New and Old
by Rin
New Beginnings
[reviews]
A/N: I like your input! You're helping me fill the gaps a lot easier!
The morning sun began to shine through the window, and the two lovers were still exhausted against each other's body, asleep from the night's energy-burning activities. Around three in the morning, they had drifted off in each other's arms, both ignoring the want to still be together physically, and the constant hunger that was screaming from their bellies. Instead, sleep finally took over, and they were helpless against it, at least content to fall asleep together after a week of missing the heat from the other.
When eleven peaked, Dawn cautiously opened the door a crack to peak, and see if they were awake but not wanting to catch the residual effects of her sister's all-nighter. She and Spike had finally managed to fall asleep on opposite ends of the couch, and he was ready to take off, back to wherever it was that he always went. Nobody really knew, and they knew better than to really ask questions. When the two awoke, Spike had cleaned Buffy's room from the mess they had made the night before, and Dawn had placed the sheets and comforter in the washer, trying to get the smell of sex from her sister's bedding. Once things were in order, Spike took a shower, and was currently wrapped in nothing but a towel around the waist, realizing that his things were still in the guest room, where the two lovers were still occupied. Dawn decided to help him out by getting his bag, and duster.
When she noticed that they were still conked, she snuck into the room quietly, a happy Bubbles following on her heel. She took a second to smile excitedly about the way the two were clung together for dear life, as though it was the end of the world. Leaving a small crack in the door, she exited with Spike's things, handing the bag and old leather jacket to him. He nodded, and went back into the bathroom to dress. Dawn just went back downstairs to make some lunch for everyone, realizing that the lovers will be starving when they finally wake. Spike finished dressing, and told Dawn a quick goodbye before heading out on his motorcycle.
Meanwhile, Bubbles jumped up on the bed beside Willow, and just sat there, looking down at her spooned against Buffy. Wagging her nub excitedly, she wanted to get her attention, so she tried burying her paws underneath her arm that was tucked beneath the pillow the two lovers were sharing. The smirking redhead only stirred slightly, groaning a bit from the furry alien in her warmth bubble that was Buffy's arms wrapped around her maroon sheet clad form. Bubbles tried again, digging at the covers slightly. She wanted attention, and would not be deterred by the groaning. Willow's smirk looked permanently plastered to her face, and Bubbles finally decided to lick her.
"Mmm...Buffy, maybe you should brush your teeth, or get a mint." Her voice was mumbled but she was coming to, which was the small cocker spaniel's plan. Willow slowly opened her eyes to find a panting pooch lying with its head facing hers. Giggling slightly at the wakeup call, she unwrapped her arm from around Buffy's, and patted Bubbles on the head, which the tan puppy enjoyed. "Hi, Bubbles. I almost forgot about you." The dog just relaxed, and relished the feel of Willow's slim fingers running through her golden fur, which was in need of a nice cut. "How did you get in here?" She looked around, and noticed that Spike's bag and jacket were missing from their scattered clothing piles, and noticed that the door was slightly ajar. Realizing that the bleach blonde had left, she wanted to do a happy dance to celebrate. "Well, Bubbles...looks like I'm going to be around a lot again. I hope you didn't miss me too much this week. I definitely missed you guys, especially Buffy, of course but you're high up there on the list. You know that I'm going to make sure that she's happy, don't you? You're probably mad at me, too...but it was all a misunderstanding. I never cheated on her. I never would. She's stuck with me, whether she likes it or not. She's my always."
"Who are you talking to, Will?" Buffy kissed her shoulder, and rubbed her arms over her torso in a stretch. Willow moaned from the sudden moving contact, and her lids fluttered in agreement. The blonde was stretching a little close to still sensitive areas below her waist. Kissing her neck, Buffy snuggled in a little tighter, and finally opened her eyes to find Willow petting a happy Bubbles. "Hey, Bubbles." She reached over to rub the dog's curly ear, and Willow stopped petting her briefly to turn her head, in order to kiss her girlfriend good morning. "Mmm...morning."
"Morning."
