New and Old
by Rin
Frustration
[reviews]
A/N: Just wanted to apologize for the horrible spacing problems. I'm still getting used to this thing, so bear with me please. Thanks for the comments. I wasn't sure at first but they really do help me want to continue writing the story. It's pretty cool. Again, thanks. Suggestions, comments...send 'em my way, and maybe it'll help me get ideas to add in some things from the overall plan I have set.
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Two weeks passed, and the two lovers spent both weekends together, switching from one house to the other. Dawn had started working at the Bronze, and once she got the hang of what exactly she was supposed to do, she became a great employee, which made both Willow and Buffy happy that the young girl was doing a decent job. She even went with the bartenders after work sometimes to go to an after hours bar for a few drinks before retuning home. Buffy had started writing minor details and ideas in her journal but she still hadn't started writing anything progressively.
Willow had been working with Rogue Slayer, and even went down to the second-floor recording studio to sit in on some sessions. Everything was turning out great in that department, and other than minor disagreements, the album was coming together nicely. She found a producer to take on the album, had Vi set up appointments for photo shoots, and made sure that everything was running smoothly in the technical aspects regarding each track; she wanted the best quality that they could offer, and that was one reason Watchers Records had been a successful independent label. When the first album was finally finished, she would assign the band to one of her management team that would be able to work with them the entire time that they were on the label, which would give her more free time once again. She loved finding new bands but she wanted to make sure that everything was perfect at the beginning, so she always took on overseeing that things were perfect, while she also did her regular duties as the person that ran the entire label (she still thanked every deity that Xander had decided to work for her, taking on some of those duties along with her). Even though they had signed more bands along the years, she still wanted to run her business with 'heart and soul,' as Xander always told her. She hadn't been able to eat lunch with Buffy for two weeks, and their phone conversations at night were shorter than usual because of her vast amount of work that she was forced to bring home. Only being able to see her on weekends, Willow was starting to go through Buffy withdrawals.
It was Wednesday, and she was down in the studio while Faith laid down some piano tracks. Not paying much attention to her watch, she was startled to find Buffy wrap her warm arms around her waist. After the minor scare, she relaxed into the arms before turning around to kiss her lightly in greeting. Buffy just smiled, and Willow finally took notice that she'd been down there for two hours, and it was time for her lunch break. Luckily, she had finished most of the work for that day already, and was able to take a long break that day. She told the engineer and producer, and they gave Faith a break as well, having her come back after she had something in her belly before they laid down the vocal tracks.
"I couldn't find you in your office, and Vi mentioned that you might be down here. After searching through this labyrinth, I finally found what I was looking for after about twenty minutes."
"Oh, yeah? What would that be?"
"A date for lunch. I thought that we could go out today, maybe eat at that café of Anya's...they have outside seating, and it's a beautiful day. I took a chance that you'd be free. If not, I would have just kidnapped you."
"Sounds like a plan..." She kissed her gently, and they both heard a cough behind them. Turning around in Buffy's arms, Willow saw Faith standing there alone, looking like she wanted something. "Something wrong, Faith?"
"Nah...I was just thinking that...I'm on a lunch break, too...so thought I'd go with you two...maybe keep you in line."
"I kinda like the line when it's crossed...over and over and over..." Willow blushed at the sensual tone in her girlfriend's voice, and unwrapped herself from the embrace, grabbing Buffy's hand to keep contact.
"Sure. I don't mind. We're going to Anya's. I should buy you lunch anyways, since you've been working so hard the last few days."
"Yeah...whatever, ya know."
"What's this? You're buying other women lunch? I'm jealous." Willow kissed the mock pout off Buffy's puppy-dog face. "Okay...just as long as I'm the only one that gets dessert." Willow rolled her eyes amusedly, and motioned Faith to follow them out the door, and the few blocks to the café. When they arrived, the three women found a cozy table under the shade of an umbrella, and waited for somebody to take their order. Looking over the menus that resided on the table, Buffy was astounded at the variety and choice. "Will? You were going to get two of each of these?"
"Like I said, I wanted to be sure."
