Stranger In Her Eyes
by Shyfox
Something Borrowed
[reviews]
Disclaimers; I don't own these wonderful characters. Joss owns them, charts their destinies, makes them fall in love with the wrong people. You'd think Buffy would give that jerk Riley the time of day if I owned her? Huh?
Author's note; This story deals with two women in a long-term relationship. You gotta problem with that? No? Good.
Once again, I'm dipping my toe into Shyfox's pool. I wrote one short story for her "Sappho's Spell" series, and she didn't kick me out yet, so I'm at it again. Here's a toast to the wonderful Shyfox. "If I have seen farther, it is because I've sat on the shoulders of giants." --Sir Isaac Newton
This story was inspired by the fourth season episodes, "Something Blue" and "Who Are You". Sorry, gang, but Faith isn't the main villain in this one. This story will answer the $64 dollar question, "Where's Tara in this storyline?"
Feedback; Like I need to ask? JDMeans@aol.com
Tonight's episode features music by Peter Gabriel, The Who (just to give Giles a happy), and the Talking Heads.
Summary; The girls are married and on their honeymoon. But someone covets Willow, and will go to extremes to get her, pissing off Buffy in the process. Ooh, bad move!
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Stranger In Her Eyes
Written by Kirayoshi
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Chapter one;
Something Borrowed
"Love, I get so lost sometimes,
Days pass, and this emptiness fills my heart.
When I want to run away, I drive off in my car,
But whichever way I go, I go back to the place you are.
And all my instincts, they return.
And the grand facade so soon will burn.
Without a noise, without my pride,
I reach out from the inside.
In your eyes,
The light, the heat,
In your eyes,
I am complete.
In your eyes,
I see the doorway to a thousand churches.
In your eyes,
The resolution of all my fruitless searches.
I see the light and the heat.
I want to feel that complete.
I want to touch the light, the heat I see
In your eyes."
--Peter Gabriel
"In Your Eyes"
Two young women, one in a lacy white dress, the other in a tailored black tux, cuddled together in the back seat of a limousine. For all intents and purposes, they were lost to the world. The outside world didn't exist for them. As far as they were concerned, the population of Planet Earth was the two of them.
In a few months, to be three.
As they continued to kiss each other, Buffy and Willow reflected again on the bizarre (anywhere except near the Hellmouth) set of circumstances that brought them here; the spell book, the spell which brought their bodies and souls together, the discovery that they had impossibly conceived life and were now expecting a daughter, and now, the bonds that they had forged together just hours ago.
Valentine's day, 2000, was the first day of their new shared life together, as Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg exchanged rings and wedding vows and drank from the same wine glass, which Buffy then broke under her shoe, amid cries of "Congratulations" and "Mazel Tov!". Their union may not have been the most conventional marriage on record, but the symbolism of the ceremony mattered greatly to them. What mattered was that they had vowed to love, honor and cherish each other, and to raise together the child that they had conceived, that Willow was carrying. No one at the ceremony could have doubted the love and passion they shared. It was clear to even the casual observer; Buffy and Willow were meant to be.
It hadn't been an easy road for either of them, especially considering the extremes that Willow's parents had gone to in order to separate them, and force Willow to give their daughter up for adoption. If Ira Rosenberg had been successful, Buffy might have spent the rest of her life in an L.A. psych ward, a mindless vegetable. She shuddered at the thought, but then dismissed it. She hadn't yet told Willow about her father's duplicity, and hoped that she would never have to. Willow still had pangs of sorrow for her estranged parents, but they had made their choice. Their actions had only produced the effect of building a wall between themselves and their daughter, and diminishing the chance that they would ever get to know this miracle that was Buffy's and Willow's child. But now, with Buffy and her mother, with Giles, Xander and yes, even Oz, she had a better family than she had ever known. And their daughter would know that love, not the hatred her parents tried to foster on her.
Eventually, the real world intruded on their first moments of wedded bliss. "Uh, Buffy?" Willow murmured against her lover's lips(wife's, she corrected herself, excited by that wonderful word). "Where did the limo come from?"
"Uh, Detroit?" Buffy suggested, reluctantly disengaging the kiss. Willow swatted her playfully.
"I'm serious, Buffy. I didn't rent it, and I don't think you did, did you?"
