New and Old
by Rin
New and Old
[reviews]
New and Old
A/N: Double quotes is obviously conversation, and single quotes are thoughts.
Sitting in her office, she had been quiet most of the day. The only time that she spoke up would be in meetings, and times that her job called for her to reprimand an employee. This did not go unnoticed, either. Alexander Harris walked into the office of his best friend and coworker, and took a seat without her permission, something only he was brave enough to do when she was in this type of mood. He knew this mood all too well, and he was prepared to break her one way or another.
"So, Wills...what's the what?" She just looked up from the file she was going over, and he internally cringed at the glare coming from her. However, he was not one to give up so easily. "Come on, Wills. What's got you all cranky pants today?"
"Xander! Please, just get out, and leave me alone." She sighed, placed the file to the side after writing a quick note on it, and then looked at his bubbling face and bouncing figure. "Shut the door." He moved quickly, knowing that it was rather easy to break her...a little too easy, he was afraid. "Now what makes you think I'm cranky?"
"Well, for one...you've got the whole...gloom and doom face."
"I do not have a gloom and doom face." He arched his eyebrow in a 'think again' gesture. "Okay...okay...so I'm not going to win any awards for the Happiest Person in America. I'm entitled to my bad days, and it's not like I'm yelling at people!"
"Well, Wills...your bad moods have a tendency to be contagious. If you haven't noticed, not many people in the office are happy go lucky, either." She walked to her window, and peeked out the blinds, noticing that not many people were smiling and bubbly like they usually were. "I rest my case." She walked over, and sat in the chair next to him.
"Xander, do you think I'm attractive?" His eyes opened wide, and started looking around her office, trying to look at anything but her. "Xander! I'm serious!" He sighed, relaxed his shoulders, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Will, you know that I do...if it weren't for your other side of the tracks status, and my marital status, I would totally have hit on you back in high school. What makes you think you're unattractive?"
"Well, there's the whole Kennedy leaving thing."
"That was two years ago; we've been over this. She just wasn't right for you. You'd even said it many times before she left, or cheated on you."
"Yeah but I apparently wasn't enough for her that she had to go find somewhere else to get her kicks."
"Will, that's because you were never home. She had a weak moment. It happens sometimes in unhappy coupledom."
"Many times, actually."
"That's not the point. She adored you, practically worshipped the ground you walked on, and you ignored her most of the time. It just wasn't working out, and you knew it was bound to end sooner or later. Besides, I thought you'd gotten over that whole situation a long time ago. How many girls have you dated since then?"
"Well...that's beside the point, too!"
"Will...calm down. I'm just saying that you have had at least two girlfriends since then, and dated more than that. Two years is a long time. What brings this on all of a sudden anyways?" She sighed dramatically, and started fidgeting with her fingernails.
"She called me this morning."
"What?"
"She called me this morning."
"No, I heard that part...I mean what did she want?"
"Oh, well...she wanted to invite me to her gallery opening tonight. Apparently, she's taken up painting, and found somebody that liked her work, so they're showcasing it downtown tonight at this big elaborate party thingy. She called to get me to come...said it'd be nice to see me again." She tentatively looked up at Xander, and had a tense body reaction to the memory of the morning conversation. "She said that she missed me, and that she hasn't been the same person since we parted ways."
"I remember that it was a nasty breakup, and I know that it hurt her more than it did you...you said so yourself...but Wills, what does that have to do with your attractiveness?"
"I was trying to find a date, and couldn't."
"Wills...that has nothing to do with whether or not you're unattractive. You know that. It's pretty short notice, and besides...you never asked me." Her eyes beamed at the thought. "Yes, Wills. I'll give Anya a call, and let her know that I'll be your escort this evening. That is...not your escort...because that would assume that I'm...oh, boy. I'll just go call." He stood up, and opened the door. She moved back around to her desk chair, and looked at him as he walked out the door. That was silly. I should've just thought about that to begin with...good one, Rosenberg.
Her attitude changed, and the rest of the day went a little better than usual. Then, Xander walked in with an apologetic expression, and she feared the worst.
"Um...Will...I don't know how to say this but..."
"Xander! No...you have to go!! I can't go by myself. I won't know anybody there, and I don't want to get stuck talking to Kennedy all night because you know what happened last time that happened!!!"