"Well, I'm not even sure my appetite could've handled all of this. I'm glad that you narrowed it down." Faith continued looking over the menu with interest, while Buffy and Willow laid their menus back in the holder that was attached to the umbrella pole. The two girls just stared at each other lovingly, as Buffy moved her knees closer to her girlfriend's, just so that they were lightly touching. A young man came over to the table, and took their orders. "Um...I'm thinking a chipotle chicken salad sandwich, and I'll take the fresh fruit thingy." Willow smiled warmly at her girlfriend's enthusiasm for food, and then turned her attention back to the waiter.
"Just give me the usual, Johnny." He nodded, wrote something on his pad, and then turned back to Faith who was still halfway buried in the menu. "Faith? You ready?"
"Oh...yeah, Red. Just trying to get my bearings straight. When I get hungry, everything starts to look appetizing. I almost ate this salad that Jake the drummer made until Frankie warned me that he had mixed it with vinegar."
"Are you allergic to vinegar or something?"
"No...it was macaroni and cheese. I think Frankie even said that Jake put cloves and carrots in there. I didn't care at the time...it was food, and I was starving." Both girls, and even the waiter scrunched their faces in utter disgust at the thought of the common side dish with added extras. (A/N: Just a funny note, when I was ten, I tried cooking mac and cheese, and put cloves and carrots in there...and it was gross. Luckily, I did not add the vinegar. That was something my younger sister did once.) "Anyways...I'll take just a slice of the Boston crème pie." Faith put her menu back in the holder, and Willow looked at her in confusion.
"Faith...it's lunch. You can't possibly..."
"Chill, Red. That's all I want, okay?"
"That's not the vibe I was getting from you a second ago when you had your head practically buried in the menu. Come on, Faith...let me buy you a decent lunch. When we get back, you have to lay down vocal tracks...you don't want your belly to sing backup, do ya?"
"Yeah...whatever. I guess bring me one of those clubs." The waiter nodded, wrote something briefly, and before he could leave the table, Faith piped in again. "And a slice of that pie." The young man took off towards the back, to let them prepare the lunch, and Buffy went back to staring awestruck at her girlfriend. "Come on, blondie. I'm sure Red's got the message by now. Don't let me stop ya." Faith leaned back in her chair to stretch a little, and get more comfortable. Willow blushed, and Buffy did a double take to make sure she had heard Faith correctly. "Look...I got no qualms. I can wait for the food. I'm sure this joint's got a bathroom or something."
"Faith! No...that's not...I mean, we aren't...that is that, we do but not now. It's lunchtime."
"Hey...do what ya gotta, Red. I'm just saying that if you and blondie here wanna have a nooner, don't let me stop ya." Willow blushed, and had that wide-eyed look that Buffy had claimed as her 'gaping fish' expression when she got nervous. Realizing that Willow was actually thinking along those lines, Buffy wanted to save her before the redhead revealed too much.
"Faith, while it is an...odd offer, thank you but we're here to eat lunch. That's all." She looked over at Willow, and lowered her voice a little seductively. "There'll be plenty of time for the dessert later." Willow wanted to change topic, so she went with the first thing that she could think of at the top of the bat.
"So, Faith. Are you and the others having fun? With the record, I mean...making it?" Faith smirked, knowing that she could easily take her teasing further but relented to the redhead's obvious change in mood.
"Yeah...the others like it fair enough. They've laid down tracks before as background musicians...it's my first time in the studio...it's not overwhelming, just a lot more work than I thought it'd be, ya know?"
"Yeah, we get that a lot from new bands. The public doesn't realize just how much goes into getting an album ready for sell, and then the work that goes into publicizing it so that they'll actually buy it."
"It's cool that you're all involved with it, too. That surprised me. Frankie said that the different jobs he's taken over the years, and he's never seen the guy that ran the whole shebang sit in at all. That's pretty cool."
"Yeah, it's something I like to do at the beginning. It won't be that way all of the time because...hello, running a label, should actually get back to the office sometime. It'll be cool, though. I'm working on finding the perfect management team to run your contract length."
"We already have a manager."
