shoulder or the nightly pummeling I get? I guess I just want a little recognition. I mean, I’m saving the world here Will. 98% of the population are asleep on their feet and the other 2% are staring around in complete amazement, abject terror, or both. Guess which category I fall into?”

Willow thought about it for a few moments then responded. “We.”

Buffy gave her a quizzical look. “Huh?”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been doing the stealthy thing with you for almost four years now. And so has Xander and Giles and Oz and Cordelia, well, the last two not so much since they got outa dodge.”

“I know that Will and I appreciate it but. . .”

”But nothing. If you fall into that 2% then so do I. We’re fighting evil here, big scary evil, and I feel good about doing it with you. To be a part of it.”

”So do I, don’t get me wrong. I just feel sometimes that. . .”

”. . .It’s not worth it. That no matter how many fangy guys you kill there’s still gonna be more to take their place tomorrow.” She placed her hand on Buffy’s arm. “I know.”

Buffy propped herself up on her elbow so they were face to face. Willow gets it. She gets it in a way that no other normal person who wasn’t a Watcher or a Slayer did. Sometimes her best friend amazed her with the insight and inside track she had to how she felt.

“With the whole appreciation thing? I do. I know it’s hard having this secret life. . .and you make a lot of sacrifices, but it’s all turns out good in the end.” She looked down for a moment and picked at a piece of fuzz on the comforter. “And I know it’s because of you. . .you make me feel safe., make all of us safe I mean.” She threw the last part in quickly but for the life of her, couldn’t pin down an exact reason why. She and Buffy had had heart to heart talks before, but somehow this one felt a little different and was heading into uncharted territory. It had a little more of her heart in it and that was both exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Buffy looked at her a little dazed. Willow did appreciate everything, didn’t she? She’d never really said as much but it showed all the time. The countless hours of research she put in, she put herself on the line every time she cracked another security system on the computer and free time was almost non-existent being a Slayers best friend. “Hey.” Buffy whispered and put her hand on the redhead’s arm. “Thank you.”

Willow smiled shyly then frowned a little. “That’s my line. I should be thanking you for always protecting me.”

”There’s no need Will. It comes as natural to me as breathing.” The words escaped before she had a moment to think about them or feel the need to take them back. To hell with it, it was true, her heart chided. Always in the back of her mind was the frightening thought that in all of the Malay, Willow could get hurt or worse. She blinked at the worse part. It was something that she didn’t want to think about didn’t want to put an image or feeling to. It was too surreal to think that she’d be taken away in an instant and turned into some demon’s appetizer. She shuddered.

Willow saw the sullen expression on her face and the slight shake in her shoulders. “Buffy?” She covered the Slayer’s hand with her own. “What is it?”

She shook the thoughts out of her head and attempted to lighten the mood. “I believe in dragons, good men, and other fantasy creatures.” A smile crossed her lips. “But this is not a fantasy creature that lays next to me. It’s my witchy best friend that I don’t know what I’d ever do without.”

Willow blushed an interesting shade of pink. “Buffy stop. I’m always here for you without question.” She looked down at the interesting piece of fuzz again and picked at it with her free hand. “Like you said. It comes as natural as breathing,”

Willow was not making the mood lightening thing easy on the Slayer. Buffy tried to steer the conversation in any other direction but she knew she lost control of the wheel a while ago. Too many times she’d caught herself engrossed in thought about the redhead beside her. Too many times in too deep of thought. Thoughts she was ashamed of, surprised at and thrilled with all at the same time. Willow was a unique creature, one of a kind really, and Buffy couldn’t help but dwell on the finer points of her personality and mannerisms and features and. . .this train of thought was taking her to a place she preferred to visit in private. Not next to the person in question. But the train had left the station a long time ago and it was on a seemingly crash course with disaster, or destiny.

Willow stroked the hand under her own lightly. It was an absentminded gesture she’d done a thousand times before but this time it was different. Buffy’s hands were warm, very warm and that meant that she was either uncomfortable or. . .no, thoughts, bad thoughts. Just the thought of having that thought embarrassed her to no end. She had to push it out of her mind. This was Buffy, the Slayer, the best friend, the room mate. Not some object placed there for Willow to be having bad thoughts about or to be tempted by. Buffy made a sudden movement and Willow was thankfully pulled back from her mind. “Something wrong?” There was slight trepidation in her voice and a little fear.

She smiled casually and held up her cup. “Need a refill. You?”

She sighed in relief and handed her the cup. “Thanks.”

Two more cups of coca later, they were laying on their backs in the middle of the floor. Willow sat up to grab a few pillows and the comforter, then she went right back down again. “Whoa. Stop the ride I wanna get off.”

Buffy chuckled beside her. “Something wrong Will?” She asked innocently.

Willow rolled over and placed a suspicious gaze upon the Slayer. “Buffy, you wouldn’t have happened to put something extra in the hot chocolate?”