"I'm sure that you won't start having drunken sex with her in the ladies room again. Besides, it'd been a year after you broke up when that happened, and you said that she was alright to talk to."
"Because I was drunk!"
"Okay, calm down. I am going with you." She relaxed back into her chair, and let out a sigh of relief. "But Anya is, too."
"What?! No, Anya can't go...you know what happens when Anya goes!" She jumped out of her seat, and practically fell from the momentum.
"Well, turns out that Kennedy called and invited us, too. Anya being Anya never says no to a big party. You were right about it being big. Anya was telling me that it was hard to get into, and only the most prestigious are invited. Kennedy must be something. I don't remember her ever being interested in anything but you, sex, and well you and sex combined."
"Well, at least you'll be there, and I won't do something stupid again." She sat down, and crossed her arms. "You'd better not leave me alone."
"I'll try to stick by your side the whole time. If you want, I'll bring something super glue, and then we're bound to stick together the whole time."
"I said tonight, Xander. Not for all of eternity."
"Yeah, well...it's late. You should think about taking off...we're the only two left in the office. It's like..." He glanced over at the clock above her head. "6! Oh, no...I should be on my way. I'll meet you downtown later, Wills. Wear something hot! You never know who'll be there."
"Bye, Xander." He took off quickly, and she started to turn things off, and closing up shop for the evening. She turned all of the lights off, and noticed the pictures hanging on the wall behind her head. Her office was plain, painted a light blue, and there was a window that showed the outside of Sunnydale from three floors in the sky, and another that let her watch her employees at work. When they graduated college, her lover at the time, Tara, convinced her to open a small computer business but she didn't really like the idea. Finally, after much debate, she opened a small recording company. It wasn't even two years into the business, and that's when Tara was shot in a drive-by shooting one night. It had taken Willow a year to get over the death of her lover, especially since they were even college sweethearts from their freshman year. If it weren't for Xander coming in to help with the company, it would've lost what little business it did have. Luckily, Willow finally started to heal day by day, and remodeled her office to give her a new start. She didn't want the bright colors, and wild accessories that Tara had decorated it with, so she went for the opposite, and went with plain. The business had picked up once she came back, and had been good for the past three years. At 26 years old, Willow Rosenberg was a successful independent businesswoman. Her record label had gotten lucky, and managed to sign many artists that the popular audience took to easily. After her father died last year, she even took over the Bronze nightclub, and managed the business there, mixing the two together when she had new artists that needed play time. Things were good for the young woman but she hadn't been able to connect to anybody emotionally, just physically, and all of her relationships since Tara had been unfulfilling. She buried herself in her work to compensate for her lack of intimacy. She thought it would work with Kennedy but the only thing she really connected with was their bodies...a lot. Even a year after the breakup, they collided in a bar, and both talked awhile, with every intention just to talk...until Willow was so drunk that she pulled her ex-girlfriend into the restroom, and connected with her again. After the initial guilt wore off of hurting Ken again, she vowed to try and stay friends if it ever came up again...which it hadn't since that morning. Now, she had to test herself, and she if her vow was true. Her first step was to stay away from the open bar.
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"You look nice, Willow. I'm glad that your ex-lover decided to allow us to join her in this evening's festivities." Xander walked beside his wife, completely used to her many attempts at adding more tact into her conversations. Willow, though, was still not used to the young shopkeeper's speech, and worried that she'd pick the worst time to lose the tact act. The three walked into the gallery, and noticed immediately that there were several security guards, and this black-tie affair was quite remarkable. Maybe I should've paid more attention to when she'd sketch those little doodles on her beverage napkins at the bars. They entered the main room, and Willow immediately noticed Kennedy in the middle of a group of professional-looking men and women. Deciding that she'd wait until later to greet her, she walked to grab water from the bar. Xander was true to his word, and the couple stayed with her, mingling with a few people that recognized them from other parties, and a few members that were in their more successful bands.
"Ken's done really good for herself from the looks of it."
"Yeah, I'm surprised." Willow watched the crowd in surprise, agreeing completely with Xander.
"I don't understand modern art. It's all shapes if you ask me."