"No, I know that. This is a management team...the person or persons that make sure everything's taken care of for you guys. Photo shoots, press conferences, interviews, tours, signings...that sort of thing. I'll be around every once in a while but I won't be in charge of taking care of those things for you anymore. I'll get the paperwork, and approve them but I won't be the one actually talking to the photographers, magazines, and the like." Faith nodded her head in understanding, finally beginning to relax in the company of the two lovers. The food arrived, and the rest of the lunch was light, and the conversation turned more towards likes and dislikes other than serious business or life issues. When Faith finished her huge slice of pie, the three moved into the bookstore to pay for the meal. Buffy and Faith went around to browse, since neither had actually been to the store before today. Picking up a few books, and some extra pencils and red markers for work, Buffy found Faith standing by the magazine rack, flipping through a Playboy. After giggling at the choice, she finally rolled her eyes, and they scanned through it together, laughing at the poses, and sexual cartoons. Meanwhile, Willow as at the counter, talking to Anya as she forked over the cash for the meal.
"Hello Willow." Anya was perched on her stool casually, looking a bit frumped and tired but still eager for business. Since the lunch crowd had already diminished rapidly, the two girls had a little time to chat. "I have something for you."
"Oh, yeah? What is it?" Anya reached under the counter, and pulled out an envelope, handing it to the redhead. Willow scrunched her brow in confusion, and Anya just shrugged. "Why is it addressed to me here?"
"I don't know. Do I look like the postal service, or the idiot that decided that you lived here instead of that apartment of yours?"
"Okay. I guess not but still...it's a little odd. They could've sent it to me at work if they didn't know my address."
"I didn't open it this time. Xander made sure to let me know that it wasn't proper to open another person's mail, even if it does come to the wrong address."
"Plus, it's illegal..."
"Well, he mentioned that, too...but I don't really understand all of these laws."
"Anya, you've lived here eight years...surely you've picked something up along the way...at least, I hope you have."
"Yes, I have. How else do you think I manage a small yet successful business?"
"Right...well, thanks. Lunch was good today."
"It was, wasn't it?" Willow, trying to avoid another Anya-money-business lecture, looked around for her girlfriend, and Faith. Seeing them giggle together, and looking at a magazine, she rolled her eyes in amusement, just watching the way Buffy's eyes would glow every time she smiled, laughed, or found something funny. How her hair would move with her as she giggled, and the way her nose crinkled when they came across something obviously unpleasant. When Buffy finally looked up from the magazine, she noticed Willow watching her, and smiled lovingly back at her. Deciding to tease her lover, she arched an eyebrow suggestively, and motioned towards the restroom with her head. Knowing that Willow was blushing furiously from the startled look on her face, she told Faith that it was time to head back to work. Putting the magazine down, the two girls walked up to the counter, and Buffy paid for her items, trying not to pay attention to the serious banter that Anya was reeling on about capitalism, and the way that people browse, and don't buy the browsed items.
"Bye, Anya. It was nice to see you again." Buffy took Willow's hand, and practically dragged her giggling girlfriend out of the store. Faith followed behind, trying to figure out what the hell the shopkeeper's issues were. When they finally reached the studio, the two lovers said bye to Faith as she exited the elevator on the second floor. Faith thanked Will for lunch, and proceeded down the hallway to finish her tracks. When the two lovers finally reached Willow's office, the first thing Willow moved to do was make sure all of the blinds were secure, and tossed her purse, jacket, and the envelope from Anya on her desk. Then, when Buffy finished hanging her jacket on the rack, Willow pushed Buffy into the door, crashing their lips together in a feverish kiss that surprised the blonde at first, until she moaned into the redhead's mouth, and moved her own arms up and down her back hastily. Reaching under her shirt, Willow made contact with Buffy's bra, and made quick movements to one side up to give her hand better access to the mound it concealed. When Buffy gasped from the sudden movement, she pushed Willow back without losing contact from the kiss or grabby hands, until they both fell onto the couch. Kissing a wet path down Willow's jaw line, the blonde nipped her sensitive earlobe before whispering breathily into the ear. "Not that I mind the sudden attack...but you are at work..." Willow never stopped running her hand through the blonde locks, or her other hand kneading her girlfriend's left breast.