She shrugged. “Extra meaning extra marshmallows or extra meaning extra chocolate?”

“Extra meaning some of the left over Kahluah from the Porter dorm aftershock party I saw hidden in your closet?” The question really didn’t need to be answered. Willow answered herself with a silly little hiccup. She narrowed her eyes. “Buffy!”

“Okay, okay. Caught. I had a long night of slaying you had a long night of running and. . .” She looked up at the scrutinizing face hovering above her. “I should have asked you first. I’m sorry.”

“I figured you would have learned your lesson after going one million B.C.”

Buffy laughed. ”I thought you’d learn from it too. But there you were doing the dance of the brave little toaster at the Bronze, slugging back light beers.” She raised her eyebrows. Two could play at that game. “You said ‘no big’. Remember?”

Willow opened her mouth then promptly shut it with a little click. She’d been caught red handed. She tried to be angry but the truth was she felt pretty good and Buffy was right anyway. Willow probably would have never agreed to a little thick liquid fun put in the cocoa. She smirked at that thought. Was she really that uptight?

Buffy noted her expression. “I am sorry Will. I won’t do it again if your mad.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not mad. I just. . .do you think I’m wound a little too tightly?”

Buffy’s eyebrows arched into ‘huh’ mode.

“I mean I’m a computer geek. There’s no way to get around that and I get really good grades. I feel like if I’m not researching or patrolling with you that I’m studying all the time.”

Buff smiled. “Oh, so you want to know if I think you’re a stuffed shirt like Giles?”

“Well, I wouldn’t have exactly put it that way but, “ She shrugged. A slightly wounded expression crossed her face. So Buffy did think she was uptight.

“Will, I didn’t say you were.” She sat up and looked at the hacker. She wasn’t buying it. “We all do our own thing. My thing is slaying. Yours is hacking and witchcraft and Xander’s is. . .”

”I know what Xander’s thing is thanks.” She let a little grin escape but was still a little troubled. “I try to be fun and footloose but it all just equates to spaz on me.”

”Hey, don’t say that about yourself Will. You are fun and I’ve seen you be quite footloose too. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re great just the way you are.”

Willow did that ducking thing she always did when she was embarrassed. She ducked behind her hair and convinced herself that as long as she stayed there she wouldn’t have to face the cause of her embarrassment.

Buffy knew she was retreating into herself even before she dropped her head and her hair fell into her face. This simply wouldn’t do. She reached up and tucked the hair back behind her ear. “No hiding. That’s rule number two right after don’t get killed, remember? You don’t have to be embarrassed in front of me Will.”

Her shoulders fell. “I can’t help it Buffy. I just. . .your you and I’m . . .well, not exactly someone that. . .your just special that’s all and I’m just Willow.”

As she spoke, Buffy saw the shy girl she met in high school slowly take over. Score one for Willow’s inadequacies rearing their ugly head These were valid concerns for Willow and it bothered Buffy. Bothered her in a way that it made her sad that the person sitting in front of her didn’t know how special she really was. “Will, being best friends goes both ways. You just don’t wake up one morning and have one sitting there shipped right from the factory.” Willow let a little grin escape and Buffy was relieved that she was getting through. “I wouldn’t be your best friend if you weren’t mine. It’s mutual.” She reached over and pulled Willows head up with her hand. She needed to look into those eyes when she said it. Needed to know that she understood and accepted it and that maybe she felt the same way. “I need you as much as you need me. . .sometimes even more.”

Willow began to shake her head in protest. Buffy needing her? Couldn’t be. Buffy was strong and sure of herself and had a lot of things going for her. “No. You don’t need me Buffy. You do just fi-“ She was silenced by a finger on her lips.

Buffy lowered her eyes and looked right at, almost right through, the girl in front of her. How could she make her understand? How could she prove that Willow was one of the best things to ever happen in her life?” I do need you Will. More than you know or I care to admit sometimes. You support me, you comfort me and you bandage my wounds and I don’t just mean the physical ones either.” She removed her finger from Willow’s lips when she was certain that she wouldn’t be interrupted. Her hand rested on Willow’s slender shoulder as she continued. “When Angel told me he was leaving, you were the first person that came to mind that I could tell. Not my mother, or Giles or Xander. You. I needed you and you were there for me. You got it, you understood.” Buffy stopped a moment and closed her eyes. Everything was coming back to her and she wasn’t prepared for the flood gates to open so soon. A wave of emotion hit her all at once and she swam like hell against the current, fighting for control. “You get me. You always have. In ways that even Angel never did.” She took a deep breath and tried to quell the rumble of hurt she now associated with his name. That’s all that was left now really, just a dull ache when those five letters were said. Nothing more. It was Buffy’s turn to hang her head.