"We don't even know what type of art she's into yet, Anya. Maybe we should go check it out. See what she's done to get her this big of a crowd. Whaddya say, Will?" The three made their way further into the gallery, and went into the rooms to check out the paintings, sculptures, or whatever Kennedy had gotten herself into for the past year. Walking up to the first painting, they noticed that it was contorted images mixed together with rough brushstrokes, and vibrant colors. "What's it supposed to be?" He walked up to the nametag. "Red Series — One Year Later. I still don't get it." All of a sudden, the images became clear to Willow, and she looked like she was about to hyperventilate. Before they drew too much of a crowd, Xander reached his friend, and helped her in breathing exercises. Once Willow calmed down, she relaxed a little, until Anya lost her tact at the worst time possible.
"It's two people having sex!"
"What? How do you see that?" Xander turned back around to the painting, and continued staring until Anya went closer, careful not to touch the painting, and pointing the particulars.
"See. This girl here with the obvious red hair is preparing for an orgasm from this girl here that has the brown hair." She looked closer, and found more details, causing Willow's face to turn beet red at the memory, and the disbelief that her sexcapades with Kennedy are what made the girl's works amazing. She could only hope that nobody recognized her from the paintings, and that they weren't too vivid or clear to people that it was her in the painting. Maybe it's just this one. Maybe her others are about other things...like puppies...or zebras. Yeah...maybe she has a red zebra. Please, let it be a red zebra. "And they're in a public restroom." Anya beamed, proud to have solved the problem, until Xander finally recognized the scene, and the look on Willow's face. Finally, he put two and two together, and tried to reassure his friend.
"You can't even tell it's you, Wills. Come on, let's go check out the other ones." She nodded, and they went to the next one. "OhmyGod!"
"Willow's a demon?" Looking wide-eyed at the next painting, she noticed that her features were contorted but that it was obvious to her friends that it was her dressed as a demonic creature, flying in what appeared to be a hell-type dimension. However, the colors and still contorted images showed that it wasn't done in hatred but rather passion. The painting was wicked but it held such a passionate overtone that Willow couldn't help but wonder: Am I really a demon in the sack?
"Moving right along..." Her entire body was blushing, and she was afraid that she'd pass out if the pictures became anymore provocative. Sure enough, the next one had the two lovers having rough sex in an elevator, reminding Willow of the time they went to New York to visit her parents, and the elevator broke for two hours, and they entertained themselves while waiting. "New York? She even named the painting 'New York'...man, could they get any worse? It's like my entire sex life with her is mapped out for the world here."
"I think they are classy."
"Anya, please. Okay, Will...don't worry. We're probably the only ones that know that it's you. I mean, at least the images are contorted." They moved to the next one, and Willow wasn't sure if she could take anymore. Right there, for everyone to see was a painting of her most private place. She thought she'd pass out from shock, and luckily, Xander held her up in place, trying not to stare at the contorted image of his friend's sex. However, Anya walked up to look at the nametag, and studied it a little too closely for Willow's comfort.
"Hey!"
"What? I'm just admiring the artwork, that's all. It's really quite brilliant. I'm shocked to find that your ex-lover can use her hands so well. You must know, though, since these paintings are obviously all you." Willow scanned the room, and noticed several more paintings that were full of passionate colors, and sexual images. After finishing the embarrassing tour of their sex life on canvas, Xander and Anya walked Willow into the main room, and deposited her on a couch. "We'll be right back. Please, stay." Willow watched them wide-eyed, realizing that Anya was pulling Xander away from her, and leaving her on the couch. She scanned the room quickly, making sure that she was safe from Kennedy. Noticing that she was once again preoccupied, she relaxed. After several minutes, she made her way to the bar, deciding that her first step was definitely going to have to be broken. When she had downed her third cosmo, she took her fourth one, and stood by the appetizer table. Without paying much attention, she picked up a napkin, and grabbed a strawberry, only to realize that she wasn't holding a strawberry but something warm and soft. Looking up, she noticed that it was a beautiful blonde, and her eyes were locked with hers. They were still almost holding hands, and slightly bent over the table when the blonde spoke in a soft, sarcastic tone.
"You gonna eat that?" Her eyebrows arched, causing Willow's to do the same but neither girl broke eye contact, or let their hands free from their slight touching.
"I don't know...were you?" The smiles that both girls produced were sexual, warm, and light-hearted. Willow decided to break the contact first, however reluctantly. She stood straight up, and held out her hand gently for the blonde to grasp firmly. "I'm Willow. Willow Rosenberg." The tiny blonde grabbed the redhead's hand without losing her smirk, or gaze.
