Chapter 16
Buffy turned her head and observed the people gathered in the room around her. Xander and Anya were lounging on Giles's couch both looking beyond bored, Spike was sitting in the left corner of the room sipping from a mug moodily, and Giles was standing just off to her side glaring at Spike. They were waiting for Willow to get back from school. The hacker hadn't wanted to leave Buffy's side but the Slayer had insisted. University wasn't like High School were attendance was really a courtesy to the tax payers. You could get kicked out for poor attendance and Buffy wasn't about to let that happen to Willow. As for herself, if the note they had written after hacking into the Sunnydale General mainframe worked, she would be excused for medical reasons. She didn't really want to think about the 'if not' or her mothers reaction to it.
"I've mutilated corpses that were more fun than you blokes," Spike comment having finished his snack.
"We could always play 'Shove the Stake in the Vampire'," Buffy responded looking at him with a sweet smile. "If you'd prefer."
"The vampire's right," Anya said perking up. "We could be having the sex now," she continued running her hand up Xander's-who had the decency to blush-chest.
"Ix nay on the ex say," Xander responded.
"Not that I wish to join the ranks of those who came before me," Giles started. "But, is there a reason you've gathered us all. Other than to enjoy each others company that is?"
"Yes," Buffy responded. "And as soon as Willow gets here everything will be made clear."
"Ohhh, somebody's been taking notes from the Cryptics Handbook," Spike said in response. "At the hour of the wolf in the light of the crescent moon the truth of truths will be revealed and placed upon our feet for reflection and knowledge," he went on sarcastically.
"You're a sad little man aren't you?" Buffy asked.
Spike was about to respond when Giles's front door opened and Willow breezed into the room. The books that had been in her hands were quickly discarded and she made a bee-line for Buffy.
"Got your message," she said looking down at the Slayer.
Buffy smiled.
"Alright, I think it's about time to get this show on the road," the Slayer responded.
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"I didn't have time to go through a trial run, so you'll have to excuse any minor technical difficulties," Buffy said addressing the group as she moved the chair backwards until all the occupants of the room were in front of her. Once she was positioned she hesitated for a moment praying that what she was about to do wouldn't end in an anti-climax, then she placed her hands on the arms of the chair bracing herself for what was about to come.
Everyone in front of Buffy watched with a baited breath as she slowly raised one foot, then the other and planted them on the floor. Everyone in the room waited with a breathless anticipation as Buffy used her braced arms to push up lifting herself out of the chair. And everyone in the rooms breath hitched as the now vertically inclined Slayer swayed slightly while looking down at her legs like a mother would a disobedient child.
Buffy stood looking down at her legs, her position precarious to say the least. She knew that there was only one of two outcomes to the situation and in the first few seconds she was upright she began to worry that it would be the "fall flat on her ass" outcome. However, as she felt herself began to steady she grinned mentally, sometimes being a Slayer didn't suck.
Looking up, the Scoobs became witnesses to an ecstatic, giddy, relieved, and mischievous smile. Buffy looked to all to be the cat who had swallowed the canary. And she was.
"As my first official act of re-bipedal Dom," Buffy said focusing her attention on Spike. "I decree," but instead of finishing her sentence she crossed the room as fast as her legs would carry her and slapped the vampire upside the head. "That's for the Barbie crack," she explained backing away from Spike who by then was shaking with repressed rage.
Buffy then turned around to face the rest of the group, barely having enough time to spread her arms before Willow was in between them hugging her.
"Group hug!" Xander exclaimed wrapping himself around the girls only to be joined seconds later by Giles.
"This is a bizarre ritual," Anya commented watching them all. "Those are the best kind," she continued before jumping in as well.
"Can't breathe," Buffy managed to choke out. She appreciated the effort, really she did, she just appreciated oxygen more.
"Right."
"Yeah."
"Of course."
"Is that a problem?"
Were the various responses as they all disentangled themselves from around her.
"You guys got any plans for the rest of the day?" Buffy asked grinning.
"Actually there's a very interesting program on the mating habits of Atlantic salmon coming on the Discovery channel at…" Giles trailed off when he received the looks the gang was shooting him. "No plans at all," he said revising his answer.
Buffy smiled and looked at Willow. Willow smiled and looked at Xander. Xander smiled and looked at Anya. Anya was fussing with her cuticles and didn't smile at anyone. Xander shrugged and smiled at Giles.
"That's good," Buffy said once the game of visual 'telephone' was over. "Cause I got some."
============================================================= Chapter 17 ------------------
Willow turned around to look at Buffy who was lying across her bed, her legs dangling off the side holding a pink stuffed pig up in the air.
"It's good to see you too Mr. Gordo," Buffy said in that voice reserved for infants and pets. She brought the pig to her ear. "No I missed you more," she said moving it back to it's former position.
Willow smiled fondly at the display and crossed over to Buffy's bed. Buffy had the pig at her ear again.
"Who kept me warm?" Buffy asked the pig as if clarifying something. "Willow," the Slayer informed the pig in a confidential tone. "Yes, yes, I know it's about time," Buffy went on glaring at the pig. "Smartass," she finished placing it on the pillow.
