Part One
"Star light, Star bright, I wish I may, I wish I might, Wish upon a star tonight"
The old children's song ran through Buffy's mind as she lay motionless on the ground staring up a the sky above her. The stars were twinkling, they looked mischievous, it was almost as if they were winking at her, laughing. She hated them and wanted everyone to go out, wanted them to stop taunting her and teasing her. She wanted them to leave her alone, but she couldn't stop staring at them, no matter how strong a constitution she thought she had she just couldn't stop.
Idly she noticed that the longer she stared at the them the more her vision was starting to blur. The stars above her were starting to fuse together, forming what seemed to be streams of white light to her tired eyes.
She felt light-headed.
The pain in her side had almost disappeared, she noted listlessly, but she still couldn't move. It was as if none of the signals her brain was sending to the rest of her body weren't getting through. The connections that told her limbs to move and that told her body to hurt had been compromised, broken. She was broken.
She was paralyzed. She was bleeding. Her vision was going. She was cold.
She was dying.
When she realized that her condition was worsening by the moment, that she was dying, she almost laughed. In fact she would have, if she could have. It was just too un-fucking believable. After everything that had happened to her over the past five years, after all of the times she had averted the apocalypse and saved the world from hundred year old demons, she was going to die paralyzed, and alone in the middle of cemetery.
Finally, she reached a point where she could no longer see the stars above her. In fact she couldn't see anything. Her world now totally consisted of the dark and the thoughts in her head. She was mildly disappointed. She realized now that she couldn't see them that she missed the stars, missed their twinkle…even if they were winking at her and mocking her. They had keep her company. But they were gone now.
In the night, in the dark, she found her thoughts always returning to one thing. One person actually. Willow. Her thoughts were almost entirely of the Willow variety. Willow smiling. Willow laughing. Willow with her 'resolve face' on. Willow typing at her computer. Willow lounging on her bed. Willow, Willow, Willow. She wanted Willow to be there with her. She didn't want Willow to be part of the dying, but she wanted her there. Every time she thought about Willow not being there, she felt her heart constrict, making it more difficult for her to breathe. And it was already plenty difficult.
"Well, this has been an illuminating experience," Buffy thought to herself as her head tilted to the side. "Five years, and I have to be on my death bed before I admit it…mom was right, I AM a procrastinator."
She had always thought that when her number was finally called, she would go quickly. That just like everything else her life would be taken away from her in one violent, passionate, all-consuming yank. Over before she even knew what was happening. She should have known that it wouldn't have been that easy though. She should have known that she would go, like she lived. Fighting valiantly to the end. Nope, Buffy Summers didn't do anything the easy way and she certainly wasn't going to start with her death.
The thing was that she had always assumed that those last moments before she passed away would be filled with images from her distant past. Stuff like skating with her dad, and building sand castles on the beach. And that those things would be followed by images of being called by Merick, and of meeting Xander, Giles, and Willow, and of fighting the good fight. And finally, she had thought there would be Angel. His image hovering in her mind like a guardian, carrying her over the threshold.
But it wasn't like that at all.
Yes, she thought about growing up. Yes, she thought about being called, burning down her old high school and moving to Sunnydale. And yes, she thought about Xander, and Giles and Angel. But, it was Willow who she thought of most. Whom she saw in her mind watching over her. And in this state, where she had nothing left to lose, and more importantly nothing left to fear, or protect, or hide, she had a epiphany. It was to her, what the apple was to Newton, and the light-bulb to Edison, and it struck her with a such a force that she was almost certain it would have been enough to shock her upright.
She loved Willow. No, she was in love with Willow. She was in love with Willow.
Willow, her best friend, her confidant, her source, her strength. Her love. She was in love with Willow.
The discovery was enough to make her cry, to make her wish that she had died in the snap of finger like she had always envisioned. It made her heart constrict, and her breathing shallow, and her hands sweat. Realizing that she loved Willow made her hurt so much that she was sure she was going to die of the pain, rather than from the injury she had received.
And the reason that it hurt so much? Because she realized that Willow would never know how she felt, how much she meant to her. It hurt so much, because she would never get to tell Willow, never get to hold her and love her the way she now realized she had wanted to for a very long time. It hurt because her mind was filled with images of what could have been…what should have been…and what would never be. And it killed her all that much faster.