"Buffy Summers." They both kept their hands together again, both amazed at the softness of the other. Finally, Buffy broke away first. "What brings you here? Are you one of those artsy magazine reporters?"
"No. No, I'm a friend of the artist. What about you?"
"One of those artsy magazine reporters." They shared a light-hearted laugh. "How do you like your friend's work?"
"You're not going to write me up in your magazine, right?" Willow was nervous all of a sudden, both from being around the striking blonde, and the thought of her noticing her from the paintings. The blonde just shook her head in assurance. "Oh, well. From what I've seen, they're okay. I like the workmanship, the technique."
"You sure you're not wanting interviewed?" Willow just smiled back at the leering blonde, and shook her head. "What did you think about that Red Series in the primary hall? That's a pretty racy set." Once again, Willow's blush crept up. First, because of the mention of Ken's obvious montage to their sex life, and another at fear the gorgeous blonde did indeed notice it was her, and that's why she brought this set up. "Whoever that redhead is, she must've put a mark on Ken. I've only met the girl twice but from what I can tell, she's quite the spitfire herself."
"Oh, you've..." Willow felt rejected, and felt her stomach do painful back flips at the thought of Kennedy and this woman having sex.
"Oh, no. Goodness, no. I only interviewed her for tonight's show. She seems too...hmmm..."
"Arrogant?" Willow only meant to say it in her head but once she noticed that the blonde heard her, she started to panic. "I mean, that is...she's not really...well, she is but she's not bad. It works for her in some ways, and I mean, she has other endearing qualities that make her okay..." She noticed the blonde's smile, and chuckle, and she didn't know whether to be angry or confused. "What?"
"That's about the cutest thing I've ever seen." Confused it is, then.
"What is?"
"Your babble." Willow just beamed. Nobody's called my babble cute before. Tara used to call it quirky but never cute. Who is this woman?
"Who are you?" Once again, her tongue worked separate from her brain.
"Well, I'm Buffy. I moved to Sunnydale from Los Angeles. I went to UCLA, where I received my bachelor's in Creative Writing. I live with my dog, Bubbles, and work as a journalist at Art Today. Actually, it's my little sister's dog. I'm not so good with pets. I once had a gigapet but I sat on it, and every time my mom would get me fish, they died the next day. Not so much luck...but Bubbles is good. I've had her for two years, and haven't sat on her yet." Willow smiled at the blonde's easy comfort. "Oh, and I like crunchy peanut butter. What about you? What's your life story, Willow?"
"Well, let's see. Oh! I had fish when I was in high school but somebody thought it'd be funny to tie them up with hooks."
"That's sad."
"And creepy. Anyways, well...I've lived in Sunnydale my entire life. Went to UC Sunnydale to be with my friends, even though my parents wanted me to go to Harvard. I double majored in Business Law and Psychology. Um...I like 'Peanuts' the cartoon." She was noticing the blonde staring at her, and she couldn't help but stare back. "Anything else you wanna know?"
"What about work...you didn't say where you worked. I mean, business law and psychology, there has to be some interesting jobs available to you."
"Oh! Yeah, I forgot. I run Watchers Records." The blonde's stare turned impressed, and she nodded her head in wonder.
"Yeah, hard to forget a little something like that. Wow. I'm impressed, Willow."
"It's nothing impressive really. I like my job, started the business when I graduated, after my girlfriend practically begged me. She wanted me to start a computer program but I finally decided to start the label." Buffy's face fell, and her stomach tied itself in knots rather painfully. She tried not to worry the girl but she didn't want the redhead's girlfriend to come over and catch her flirting.
"Well, that's nice. What about your girlfriend? What does she do?"
"Oh, she's no longer here."
"She left?" Buffy was confused at the sudden sadness in the redhead's expression.
"No. She was killed four years ago." Buffy internally smacked herself for being so ignorant but couldn't help but do a happy jig that the redhead might still be single. She's so gorgeous. I should be sad that her girlfriend was killed but I can't help but notice how beautiful she is, and how easy she is to talk to. I'm glad I've never had to go through losing a girlfriend or boyfriend. Losing mom was bad enough.