"I didn't know Bubbles followed us in here last night."
"She didn't, I don't think. Either Dawn or Spike..." Willow's voice was colder at the mention of him. "...one of them came in, and got his stuff. I'm hoping he left."
"Wow...you're still jealous."
"How could I not be? He got to be with you while we were fighting, and he's been with you before, so obviously you have some attraction to him."
"That's over now, though, because you're more than enough to last me for eternity."
"Aww...Buff, I missed your sappiness."
"Well, get used to it again because from now on, you're going to hear it once a day, twice on weekends." They giggled, and Willow turned around to face her, leaving Bubbles to lay down behind her naked back. "I really am sorry."
"I know. I am, too."
"That's behind us now. Time to move on to better things. Like this..." Buffy kissed her sweetly on her right cheek. "And this..." She lingered a little longer on her left. "This is important..." She kissed the cupid's bow. "And definitely can't forget this...it's crucial." She pulled Willow in further, kissing her sensuously for a few minutes, letting her hands run up and down the redhead's back in firm, lazy circles.
"Mmm...you're right. Those are important."
"So..."
"So..."
"How do you feel?"
"About..."
"Mmm...just in general."
"Well...it feels good to be here. With you, that is."
"The feeling's mutual."
"Um...I'm not upset, or crying, so that's a check in the plus column."
"Uh-huh."
"What about you? How do you feel, I mean."
"Well...right now, I'd like to feel...something else."
"Huh? Are you okay? Are you still mad? Did I do something wrong last night?"
"No. You definitely did nothing wrong last night. My body is still agreeing. No, I just want to feel something...or someone, rather...a little bit closer to me because I feel cold."
"Well, you are naked..." Willow smirked playfully, finally up to par on Buffy's game plan. She lifted the sheet further down the blonde's body, and revealed the glory that was her girlfriend in the nude. "See, you're buff, Buff."
"Oh, that explains a lot but you're naked, too." Buffy tugged at the sheet covering Willow, and pulled the high-thread count sheets down to her waist. "Yep, and I heartily approve of that fact. You should always be naked."
"What about work?"
"Well...see, in my little reality, there is no work...just play, and guess what my favorite toy is?"
"Mr. Gordo?"
"Hmm...he's on the list but there's this redhead that's quite the teaser that needs to come over here now before I pounce on her, and just completely torment her until she begs for mercy."
"Oh...you make such promises."
"Will!"
"Just kiss me already."
"I can do that." Buffy pulled Willow's body closer, and wrapped them in a tight embrace, making sure that all of the previous week's problems were finally settled.
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"Argh! Why won't you work?!" Buffy was kicking the fax machine when she saw her editor walk by, and stopped immediately, trying to act nonchalant. He stopped, shook his head, and moved on, and Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, her luck wasn't completely with her on that particular Friday. She had missed the entire week before, and she was forced to work double time all week just to make up the hours. There were articles, and interviews that needed to be done today, and luckily, she had finally finished. All she needed was to fax this one sheet, and she was finished for the day. However, the fax machine was making her day longer than she wanted, and she had a certain redhead to seduce.
The entire week, they had stayed together, moving from one place to another, and were only separated by work, and even then, Buffy would come over for lunch everyday. They were practically inseparable, and even though there was a slight fear from both of being too clingy, both realized that it still wasn't enough. They needed more time together. Being together every minute possible was just not enough; they needed every second, every millisecond...just to never be apart from the other. Things had been stronger since they had made up: emotions, sex, and conversations were more intense. They were completely open with one another, honest, and revealed every dark secret that would ever possibly come up between them, their fears about the past, present, and especially future, Buffy's tendency to run because she didn't feel she should have happiness, and Willow's insecurities regarding failure, and people leaving her all the time. They were connected: through love, through life. It was so intense that it was scary, and neither girl was willing to see it as that. All they saw was love.