Willow saw the spark of emotions engulf her face at the mention of Angel. She was so busy being her usual insecure self, she didn’t realize that maybe Buffy was insecure too. “Buffy. . .” Her tone was cautious and probing at the same time. She had a knack of doing that subconsciously. Putting an infliction on words where the meaning was both heard and felt.

“I’m Sorry Will. I was trying to cheer you up and here I am falling apart.”

Willow closed the gap between them and took her into her arms for a big hug. “Tonight is about us. Girls night, remember? And we can get as giddy or as sappy or as weepy as we want to.”

Buffy smiled into the mane of herbal shampoo smelling hair. Once again as the doubts and worries crept into her mind it was Willow to the rescue.

Willow pulled back a bit and looked into her eyes. “Your. . .your crying.”

Willow had a knack for that too. Stating the obvious even though Buffy could go without it being said. “Yeah. I have a tendency to do that sometimes.” She offered a light smile, but right now, her heart was anything but light..

Willow did the only thing that crossed her mind at the moment. Later she’d question exactly why she’d done it, what on the Hellmouth possessed her so strongly that she practically had no control over herself at all. But that was for later, for now she tilted her head slowly to the side and brushed he lips against the soft skin of Buffy’s cheek.

Buffy closed her eyes when she saw Willow’s movement. She didn’t know what was coming but there was something inside that kept her frozen in place. When she felt soft lips press lightly against her cheek she let out a little sigh. It wasn’t out of fear or unwant, but out of relief. Relief that Willow had done what the Slayer never had the courage to do. It was ending much too soon and Buffy knew something was escaping from her grasp when she felt Willow begin to pull away. Almost panicked by the sudden loss of contact she reached her hand out and put it on her shoulder stopping Willow dead in her tracks.

When she felt Buffy’s hand it was like a big red stoplight flashed before her eyes even though they were closed. It was flashing frantically, warning her that an inch forward or back could literally mean the end of something or the beginning of it. She wasn’t sure which door to take so she remained stock still hoping that maybe Buffy had some idea, some clue, as to what was happening between them.

She’d gotten herself into this and wasn’t quite sure if she wanted out just yet. Buffy began to rub the slender shoulder under her touch. She applied slight pressure with her fingers and danced slowly over and to the back of the hacker’s neck. Turning her head slightly to the left, she placed an equally soft kiss on the exposed skin of Willow’s neck. She allowed herself to linger there guiltily taking in the scent she always seemed to recognize. It was that Willow scent that belonged soully to her and her alone. Buffy decided right there that if she could bottle it, she’d make a fortune but decided just as quickly that she didn’t want to share. She felt a tentative hand run up her arm and across her shoulder, settling in her hair. A moment later she felt Willow nuzzle into the crook of her neck and apply yet another kiss – this one being more firm and directed – right to the pulse point in her neck. Buffy let her breath go in one long release, feeling some semblance of justification that it wasn’t only her in this. They were in it together.

Willow heard the sigh and stiffened immediately. She’d done something wrong, gone too far and no amount of hiding or babbling was going to undo kissing your best friends neck the way she just did.

“Will?” Concern weighed heavily and it came out in an almost inaudible whisper.

“I. . .I’m sorry. I never should have.” She pulled away and shook her head. This wasn’t supposed to happen for real. She was supposed to walk the fine line and do as she was told – what everyone expected her to – and save making time with her best friend for guilty dreams and lonely nights. At least there she didn’t have to face her, didn’t have to know that it was, in fact, just a dream after all.

Buffy ran her hand nervously though her hair. Willow was freaked and for the first time she didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to fix it. “Will I. . .” She stopped as green eyes locked with hazel. Tears welled up in Willows eyes and threatened to spill over any second. She had a look of horror on her face, remorse, regret, fear. . .all tangled together and doing some crazy tap dance that somehow was reflected in her eyes.

“Don’t hate me.” Willow whispered in a rush as the tears gave up and made their decent.

Buffy’s eyes widened as she realized that Willow wasn’t afraid of how Buffy felt – it was that she was afraid of what she felt herself. “God no, Will. . I could never hate you, ever.” She reached over with both hands and cupped her face. “Ever.” The last word was emphasized by a light squeeze with her hands.

“Cause I could take any thing but that. You could just not talk to me or yell o-or be angry and and mean to me but if you ever hated me I don’t know what I’d wou-“ For the second time that night, she was silenced by Buffy. Not by a slightly calloused finger across her lips but with another set of lips unique and soft and unlike anything she’d ever felt before.

She’ll never know the exact reason why she did it – but was glad it finally happened just the same. So many times she wanted to quiet her best friends fears and insecurities just like this and it was finally happening. Instinctively, Buffy moved closer to her and wrapped her arms more firmly around her shoulders. The kiss was soft and sweet and everything in her life, everything she ever knew and some things she would just never get, narrowed down into oblivion. Her world now consisted of two things: Kissing Willow and becoming very good at it. Slender arms tightened their grasp around her waist, and Buffy let out a low moan from some corner of herself she’d almost forgotten about. Desire and love crept out of that place too and when Willow let go of her own small gasp, they drizzled out of Buffy and poured into every inch of the girl in front of her.