"Yeah but I haven't had dessert yet..." Willow pulled Buffy back down to capture her in a kiss, and as soon as the redhead managed to unzip the blonde's jeans, and reach down under her panties, Xander came storming into the office, only to turn right back around when he saw them, and close the door. The two girls jumped off the couch, embarrassed, and unkempt from their impromptu 'dessert' making, and heard Xander knock on the door.
"Will...if you're not too terribly busy...you may wanna come and see this." Trying to put some order to her tousled hair, and smooth her clothes, Willow kissed Buffy gently with a promise for no interruptions that weekend. "Now would be good, actually..."
"I'm sorry...I'll call you later, okay? Are you going back to work now?"
"Yeah...working on a new story...I'll tell you about it later. Talk to you later, Will." She kissed her sweetly, and hugged her tightly before grabbing her jacket from the rack. She followed Willow out of her office, finding a fidgety Xander with a goofy grin as he acknowledged them. "Hi, Xander."
"Buffy...I assume you came to take Willow to lunch?"
"Yes...but I didn't get to finish dessert."
"Willow didn't stay for dessert?" Buffy noticed that her girlfriend was crimson, and Xander was totally clueless to the innuendoes being passed.
"Oh...no. Willow stayed for dessert, all right. She was the one that actually insisted we get some today."
"Lunch hour was just up then, huh? I hate when I'm still hungry, and just about to get to the creamy filling of my dessert, and have to stop eating. I can sympathize. What did you have?" Willow was choking, covering it up with a cough, as Buffy watched Xander's ignorance of the entire situation with amusement. Her playful smirk returned when she looked back at a beet-red Willow.
"Strawberries and cream. I didn't get to the creamy filling yet, either." Willow was trying to avert her gaze but her entire body was still tingling from their earlier encounter, and now from the blonde's quiet seduction. Her entire being was honed in on Buffy, and she wasn't sure if she could wait two days before she could see her girlfriend in private again. "Well, I should get going, Xander. Have fun, Wills. Talk to you later." She kissed the red cheek, and playfully brushed the redhead's thigh as she began walking to the elevator, leaving a flushed redhead, and smiling Xander watching her leave.
"That's quite the woman, Willow. I must say...you did good." Willow still watched as the elevator doors closed, and she groaned from the loss. "You okay, Will? I realize that I walked in on quite the interesting moment...sorry about that. It's just that, there's something you need to take a look at ASAP." Willow finally looked at Xander, her body still tingling, her brain still mush, and her eyes still lust-filled. "Woah, Will...turn the dial down to about 3 there before you hurt somebody."
"Huh?" He pointed at her eyes with two fingers, and she shook her head to clear them of thoughts of her frustration, arousal, and irritation. "Oh...what is it, Xan?"
"The bassist for the Nerds..."
"Warren?"
"Yeah...well, he was found in a dumpster this morning brutally murdered. Somebody had practically ripped his skin off completely...it's really disturbing. The other two are in my office right now, and the media has been all over this. You're going to need to make an official statement to the press in an hour, and I'm glad that I found you in time...even though I'm sorry for interrupting the girl-on-girl action you had going." They started walking down the hall towards his office, and entered to find the other two sitting on the couch, shaking their legs nervously. "I got Will here, guys. Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this." Willow went to sit down on the couch between Andrew and Jonathan. Her face showed compassion, and obvious regret, and she attempted to reassure the guys that she'd figure something out before the hour.
"What if whoever did this is after all of us, though?" Jonathan was trying to stop his leg from shaking by putting his hands on his knees but they only started to go up and down with them.
"Yeah...I don't want that to happen to us." When Andrew mentioned that in a high-pitched voice, Xander brought over the police photos to show Willow. As she looked through the media's release photos, her body shook with disgust, and fear for the other two. She handed back the photos to Xander with a look of an idea forming.
"Well, we'll make sure that there's extra caution taken with you two, and assign bodyguards to be with you at all times."