Now, Buffy kept fighting with the fax machine until it finally started sending the fax successfully. A few more seconds, and she would fly from the office, ready to start a Willow-filled weekend full of chocolate, roses, and extra kisses. There was nothing in the world better, in her opinion, and she finally acknowledged the fact that she was willing to go the distance. She was more than happy, and for once in her life, she never wanted to run. This was the real deal, the big one...she wanted to be with Willow for as long as possible, and had talked to Dawn about it all week. Dawn was more than excited at the conversation. Buffy didn't know if it was an illegal wedding, or starting a family, but she knew that she wanted that with her girlfriend...eventually. Now, she just wanted to relish in everything that the woman had to offer, and one day, those things would come but for now, things were content.
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Leaving the office behind, she literally jumped from her car up the stairs to Willow's apartment. She was more than ready to get things started. Finally getting in the door, she was surprised to find a bunch of people in there, dressed nicer than usual. She looked around, and realized that she was late for the party. Rogue Slayer had hit a high sales market, and Willow was finally giving Faith that party that she kept asking for almost every day.
Faith. That was something that took a little time to deal with but she decided after a few days of avoiding her, she should just talk to her. When they talked, they were completely honest with the other, making a connection that abounded into friendship. Relieved that the brunette had no plans to make a move on her girlfriend, she put her jealousy behind her, and just enjoyed hanging out for a few hours before Willow returned from the office. Overall, Faith said that she didn't want to mess up what they had because in her eyes, it was the exact thing that she'd been singing about for years, and to her, as long as Willow was happy, that's all she could ever ask. Buffy thought that she was like Spike in that respect. In love with somebody but could never be involved, knowing that but still staying a friend.
Moving past the people mingling, she didn't see her girlfriend anywhere, and decided to keep heading to her room. When back there, she found Willow sitting on her bed with a huge smile, dressed extra nice. Shutting the door behind her, she came over to the dazed redhead, and wrapped her arms around her waist from the side. This caused Willow to finally acknowledge her presence, and she leaned into the touch, wrapping one of her own arms around the one residing on her abdomen.
"Hey. You're late. Hard day at the office?"
"Yeah. I would've been here sooner but I just spent an hour trying to fax. Those can be tricky little machines. They should have a warning label that state 'tricky little machine' on the side." Willow laughed, and kissed the blonde sweetly on the lips. Backing away from her mouth, Buffy moaned her approval, and continued licking the residual taste of Willow from her lips. "Mmm...cherry. My new favorite flavor."
"I thought you liked the strawberry."
"Yes. The strawberry is good but this is the one you're wearing right now."
"I've missed you all day."
"I've missed you more."
"Did you lock the door?"
"Yeah. I need to get changed for the party. Didn't want any of your executive friends walking in, and finding a very naked Buffy."
"I happen to like a very naked Buffy, thank you very much."
"Yes but do you really want the people out there to?" Willow frowned, and shook her head in certainty. "That's what I thought, ere go, I change."
"You look fine."
"Um, Will...in case you haven't noticed, I'm wearing jeans and a blouse. I hardly constitute that as nice."
"You always look nice."
"Keep talking, and you may get lucky tonight."
"Oh...you mean I wasn't gonna already?"
"We'll see."
"Tease." Buffy moved to Willow's closet, and pulled out a short, black dress that wasn't overly fancy but would suit the party perfectly. Plus, easy access if she should happen to trap a certain redhead for a few minutes for a little teasing. "Come here." Buffy looked at Willow, who was waving her hand towards her. She moved over to the sitting redhead, and was pulled in between her legs by her thighs. Willow was rubbing her palms around her thighs, and she knew that it was going to be a long night. Lifting her light blue sweater lightly, the redhead kissed the area above her navel gently.
"What are you doing, Will?"
"Shh..." She moved the sweater up further, still rubbing one thigh.
"You have guests!"
"I know. Shh..." She buried her head in her stomach, sucking gently on the skin, and gripped Buffy's bottom, pulling her closer. Not ready for the action, the blonde had to grab Willow's shoulders to stay balanced.
"Will! We can't..."
"We can."
"No. Wait."