"No," Buffy pursed her lips in thought. "Good point there, Wills," she conceded. She knocked at the glass partition separating them from the driver. "Yo, Jeeves," she called out. "What's with the fancy transport?" Silence greeted them.
"Buff," Willow suggested, "the intercom." She pointed to a small speaker box in front of them. Buffy noticed the console, complete with tape deck, CD player, and a small ice chest. She opened the chest, and pulled a bottle out of the ice. She read the label on the bottle; "Sparkling non-alcoholic apple cider." She located another compartment, and pulled out two chilled crystal champagne flutes. "Well, someone thinks of everything." she commented. Pushing the button on the intercom, she asked, "Hey, Driver 8, what's up with the four star service?"
"Ah, Mrs. Rosenberg-Summers" a formal, proper servant's voice greeted her cheerily. "Are you and you wife comfortable?"
"Decadently so," she answered, hugging Willow to her once more. "We were just wondering a few things, like where you came from, where you're taking us, you know that sort of thing."
"I'm under orders from Mr. Giles to escort the two of you to the Piedmont Hotel. Mr. Giles left a tape in the tape deck for the two of you."
The two women looked at each other, surprised. Giles, springing for limo service? And the Piedmont, Sunnydales swankiest hotel? Buffy hurriedly checked the tape deck, found the tape, and pressed 'play'. Giles' voice came through the speakers, crisp and clear;
"Buffy, Willow. Greetings and congratulations. I am aware that my initial reaction to your newfound relationship, and Willow's pregnancy, might have been less than perfect, but I want the two of you to know that I am very proud of you both, and couldn't love you any more if you were my own daughters." These words deeply moved the two brides.
"I am uniquely blessed among the Watchers, as I have been granted the opportunity to see my charge grow from an uncertain, somewhat flighty young girl, to an honorable, responsible and exceptional woman. We Watchers have it drilled into us not to become attached to our Slayers, as they aren't expected to live past their 'teens. However, you have surpassed all expectations, and with your friends, your family, and especially Willow at your side, I know that you will have a happy, and hopefully, long life ahead of you. And I am proud to have shared any portion of that life.
"I suppose you're wondering about the limousine. That is part of my wedding gift for you. I've instructed the chauffeur to bring you to the Piedmont Hotel, where I have reserved the Honeymoon Suite for the two of you. The suite is yours for the next seven nights. I knew that with your class schedule, you wouldn't be able to get out of Sunnydale for a while, so I've arranged a honeymoon for the two of you. It isn't Niagara Falls, but it's better than nothing. And Joyce has packed some suitcases for you so you won't have to wear you wedding apparel to the campus tomorrow. You'll find them in the trunk of the limo.
"The two of you are hereby instructed to make full use of the suite. I understand it has a hot tub and a mini-bar, and an exceptional view of the ocean, and I've left instructions for the hotel staff to keep the mini-bar stocked with non- alcoholic beverages. I also understand that the room service is quite excellent, so feel free to indulge yourselves; I've made arrangements to charge the entire hotel bill to the Council's account, through some computer links that Willow had hacked into some months earlier; we had needed information from the Council after we had severed all ties to them." This announcement brought a fit of giggles from Buffy and Willow. "After what they put you through, Buffy, I believe that they owe you this much at least.
"And Buffy, you are hereby ordered not to go on patrol for the duration of your honeymoon. Xander, Anya, Oz and I will take care of any threats that may surface. I'm sure that if we have to, we can save the world without the two of you this once. Your responsibility now rests with Willow, and your child. You have a family now. And I'm very proud of the both of you. Be happy together." The tape wound down, and Buffy and Willow became lost again in each other's eyes. Especially after what Ira Rosenberg did to separate them, it did them a world of good to know that Giles had supported their marriage. And the thought of beginning that marriage with a week at Sunnydale's only four-star hotel, that was just the frosting on the wedding cake. And at the expense of the Watcher's Council, yet!
Buffy popped the cork on the cider, and poured some into Willow's waiting glass, then into her own. "A toast, Wills, to Giles. Who knew he had it in him?"
"To Giles," Willow echoed, as their glasses touched. "And to Buffy Rosenberg- Summers," she added, suddenly serious, "who today has made me the happiest woman in the world."
"To Willow Rosenberg-Summers," Buffy amended, "who made it a two-way tie."