"My most stunning defeat, by not using my tongue," Buffy thought to herself, twisting the words of Billy Shakespeare to apply to her situation, as her eyes closed. "Ain't that a bitch."
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Willow paced around the room, hands clasped behind her back with her head bowed down. She couldn't believe that this was happening, this wasn't suppose to happen. Alright, so really it was suppose to happen, and it had been happening over and over again since the beginning of recorded history and probably before that too, but it wasn't suppose to happen to Buffy. Not again. Not so soon. Buffy was different from the Slayers before her, everyone who had ever met her said that. She wasn't suppose to go down like the rest of them, she was special. She was suppose to live.
They-they being Willow, Xander, and Giles-had found Buffy lying in the cemetery, barely breathing and unconscious four hours before. They had to assess her injuries on the scene which meant that Willow got the job of checking Buffy's body for injuries. She had felt around for broken bones, and bruises and had been at a complete loss when she found nothing wrong, then she found the rip in Buffy's shirt. Lifting the end of the shirt up so that she could see what was wrong, she spotted a tear of a puncture mark, and coming out of the puncture mark were a series of nasty looking red streaks fanning across Buffy stomach, and underneath her around to her back. The mark had enflamed the entire left side of the Slayer's body, and her skin was warm to touch.
It was a demon bite. A bad one.
They knew that they couldn't take Buffy to the hospital with an injury like this. It would raise questions that they couldn't answer, not to mention the fact that there was nothing the doctors could do for Buffy that they couldn't do themselves. So Giles had carefully lifted Buffy's limp body into his arms and carried her to the car.
Off to Fort Giles they went.
Willow stopped pacing and closed her eyes. The longer Buffy remained unconscious the harder she found it to breathe. She felt shut off, like she was missing a part of her being. An important part, and it made even the simplest of functions difficult. She tilted her head to look at the door leading to Giles' bedroom where Buffy was resting. As she stared at the door she felt the tears that she had just managed to suppress emerging once again. Straining against her eyelids, burning her eyes.
"Where are you going?" Giles asked looking up from his book as Willow headed towards his bedroom. He was trying to find the best way to treat Buffy's injury by searching through a number of texts. Unfortunately most of the medical texts dealing with demons hadn't been transcribed to English, and while Willow was supremely intelligent, she didn't read Latin. In addition to his research Giles had been watching her closely since they arrived at his house. He and Xander were quite concerned about Buffy's condition, but it was affecting Willow in a much more intense way. Giles had never seen Willow so desolate, and after Oz's departure she had been quite depressed. He was worried about her. In fact he was just worried in general.
"I need to be with her," Willow responded softly turning around to face the older man. She knew that she didn't need to say anymore. Even if Giles didn't completely understand, he wouldn't question her about this. The Watcher simply nodded, and Willow continued down the hallway.
Xander watched the exchange between Willow and Giles silently. He had nothing of import to interject, and he couldn't see anything humorous in the situation to comment on so he remained silent. He loved Buffy, he really did. He knew that he didn't have a chance with her romantically-that had been made quite clear over the years-and he was happy with Anya, but he still loved her. He also knew that Willow loved Buffy too, that they had a bond that he wasn't sure he would ever really understand, and he knew that if Buffy lying in that room possibly dying was affecting him as much as it was, it had to have been ten times as bad for Willow.
Willow opened the door to Giles' bedroom and closed it softly behind her. The moment her eyes fell on Buffy's prone figure lying on the bed, so peaceful and so lifeless at the same time the tears that she had barely been containing began to fall, and she had to lean up against the door for support.
After a moment Willow pushed herself away from the door and walked over to the side of the bed taking a seat on the chair Giles had placed beside the bed. She had been given the task of changing Buffy into something more comfortable. The Slayer kept a couple spare change of clothes at Giles' house…in case of an emergency. It was an emergency. It had almost killed her seeing, and feeling Buffy so powerless, so helpless as she changed her. Buffy was always so strong, so full of life and energy that seeing her lying there inert had been devastating.
Willow reached over and picked up Buffy's hand holding it in her own, gently stroking it with her thumb. She had so many feelings welling up inside of her, there was so much that she wanted to say, but she couldn't seem to find any words that would convey the depths of her emotions, and her despair. She felt so helpless.
"I know that you can hear me," Willow said softly. She had been sitting there holding Buffy's hand for almost fifteen minutes before she began to speak. "So I'm going to talk to you, and I'm probably going to babble…a lot…not that there's anything new about that, since I am known for running off at the mouth. Not that my mouth actually sprints away from my body, I just start talking and don't stop," Willow paused and smiled sadly. "See, it's happening already."