"Don't wanna." Buffy didn't want her to stop; she'd been waiting for this all day but knew that they had to, even if the sensations Willow was producing on her body were already torturing her.
"We have to."
"Nope. You locked the door. Nobody's coming in."
"Yeah. But...mmmm...but the people out there are here for...mmm, Willow..." Buffy let her resolve down briefly, and let her hands roam down her girlfriend's back seductively. She could feel the redhead smiling into her stomach. That's when her resolve came back; things were getting too heated, and they had to stop before Buffy lost control. "No, Willow." She pushed back away from the pouting redhead." She leaned down, and kissed her gently on the lips as apology. "Later, I promise."
"Okay but I get to strip you." Buffy arched an eyebrow in a playful mood.
"No funny business?"
"No funny business."
"Promise?" Willow held her right hand up in oath.
"I, Willow Rosenberg, being of sound, mind, and wanting Buffy's body, do hereby promise that I will not embark on any funny business while stripping her at this time. Subject to change later in the evening." Buffy just chuckled at her girlfriend, and kissed her sweetly before nodding her head in agreement. Willow smiled like a child on her birthday, and unwrapped her blonde present, only kissing her softly in certain spots.
When Buffy was down to her undergarments, she walked into the bathroom, Willow trailing behind her with her hands holding her waist. Reaching the sink, she brushed her teeth, washed her face, and curled her hair, as Willow sat on the counter, watching her in awe. She kept stealing kisses from her girlfriend, and applied a light and gentle amount of makeup before putting on her dress. The redhead zipped her up, and once she had on her strappy black sandals, they were ready to party.
Making their way out of the hallway, they closed the door tightly behind them. Finding people scattered, mingling, talking about this and that, and Xander and Anya predictably kissing in the corner, the two lovers moved further into the crowd, and started greeting people. Buffy had never been to one of these parties, and wasn't sure what to talk about, or how to even greet herself. Luckily, Willow walked her through it with ease. The proud grin that was plastered on the redhead's face when she introduced Buffy as her girlfriend, sent shivers and joy through every muscle in her body. This was her life now. This is what happily ever after felt like, and even though she knew there was still a long road ahead of them, this was true happiness to her. This was heaven to her, the place that she was at peace: by Willow's side.
After greetings, Willow ushered everybody to the dining table, and they settled in as servers brought their food. Apparently, the redhead went all out for these parties, making sure that every detail was fitted to perfection, and Buffy thought that it suited her neurotically organized girlfriend perfectly. She found that topics of conversation were easy to follow, and her outgoing personality helped her interact with the guests. Willow would squeeze her hand under the table, and smile proudly when she would say something to impress one of the executives. It was a lovely meal all around, and drinks were shared, humorous stories were told, and memories were remembered. She giggled at some of the stories that Xander would tell about Willow's younger years, having heard a few before but others, hearing them for the first time. The delicious food was devoured, and more drinks were served. After Willow made a toast to Rogue Slayer, and their success at the label, more drinks were served, and people once again parted from the table to do more mingling.
When Willow finished explaining some of the items in her curios, Buffy pulled her into the kitchen for a fevered kiss that she had been dying to give her since the first introduction. Shocked but eager to return it, the redhead just pulled her in tighter, and opened the pantry door, shutting it behind them. Hidden from the servants, and the guests, the two girls were making out heavily, and Buffy used that easy access to full advantage, allowing Willow's hands to grasp her breasts. They were unaware how long they had been gone but when the door suddenly swung open, there were several of the guests standing there, watching the two girls flurry to make themselves more presentable, faces still flushed from their recent excursion. The guests clapped, and they both blushed, and groaned in embarrassment as they exited the pantry.
"Alright, Willow!"
"That's what I call a party!"
"This is the best one yet!"
"Thought I heard something in there!"
"That was hot!"
After the comments died down, Xander and Anya made their way over to the girls that were still trying to make themselves presentable. Buffy wiped a smudge of lip gloss that was making Willow's chin shine more than usual, and Willow was helping her twist her dress back around the right way. Xander just laughed, trying to make his fantasies going away but having no luck. Anya stood there, just rubbing her belly, actually being quiet for once. She had been too preoccupied with the baby preparations that she wasn't her usual tactless self, and Willow had actually mentioned to Buffy that she sort of missed that side of the woman.