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. It happened, time went on, I started dating again. I still miss her but I'm okay." The redhead's sudden sadness disappeared as soon as she locked eyes again with the blonde. She couldn't escape their hazel depths, and figured that she could stand there for hours just studying this woman's eye color. It's so amazing. She's amazing, and she hasn't run away yet, which is always a good sign. "So, have you done a lot of interviews tonight?"
"Oh, well...a few. I needed some comments from the spectators but mostly, I just had to go around, and study every piece. They let me in earlier today to properly study everything without interruption from the guests. I even talked to Kennedy a little again. That reminds me, I haven't seen her in a while." Both women looked around, noticing that the brunette was missing in action. "Maybe she's in the office, signing some paperwork for sales."
"What?! You mean, people show these in their homes? Like, in their private homes and offices? Ken doesn't just keep them all?" Willow started to panic, unaware of the fact since she had no knowledge of how art show's worked. "I just assumed that they were displayed, and that was it!"
"Calm down, Willow. That's how artists make money. Matter of fact, Kennedy probably doesn't have to paint for a long time, and she's set with that Red Series. They were all sold within an hour of the opening, which is a record for the gallery." Noticing that Willow was hyperventilating, and about to pass out, the blonde tried not to panic, and went into worry mode. "Are you okay? Do you need some water? Do you wanna sit down?" Buffy ushered Willow to a couch, and helped the redhead start to breathe normally again before she passed out completely. "Are you sure you're okay? You had me scared there for a minute. What happened?"
"Oh, oh nothing. I just don't understand how these art shows work, and wasn't aware that the paintings were...really? All of them? You mean, people are going to walk by those paintings everyday?"
"Maybe not everyday, depends on where they place them but basically, yeah."
"Way to go, Ken." It was said sarcastically but Buffy misinterpreted for joy at her friend's success.
"It is quite a feat."
"Not if it's your sex life being displayed!" Willow clamped her hands over her mouth quickly, realizing that she'd said that out loud...again. She stared wide-eyed, pleading to the blonde not to freak out. Buffy just sat there, wide-eyed, and quiet, causing the redhead to think she was freaking, and was going to think of some lame excuse to move away from her.
"Well...that's...um, interesting."
"Interesting? Not if your ex-girlfriend decides to make money off of you unknowingly."
"You didn't know?"
"No...but I know what you're thinking because once I got over the initial shock and anger, I decided that Ken was just relaying emotions...something she wasn't the best at sometimes. But now, these are going to be in other people's homes...she's making money off of my body...it's...it's like she's my pimp!" Willow groaned, and leaned back on the couch. Buffy turned, and placed a comforting hand on her knee, wondering if it was too forward but Willow didn't seem to mind. In fact, she pushed her knee further into contact, relishing the tingly feelings that the touch sent all over her body by that one gesture. "It's fine. I'm fine. It's freedom of art, and I won't go too ballistic. It's just...she could've told me."
"I understand. If it makes you feel any better, she offered to paint me in the buff."
"A buff Buff..." They both laughed but Willow's face was turning crimson again at the images playing out in her head. I'll bet she is a buff, buff Buff, too. From what that type black dress tells, she's quite fit. "Um, so...what did you say?"
"No, of course. Like I said earlier...just not interested."
"Oh, well...Kennedy is a lot to handle."
"How long did you two date?"
"Two years?"
"Why the uncertainty?"
"I wasn't really much into the relationship but she was. It was more like...an arrangement that last year once the initial passion wore off, even though there was still lots of great sex...and I just shared too much, didn't I?"
"No...that was actually light sharing compared to what you shared involuntarily in the Red Room." Both girls laughed again, and Willow finally relaxed completely for the first time that night. "So..."
"Yeah."
"Willow Rosenberg...is that Jewish?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Just a guess. The guy that used to own the Bronze was a Rosenberg, are you related?"
"Yeah, he's my dad...or was. He died last year. We weren't really close, though...before you start apologizing again. I can tell you have that 'I'm sorry' look on your face." Buffy mock pouted, and Willow knew she was a goner. "I run the Bronze now, too."
"You're quite the business woman, Rosenberg." Xander and Anya returned, looking a little frazzled, and interrupted the two just as Willow had managed enough nerve to ask her out.
"We're sorry we left you but we had to have sex."
"Anya!"
"Hello." Buffy didn't know whether to be scared or amused but noticing that the redhead was embarrassed, she figured that this was a normal occurrence. "I'm Buffy."