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The maitre d' greeted the newlyweds with formal politeness, as they verified their reservations and claimed their room key, and informed them of the specials available at Shelton's, the hotel's restaurant. He had mentioned some of the breakfast specials created by master chef Amanda Shelton, and Buffy and Willow agreed to look into them tomorrow. A bellboy carried their suitcases to the penthouse suite, as Buffy and Willow stood together in the elevator. They couldn't keep their hands off of each other, and if the bellboy was made uncomfortable by this display of affection, he didn't show it.
It hadn't occurred to either of the two women to carry any money with them at the wedding, so they were unable to tip the bellboy. He brushed it aside, assuring the lovers that "all tips had been taken care of by the generous Mr. Giles." Buffy nodded towards Willow, smiling knowingly. Giles didn't forget a thing. The bellboy deposited the cases inside the suite, and wished the two brides a pleasant evening and a happy life together.
"So," Willow asked as they stood outside of the hallway. "After you?"
Buffy grinned slyly at her new wife, and said in mock indignation; "Willow, I'm surprised at you. Have you no sense of tradition?" She then placed her right arm around Willow's back and her left arm behind her thighs. With minimal effort, she managed to lift a surprised Willow up in her arms, and carry her across the threshold of their suite. Willow gasped as she was lifted and instinctively wrapped her arms around Buffy's shoulders. Buffy turned her head toward Willow's and brushed her lips against Willow's eager mouth. The honeymoon had begun.
After they had located the bedroom (dominated by an enormous four-poster bed with a voluminous lace canopy), Buffy gently placed Willow down onto the bed, and began to kiss her more earnestly, more passionately. Willow reluctantly backed away from Buffy's clinging mouth, causing the Slayer to whimper slightly. "Be patient, Buffy," Willow said, a teasing smile playing at her lips. She jumped off the bed, located her suitcase and started to rummage through it. "Oh goody, she remembered," she said excitedly as she pulled out a small plastic bag, and rushed into the bathroom. "I have a surprise for you," she promised. She closed and locked the door behind her.
"Okay, oh gorgeous one," Buffy answered back, "just don't make me wait too long." She glanced around at her new surroundings; a enormous picture window, facing the west, showing a sensational view of the town at night, moonlight sparkling on the ocean beyond; luxurious easy chairs; a champagne bucket containing a chilled bottle of sparkling grape juice on ice; a silver basket of strawberries and a tub of sweet whipped cream at the bedside.
"I think it will be worth the wait," Willow called out.
"I know it will," Buffy said wholeheartedly. "Today has been perfect."
"Yeah," Willow said wistfully. "It was a wonderful ceremony. And hearing Joyce sing like that. I didn't know she could sing so beautifully."
"You're telling me," Buffy agreed. She fell silent for a second, long enough for Willow to get nervous.
"Something the matter, Buffy?" Willow asked.
"Nothing, really, Wills," Buffy said, as she started to loosen her tie, and unbutton her collar. "Just seeing Mom dance with Giles like that."
"And this is bugging you, why?"
"I dunno, honey," Buffy admitted. "Hey, I'm happy for them, I really am. But I'm just having flashbacks of that whole 'Band candy' incident."
"So?" asked the confused Wiccan.
"So what if it isn't real? What if their feelings for each other were only caused by some magic spell?"
Buffy's observation was greeted by dead silence. "Not like anyone else we know, huh?" Willow asked after a few seconds, and Buffy could detect an edge of bitterness in her voice.
She threw her head back on the bed in dismay. How did I manage that? she thought. I'm married to her for eight hours, and already I'm in the doghouse! Buffy immediately regretted sticking her foot in her mouth so quickly. She had to diffuse this situation, fast. She got out of the bed, and stood outside the locked bathroom door. "I didn't mean it that way, Willow. You know that the spell that brought us together didn't make me fall in love with you. I was in love with you from the beginning. The spell just gave us a little push, is all."
The door opened, and Willow stood before Buffy, wearing a blue silk negligee. The swelling of her abdomen was apparent under the fine fabric, and her other natural curves were accented to breathtaking effect by the garment. Buffy, struck by the beauty of her friend, lover and wife, was reduced to inarticulate utterances. Willow smiled at Buffy, an expression of forgiveness on her face, mingled with a little mischief; a look of 'I was just funnin' with you'. "I know, Buffy," she said warmly. "And it was the same for me. I had loved you for the longest time, but was too afraid to express it. Once the spell was cast, I guess the barriers were down, and I didn't have to be afraid of what I wanted. But maybe that's the case with Giles and your mom. Maybe they just needed something to get them started." Willow then glanced at Buffy, who just stared at her with lovestruck eyes. Willow turned a little pirouette, modeling the negligee, and asked, "You like?"