"All the time? What if we wanna shower?"
"Andrew...obviously, for private activities, you won't be escorted. We'll have the guards check your rooms before you enter, and then they'll stand watch outside the room."
" We don't even know if this was an attack at the band as a whole, or just Warren. For all we know this far, it's just a random killing." Xander sat down atop his desk, facing the three on the couch. "After the police confirmed the identity of the body, you were called here in the office, so I had to take the call, Wills. The media being the media has already posted the news...naturally, all we can do is wait until the forensics team finds something useful that tells us it was a planned attack, and wait for the detectives to let us know if the other two have anything to worry about at all."
"No matter, we're taking precautions. Safety first." Her brow furrowed in sympathy at the two nerdy boys sitting beside her. "Are you guys gonna be okay?"
"Yeah...I think so...it's just ...scary...and gruesome."
"So I saw..."
"Well, Willow...I think it's obvious that we're not gonna be able to finish the tour now, though. Without Warren, it's just the two of us. Plus, we're gonna have to go to his funeral, and actually deal with the fact that he's not there anymore. It feels strange. We just saw him last night."
"I know, Jonathan. It is strange...it always is when somebody dies that you know. I know the two of you had your differences with Warren but he was still a friend. If you really want to cancel the rest of the tour, we'll do that. It's perfectly understandable."
"Not like we have an option."
"Andrew...we'd find a bass player to finish the rest of the tour with you guys. That's no big deal. It's up to you guys what you want to do. We'd still love to have you here with us...have an evil duo instead of an evil trio." The two nerds smiled thinly at Willow's attempt at making light of the intense situation.
"Yeah. I think I'd like to finish the tour. It'll help me keep my mind off things..."
"Yeah, and maybe that's what this evil flayer guy wants...it happens all the time in movies. The criminal wants to scare somebody into not doing something...like Demi Moore in "The Juror." The guy wanted her to make sure she wouldn't vote him guilty...so he killed her friend. Maybe that's what he's trying to do...keep us from touring."
"As far fetched as it sounds, all options are still open, and we're not going to throw caution to the wind on this one. We'll find a substitute player for the tours, and when it's over, I'll meet with you guys, and see what you want to do then. Does that sound good?" They both nodded, and Xander's secretary said that the pressroom was ready for Willow. Willow nodded, and stood up to leave. "Guys...be careful, all right? If you need something, don't hesitate to call Xander or myself. Nice to see you guys again but I wish it were under different circumstances. I'll call you later, Xander...let you know how things went at the press conference." Xander nodded, and the boys said their goodbyes to the redhead, as she made her way down two floors to give a statement on what she knew was going to keep her occupied all weekend. 'Dammit...can things get any worse? Wait...please don't answer that.'
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Unfortunately, she was correct in her earlier assessment that the whole Warren murder fiasco would take up her weekend. She was constantly on the phone with somebody from the label, Xander, or the police on updates. She had been forced to stay in the office late on Friday, staying to catch up on the other work that she was forced to push aside during the entire ordeal, and she had to cancel her weekend with Buffy...something that she was still groaning about, and to make matters worse, she could only talk to her for about 15 minutes before some new information was found, and then she'd have to begrudgingly get back to work. She found herself at work early Saturday, and the work still never stopped. On a good note, the guy who flayed the bassist had been arrested, and had actually confessed the entire thing. Apparently, Warren had 'fucked his girlfriend, and then left her pregnant but not until she was kicked out of his hotel room without her clothes.' The guy stated that he wanted him to know exactly what it felt like to know the pain she withstood from that. The DA had found that the young man had a record of violent acts, and he had been on trial for aiding in two other murders before Warren. Willow and Xander had gone to the private, closed-casket funeral, and had been contacting lawyers and their publicists to make sure that Warren's antics weren't tagged directly to the label's business. To say the least, Willow was tense, over-stressed, hadn't received much sleep, and she missed her girlfriend immensely. When the media started to lay off the case, everything was running smoothly with Jonathan and Andrew, and those working on it at the label were finally given a break. I hate when something like this happens, and I'm in the office all weekend. I need a shower, and to take a breather for a while.