"Xander Harris. This lovely woman that paraded our sex life to the room is my wife, Anya."
"There's a lot of sharing of the sex life going on tonight."
"Anya!"
"Well, it's nice to meet you both."
"Did you guys want something?" Willow gritted her teeth, and tried to act nonchalant when she nodded her head towards Buffy, indicating that she was trying to get the hook up but Xander never taking the hint, dropped the bomb.
"Yeah. We're gonna head home. You ready to go?"
"Now?" Willow was still trying to get Xander to realize her intentions but he was still clueless. Her voice was almost pleading and desperate, and Buffy smirked at the cute redhead. Ask her out, Summers. You can do this. You've done it a million times before. Oh, but this isn't like before...you actually like this girl...not just for a one night stand. Hurry up, hurry up!! "Fine." Willow's voice was chilly, and she narrowed her eyes at Xander, wishing for once that he would get a clue. She stood up from the couch, and Buffy followed her.
"If you're not ready to go, I could drive you. I promise that my driving has improved since high school, and I won't wreck us." Buffy was panicking, not knowing what to do. She'd never been this nervous before trying to ask anybody out: boy or girl. "That is unless you're ready to go."
"No, I can stay a little longer. Xander, you go on ahead. I'll see you in the office tomorrow."
"You sure, Will?"
"Yeah...now go on home, you two." Anya didn't have to be told twice; she grabbed Xander, and they were out the door in no time with two giggling girls laughing at the display. Rolling their eyes in amusement, they sighed, and turned back to face one another. "Actually, I may have lied a little. I do want to leave."
"Oh, well, okay...you'd have to run from the looks of their departure but you could probably catch them. You look fit...although I don't know if those heels would stay in one piece." Willow smiled at Buffy's attempt at being nonchalant while checking her out.
"Well, no. They probably wouldn't. Maybe...I don't know...if you're through here, we could grab some mochas at the Espresso Pump. It's just a block from here; we could walk, since it's a nice night."
"I'd like that. Just let me grab my things. I'll be right back." Willow sighed dreamily, excited and still a little nervous that she would be spending more time with the blonde. When they left, she completely forgot the reason she was at the gallery in the first place: Kennedy wanted to talk.
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"She really did that? On the bus?" Both girls were laughing hysterically, and it had been two hours since they ordered their first mocha. "I don't believe it."
"Oh, believe it. When it comes to Anya and her lust for Xander, anything is possible. Even in the middle of the day, on the bus, with chaperones, and heading on a school field trip. At least you weren't the one sitting across from them that had to witness it."
"Completely in the open? How did they not get caught?"
"They had a blanket but having been around them long enough to know better, I well, knew what she was doing."
"Now, that's wild. The girl sure has spunk...a little not so much with the tact but at least he knew what he was getting into before they married."
"I think that's why he married her. She's as bad as he is with the hormones." The giggles continued, and both girls had to sigh dreamily. Buffy looked at her watch, and noticed it was getting late.
"Oh, Dawn will be here soon."
"It's only 2. You have a few more hours."
"No, my sister...Dawn. She's driving here from college. She says that she misses Bubbles but I know better."
"Oh, well, did you park far? I actually live right there." Willow pointed up to a window across the street. Buffy followed, and noticed that she lived above the movie theatre. "I could walk you to your car."
"Actually...I may have lied a little, too."
"You really do drive bad?"
"No, well...yeah...but I meant that I didn't drive here. I live a few blocks from here in a little suburb. Revello Drive?"
"Oh, yeah. I know where that is. Lived here all my life, remember?" They stood up, and put their jackets on, grabbing their purses. "I'd love to walk you home."
"No, it's okay. You're already home practically. No sense in walking out of your way."
"No, I insist. You never know what lurks in the dark."
"Well, then, I'd have to walk you home, and it'd be this big back and forth thing."
"I think I can handle myself."
"You do, do you? Okay then, tough girl...let's head that way."
"Yes, ma'am." The walk home was quiet, and comfortable, each girl wanting to touch the other but unsure what was safe at this point. When they arrived at the Summers house, they stood on the front porch.
"Dawn's already here, so I should probably go inside." Buffy was pointing towards her door but her body stayed in place, facing Willow.
"Yeah...well, it was nice meeting and talking to you. You made an embarrassing night bearable."