"Wha--" a dazed Slayer suddenly brought herself back to her senses. She appraised Willow again, and wolf-whistled, "Oh, yeah, Willow. I like. Of course, I think you're sexy even when you're wearing my yummy sushi pajamas!"
"Good," she breathed, her cheeks dimpling as her lips upturned, and she walked slowly and seductively toward her wife. "Because I don't want to talk about your mother, or Giles, or anything else for the rest of the night." She pressed her body against Buffy, who emitted a quiet moan at the contact, and leaned into the hand that was caressing the back of her neck, and the arm that cradled her back. "Right now, I want to undress my wife, to see her beautiful body completely naked, and to make love to her." She leaned toward her beloved and clamped her mouth on Buffy's. The kiss was deep, steady and passionate.
Buffy disengaged the kiss long enough to say, "I am so not having a problem with that plan," before taking Willow's lips with her own. Willow's hands worked gently but quickly, divesting Buffy of her tuxedo jacket and cummerbund in short order. She then slowed down, savoring the anticipation as she unbuttoned Buffy's shirt. With each button, she traced the skin beneath it with a gentle touch of her fingernail, each touch sending shivers down Buffy's spine. "Mmmm, yeah," Buffy murmured huskily at the delightful treatment she was receiving. As Willow worked her way down the shirt front, she applied her lips to the exposed flesh, lingering between Buffy's breasts, and at her belly button.
Buffy moaned at the contact, and wanted more. But she wanted Willow to set the pace, to prolong the experience for maximum pleasure, and Willow was doing a splendid job in that area. She lifted Buffy's arms, and slid the shirt off of her, revealing a frilly pink bra. Willow practically salivated at the sight, and started to growl, as she brought her face toward the clasp between the bra's cups, and unfastened it with her teeth. Buffy, finally unable to take this delicious torture any longer, hastily unzipped her pants, and shed them and her panties rapidly. She then wrapped her arms around Willow's waist, and fused her mouth to her wife's.
What was it about this joining that made it special? Was it the surrounding opulence of the Piedmont honeymoon suite? The anxiety of having to remove more clothing than the usual shirt and jeans? Or was it just the perfect completion of a perfect day?
Willow and Buffy would later agree that all these factors came into play, but one thing more than any other elevated their lovemaking that night from their normal level of merely fantastic to truly incredible; the fact that they were now truly together, heart, mind and soul, as well as body. Buffy was no longer merely Willow's lover, she was her wife, and Willow was Buffy's. The distinction was subtle, but there.
Willow reveled in the sweet musky smell of Buffy, the silky texture of her skin, the firmness of her breasts (grinning as she considered that her own breasts would soon give Buffy's a run for their money, as her pregnancy developed) and the growing hardness of their strawberry-red nipples, the warmth of her belly, and the heat between her thighs. She kissed, nipped, tasted, licked and sucked every square inch of Buffy's body, and still couldn't get enough. Buffy mirrored Willow's passion, as she slowly peeled off her love's negligee, revealing the beautiful form of her beloved. They feasted upon each other. They didn't even care if their lovemaking resulted in climax. To touch, to taste, to immerse themselves in each other's bodies, that was more than enough. Their mutual orgasms, while volcanic, were only the closure of a perfect evening.
Later, after they recovered some degree of their strength, Buffy reached for the strawberry basket. She languidly took a strawberry in her fingers, scooped up a dollop of cream with the tip of the berry, and fed it to Willow. As Willow sucked the remaining juice off of Buffy's fingers, she commented, "Amazing, Buffy."
"I always thought you were," Buffy grinned.
"No. It's not that," Willow whispered. "I mean, yeah, it was, don't get me wrong, incredible. But after what we just did, I feel like I should say something deep, something profound, but I can't think of anything."
Buffy cradled Willow's chin with her finger, and murmured, "Silence is the perfectest herald of joy. I was but little happy if I could say how much." She kissed Willow again, and finished, "Lady, as you are mine, so I am yours."
