Ages Apart
by dawnm
Bonding & Bed Time
[reviews]
Title: Ages Apart
Author's Note: Please read and review. I'd love to know what you think of the story. Also, feel free to email me with any questions or comments if you like. Email: dawnm92@yahoo.com.
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Chapter 9 - Bonding & Bed Time
"I hope Xena's not too mad at me for last night." Gabrielle said thoughtfully as she and Willow walked back toward the house.
"Oh, I'm sure she's not mad. Nothing you did last night was so horrible." Willow assured her.
"I don't know about that." The bard replied, thinking back on how she had practically thrown herself at Xena the night before.
"All you did was dance with someone. Are you worried that Xena is...jealous?" Willow asked, confused.
"I wish." Gabrielle replied with a half-laugh, before thinking about the implication of her words. Gabrielle looked at Willow, trying to decide how much she should divulge about what she had done.
Back at the house, they settled on the couch to continue their conversation. With nothing to do but wait for Buffy and Xena to return, Willow took the opportunity to question the bard about her relationship with Xena. "Are you and Xena..." Willow paused, searching for the right words. "Uh...how close are you?" She asked finally, backing down slightly.
"If you mean, are we involved...No." Gabrielle answered. "What would give you that idea?"
"I don't know. You just seem so close."
"We are close, but Xena looks at me like a sister...a little sister to be precise." The bard replied, perturbed by Xena's perception of her.
"You really think so?" Willow asked, unconvinced.
"Honestly, I don't know what she's thinking." Gabrielle admitted. "I try to talk to her, but she can be so closed off sometimes."
"Well, I've seen the way she looks at you and it doesn't seem sisterly to me." Willow said.
"What do you mean?"
"Like when she was watching you and Buffy dancing last night. Oh, and when you were dancing with that guy later, she was totally jealous." She added.
"No." Gabrielle replied, disbelieving.
"Yep, I was really glad we convinced Xena to leave her sword at the house. I thought she was going to murder that guy you were dancing with." Willow giggled.
Gabrielle laughed at that too. "That sounds like Xena." She admitted. "She's so protective. Like I said...she treats me like I'm this naïve little kid who can't take care of myself." Gabrielle said.
"I'm sure that she cares about you and just doesn't want you to get hurt. Buffy does the same thing to me sometimes. But I know that they do it out of love."
"You're right. And I owe Xena so much." Gabrielle mused. "I hope that she can forgive me for the way I acted last night."
"You mean the dancing?" Willow asked, thoroughly confused.
"No. Not the dancing." Gabrielle said, laughing. "After that. I was not myself...or maybe I was more myself...I don't know." The bard confessed, still struggling to understand her actions. "Either way, I said some things to Xena that I shouldn't have and then I asked her to kiss me."
"Oh." Willow replied, stunned. "What did Xena do?" She asked.
"She said that I was drunk, that I didn't know what I was saying, and that I should go to sleep before I did something that I would regret in the morning." Gabrielle recounted. "Of course, it was already too late for that." Gabrielle added with a frown.
"Wow."
"I feel terrible. I don't know what I was thinking. I respect the boundaries of our friendship very well usually." The bard explained.
"I think I know how you feel." Willow confided, going into full babble-mode. "This morning I kind of attacked Buffy. She was really great about it, but I've been...a little on edge ever since. I was so embarrassed. In my defense, I was still half-asleep when I snuggled up to her...but I guess that means that I was half awake too. I don't know what I was thinking or if I was even thinking at all. I mean, Buffy has a boyfriend. A-and so do I...at least I did until this afternoon when Oz and I broke up." The redhead finished, finally exhausting herself.
"It sounds like you've had a hard day." Gabrielle noted. "Do you mind if I ask...?"
"What?"
"Do you think you're in love with her?" Gabrielle inquired.
"Who? Buffy?" Willow asked, wide-eyed. "Nooooo. I mean I can't be. I don't think so. I don't know...maybe." The hacker finally admitted. "It doesn't matter anyway. We're just friends. That's all. Whatever I feel for Buffy, she's the best friend I've ever had...and I don't want to lose that."
"I feel the same way about Xena." Gabrielle mused. "I've never been so close to anyone. She's such a part of me." Willow nodded in understanding, identifying with the bard's feelings. "One thing I've learned from all of this...I really shouldn't drink." Gabrielle added with a smile.
Willow giggled and Gabrielle joined in, both laughing at the out of control turn their lives had taken in such a few short days.
Buffy and Xena walked in then. "Hey, what's so funny? What'd we miss?" Buffy inquired.
"Nothing." Willow and Gabrielle answered in unison, neither willing to elaborate on their conversation.
"How was patrol?" Willow asked, abruptly changing the subject.
"It was good." Buffy replied. "But we missed you guys."
"That's sweet." Willow said smiling. "We missed you too."
"So, how did it go at the Magic Box?" Buffy asked.
"We got all of the ingredients except for one. I was worried about it. It's kinda rare. I got sort of a substitute, but it's not the same." Willow explained. "It may work, but I'm not sure."
Turning to Xena and Gabrielle, Willow added. "We can try the spell if you want. But I'd really like to check with Jan first and see what she thinks."
"If you think we should wait, then we wait." Xena said. "Right, Gabrielle?"
"Sure. What's one more day?" The bard agreed.
"Great. I'll email Jan right now and hopefully she'll get back to me tomorrow." Willow suggested, heading up the stairs.
"I think I'm gonna go up and take a shower. I mean yuk." Buffy said, looking down at her hands still covered in vamp dust. "If you want to wash up, Xena, you can use the bathroom down here."