"You, ah…you gave us all a real scare there, it took Giles for ever to find your pulse. It was so surreal, I didn't even feel like I was in my body…it was like being in some sort of nightmare, only I couldn't wake up and go to you so that you could make it all better. I thought that I was going to have a heart attack…but it was probably just a stroke."
"You look so peaceful. Like you're just asleep or something. I know that this is probably the only night that you're likely to get eight full hours sleep, but I'd really, really, appreciate it if you woke up. I'd even bake you cookies," Willow continued her voice cracking a little as the tears started to stream down her face again.
"I'm always up for cookies," Buffy responded in an almost inaudible voice as she squeezed Willow's hand. The movement was weak, but it was definitely there.
"Buffy?" Willow asked looking up at the Slayer's face. Tears were cascading down her face making it difficult for her to make out her friends features.
"Yeah," Buffy said in the same soft voice, only this time her lips curved up in a small voice. "I'd really like to see you, but my eyes aren't co-operating," she continued coughing a bit.
"Open them," Willow said suddenly wanting to see Buffy's eyes more than anything else in the world. You could see Buffy's soul in her eyes, strong and gentle, and Willow wanted to look into them. Wanted to look into Buffy.
"That's what they're aren't co-operating with," Buffy responded. "I tried 'open sesame', and 'abracadabra' and still, nothing. I'm running out of clichés."
"How about hocus pocus?" Willow suggested a small smile working it's way across her face.
"Hocus," Buffy said one eye slowly opening. "Pocus," she said as the other eye opened as well. "I'm indebted to you Will, I never would have thought of that."
"Well," Willow said shrugging. "It's kind of my area of expertise."
Buffy smiled in response to Willow's answer, but the expression left her face shortly after followed by a frown, and then a rhythmic shaking of her body. Her eyes closing as her body shuddered over and over again uncontrollably. A slight sheen covering her body through it all.
Willow stood up and leaned over Buffy when her body started to convulse.
"Buffy," Willow said reaching out for her friend. Placing her hands on Buffy's shoulder she tried to hold the jerking Slayer still, but she soon realized that her actions were foolish and stopped. Even if she had been able to keep Buffy still it wouldn't have been of any use. "Buffy," she called again this time more urgently.
No response.
Willow back away from the bed, nearly tripping over the chair she had been sitting on as she started to back up towards the door.
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"Giles!" Willow called opening the door and tearing out into the hallway. "Giles!"
"Willow…what is it?" Giles said meeting Willow by the kitchen.
Willow didn't respond verbally, she just looked nervously back in the direction she had come from.
"Willow," Giles said firmly placing a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong? Is it Buffy?"
"She's shaking," Willow responded snapping out of it. "Sweating and shaking. I couldn't stop her. I called her name but she didn't respond. Just shaking and sweating," Willow continued in a frantic state.
"Wha…" Giles started to say once Willow finished speaking, but he cut off his own answer and headed down the hallway rapidly followed by Willow, Xander, and in a distance fourth Spike.
When they entered the room Buffy was still shaking but less violently than before. Her skin had turned an unhealthy pallor and was almost gray in colour. She was moaning and tossing her head from side to side.
"Dammit," Giles said moving over to the bed. "The poison…we didn't get it all out."
Willow and Xander followed Giles to side of the bed, but once they got there they realized they didn't know what they were suppose to do.
"Look on the bright side," Spike commented from the doorway. "Maybe the next Slayer will be taller."
"De-fanged or not, if you say anything remotely like that ever again I will personally rip off a table leg and stab you in the heart," Xander said turning around angrily.
"There's no need to get hostile," Spike said glaring at Xander. "It's not like this is a tragedy or anything. It's just…what did that bloody monkey call it…the circle of life. Yeah, the circle of life. This should be a time of celebration, the dawning of a new era. Out with old, in with the new," he continued.
"The Dagger of Gothar, it's mounted on my wall," Giles said ignoring Spike for a moment and addressing Willow. "It's the right size and shape, it should do. I need to get it and place it on the stove to warm."
"Right," Willow muttered softly before turning and heading out the room in a near jog.
