Fic... "Research" PG-13

["A.M. Glass" <glasswrks@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title: "Research"
Author: Angela
E-Mail: glasswrks@xxxxxxxxx
Copyright: March 27, 2000
Rating: 'PG-13'
Disclaimer: Joss, Fox Studios, Mutant Enemy, et al,
have something to do with "Buffy The Vampire Slayer".
No copyright infringement is intended or inferred.**
The story is the sole property of the author.
Distribution: Kim, Bill, it's yours. All others,
please ask.
Author's Note: This hasn't been beta read, so, any
mistakes are mine and mine alone. I don't even have
Mircosoft Word '97 for this one.
Spoiler: One tiny one for 'Bad Beer'.
Feedback: It always helps.

**
"Are you sure you want to go in here?" Buffy asked
Willow as they stood outside the entrance to the Red
Rose bar.

"Not really, but yes. I want to go in, you know it's
for research."

"Right, research," Buffy replied. "Okay, let's get
going." Opening the door, Buffy entered first, scoping
out the place. Other than a few pool tables, dart
boards and a small dance floor, it looked like any
other small bar. Not that she had made it a habit of
going to bars, not since she had become,
'Cave-Slayer.'

"Wow," Willow said as she entered after Buffy.

"Let's go find a table," Buffy said, taking Willow by
the hand and leading her to an empty booth. "Okay,
we're here. How long do we have to stay?"

"Not long, I promised," Willow replied.

"What will you have?" they were asked by the waitress.

"I have a coke, Will?"

"Water please."

"Right," the waitress replied, leaving them to get
their drinks.

"Buffy?"

"Yeah Will."

"Are you sure you don't mind coming here?"

"It's for school right?" Willow nodded, crossing her
fingers beneath the table. "No, I don't mind." Buffy
looked out to the dance floor, there weren't that many
couples dancing, but she could see the looks she and
Willow were getting. And some of them were downright
predatory in nature.

"Hello Red. Would you like to dance?"

"Me?" Willow squeaked.

"I don't see any other red heads at this table," came
the reply.

"Go on Will. I'll stay right here."

"You heard your friend. Come on, just one dance."

"O... okay," Willow replied nervously as she scooted
out of the booth, and walked over to the dance floor.

"All for research Will," Buffy said to herself.
"Thanks," she told the waitress as the drinks were
dropped off. Drinking her coke, Buffy watched as
Willow slowly began to relax.

She noticed that her friend had caught the eye of more
than one person in the bar, as others kept cutting in
on her dance partner.

Buffy sat up as she watched one of Willow's partners
moved around until they were behind Willow. She
watched as this person wrapped an arm around Willow's
waist, and pulled her against their body. Buffy took
another drink of her coke, and wished it was something
stronger.

Willow turned around and placed her arms on her
partner's shoulders, their foreheads touching.

This was *not* the Willow Buffy knew and loved. This
was a completely different Willow Rosenberg.

As soon as the music ended, Willow made her way back
to the booth where Buffy waited for her.

"Enjoy yourself?" Buffy asked when Willow sat down.

"Oh... yeah. It was fun," she replied, slightly out of
breath, a light sheen of perspiration dotting her
forehead.

"How much longer do *we* have to stay?" Buffy asked.

"I... I thought maybe another half-hour. We just got
here."

"Hey Red, a couple of my friends want to meet you...
that is, if it's okay with your friend here."

"Actually, this is my dance," Buffy answered, getting
out of the booth and holding her hand out to Willow.

"It is?"

"Sure it is, come on."

"I'm sorry, maybe later," Willow told her original
dance partner.

"Alright Red. You know where to find me."

Buffy led Willow to the dance floor, she was well
aware that they were being watched by Willow's *new*
friends.

"Buffy, you didn't have to this. I would have just
said, 'No thank you'," Willow told her.

"Too late now Red, they're watching," Buffy answered,
going to the middle of the dance floor. Willow looked
over to the other side of the room, Buffy had been
correct, they were being watched.

As the music started, Buffy took Willow into her arms.
She let the rhythm of the music dictated her movements
as she closed her eyes.

Willow followed Buffy's lead, she had seen Buffy dance
before, and she could tell right away, that *this* was
different. Her movements were far more sensual than
she had ever seen before. And she could only follow
her friend's directions.