"Well, Will...gotta say...that one takes the cake."
"Xander, please. Don't tease her; I was the one that pulled her in there."
"Yes, Buffy, but it takes two to tango."
"True but I was still the initiator."
"Okay...given but that was bold. Will's never left a party to make out before, not even with Tara or Kennedy. You must be some kisser."
"You won't be finding out anytime soon." Willow moved in between him, and her girlfriend, and Buffy just smirked at the gesture of claim. 'Yep. You are definitely getting lucky tonight, Miss Rosenberg.'
"Will, An's kinda tired. We're gonna take off. Do you need anything?"
"No. Go. Get to bed. You need your rest. The doctor said that you were working too hard, Anya. Maybe you should consider letting Johnny taking over for a few months until the baby comes."
"No! I have to stay with the money."
"Surely there's a better way. You don't want to do anything that's going to jeopardize the birth, or cause you to go into labor too soon."
"Yes. I'm very aware of those facts but I'm fine. Nothing to worry about, Willow. Now, go make orgasms, and I'll see you Monday at lunch."
"Alright. Take care." The two girls hugged the couple, and noticed that other people were leaving as well. When the final person was gone, the two occupants of the apartment, and the unofficial occupant crashed on the couch. "That was embarrassing."
"Kinda hot, if ya ask me." Faith smirked at the two lovers, and Willow blushed, remembering how heated the session had become in so little time. "Maybe you two should head that way...got some unfinished business you need to fix."
"Faith, we're fine here..."
"Good night, Faith!" Willow shocked Buffy, as she pulled her off the couch, and through the hallway door. Neither saw a lonely Faith smiling at their happiness, yet heartbroken that it wasn't her. 'I've become a softie.'
As the servers cleaned up the apartment around her, she just decided to watch television until they were finished, knowing that she wanted to make sure they left without anything extra. She found herself overprotective of everything that was Willow, and with good reason. The redhead was too trusting but Faith knew better than to trust just anybody, especially those that worked in low-level jobs. She'd been there; she remembered the things she did just to help her buy her next meal. It's not easy when the pay is low, and you hardly have enough to put a roof over your head. There was a knock at the door, and she went to answer it. Opening the door, she found Kennedy on the other side, dressed casually in jeans and a simple maroon shirt.
"Party's over, slick."
"I'm not here for the party. I'm actually here to talk to Willow. Is she still around?"
"Yeah but I don't think it wise to disturb her for the rest of the evening. Somethin' I can help you with?"
"Um...no. I just needed to talk."
"Well, I'm here. I have two ears. Come on in. I'm just watching reruns." Kennedy was contemplative for a moment, and decided that she could use a friend. They'd gone out for drinks once, and the conversation was easy-going. She just needed some company, and the buxom brunette was just that. Walking into the apartment, she put her jean jacket in the closet, and followed Faith to get comfortable on the couch. After a few minutes of just watching 'I love Lucy' classic episodes, she turned to Faith, ready to talk.
"How was the party?"
"Decent. The best part was when we caught Red and Blondie in the pantry getting' their rocks off."
"They were..." Kennedy hid her saddened face a little. She was happy for Willow, and was glad that they were able to become friends again but there was still a part of her that would always love the redhead.
"Ah, nah. Just getting a little hot and heavy. I don't think B has that kink in her. She's too vanilla."
"Well..." Kennedy reminisced about several times that she and Willow would do brazen things in random places, and Faith just shook her head in astonishment.
"You mean..."
"Oh, no! I don't know about Buffy...just Willow has a way about her that'll make you want to do anything for her."
"You're telling me."
"Yeah. I heard you were in love with her, or something like that."
"That's not anybody's business but my own."
"I was just saying."
"Yeah, well..." They were quiet for a moment before Faith changed the topic. "What did you wanna talk about?"
