Aftermath and College
by Bwriter
part twenty two
[reviews]
Part twenty two
Tom watched Buffy play with the Vampire like he used to watch his sister play with her dolls.
It was disturbing to see his friend like that.
She was enjoying the violence.
"Buffy?"
Receiving no answer, he walked closer to the Slayer, aware that if he got to close, he could get hit by a stray hand or foot.
Buffy glanced at him while she continued beating the broken vamp at her feet.
One look in her eyes and Tom stopped cold. He actually moved back a few steps.
"She okay?"
Tom jumped and turned to scowl at Angel.
"Does she look okay? She has some aggression to work on I'd say."
Angel nodded his head and turned to watch his friend at the exact moment she staked the Vampire.
He had never seen her more satisfied by a simple staking, and he didn't like the look in her eyes.
Buffy took a deep breath, trying to get herself under control.
She knew Angel had showed up, she could sense when he was round, and she found that was extending to Spike, having been in the younger Vampire's company for a while now.
Ever since she had learned how to harness this power thing inside her, all her senses, both human and Slayer, had increased.
And right now, both were screaming at her.
Turning, she grabbed the metal bar that had been on a direct course with her head and threw the attacker back, causing him to crash into a nearby headstone.
When he didn't get back up, Buffy walked over to him, ready to fight some more, when she paused.
It wasn't a demon.
It was a human.
And it was wearing an army uniform.
Hoping to god she hadn't killed a human, Buffy leaned down, even as she heard Tom and Angel approach.
Reaching out, she checked for a pulse, sighing in relief when she found one.
"Buffy, there's more coming."
Buffy nodded absently to Angel that she knew that and reached out again, lifting the ski mask the commando wore.
She recognised him.
She had seen him a few times at the Bronze, always hitting on one girl or another.
Lowering the ski mask again, she stood up and began walking away, Tom and Angel on her heels.
A few minutes after they had left the area, five more commandoes appeared and lifted their friend, checking him for injuries themselves and wondering what the hell had happened in the last five minutes since they had radioed in with him.
-----
Giles looked up as the door opened, and he breathed a sigh of relief at seeing his Slayer, her bodyguard, and the Vampire all walking in.
Buffy still couldn't focus properly, and she knew the exact reason for it, and it was driving her nuts.
She was jealous and scared, and it was tearing at her insides and she wanted to just scream her frustration into the night.
"Right, now that you three are back, perhaps we can discuss ways of getting information on this group." Giles had everyone's attention now, until Buffy spoke up that is.
"We met one tonight. I recognised him but don't know his name. I do know he goes to college with you guys though if that's any help."
Xander perked up.
"You mean its students doing this?"
Giles shook his head.
"I'd say no. They may be the commandoes certainly, but I have doubts that its them pulling the strings."
Willow edged closer to where Buffy sat and linked hands with her girlfriend, receiving a small smile in return before the Slayer's attention was back on the matter at hand.
"Okay, so we need info, how do we get it if the demons don't know and these guys aren't advertising?"
Willow's brow crinkled in thought before her eyes widened and she turned to the watcher excitedly.
"Would a truth spell work?"
After a few seconds, Giles nodded his head yes.
"Though I have none of the ingredients here."
Willow waved her hand at him.
"I can swing by Tara's, she should have it all there."
Buffy tensed and let go of Willow's hand before standing up and beginning to pace, trying to keep in her nervous energy.
"Okay, so we have an answer to how we get the info, but first we have to grab one of these guys and make them talk." Xander smiled at the looks the others were sending him.
"What? I can be smart too."
Jonny threw a magazine at Xander, which never connected as Buffy caught it before glaring at Jonny.
Tom nudged him and shook his head no, indicating that the younger Brit should let it drop.
Buffy looked at the magazine in her hand and then back to the Englishman.
Giving him a sheepish shrug, she set it down. Its not like that could have hurt Xander.
"I'll see if I can get one of them on patrol tonight."
Willow looked away from Xander, who was looking at Buffy, a thoughtful expression on his face, and turned to face her girlfriend.
"I thought you just did a patrol."
"Well, I did, but I ah, I have to do another one, the ah, the one earlier wasn't overly, ah productive."
Buffy could tell that Willow didn't fully believe her and looked to Angel and Tom for help.
"Yeah, only one vamp the entire time."
Buffy sent Angel a look of thanks, her smile fading when Willow piped up again.
"Then, why were you gone for over three hours?"
Buffy, Tom and Angel looked from one to the other, trying to come up with an answer.
Willow's mouth set into a grim line before she stood up.
"Where are you going?" Buffy followed Willow to the door, out of earshot of everyone else, apart from Angel and the seemingly sleeping Spike.
"Over to Tara's. If your going to get the commando tonight, we need the spell stuff don't we?"
Buffy couldn't argue with that, but she could argue about Willow going there on her own.
"I'll go with you and meet the guys later."
Willow opened her mouth like she was about to argue before she saw Spike shake his head no at her.
Frowning at him, she nodded to Buffy and the two left, with Buffy arranging to meet the others on patrol in an hour.
-----
They walked along in silence, the redhead observing the Slayer, the Slayer making sure the redhead was safe.
"Buff?"
Buffy turned her head to look at Willow.
"Yeah?"
Willow opened her mouth to speak, before sighing and shaking her head.
Buffy growled low in her throat, causing Willow's head to whip round.
Spotting a bench, Buffy pulled Willow over and sat her down.
Scanning the area they were in with her eyes and her senses, the Slayer found nothing and sat down beside the redhead.
"We need to talk."