"No problem." Buffy bit her lower lip, unsure of who should make the first move, if there even was a first move to make. Her eyes kept scanning Will's, and lowering to study her lips. They're such kissable lips. Such a pouty little mouth...it's adorable. "Well...good night."
"Yeah, good night." Again, no movement.
"I really should go in..."
"Okay..." Willow, finally frustrated that neither was doing anything, decided to leave it for the night. She started to walk off the porch, when she was suddenly jerked back by the arm. Without warning, she was enveloped in Buffy's embrace, lips crashed against lips, and her eyes were at first wide in surprise. Then she relaxed into the kiss, thankful that she wouldn't regret leaving without doing anything. Willow moaned, which elicited a moan from Buffy as well, and they wrapped their arms around each other tighter, letting the kiss deepen even further. After several minutes of heavy making out, the front porch light flicked on, and the door was opened. They quickly broke apart, and Dawn peeked out in her tank top and blue pajama bottoms, with Bubbles (a very cute cocker spaniel) panting at her feet, trying to investigate as well.
"Oh, Buffy. It's just you. I heard a noise, and thought somebody was trying to break in the house."
"So, your first reaction is to come outside where they are?" Buffy was still breathing heavily, trying to come down from cloud nine, and her face was flustered. Willow wasn't faring much better.
"Well, no...I turned the light on first. Plus, I had Bubbles."
"Cause Bubbles is really going to do some damage."
"You never know...she gets protective." Buffy turned to look at Bubbles who was currently being loved on by a crouching Willow. Aww...that's so cute. "Buffy, are you okay? You look like you just ran the 10K."
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just walked from the Espresso Pump."
"What were you doing out here anyways?"
"Oh, Dawn, this is Willow. Willow, this is my sister, Dawn." They smiled at each other, and grasped hands in a friendly shake.
"Hi, Willow. Whatever my sister told you about me, don't listen. She has a tendency to always make herself look good, and me look like the enemy."
"Well, I can assure you, Dawn. I've only heard good things. About Bubbles here, too."
"So, where do you two know each other?"
"Oh, we just met tonight at an art gallery."
"Are you okay? You look like you ran, too. Would you like to come in? I can get you a glass of water."
"She gets offered a glass of water, and I'm a burglar?" Willow just laughed at the sisterly banter, and shook her head.
"Thanks, Dawn but I should be headed back to my apartment. I was just making sure your sister got here in one piece. It was nice to meet you, Dawn." Willow bent down, and started petting the excited tan spaniel. "Nice to meet you too, Bubbles." She stood back up, and faced the blonde. "Well, I guess I should get going. Thanks for the show."
"Thanks for the coffee and body-guarding." Both girls just beamed, and Dawn rolled her eyes, figuring out what was going on finally, and she took Bubbles back inside the house. "Do you maybe wanna..."
"I would love to!" Willow jumped in before the blonde had a chance to finish her proposition.
"Okay...now, I could've said a million things just then...and you just agreed. What if I asked you to go to the Reptile House at the Zoo? I hear you're quite fond of frogs." Willow cringed, and that caused Buffy to laugh. "Okay, no Reptile House but how does a movie sound? Maybe some dinner? Or, if you want, we could hit the Bronze...from what I understand, you know the owner personally."
"Yeah, we've known each other since birth. Yeah, I'd like that. I mean, that is...whatever, it doesn't matter which...you can pick. I'm flexible. I mean, that is...I can go either way. Or...rather, no, I'm only on one side of the fence but I meant that ...you can decide what you want to do and..." Buffy stopped Willow by placing a gentle, warm kiss against her lips, which Willow had no problem returning.
"How about I pick you up at 7 on Saturday, and we'll see from there?"
"Okay."
"Yours is the only apartment up there, right? Do I need to buzz, or call, or anything?"
"No, you just walk in the door provided, walk up the stairs, and there's only one door. That's me. The whole floor."
"I can't wait. Okay, I really do need to go in now. I'll see you then, okay?"
"Definitely okay." Buffy kissed her softly again, and waved Willow down the sidewalk, walking inside to be greeted by a cross armed Dawn, and a tilted head Bubbles.
"Okay. So, I like her. Big deal."
"Big deal? You have only been this smitten once before...it is a big deal. Who is this girl? What are her intentions? As a matter of fact, what are your intentions?"
"It's okay, Dawn. She's different. It's definitely not just a one-night stand with her. I'm already hooked."