"Xander, get the supply box, bring it in here," Giles said turning to the remaining member of the gang. "And make sure that all of the windows are closed," Giles added as an afterthought as he ran a nervous hand through his hair.
"What? No job for Spike?" the vampire asked after Xander pushed by him roughly. "I'm hurt, wounded really. I thought we friends," he continued smirking.
Giles ripped his attention away from Buffy's struggling form and turned to face Spike. He stared at him for a moment, then in a lightening quick move that would have impressed Buffy had she not been fighting for her life at the moment, Giles was across the room and pressing Spike up against the wall.
"I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but we're not friends. You're presence in tolerated, not desired, and it's barely tolerated at that. Now, you'll sit in the corner and you'll shut your bloody mouth or there won't be enough of you left to fit in a Tupperware container. Now, have I made myself clear?" Giles asked pressing Spike more firmly against the wall for emphasis.
"Bloody clear," Spike said in a somewhat strangled tone. "I said 'bloody clear'!" the vampire repeated when Giles didn't let him go.
Giles put Spike down and stared at him for a moment before finally turning around and heading back to Buffy's side. The Slayer had stopped shaking and was now just lying on the bed prone, and sweating.
Willow and Xander arrived within moments of each other, both heading straight for the bed.
"Giles," Willow said staring at Buffy's form. "What are we doing?"
"I didn't realize how bed the bite was before. I was negligent, more concerned with getting her back here. I didn't…"
"How about we do the self-loathing part of the assessment later, and get on with healing now," Xander said cutting off Giles' self chastisement.
"There's a salve in the kit, it should bring the poison the demon injected into her to the surface. Once we've got it there we can neutralize it," Giles responded following Xander's suggestion.
"Neutralize it?" Willow asked her brows furrowing in confusion. "How…Giles no…" Willow said looking up at him in astonishment.
"Yes," Giles responded. "It's the only way. If we leave the poison in there for much longer we won't get a chance to drag it to the surface again, and if it stays in there…"
"She dies," Xander said finishing Giles' sentence.
They stood in silence for a moment, each contemplating what they would have to do in the next few minutes.
"Xander check on the dagger, Willow get the salve and apply it," Giles said disturbing the silence.
Willow moved over to the kit and searched through it quickly until she came upon the salve that Giles said she was to apply. Kneeling down beside the bed Willow lifted up the end of Buffy shirt until the wound was revealed. Carefully, Willow applied the salve to the wound, and then the area around it.
"What now?" she asked looking up at Giles once she was done.
"We wait," the watcher replied.
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"And you're certain that all of the windows are closed?" Giles asked when Xander arrived a few minutes later holding the red hot dagger with a couple of oven mitts.
"They're closed," Xander said soberly.
The next five minutes or so passed in a haze for all of them. Xander handed the mitts and the dagger over to Giles, then he and Willow leaned over the bed and proceeded to hold Buffy down. Giles then applied the burning dagger to Buffy's side over top of the tear the demon had left in her skin. As soon as the dagger touched her flesh Buffy's eyes had popped open, and as Giles applied it fully to her skin the Slayer let loose a horrific scream. Then she quieted once Giles removed the dagger. Then Giles applied the dagger to her skin once again and Buffy screamed once more and started to thrash around. This process continued for around five minutes although it seemed like five years to the occupants of the room.
Finally, when the wound was sealed and poison neutralized the gang moved away from the bed, and sat down on the floor surrounding it.
"Yeah," Xander said after a few moments in a kind of half sigh. "This beat the hell out of seeing Galaxy Quest."
Part Two
"Willow, please," Giles said looking down at the young redhead once again.
"No," Willow responded firmly not moving from her position.
"Willow…"
"No."
"Willow, I really…"
"No."
"Would it kill you to respond in complete sentences?" Giles asked running a hand through his hair. As much as he cared about the scoobs they were absolutely exasperating at times. At least he had managed to convince Xander to go home and get some rest.
"Yes, Giles it would actually kill me," Willow responded. "So, no."
"Alright," Giles said sighing. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Will do," the hacker responded before returning to her vigil.
Spike watched as Giles exited the room, then slipped out of the shadows and headed towards the room where the Slayer and hacker remained. When he reached the door he fully intended on entering, but something stopped him. Instead when he reached the door, he just stood there leaning against the frame and looked into the room.