"Oh, it's not that important."
"It was important enough to drag your ass down here at eleven o'clock at night." Kennedy sighed deeply, and took a deep breath.
"I was just lonely, and I know that Willow's still usually up."
"So...you just figured you'd come down here on a Friday night to what? Talk? Sure you didn't have anything else in mind?"
"No! I mean...not what you're thinking. I don't know...it was just a whim...like something was telling me to come here."
"Well, if you'd come four hours earlier, you could have joined our little shindig. I'm sure Red wouldn't have minded."
"I know...I didn't want to crash, though, so I thought I'd wait a little."
"Well, you're here now." They both just sat there a few minutes, unsure what to say. They didn't know each other that well, and weren't completely comfortable yet. "Want something to munch on? I'm sure there's somethin' in the fridge."
"Oh, um...sure." Faith nodded her head once, and moved to the kitchen. She returned with a bag of chips, and two sodas. Handing one to Ken, she moved back to the couch, sharing the bag between them, and continuing to watch Lucy crush grapes amusedly for wine. "This is my favorite episode."
"Nah. I like the chocolate factory one."
"That's good, too. I never would've taken you for a Lucy fan."
"I wasn't but Red got me hooked on it. It's a guilty pleasure now, I guess."
"When do you go on tour? I've seen where the album has done well, and catch you on TV and magazines sometimes."
"Red just okayed some dates today. We start next month, and go until August."
"She seems pretty confident in your guys' success."
"She's been great."
"Same old Willow."
"I didn't know her before all of this but we've become tight, ya know? And she's actually the best friend I've ever had."
"That happens when you fall in love with someone."
"I wouldn't know."
"I didn't, either, until I met her."
"So, we both share the same first love. That's kinda funny."
"Yeah. We should start a club."
"Just as long as I'm president." Kennedy narrowed her eyes in thought, and smirked playfully.
"Okay but I'm in charge of everything else." They both laughed heartily, finally breaking the ice enough to relax in the other's company. "So, Faith..."
"Yeah, slick?"
"Do enjoy your newfound success?"
"What are you...a reporter now? What happened to painting?"
"Still doing that."
"How's that goin'?"
"I asked you first."
"Fair enough. It's not that bad. A little overwhelming when it peaked but I'm getting'
used to it."
"That's good."
"Your turn."
"Um...well. I have an exhibit getting ready to show in New York, and then it'll move to Cleveland for a few weeks. Other than that, I'm just working when it comes to me."
"Yeah. I can feel that."
"I guess you would." They smiled at each other, and finally relaxed completely. "Hey. You know that song you wrote...um... 'Psychotic Love Song'...I was wondering..."
"If it was about Willow?"
"Yeah." She smiled sheepishly, not wanting to spark another bad chord with the older brunette.
"Yeah. That obvious?"
" 'I've been sitting here with dreams of red.' 'Makin' love an impossible game.' 'I'll never feel your touch, and I'm goin' mad with pain.'"
"Okay, okay..."
"Come on, Faith...a kid could figure that out."
"I would hope not."
"Okay. I'll give you that." They smiled at each other again, more playful. "So...this is what you do on Friday nights."
"Didn't used to be."
"Ah...I'm guessing you used to be a player."
"Want. Take. Have."
"Know the game. Then, a certain redhead changes everything. She really does make an impact on people. Buffy's luckier than she realizes."
"Oh, I think she knows."
"I've not really met her yet."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I've never actually been to this apartment that often, and when I am, Will's
usually alone, or you're here, but never Buffy."
"Well, she's about yay tall." Faith held her hand up to a distance that was in the ballpark of Buffy's height. "She has bottle blonde hair, hazel eyes, and works at an art magazine."
"I know that part. She did a piece about my opening."
"Ah, the famous meeting between the two."
"Yeah."
"You'll meet her eventually. Red was introducing her all night to some big wigs, and she's still here. Maybe they'll take a water break or somethin'."
"No rush. I'll meet her in due time, I'm sure."