Walking into her apartment, Willow finally began to relax. She moved to her office, placing her briefcase down on her desk, placing the mail in there as well. She sat down in her big, comfy computer chair, and went through her mail. When she finished sorting through the junk and bills, she began taking out things from her suitcase, and filing them away in the cherry-oak cabinets. Closing her briefcase, she pulled out the envelope that went to Anya's, and opened it. She found a short letter inside, and began to read it.
Will,
I know that I'm probably the last person you want to talk to but please hear me
out. I know you were at the gallery opening, and I realize that it may have been wrong
for me to paint those things from our private life but my teachers always told me to
paint things that inspire me, and you inspired me more than anything or anyone.
It was impossible not to paint our times together. I was hoping that we could talk at
the gallery but you took off before I had a chance to get away from all the art critics,
and potential buyers. I would've written sooner but I wanted to give you time to cool
off in case you were mad at me. I figured that's why you took off so fast. I wanted
to give you something but I'm not sure that you'll even want it anymore. Please, call
me. Tell me how you are. You know my cell number; it's never changed.
Love,
Kennedy XOXO
P.S. I wasn't sure where you were living now, so I sent it to Anya's. Hope she
didn't get too mad about that.
When she finished reading the letter, Willow placed it down on the desk, and groaned. It had been over two months since the opening, and Kennedy finally called her on the fact that she never even said hello. Plus, she was still telling her she loved her, and that made Willow feel uncomfortable for the first time. With Buffy in her life now, all of her love went directly to the blonde, and there was nothing left to give Kennedy. Deciding that she should probably call her, and let her know that she wasn't mad, just shocked at first, Willow picked up the phone. She searched through her Rolodex until she found Ken's number, and dialed. After the third ring, Ken's voice came across rather hurriedly.
"Willow?"
"Yeah. I got your letter the other day, sorry it's taken me this long to reply."
"No, I understand. I've been following the news. I saw your press conference Wednesday...you look different."
"Different?" Willow closed her briefcase, and decided that she wanted that shower sooner than later. She went to her bathroom, and continued the conversation while she undressed, and prepared for the shower.
"Yeah. Not bad different...definitely not bad different. I don't know...you looked...happy." Willow sighed, missing Buffy more because she was the reason for that happiness. "It's good to see you happy. I didn't get to see it too often but when I did...they're some of my favorite memories."
"Ken...look."
"No, Will. It's okay. I know that it was different for you but what we had was...you were the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me." There was uncomfortable silence from both lines, as Willow pulled towels from the closet, and laid them on the bar by the shower. "I'm sorry that I missed you at the gallery."
"Yeah. It was different. I didn't even know that you painted...you're good."
"You knew that I painted...it's what I studied in college, while we were dating no less. Thank you, though." Willow could hear the hostility in the brunette's voice, and she cringed at the loss of her memory. She just never paid much attention, and for that she was truly sorry.
"I'm not mad like you thought I was. I was shocked, a little flustered, then a little upset when I found out that other people could buy them to display who knows where...but I'm alright. I'm not upset. I wasn't really that upset before I left the gallery. It was nice...you're good."
"You said that already."
"I know...just bared repeating, I guess."
"Thanks. Um, Will...actually, I painted something that I wanted to give you that night. One of the paintings of us that I didn't display...it was private."
"Like showcasing my nether region wasn't private?"
"Well, yeah...I just meant that it's...it's the best memory I have of us together, and I wanted you to have it."
"Well...why don't you keep it then? You don't have to give me anything, Ken."
"No, I know...but I want to. Can we just leave it there?"
"Sure...um, I guess just drop it off by the office sometime next week if you have a chance. If I'm not there, just give it to Vi, or Xander."
"I kinda wanna give it to just you. Do you think that we could maybe have dinner sometime? I promise no funny business." Willow sighed as she started her shower water.
"Sure...maybe Tuesday night? I'll be at the Bronze. We could have dinner there, and talk in my office. Does that sound okay?"