Buffy kept Willow as close to her body as she could.
She wasn't sure why it had bothered her so much to see
Willow dancing with someone else, it just had.

Soon, she copied the same move she had seen earlier.
She moved slowly around Willow until she was behind
her, she placed her right arm around Willow's waist,
bringing her closer. She took her other arm and
crossed Willow's chest and gripped her right shoulder,
leaving Willow's neck exposed.

The music slowed down, as did Buffy, but she made no
move to release Willow from her grip.

"Do you like this Red?" she breathed into Willow's
ear, her tongue flicking the nearby earlobe.

"Buff... Buffy, what's going on?" Willow managed to
say as her body followed the moves Buffy made. She
closed her eyes, unable to withstand the sensations
Buffy generated in her.

"Will... trust me."

"Okay."

"I'd never hurt you, and I'd never let anyone else
hurt you."

"I know."

Before Willow knew what was happening, Buffy had
turned her around so that she was now facing the other
girl. Buffy moved her leg between Willow's and leaned
back, Willow had no choice but to follow. Bringing
them back to an upright position, Buffy moved her hand
up Willow's arm, lightly caressing it.

When she reached Willow's face, Buffy let her thumb
trace the other girl's lips. She was startled by how
soft they were.

She didn't want to frighten Willow in any way, but
while they were dancing, she noticed the looks
Willow's former dance partners were giving her. She
knew the only thing she could do was to make it
obvious that Willow was taken.

She watched as Willow closed her eyes, trusting her so
much, that she allowed this intimate gesture without a
second thought.

That alone blew Buffy out of the water.

Willow had stuck by her, sure they had their moments,
but even those couldn't destroy the friendship she
cherished above all else.

And before she knew what she was doing, her lips
replaced her thumb. What surprised her even more was
that Willow hadn't pulled away. In fact, she wrapped
her arms around her and held tight. Buffy decided then
and there, that whatever Willow wanted, Willow got.

When the kiss ended, they both heard clapping coming
from the patrons.

"Um... I think we have an audience Will," Buffy told
her.

"We do?" she answered breathlessly.

"Oh yeah," she answered, blushing.

"Maybe we should go?"

"Okay," Willow said, reluctantly releasing her hold on
Buffy.

They walked off the dance floor and went back to their
booth. Buffy paid for her drink and was about to head
for the door when Willow's dance partner arrived.

She was in her early thirties, about five-five with
strawberry blonde hair. She was wearing what could be
compared to what Harrison Ford would have worn in any
of the Indiana Jones movies.

"Hiya Red," she said gruffly, chomping on the end of a
cigar.

Willow smiled at the stranger and shocked Buffy by
hugging the older woman and giving her a kiss on the
cheek.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce us Willow?"
another woman asked as she walked up to them. She was
taller than all three of them, with jet black hair and
startling blue eyes. She also had an accent that Buffy
couldn't place, but she knew it was from the south
somewhere.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Buffy, these are my aunts... sort of
aunts. Dr. Janice Covington and Melinda Pappas."

"Wha..?"

"Is she always like this Red?" Janice asked.

"Hush now Janice. She's in shock that's all. Willow,
you'd better get back to your dorm room. We'll call
you later okay sweetheart?"

"Okay Aunt Mel," she said hugging the statuesque
woman.

"What am I? Chopped liver?"

"Sorry Aunt Janice," Willow replied, hugging the other
woman.

"Janice, leave her be," Mel told companion.

"Wha..."

"Come on Buffy. Let's go," Willow said, leading the
still stunned Slayer out of the club.

"Well, what do you think Mel?" Janice asked as they
watched Buffy and Willow head down the street holding
hands.

"I think it's going to be okay," she said, wrapping
her arms around Janice's waist, letting her head rest
on the smaller woman's shoulder.

"Ya think... whatever her name is will get mad once
Willow tells her about the set-up?"

"Her name is Buffy," Mel whispered into Janice's ear,
please by the shudder she felt running through her
partner's body. "And yes I do, but... it'll work out."

"I hope so. Say, could I interest you in a drink?"
Janice said turning around.

"Yes you could," Mel replied, as she bent down and
captured the attractive archaeologist's lips.

The end.

**The characters of Melinda Pappas and Dr. Janice
Covington are from Xena: Warrior Princess.

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