"We really do."
They both looked at each other before looking away, neither sure how to begin.
Willow sighed and leaned back into the bench.
"This is stupid."
Buffy snorted, but agreed with her.
"What's wrong?"
This time, it was the Slayer that sighed.
Turning her head, she was ready to tell Willow what was on her mind, however, when she sensed something near by, her head whipped around to see a tall boy looking at them.
"Hey Willow, Buffy."
At Buffy's confused look, Willow smiled before introducing Buffy to Riley yet again.
"You know, its not really safe to be out, after dark that is, in this town."
Buffy rolled her eyes at him, a part of her fuming that he didn't think she could defend herself or Willow.
Especially Willow.
Willow looked at Buffy, hoping for some help from that corner.
"Well, we were just heading back to Wills place when we stopped for a chat."
Riley nodded his head, his eyes never leave the blonde.
"How about I walk you there?"
Buffy was about to say no, when she paused and turned to look at Willow.
Knowing what her girlfriend was asking, Willow nodded her head and watched as Buffy stood up.
Riley never knew what hit him.
Buffy hefted him over her shoulder, and together, she and Willow set off back to Giles.
"We can get the spell stuff once we get him out of sight."
Willow reached down and linked their hands together.
"We still have to talk about what it is that's bugging you."
Buffy gave the hand in hers a gentle squeeze.
When they were touching, she could push everything to the back of her mind, until her world narrowed down to just them.
She liked that.
-----
"Giles, you got a chair or something we can tie him to?"
Giles looked over and stood up when he saw the body of a young man threw over his Slayer's shoulder.
Slapping Xander on the shoulder, the watcher took his chair from him and sent him off to find some rope.
Five minutes later, Riley was tied up and still out cold, and Buffy and Willow were setting off again to go to Tara's.
After refusing company from both the Englishmen and the Vampire's of the group, the two set off, their hands linked together.
After walking for ten minutes, Willow gave Buffy's hand a small squeeze.
"Your jealous."
Buffy tensed and tried to drop Willow's hand, but the redhead wouldn't let her.
"I only just figured that out. Must be getting slow in my old age." She hoped for a laugh, but she didn't even get a chuckle.
Stopping, she tugged on Buffy's hand and forced her to turn around.
"Why?"
Buffy looked to the ground before looking up again, her heart in her eyes.
"Because, I'm scared."
Willow's eyes widened.
"What of?"
"Loosing you."
Willow smiled and leaned in, kissing Buffy gently on the mouth before pulling back.
"You are not going to lose me. Buff, I don't think you get exactly how much I love you, so I'm going to spell it out for you. I. Love. You. More than I ever thought possible, and I know that things have changed between us since you've been gone, but we're still the same people, almost anyway, and I don't want to spend one more day away from you."
Buffy had tears in her eyes.
"I love you too."
Willow smiled and pulled the Slayer in for a kiss, one that quickly progressed.
Pulling back, panting for air, Willow frowned before looking over at Buffy.
"But why would the fear of loosing me make you jealous?"
"Tara."
Willow's eyes widened yet again before she burst out laughing.
"Buff, Tara is completely straight. To be honest, she has a little crush on Xander, just don't tell Anya. She gets possessive when it comes to him."
Buffy could relate to that, and her glance at the redhead told Willow all she needed to know.
"But then why is she always off with me? And this morning, I caught her looking when you were changing." by the end of her sentence, Buffy's voice had changed to a low growl, causing Willow's eyebrows to rise.
The growling was new, and not a turn off.
"She doesn't know how to take you yet. We talked, a lot when we became friends, and I told her about us, and about how I was like after you left, I guess she just doesn't want to see me hurt."
Buffy lowered her head, knowing the pain she had put Willow through.
Looking down at their joined hands, Willow caught a glimpse of the only ring she ever saw Buffy wear now, and felt bad because she hadn't excepted the ring when one was offered to her.
She noticed Buffy was wearing it with the heart pointed it.
She belonged to someone.
She belonged to Willow.
That didn't suck.
Buffy saw where Willow's gaze was going and reached up.
Taking off the chain she wore around her neck, she opened the clasp let the silver ring fall free, before taking a deep breath and looking up at Willow, knowing she wouldn't be able to handle it if Willow rejected it once again.
Willow's eyes widened at the romantic gesture.
"I know that Angel told everyone what the ring meant, but I want to tell you again."
Buffy took a deep breath and lifted Willow's left hand.
"The hands represent friendship, the crown loyalty, and the heart, the heart means I love you with all of my own."
Looking up into Willow's eyes, Buffy smiled, though it was kind of watery.
Willow smiled back lifted her hand a little higher, offering it to Buffy.
Buffy frowned before looking up again at Willow.
"How do you want... there's different meanings to the ring depending on how you wear it." Buffy didn't want to push, but she knew how she wanted Willow to wear the ring.
Willow leaned in and gave Buffy a soft kiss.
"I want it with the heart pointing it."
Buffy's smile was enough for the redhead.
"You know that means that-"
"I belong to someone."
"I love you."
"I love you."
Smiling, Buffy lifted Willow's hand higher and kissed the ring, before kissing Willow, pouring everything she could into it, smiling when she felt rather than heard the redhead moan.
"Come on, we really need to get those ingredients and get back to Giles."
Willow pouted at Buffy, but followed her anyway, knowing that the Slayer was right.
Looking over at her girlfriend, Willow knew that as long as they were together, then they could work through whatever problems Sunnydale threw at them.
Tbc
a/n - thanks for all the feedback you guys, really means a lot