"Thanks. That'd be great." Xena replied, feeling a little grimy herself.
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After her shower, Buffy headed down the hall to Willow's room. She stopped in her tracks in the doorway of the bedroom as she caught a glimpse of the redhead changing into her nightshirt. The feeling in the pit of her stomach prompted the slayer to question the wisdom of her decision to stay over another night.
As she pulled the shirt the rest of the way on, the redhead looked up to find Buffy standing uncertainly in the doorway. Noting her friend's expression, Willow rushed to reassure her. "Buffy, about this morning...I really am sorry. And I can sleep downstairs if you want." She offered.
"Don't be silly." Buffy said, taking a step into the room, trying to cover her earlier hesitance. "It's already forgotten." She insisted with a wide smile, even as the voice in her head said mockingly Okay...you're totally lying now.
"Really, I don't mind sleeping on the couch." Willow said, making a move toward the door to go downstairs.
Willow's attempted escape forced Buffy to act quickly. "Oh no you don't." She said with a mischievous grin, rushing toward the redhead and tackling her onto the bed.
"Buffy!" Willow squealed. She giggled uncontrollably, all the while trying to wriggle out of the slayer's grasp.
"Come on, Will...if you want to cuddle, all you have to do is ask..." Buffy teased, smiling sweetly as she pulled Willow closer.
"Buffy!" Willow repeated, her jaw dropping in shock. The combined effect of the slayer's words...her smile...and the feel of her body pressed against Willow's evoked such a response in the hacker that she began to hyperventilate.
"God, Will." Buffy said, loosening her hold on her friend. "Are you okay?"
"I'm...fine. Really." Willow squeaked, clutching her chest, trying to calm down.
"I'm so sorry. I was just teasing." Buffy assured her, trying to ignore the voice inside her head that again spoke up. Mostly...you were mostly teasing.' It clarified.
"It's okay, Buffy." Willow said, offering a weak smile as she regained control of her breathing.
"I just wanted to lighten the mood after what happened this morning." Buffy explained. "You're my best friend, Will...I don't want you to feel strange around me. Have I scarred you for life?" Buffy asked, smiling down at Willow.
"No, Silly." Willow replied with an impish grin, poking Buffy in the ribs.
"Feeling brave now, are you?" Buffy teased with a playful glint in her eyes.
"Maybe." Willow said with a sly smile. "I'm just taking your advice." She added.
"Really...what advice is that?" Buffy asked curiously.
"To seize the moment." She replied. "Witness me seizing." She announced, as she tackled Buffy and began tickling her relentlessly.
"Mercy." Buffy pleaded, gasping for air after a few seconds.
Willow paused. "Are you going to stop teasing me if I let you go?" She asked.
"Probably not." Buffy admitted with a half-laugh.
"Wrong answer." Willow said, resuming the tickle torture.
"Okay. I give. I give." The slayer said finally.
"Swear you'll be good?" Willow asked.
"But that sounds boring." Buffy chuckled.
"You have to swear." Willow giggled. "Or I'll be forced to hold you down all night." She said sternly.
"Promises, promises." Buffy teased, unable to resist.
"You're soooo bad, Buffy." Willow scolded, trying to suppress a smile.
"I know." Buffy admitted. "But you still love me." She said confidently.
"I give up." Willow said, throwing her hands up in surrender as she moved back to her own side of the bed.
"Awe, so soon." Buffy pouted.
"What's gotten into you?" Willow asked, looking curiously at her friend.
"What can I say...you just bring out the best in me." Buffy said with a playful wink.
"Okay...I think it's time to go to bed." Willow said nervously.
"I thought you'd never ask." Buffy said breathlessly, batting her eyelashes for dramatic effect.
"Buffy! You're so out of control. That's it...I'm not saying one more thing." Willow said, laughing nervously. "Goodnight, Buffy." She added, climbing into bed and turning her back on the slayer.
"You sure you don't want to cuddle?" Buffy asked, smiling happily when she heard Willow's shocked gasp.
"Or maybe a little goodnight kiss..." Buffy offered with a mischievous laugh, thoroughly enjoying torturing the shy redhead.
"Well, maybe just one kiss." Willow said seriously, turning and grabbing the slayer as if she planned to take her up on the offer.
"Willow!" Buffy gasped, a clearly shocked expression crossing her features.
"I thought so..." Willow said with a victorious grin, but couldn't resist leaning in and placing a quick kiss on the slayer's cheek before releasing the stunned blonde and turning back over. "Goodnight, Buffy." The redhead said innocently.
"Goodnight, Will." Buffy replied, finally subdued.
Sleep didn't come easily to either Buffy or Willow. The slayer began to question the wisdom of challenging her best friend, realizing how effortlessly the redhead had turned the tables on her. She replayed the events in her mind acutely aware of how it had felt to be in Willow's arms, not at all an unpleasant feeling she had to admit. Even knowing that it was just a game, that Willow was just trying to shock her into submission, didn't help put Buffy's mind to rest. Nor did it help her fight the urge to curl up next to the redhead, put her arms around her and take in the sweet scent of her hair.
Willow, on the other hand, lay staring at the wall wondering what had possessed her to actually kiss Buffy and praying that her friend would take it all in stride. 'She asked for it. She practically dared me to do it.' Willow told herself. 'It was nice though...while it lasted.' She admitted to the darkness, a contented smile forming at the corners of her mouth.
------------------------------------------------ Continued in Chapter 10