"They've been attached at the hip lately, so I'm sure if you see Red, you'll see B." Kennedy nodded, and they moved the conversation elsewhere. After a long evening of comfortable
conversation, and laughing, Kennedy's eyes started to droop. Noticing this, Faith motioned her to get up from the couch. Looking at the clock, they noticed it was already one in the morning. "You can stay here. I don't bite. The bed's pretty big." Kennedy arched a tired eyebrow. "No grabby hands."
"Hey. You were the one that said it."
"Yeah but you were the one that was thinkin' it. Hands off the goods tonight." They playfully continued a conversation, as they got ready for bed. Faith gave Ken a pair of boxers, and a wife beater to sleep in, and noticed that the younger brunette was quite fit. Handing her one of the extra toothbrushes that Willow keeps in the small bathroom closet, they finished brushing their teeth, said their goodnights, and crawled under the covers in hopes of a restful sleep.
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Finally exhausted from hours of making love, the two girls snuggled under the covers, still sweaty and trying to calm their breathing. They both brushed the sweaty hair that was matted to the other's forehead, and enjoyed a few more firm and gentle kisses before relaxing completely into each other. Sighing in contentment, both lovers held on tight to the other before releasing the death grip.
"Wow..."
"Oh, yeah. I'm glad you put that subject to change clause in your oath. It definitely paid off."
"You weren't too shabby yourself."
"Yeah, well...I've been waiting all day for this."
"Me, too."
"Will?"
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking..."
"Uh-oh." Buffy slapped her playfully.
"Willow!"
"Okay, okay...you were thinking..."
"About us. I mean, it's been, what? Six months now?"
"Um...I think so, yeah."
"Well...after we made up from the fight, we've been kinda..."
"Constantly needing to touch the other?"
"Well, yeah...but not just the touching. Just being around you. It seems that I can't stand being away from you...even for a moment."
"I know what you mean."
"So, I was thinking that...maybe, if it's not too scary of an idea..."
"What is it, baby?" Buffy took a deep breath, and leaned over her to stroke her sex-
tousled locks between her fingers.
"I love your hair."
"That's it?"
"No...I love all of you. Everything, and I don't want to spend another night alone."
"You wanna...move in together?"
"Well, no...not exactly. I don't think I'm ready for that exactly...making it official, and all.
It's just...well...I want you to be the last thing I see when I go to sleep every night, and the first thing I see every morning."
"I know what you mean."
"I know." Buffy leaned up from her shoulder, and kissed her sweetly. "What would you
say if I asked to spend every night with you? Not just for sex but just to sleep next to you."
"No sex?" Willow mock pouted, and Buffy leered at her suggestively.
"Oh, there'll definitely be some major Willow loving going on but I mean that...well, we don't always have sex. Sometimes we just cuddle, and I want that. I want that all the time. Every
night."
"Okay."
"We could go back and forth maybe. I'm not ready to give up the house. That's my mom's house, ya know?"
"Yeah, I know."
"Yeah, you do." She kissed her sweetly again. "You could move more of your stuff in there, and I could move more of my stuff here, and we could maybe rotate...I don't know...maybe it's a crazy idea. I just know that I'm not ready to completely move in together but that I want you near me every night." Willow averted her gaze, her expression showing that she was deep in thought for a moment, processing everything the blonde just presented. She relaxed her features, and smiled lovingly at her girlfriend, moving to kiss her gently.
"Okay. What kind of stuff did you have in mind?"
"Is that a yes?" Her face showed hopefulness but fear that she was being rejected, not wanting to believe that it was possible for Willow to agree to her proposal.
"That's more than a yes. That's a most definitely."
"Oh, well...um...I don't know. More clothes, for sure...I could bring some of my writing materials over here, and you could take some of your gadgets over there."
"Sounds perfect."
"Yes, it does." They kissed again before snuggling in for the night, both thinking of the many things that they could transfer from one place to the other without actually moving in to the other completely. Finally, sleep became highly needed, and they drifted off with Cheshire grins, full of promises for what the future would bring.