"Yes. Sounds perfect. I'll just come by sometime after 7. That's when you're usually there still, right?"
"Yeah. I'll see you then, Kennedy. Bye."
"Bye, Will." Willow hung up the phone, and checked the water. Since the water was perfect, she hopped in, and proceeded to rid herself of all the dirt and grime that she'd been buried in all day.
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When Willow had called Friday, and mentioned that they couldn't meet that weekend, Buffy began to panic, thinking that this was going to be another Angel incident, and now that Willow had what she wanted from her, she was going to leave. After hours of crying, she finally decided that she was being ridiculous because Willow would never do anything like that, and the blonde admonished herself for even thinking along those lines. They barely got to talk because of the extra work caused by the murder, and Buffy knew that Willow was under stress. She heard it in her voice, even if she didn't directly say anything was wrong. Dawn was working all weekend, and Buffy's only company was Bubbles. It was Saturday evening, and she decided to just relax in front of the television, and watch some rented videos. Willow was going to call later, so she had the cordless on the side table, ready to go.
Just as soon as Meg Ryan stepped off the elevator and Tom Hanks stepped on, there was a knock at the door, startling Buffy from her spot snuggled warmly on the couch. In her sweats, worn UCLA t-shirt, and tube socks, she opened the door to find Willow holding a pizza and some videos, smiling with pure joy and hope at finally seeing Buffy. Buffy just stood there, shocked, uncertain for a moment what to do. Didn't take her long to decide, and she quickly opened the door, and ushered her girlfriend into the kitchen. Willow laid the pizza box on the island counter, and Buffy grabbed some paper plates, napkins, and cokes from the fridge. They still hadn't said a word but knew what each other was thinking as they went about their jobs. Finally, everything was settled for some munching, and Buffy shook her head clear.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm not allowed to be here now?"
"No, that's not what I meant, you goof. I meant...I thought you were still working."
"I was but things settled finally, and we're all taking the rest of the day off...well, night now." Buffy rushed around the counter to plant a gripping kiss on Willow, and she wrapped her arms into her hair, as the redhead embraced her lover around the waist.
"Your hair's wet."
"Yeah...I took a shower when I got home. I was gonna call before I came over but decided to surprise you instead. You're not mad, are you? Were you busy?" Willow mock pouted, and Buffy kissed the luscious pouting lip softly.
"Will...you definitely succeeded in surprising me, that's for sure. A good surprise, too." Willow leaned forward to kiss her gently, wrapping her arms tighter around the blonde's waist, pulling her closer to her body.
"I've missed you so much. These past few days have been like hell, and all I could think about was how much I just wanted you there to keep me calm."
"I think you just wanted a distraction, which I would happily have obliged, too...anytime. At least everything's over now, right?"
"No...just calm for now, which is a plus."
"Well, yeah...you'll have a chance to finally relax, and maybe even sleep some." Willow rubbed her hands around the small of Buffy's back, and kissed her chin lightly.
"And while I was in the shower, I came up with a full proof plan that would help me relax completely the rest of the weekend."
"Oh, yeah? I wouldn't be included in this little plan of yours, would I?" Willow was smirking, and nodding.
"Yes...you play the primary role. If you're not there, then the rest of the plan falls apart completely."
"And what, pray tell, does this plan include?"
"Well...for starters...pizza and movies because I'm hungry, and feel like being lazy and cuddly. Then, the most important part of the plan..." She trailed off as she eyed Buffy seductively.
"Yes?" Buffy was already feeling the heat coming from her redheaded girlfriend, and couldn't wait for the plan to start.
"Dessert." Willow's face turned innocent, and Buffy was confused for a moment until Willow pulled out a can of whipped cream from her purse, then her body heat began to rise rapidly with the implications from that simple can.
"Yummy." Buffy's voice was low, and husky, which did not go unnoticed by Willow.
"Uh-huh. Shall we get started, and see if this plan works?"
"Definitely." Buffy moved in to kiss Willow, and was confused when Willow turned around, and opened the pizza box. Noticing the frustrated confusion from the blonde, the redhead kissed her quickly before explaining.
