Love and everything that goes with it
by Bwriter
twenty three
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Part twenty three
Willow walked into the kitchen, not noticing the looks Xander and Cordy were giving her.
"Why are you guys still here? Its been four days. Shouldn't you have gone home by now?"
"Nah, its better here, even with two vamps now that Spike is gone, than it is at home." Xander didn't feel embarrassed about his home-life anymore. His friends knew about his upbringing.
Cordy gave him a soft smile before turning her attention to Willow.
"My folks are in New York on a house buying trip, something for the summer."
Willow shrugged and poured herself a glass of juice.
"Where's Buffy?"
Unknowingly, Willow smiled at the mention of the blonde.
"She's still sleeping."
Cordy smirked, and Willow winced.
"Yeah, we heard all the late night activities, she must be tired what with all the screaming."
Willow blushed but then caught sight of Buffy in the doorway.
"Well, what can I say? She's just 'that' good."
As Cordy's mouth dropped open, Willow moved to greet her lover with a kiss, that stopped only when Xander cleared his throat.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Buffy, Angel said he wanted to see you when you got up."
Buffy turned and nuzzled her face into her lover's neck, placing a little kiss on her Mark, loving the shiver that raced through Willow's body at the contact.
"Finish breakfast. I'll be back in a bit."
Willow pouted but kissed Buffy as she left, turning a happy smile to her two friends.
-----
"Iris is back in Sunnydale."
Buffy sat down on the edge of Angel's bed, facing the Slayer and her Sire.
"How do we know this?"
"The same way we found out the rest. I told Willie to keep an eye on things and report back to me if anything happened."
"And now he's back." Buffy sighed and leaned back on her arms, making sure she was covered by her robe at the same time.
"What are we going to do about this?"
Angel nor Faith had no answer for her.
"What did Will say?"
Buffy lowered her eyes, giving Faith her answer.
"You haven't told her yet? Jesus Buffy, don't you think she should know?"
Looking up, Buffy had no idea that her eyes had turned golden, but Angel and Faith noticed.
"Yes. And I will tell her."
Angel sighed and rubbed at his head.
"Buffy, have you thought about letting him take her I mean-"
He was cut off by the loud growl and the pissed off game faced Vampire that stood before him.
"She is MY Mate!"
Angel raised his hands in defence.
"Hear me out, she's eighteen soon, then she wouldn't need to stay with her parents."
Buffy growled at him and took a step closer, not flinching when the Slayer moved into a defensive position.
"No. Find another way."
Angel sighed and looked to his Mate, knowing that if it was her on the line, he would react the same as Buffy had.
"Go and tell Willow and see what she thinks."
Buffy took a deep, though unneeded, breath and let her game face melt away.
-----
"Hey Will?"
Willow turned at the sound of Buffy's voice, a big smile on her face.
It fell off when she noticed the expression on Buffy's face.
"What's wrong?"
Buffy closed her eyes before opening them again and meeting Willow's.
"We need to talk."
Holding out her hand, Buffy waited until Willow took it before leading her back to their bedroom.
She closed the door behind them and watched as Willow settled herself on the bed.
"So, what's this about then?"
If Buffy couldn't hear the nervousness in her lover's voice, she could smell it coming off the other girl in waves.
Crossing to the bed, she sat down beside her Mate and wrapped an arm around her, smiling when Willow snuggled into her embrace.
"I need to tell you something. Something that I should have told you as soon as I found out."
Willow looked up and met her lover's eyes.
"Just tell me."
Buffy tightened her grip on Willow's hand, and pulled the unresisting girl closer.
"Its about your dad."
Willow drew back at this, but Buffy pulled her back into her arms, not giving an inch.
"He went to Willie's and tried to get someone there to kill me-"
"He wouldn't!"
Buffy shook her head sadly at her lover.
"He did Will, and when that didn't work... He's planning to take you away from me."
Buffy vamped out before getting her emotions under control.
There. She had said it.
The demon inside her was screaming to reclaim its Mate and then to take her away where no-one would ever find them.
Willow pulled away from Buffy, which was hard to do considering the Vampire really didn't want to let her go.
Standing, she walked to the covered window, realising at the last minute that she couldn't pull back the heavy drapes open for a reason.
She needed out of here, she needed some fresh air.
If what Buffy had told her was true, and she just knew it was, then her own father had wanted to kill the person she was in love with, and to separate them.
She wondered if it was because Buffy was a demon, or because she was a girl.
"Where are you going?"
Buffy stood up to block Willow's exit.
Willow looked up, and only just realised that she had even moved.
"I need to go for a walk."
Buffy shook her head no.
"Willow, he wants you away from me. I'm not risking him taking you during the day, where he knows I can't protect you." Nothing was taking Willow from her.
When Willow had first fallen out with her family, Buffy was all for a reconciliation, but not if it meant that Willow would be gone from her life completely.
That was unacceptable to the Vampire.
"I'm only going for a walk, I'll be fine."
Unless she used force, Buffy couldn't stop Willow from going, and Willow was pretty sure that Buffy wouldn't use force against her.
She was wrong. To keep her Mate with her, Buffy would do whatever she needed to.
tbc