Willow was hunched over in her chair holding Buffy's hand. He'd often wondered about the two of them, Willow more than Buffy as the Slayer was able to keep a tighter leash on her emotions than her friend. He'd been walking the earth for just over two hundred years and during that time, especially after he died, he had a lot of time to observe the mortals. It wasn't because he particularly cared about them, or was curious about them, he just wanted to learn how to read them so that he could better manipulate and torture them. And over the decades he learned that he was very good at reading people, in fact he was certain he could have been a bloody good shrink. And although he couldn't torture or manipulate Buffy and Willow (at least not anymore) he still watched them. There was something compelling, something special about the two of them-although if someone asked him he would never admit it. In fact, watching them almost made him wish he was still human…almost.
He shook his head and smirked darkly as he watched Willow smooth away a strand of Buffy hair. The chippies were in love with each other, but were to afraid to tell the other. It was beautiful. He could have had such fun with this if he was still a bad-ass vamp. Three months ago he would have milked this discovery for all it was worth. But now, now that he had spent so much time around them and gotten their cooties he wouldn't even enter the room because he didn't want to disturb them. It was enough to make him want to jump on a table leg.
"Well, isn't this quaint," Spike drawled finally making it into the room.
"What do you want?" Willow asked turning around to look at the Billy Idol clone.
"Just paying my respects," Spike said coming to a stop beside her chair.
"Yeah, and VIP is quality entertainment," Willow said turning away from him.
"That's a bloody good show," Spike said looking down at her.
"Is there a reason you're here?" Willow asked.
"Is there a reason any of us are here? I mean, do any of us really know what we were put on the this planet for? And if we did would we even be able to achieve it…."
"Buffy knows and does," Willow said cutting off his mock philosophical diatribe.
"Yes, well isn't she lucky," Spike said making a face. "Buffy's brave and strong and courageous isn't she? Makes you really wonder why she'd waste her time on a sub-par witch who's as afraid of her own feelings as she is of her shadow, doesn't it? It sure makes me wonder."
"I only did that once," Willow said in response to the shadow comment.
"I'm so sure," Spike responded rolling his eyes.
"You're just trying to annoy me," Willow said tilting her head up to peer at the vampire.
"You're right, I am. That doesn't mean that I'm wrong."
"Wrong about what?"
"About you…being afraid of your own insignificant emotions."
"I'm not afraid of my own emotions, in fact I'm very in touch with them. In fact right now they're telling me that I don't like you."
"Really, then why don't you just tell her…if you're not afraid that is?" Spike challenged.
"Are you insane?"
"Ah, yeah," Spike answered sarcastically. "Where have you been for the last three years?"
"Alright, I'll admit it was a stupid question," Willow acknowledged. "But in my defense it was an excited utterance."
"I'll bet you were excited," Spike commented lecherously.
"What are you talking about?" Willow asked finally turning around to peer at the vampire.
"You and the brave little tank engine," Spike said casting a look in Buffy's direction. "You're obviously hot for her. She makes you randy doesn't she?"
"I am NOT, I repeat…emphatically…NOT hot for Buffy," Willow said her voice rising defensively. "And…who say's 'randy' anyway…you stupid-head."
"Ohhh, that was convincing," Spike said in a voice that oozed sarcasm.
"Shut up," Willow said turning away from him. She wasn't sure what she was more upset about, Spike being right about her feelings for Buffy, or Spike disturbing the silence? It was probably an equal combination.
"She's really got your digits, huh?" Spike asked with an obnoxious grin.
"You want you know about digits? I'll show you a digit," Willow responded flipping Spike the bird.
"The cat has claws," Spike responded making a clawing motion with his hand and growling suggestively.
"Have you ever heard the expression 'three's a crowd'?" Willow asked turning around irritably.
"Have you heard the expression 'I don't give a flying fuck'?" Spike responded.
Willow didn't responded and Spike bounced on the balls of his feet for a moment observing Willow and the Slayer, smiling.
"You know, you can stick up all the fingers you like, but you know that I'm right. You're in love with the Slayer," he said gleefully. "How staggeringly pathetic," he went on. "If I were you I'd get my jollies while I can, because even Buffy's not stupid enough to blind to your feelings for her for much longer…and once she wises up…well, let's just say you'll be begging to have you sidekick status back."
"You're wrong," Willow said softly. "Buffy's my best friend…nothing will come between us. We're stronger than that," Willow said not sure if she was trying to convince Spike or herself.