"Well, she seemed nice."
"She is..." Buffy sighed, and stared off dreamily.
"Buffy, oh my...so, tell me everything." They moved into the living room, and Buffy proceeded to tell Dawn everything (except for the fact that the paintings were of a sexual nature). "Wow. Just...wow. Buffy, so did you ask her out again?"
"Yes...and I will again and again..."
"Buffy, you have got it bad. I've heard of falling in love at first sight but I never thought it was true."
"Actually, it wasn't really at first sight, and who said I was in love with her?"
"You did."
"Did not! When did I say that?"
"You didn't have to. It's obvious; it's written all over your face, and when you talk about her, it's like you're on overload."
"Okay. I like her...a lot." Dawn started to protest but Buffy stopped her. "Not another word. It's too soon for something like that. I want to take it slow with her. I get this feeling that we have a long time to think of things like that."
"Well, did you at least ask her out again? You never answered my question."
"Yes."
"What are you going to do? I mean, I hope you're not going to take her to that seedy bar that you usually take dates to. Are you?" Dawn's eyes were pleading for her sister to answer in the negative, and Buffy giggled. "Did you just giggle?"
"Maybe...but no. No Willie's this time. Or ever, if I have my say."
"What then? Going to take her to that greasy diner like you took your last boyfriend? I swear that Riley never saw a romantic dinner when it came to dating you."
"Hey! Helen's wasn't all that bad. Besides, it's not like I honestly cared for him."
"No, that much was obvious, which is why he left when he got that transfer in the army. Farm boy...he was nice but soooo not your type."
"Oh, yeah? Well, then tell me, Dawn. What is my type exactly?"
"According to you, redheads of the fairer sex that are named after trees."
"Hey!"
"Just saying..."
"Willow...I like her name."
"I didn't say that I didn't. I like it but you are going to have to let me drill her. I have to do the sisterly thing, and make sure that she's good enough for you."
"Aww...Dawnie..."
"Yeah yeah...now, tell me, what are you going to do?"
"Well, I was thinking dinner and a movie but that's cliché first datey, and then I thought maybe the Bronze but she owns it, so she's probably there all the time already."
"She owns the Bronze?" Dawn's eyes got big, and she was getting excited.
"Yeah, and Watchers Records. She's like ultra businesswoman."
"Okay, you need to marry her now."
"Um...what was that you said about grilling her?"
"Forget about all that...she's fine. I've sisterly approved her for coolness based on her choice in profession. If you want, I'll even make up a stamp, and stamp her ass."
"Dawn! If anybody is stamping her ass, it'll be me."
"Alright...but are you not the coolest sister ever now, or what?"
"Wasn't I always?" Buffy mocked hurt, and Dawn playfully slapped her forearm. "I don't know Dawn. Angel was always the one that decided, and we never really had fun on our dates. He was the last person I ever really dated, and that was back in high school before he went all evil."
"Well, I tried to tell you he was only after you to get in your pants."
"Yeah, well...like I was going to listen then. I'm just glad that he's gone."
"Me, too."
"What do you think I should do then? Should I go with the cliché, or try to find something hip and new?"
"Well, when are you going out?"
"Saturday. I'm picking her up at her apartment at 7. She lives above the cinema."
"Okay, yes. You do have to marry her. That place is like huge! Janice was telling me how her dad is a real estate agent, and that he took her there when she was little, and that even bare, it was like a castle."
"Yes, well...it's more than amenities or profession here. This is about Willow...and Buffy...Willow and Buffy. That sounds nice...." She started to get that far away look again.
"Buffy, you're getting that look again. Snap out of it. We only have two days to figure this out!"
"Calm down there, Dawn. I'm the one that should be nervous. It's my date."
"Yeah, well...I gotta help figure out a way to make her fall in love with you!"
"I was hoping that I would be the one that got to do all of that work."
"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry. Okay, well...at least help make it a nice first date."
"Alright but we should head to bed. I have to go into the office sometime tomorrow, and type these notes into some order. It's..." She turned around to look at the clock on the VCR. "Okay, it's 4 in the morning so now would be a good time." The two Summers sisters walked upstairs, and prepared themselves for sleep, with a lazy Bubbles following closely behind their feet. As she snuggled under her covers, one word hung in Buffy's head. Willow...