"Wow," Willow breathed. "That was good."
"Shakespeare," Buffy admitted with a lopsided smile. "'Much Ado About Nothing'. We were reading it in class the other day. And if you tell Giles I quoted the Bard, I'll deny it."
"Oh, I dunno," Willow mused humorously. "I may need something to blackmail you with in the futureUMPH!" Her teasing was interrupted by a fresh amorous attack by her wife, and Willow promptly forgot her implied threat of blackmail, lost anew in Buffy's arms.
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The next morning they ordered breakfast from room service and dined in bed. Buffy had a Spanish omelet with peach salsa, while Willow had the French toast, redolent with cinnamon and drenched in pure maple syrup. They sampled from each other's plates, fed each other, and then forgot the dishes as they found themselves making passionate love again. It should be noted that the Piedmont's head chef, Amanda Shelton, had made it a matter of pride to personally prepare the meals for all honeymooning couples. She had a flair for romantic dining, and occasionally added a little something extra to make her dishes more memorable, and the newlyweds more amorous.
Finally, they emerged from the covers, dressed, and got ready for another day on campus. They headed back to the Summers residence to pick up their texts, then made it to school with a few minutes to spare before their classes.
"So, Buffy," Willow smiled as they strolled hand in hand across the Quad, "I've got Human Sexuality and Computer Sciences. What classes do you have today?"
"Psychology, with Professor Walsh," she said, wrinkling her nose in distaste, "then my favorite class this semester, Classical Mythology." She fished out the text book, and showed it to Willow. "We've been studying this book, on some revealing artifacts found outside the ancient Greek village of Amphipolis."
Willow took the book and read the title aloud; "Warrior Princess; Women and the Greek Myths", by Professor Janice Covington and Melinda Pappas. Hmm. Any good?"
"I like it," Buffy smiled. "Professor Covington writes about her findings in a way that doesn't make it dry or dull. She claims to have found artifacts called 'The Xena Scrolls', that prove there was a great woman warrior during the time of Julius Caesar."
"Interesting," Willow mused. "I may have to look this class up."
"Yeah, real fascinating stuff," Buffy said. "And there's something about the writers. Professor Covington is such a fascinating person. It's like I know her as I read her findings."
The conversation between the two lovers was disrupted by a quiet voice asking, "H-hey, Willow, how are you?" A petite woman with straight blonde hair and Hummel figure blue eyes stood shyly next to the two newlywed women.
Willow turned toward the speaker, smiling. "Tara. Couldn't be better. Oh, you remember Buffy, don't you?" she hastily introduced Buffy to her friend. "You remember Tara from the reception yesterday, Buffy? Tara's part of the local Wicca group on campus. She's the one I told you about, the one who helped me move a vending machine to keep the Gentlemen away from us?"
"Oh, Tara," Buffy remembered the incident with the Gentlemen all too well. She was just barely able to defeat them when she had found the stolen voices of Sunnydale. The battle took place just three weeks after they had become lovers, two days after Willow announced her pregnancy, and Buffy had been scared to death of losing both her and the baby. "I guess I owe you a big thank you. You saved my wife's life there."
"I'm g-g-glad to have helped," Tara stuttered, her attention riveted to the gold wedding bands that Willow and Buffy shared. Willow's band set off by a matching diamond solitaire. "And I just wanted to congratulate you two. I hope you're happy together."
Buffy and Willow smiled at each other, then Willow announced, "Oh dear, I've got to get to class. Good to see you again, Tara. See you at four, Buffy?"
"Sure," Buffy answered, wrapping her arms around Willow in a goodbye hug. "We'll try the hot tub tonight." She punctuated her last sentence win an inscrutable grin, one that promised treasures. Buffy leaned forward and kissed Willow on the mouth, then they parted and left for their classes.
As they made their good-byes, they were unaware of a pair of watery blue eyes, boring holes into Willow's back. Tara stared long and hard at the departing red-head, her heart breaking as she recalled seeing her at the wedding reception; her arm linked with Buffy's, the two brides exchanging vows. She wanted so bad to be Buffy, she would have given anything to be the object of Willow's desire.
And Buffy was unaware that she had a rival for Willow's affections. A rival who hadn't quite given up. Not just yet.
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