Willow’s hands rubbed lightly across a muscular back. Buffy arched into her and she let out a gasp of surprise. A moment later she felt hot lips dancing across her neck and she leaned into the kiss more, never wanting to let go but feeling the need to do more herself. She nipped lightly at the earlobe in front of her and was please to no end when she heard Buffy’s sudden intake of breath.

The Slayer lifted her head and looked deep into the eyes now fixed on her. Willow’s eyes had taken on a significantly darker shade what Buffy found there wasn’t fear or insecurity or sadness – what she found was what she’d been looking for almost all her life. It was acceptance. She touched the swollen lips that were inches away from her and ran her fingers across them. Willow closed her eyes and Buffy saw it as yet another sign of trust and acceptance. What ever would happen, what ever the future held, this was Willow right now giving up and giving in not because she had to but because she’d wanted to all along. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” She whispered.

She didn’t open her eyes but answered almost immediately. “You know why. Do I really have to say it?”

Buffy smiled and stroked her cheek. “No. You don’t have to say anything Will. I know.”

Willow looked at her for a moment then placed a feathery kiss on her lips. There was a double meaning behind the words just spoken and they were both aware of it. “I love you, you’re my best friend. How could I not? And I know you know but that doesn’t take the place of saying it.”

Buffy kissed her again and it was like the first time. No more words were needed and nothing more was said that either one would care to decipher at that moment. Sweet light kisses were replaced with more urgent ones. Trembling hands reached for offending garments as they stripped away the thin walls that barred access to flesh against flesh. Every touch was sensual and every kiss drove them closer and closer to the edge of something they’d been scared to face alone.

Willow latched on to the shoulders of her friend – now and always lover – almost afraid that it was all a dream. Some exquisite dream that she never fully intended to come out of. As Buffy nipped and kissed the skin of her collarbone it brought her back to reality and the knowledge that this was real. The thin sheen of sweat, the body above her, the tongue that roamed and battled with her own – they were all almost painfully real.

She opened her eyes when she felt Willow’s breathing increase along with her own and was met with the most beautiful sight she’d ever been witness to. Willow’s face was washed in sweat and the look of pure pleasure and absolute love was enough to bring her right to the edge and send her tumbling over and up into complete wingless flight. When they felt the intensity build, they locked eyes and never looked away – each urging the other higher and higher until their passion culminated into a rush of moans and a mutual exquisite ache that they’d never felt before in their entire lives.

-----------

Willow was acutely aware of the fingers lazily combing through her hair the moment she awoke. She willed her eyes to open the slightest bit and was met with the most amazing smile attached to an even more amazing person.

“Good Morning.” Buffy whispered and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

“Mmm. . .all mornings should be like this.” Willow smiled and snuggled closer.

Buffy wrapped her arms around her. “No argument from this side of the camp.” They laid in compatible silence for a few moments then Buffy spoke again. “You know this is the part where I usually wake up.”

”Really?” Willow smiled and kissed her on the lips. Small kisses turned quickly into more passionate ones and she stopped to catch her breath. “That’s the part where I usually wake up.” She blushed.

Buffy struggled to catch up to her lungs who were presently working double time. “Huh. You don’t say?”

“Yup. It’s nice to have to wake up though. But if this is all a dream then leave me in comaville thankyouverymuch.”

Buffy brought her chin up so that she could look into her eyes.

Willow shifted into concern mode. “Buffy, what is it?”

She shook her head slowly in disbelieve. “You really mean that. Don’t you?”

Willow’s face softened and her lips curled into a shy grin. “Of course I do. Why is that so hard to believe?” She sat up a little and touched her cheek lightly. “Buffy, I never. . no matter what happens. . .ever want to regret what I did last night. . .what we did.” She kissed her reassuringly. “I love you and what happened between us. . well, it could have happened on any given night but it didn’t. For what ever reason, it happened last night and I think it’s. . .it’s because it was meant to happen. At least that’s what I’d like to think.”

All the worry and fear and questions tied up in a knot in her stomach suddenly got a clue. They were no longer needed or wanted or welcomed where they’d so rudely taken up residence and it was eviction day. A very satisfied grin crept out from the place it had been cowering for so long and took up residence square and firm on the Slayer’s lips.

Willow was thoroughly confused. “What?”

Buffy kissed her and smiled. “Nothing. I just love you. I just, with everything I have and everything I don’t, I love you.” Right before Willow leaned up and kissed her again, the fleeting thought crossed Buffy’s mind that she was right. All mornings should be like this.

FINIS