"I'm hungry, remember? If I'm going to have dessert later...and I plan on having a LOT of dessert tonight...I'll need my energy to keep it down." Buffy realizing the logic in the statement, started eating the pizza. After they were finished eating, they cleaned the counter, and went into the living room to watch the videos. Willow popped in one of the films, and snuggled in beside her girlfriend on the couch. As the movie started, several racy images flashed on the screen, and Buffy wasn't sure how to react. First, her genuinely traditional girlfriend had rented porn. Second, she was starting to feel said redhead brushing up suggestively against her body. When Willow noticed Buffy's confusion, she turned towards the screen, not yet noticing what she put in since she was still completely in tune with her body next to hers. She turned towards the screen, and noticed that there was a large, hairy man with fangs and horns obviously pleasuring a young woman. "Eep!" Willow panicked, unsure of what was going on, and what her girlfriend must be thinking.
"Will?"
"Buffy, no. I didn't rent this. This isn't mine...I don't understand. This isn't...I didn't...how?" Buffy removed herself from the couch, and went to pick the case up, and giggled when she read the title, knowing what must have happened.
"Will, did you rent 'Beauty and the Beast' to watch?"
"Yeah..."
"You sure it wasn't 'Booty and the Beast' instead?" Buffy arched an eyebrow playfully, knowing that Willow was about to go into babble mode, which she had missed entirely too much.
"No! No...I rented the fun loving Disney classic. It's supposed to be dancing candlesticks and silverware...not a beast doing...that...what is he doing?" Willow cocked her head to the side in confusion, and Buffy turned around to look at the screen. Noticing that the beast was making sure that Beauty was completely full, Buffy turned the television off before she had to explain too much. "Buffy, what was that?"
"Um...well, Will...you see, when two people love each other..."
"Stop it Buffy. I'm serious. How could he have been bent over like that? It's not physically possible, is it?" Willow looked so cute in her inquisitive expression that Buffy had to sit on the couch to kiss the wrinkles on her forehead.
"It's not entirely pleasant. Riley used to...do that with me sometimes. I wasn't too keen on the whole getting it from all ends. It was too much at once." Willow blushed, and tried to hide her obvious shock that Buffy had let her boyfriend do it that way. "They're not all real, obviously. Only one is, and with Riley, he usually liked to put it in my mouth, and use the...added ones to my other ends. He said that it got him off knowing that I was completely filled." Buffy was trying to be gentle, knowing that Willow had never had a man in her bed. "It's not something I recommend to anybody."
"No problems here, believe me. Why did you let him if you didn't like it? You could've told him to stop." Buffy sighed, wishing that she could have spent this conversation talking about lovelier things...like Willow's kissable mouth, and the way she smiled when Buffy kissed the tip of her nose.
"I did but he said that it's never fun the first time, that I should try it again. So I did, again and again...but still never liked it. By the time I had the courage to tell him I didn't like it still, he had left."
"Oh, Buffy." Willow wrapped Buffy in a tight embrace, and kissed her cheek before breaking away to lock eyes. "You'd tell me if you didn't like something, right? And you know that I wouldn't push you to do something you don't want?"
"Of course, Wills. You know the same goes for you, too. If something's not right, just tell me. Complete honesty."
"Yes...no secrets."
"No secrets...agreed. Now, what else did you rent that's not an animated film?" Willow averted her eyes, which made Buffy realize that all five of the vids she brought over were cartoon films. "Are you serious?"
"Well, I wanted something light...fun, sweet, yet entertaining...I thought...what better than Disney movies?" Buffy kissed the whine from Willow's tone.
"I have no problem with that. Just funny, I guess."
"Funny how?"
"You're too cute, Willow." Willow smiled before kissing Buffy again sweetly on the mouth. She pushed Buffy back onto the couch, and continued the sweet kisses, while running her hands loosely along her sides. When the kisses started turning more needy and passionate, Willow broke away to look into Buffy's darkened pupils.
"I think I'm ready for dessert now." Buffy's reply was to grab Willow back down onto her, and finish completing the rest of the redhead's plan, which she figured would take until at least sunrise.