Aftermath and College
by Bwriter
Part twenty
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Part twenty
Joyce let Willow in and led her to the kitchen where the rest of the gang, minus Giles now was.
"Hey guys."
Buffy looked up and caught Willow's eyes, smiling when she got a smile from her girlfriend.
Willow's smile didn't last very long when she realised that she had to sell her idea to the others, not to mention Buffy.
Buffy frowned before standing up and offering her seat to Willow.
"What's up?"
Willow sighed and looked up to see everyone staring at her. All but Joyce who had just left to go to work.
"I think I have a way to get Buffy in with the commandoes. Maybe. If I'm right, which I think I am but I could be wrong."
Everyone seemed to move forward as one.
Willow took a deep breath and turned to face the Slayer.
"Remember Riley?"
Buffy shook her head no and Willow had to smile.
"You met him at the college book shop when you first came back. Seems you made quite the impression on him."
Buffy crinkled her nose, trying to remember who Willow was talking about.
"Willow, what has this got to do with the commandoes?"
Willow turned her gaze to take in the rest but her eyes kept wandering over to Buffy.
"I think Riley is one of the commandoes. It never hit me until I bumped into him today. I remember seeing him dressed in army gear at Halloween, but I figured that it was a costume. What if it wasn't?"
"Just because he was dressed as an army boy doesn't mean he's one of the commandoes."
Willow nodded her head at Tom. She had thought of that too.
"No, Willow might be on to something there." Xander stood up and began pacing.
"I bumped into Riley one night when I was going over to Anya's dorm. He was with a few other guys and they all seemed in a hurry for me to leave, plus they were kind of dressed the same, I mean, different tops, but the same dessert army pants and heavy black boots."
"So, even if he is a commando, what has this got to do with getting me inside?" Buffy looked over to her girlfriend, waiting for an answer.
This was the part Willow knew was going to upset the Slayer.
"He likes you, you could use that to your advantage."
Buffy's mouth dropped open as everyone's gaze travelled from her to Willow like they were watching a tennis match.
Buffy tried to wrap her head around it, she really did.
Trouble was, she couldn't. Well, she reached one conclusion, but if that was what Willow was suggesting she do, there was no chance in hell.
"How do you mean?" Soft, controlled words hid her anger well.
Willow closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I mean that because he likes you, you could pretend to like him, and hope-"
Willow stopped talking when Buffy slammed her hand down on the kitchen counter, actually denting the top of it.
Buffy looked down at her hand, almost surprised to see the damage.
She raised her fist when Tom tried to take her hand and examine it.
"No."
Turning, Buffy looked at Willow before lowering her head and walking out the back door, closing it so hard the frame cracked.
Nobody spoke for a few seconds, before Tom stood up and followed Buffy out.
"She's in the garden, doesn't seem to sociable at the moment."
Jonny stood up from his seat and shot a dirty look at Willow.
"Would you expect her to be when her girlfriend just told her to whore herself out?"
Willow's mouth dropped open before she rushed out after Buffy.
-----
"Did you have to say it like that?" Tom cuffed Jonny on the back of his head, causing the other Brit to scowl at him.
-----
"Buffy... I didn't mean it the way it sounded."
Buffy's back stiffened as soon as Willow came out, but she relaxed her muscles and turned to face her girlfriend.
"How did you mean it then?"
Willow sighed and walked closer to Buffy, stopping a few paces away from her, feeling the heat of the sun on her back.
"I want you safe when you go into this... place. I thought that if Riley thought that he had a shot with you, he would help keep you safe. You think I like the idea of you pretending to... I don't. I hate it, but I want you safe and if that means watching you bat an eyelash at him... well... it would be hard and I-"
Buffy stood up and captured Willow's lips with her own before pulling back and sitting down on the bench, Willow beside her.
"Will, there is the chance that these commandoes wont even want me in their group."
Willow shook her head.
"Buff, you're the Slayer, and a dame good one at that. They'll want you."
Buffy smiled and threw her arm around Willow.
"You biased."
"I just... I just got you back and..."
Buffy cut Willow off with another kiss, this one deeper and longer than the last.
"Willow, not only do I have my nifty knew power control thingy, but I have two Vampire's, an ex demon, Xander, Tom and Jonny, Mike and Faith if I need them, and you. I have you."
It wasn't saying that it was a certainty that she would be okay/ There were no certainties in life, well except taxes and death, but death was pushing it with everything they'd seen, but it told Willow that Buffy wasn't going down without a fight, and that was good enough for the redhead.
Closing the distance between them, Willow brought their lips together again.
"Love you."
Buffy was just pulling Willow into her lap when the back door opened.
"Buffy, your mum is on the phone."
Buffy broke off from the kiss and stood up, taking Willow with her before setting the redhead on her feet.
"T, you've been here long enough. It's 'mom' not 'mum'"
Hearing a mumble about 'bloody Americans' ruining the British language, Buffy smirked at him before going in and taking the phone into the living room.
"Hey mom what's up?... Right well when?... No I'll be there with bells on... Yeah love you too. Bye"
Buffy hung up and sat beside Willow on the couch.
"Mom wants me to stop by the gallery later. She got in a new shipment and can't get the thing opened."
Xander reached over and gave the muscles in Buffy's upper arm a slight squeeze.
"Very misleading."
Buffy gave him a look before flexing her hand and grabbing his arm in a tight grip, but not a painful one.
Willow stroked Buffy's arm that was closest her, drawing her attention.
"What was the shipment?"
"Some art thing."
Willow shook her head at her clueless girlfriend.
"So, is the Riley idea in or out?"
Willow shook her head no.
"Its out."
Buffy shot her a look before nodding her head, a smile crossing her face.
"Its out. We find another way in."
Tbc