"Don't let me interrupt," Willow said when Buffy turned to face her.
"He was beginning to get surly anyway," Buffy responded before turning her attention to Willow, a soft smile working its way across her face. Buffy patted the spot beside her on the bed. "I won't bite," she said staring at Willow how was studying the spot where Buffy's hand lay with a positively scholarly interest. "Unless you're into that sort of thing," Buffy added a moment later smirking.
Willow looked over at her with a suddenness that made Buffy wonder if her banter was bang on. Willow opened her mouth as if to respond but them instead of speaking she closed her mouth and walked over to the bed where she lay down beside Buffy. Once horizontal Willow shifted to get closer to Buffy but her progress was impeded. Buffy looked down at the object that was separating them. Reaching out she picked up the fuzzy pink toy otherwise known as Mr. Gordo and hurled him across the room. With that out of the way they proceeded to snuggles with no further interruption.
"It's funny," Buffy comment as she felt Willow relax against her.
"What is?" Willow asked sighing contentedly.
"I almost can't remember what it was like to go to sleep without you beside me," Buffy respond. And she wasn't just saying that to act like a romantic cheese ball either, it was the absolute truth.
Willow tilted her head up until she was looking into Buffy's eyes.
"I know what you mean," she responded softly. "It's like…like it was kismet…like we've just been waiting for this all along."
Buffy was silent for a moment, then she raised an unsteady hand to the side of Willow's cheek and tenderly stroked the soft skin underneath her fingers.
"I want to make love to you so much that it hurts," Buffy breathed out in a half whisper, half moan.
"Well…I don't want you to be in pain," Willow responded in a slightly deeper voice than usual as she leaned into Buffy's touch. "I think that we should do something to fix this situation."
"I did promise you…consummation, didn't I?" Buffy asked smiling in an involuntarily sensual way.
Willow smiled back up at her with a like expression and then leaned up bringing their lips together in an vibrant kiss that pulsed through their bodies starting at their joined lips and traveled throughout the rest of their bodies to the tips of their toes, leaving a trail of fire behind it that had them both quivering and gasping for air by the time they separated.
Buffy, who recovered first, pushed up onto her elbows and gently lay Willow down so that the hacker was flat on her back and leaned over her looking down at her with the sweetest, almost reverent expression on her face. Then, as if finally unable to contain the emotions flowing inside for a moment longer, she bent her head down and brought their lips together with an intensity that neither shocked or surprised either of them. Quite the opposite in fact, they both welcomed it. Craved it. It was the actualization of years of renounced and constrained love, lust, desire, want and need. It was the merging of two hearts, and it was violent, tender, beautiful and a myriad of other sensations that defy description.
Their hands roamed each others bodies, exploring and manipulating flesh along the way, removing clothes and discovering curves and they sought to fuse themselves together. Lips caressesed skin, and bodies arched into each other in a choreography as familiar to them as their own hands without ever having had to learn the steps. Tender words, and impassioned moans of ecstasy where released and received in kind. Slick bodies ground against each other, pushing and receiving, arcing and giving, taking and receiving, until in that last glorious moment they joined together one last time in a state of absolute rapture.
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Buffy placed a soft kiss on Willow's shoulder, then followed that one kiss up by kissing her way up Willow's neck, then her jaw line, before finally coming to a stop on the hackers lips, which she explored thoroughly, though leisurely.
"I can't feel my body," Buffy mumbled as she separated her lips from Willow's.
"I LOVE to feel your body," Willow responded gutturally as her eyes started to shut. Then she seemed to realize what she had said and how she had said it causing her eyes to pop open and gape at Buffy.
The Slayer smiled.
"After what we just did, I don't think that's gape worthy," Buffy responded gently. "I'm quite fond of your body too," she continued smiling.
Willow responded by reaching out and tentatively placing her hand on Buffy's stomach caressing the skin there and being thoroughly absorbed doing it before slipping her hand around to the Slayers back and pulling her into a hug that Buffy willingly surrendered to.
"It's like being in a dream," Willow said softly as they snuggled together. Her hand unconsciously tracing patterns on the Slayers back.
"It's better than a dream," Buffy said as Willow rested her head on her shoulder.
They lay there together in a comfortable silence reveling in the warmth of their joined bodies and the feelings their closeness created within them.
"I was thinking," Buffy said just as Willow as about to drift off to sleep.
"About what?" the hacker asked sleepily.
"Do you think you're going to be needing your bed anymore?" Buffy asked.
"Why?" Willow asked suspiciously. She had heard this tone from Buffy before and it never led to anything good.
"I've always wanted a trampoline," Buffy said smiling. "I think that one would look very nice over there. Plus, practice for my flips…well, once I learn how to do some flips."
Willow batted her in the stomach.
"It was just a thought," Buffy responded before ducking her head to kiss Willow as a peace offering.
"Think of something else," Willow replied her voice a mere whisper as her eyes closed.
"Yes, ma'am," Buffy said softly before placing a kiss on Willow's forehead and allowing her own eyes to close.
The End