"Nothing except for the fact that you want to jump her bones," the vampire responded. "If you don't think wanting to engage in sexual congress with your best friend is going to cause anything but total fall out, you're stupider than Xander looks."
"Like you would know anything about it. You don't even have a heart, how do you expect to know how those of us whose hearts still beat will feel?"
"I know because you know," Spike responded smugly. "If you really believed all of this 'unconditional friendship' crap that you've been preaching you would have told her already. The fact that you sit here in the dark holding her hand when she's unconscious because you know it's the only way you'll ever be able to do it tells me everything that I need to know."
Spike watched as the hacker dropped her gaze and stared at her shoes. He smiled.
"Merry wallowing," the vampire said in closing, then he walked out the door.
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Buffy slowly become aware of her surroundings. One sound, one smell, one touch at a time she slowly came back into herself. The room smelled vaguely of herbs, it was a combination of hospital smell and the Magic shop, but it wasn't her olfactory senses that were primarily engaged. What she was almost hyper-naturally aware of was the hand on hers. Gently tracing patterns on her skin. Even in her barely conscious state she knew that the hands belonged to Willow and it caused her heart to flood with warmth.
"You know, there's a law against molesting the unconscious," Buffy said smiling as she opened her eyes.
"I wasn't…" Willow said pulling her hand away quickly.
"It was a joke Will, granted it wasn't a very good one, but I'm not exactly at my peak right now," Buffy responded cutting Willow off. "It's alright, it wasn't a bad way to wake up…and believe me I know for I have woken up a number of bad ways."
"How do you feel?" Willow asked leaning forward slightly, but not touching Buffy. The conversation that she had with Spike was still playing through her head like a broken record that she couldn't shut off.
"I've been better," Buffy responded. "I've been worse."
"You're being vague," Willow responded gently.
"Hurt and I are very close friends right now," Buffy said smiling a little. "I don't really like Hurt though…she's a bit of a wise-ass."
"Hurts bad," Willow agreed.
"Very bad. Hurt needs a cap in her ass like nobody's business," Buffy responded grinning. "How are you?"
"I'm not the one with the demon bite," Willow responded meeting Buffy's gaze.
"True enough, but you are the one who looks like she hasn't sleep since the reign of Louis XIV," Buffy responded. Even in her weakened state the worry in her voice was clear.
"I'm okay," Willow responded. "I…I've just been worried about you…you looked so pale Buffy, I was so worried we didn't know what to do and…"
"Shhh," Buffy said reaching out and grasping Willow's hand which was thankfully near by. "It's all right now, no 'if's', 'ands', or 'buts' about it. It's all roses."
"Roses?" Willow asked softly.
"Red, yellow…what ever kind you want," Buffy responded smiling.
A few moments later Willow noticed Buffy's eyes close briefly and saw a shudder run through her body.
"Buffy?" she asked anxiously.
"Yeah…it's okay," Buffy answered quickly. "I'm just cold," she added softly.
Willow started to stand up.
"What?! Where are you going?!" Buffy asked trying to maintain the weak hold she had on Willow's hand.
"I'm going to get you another blanket," Willow said looking down at Buffy. "I'll be right back, it'll be okay."
"No, Will, just stay…I don't need…"
"Yes, yes you do. I felt that shudder run through your body, and you told me yourself you were cold."
"I…there's…listen, I don't need a blanket…"
"Buffy…"
"No, wait, just hear me out. I…I'll be alright if you just…if you come lie down with me. Body heat's the best heat…or so the saying goes."
"Buffy, really the linen closet is just down the hall," Willow said looking at the door.
"I…Will…I don't want to be alone, can you understand that?" Buffy asked. Willow nodded. "Can you…"
"Yeah," Willow responded. "No 'ifs', 'ands', or 'buts' about it," she continued smiling as she moved around the other side of the bed to slip in beside Buffy.
"Thank you," Buffy said softly once Willow had settled in beside her.
"There's no need for thanks…I'm glad to be of service," Willow responded.
"Well, then I'm glad to have you in my service," Buffy said softly. "Don't take this as an affront but I'm probably going to fall asleep very, very, soon."
"No 'fronts' will be taken…Scouts honor," Willow said.
"You were never a Scout," Buffy said through a yawn.
"True…but my heart was in the right place. Are you comfortable?"
"Despite all reason, yeah," Buffy responded soaking in Willow's warmth and the feel of her friends body pressed up against her. "Definitely a yeah."