Making Things Perfect
by Rin
Sick Days
[reviews]
A/N: I love you, too!!! LOL!
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"Baby, what's wrong?" Willow looked down at her still crumpled girlfriend in their bed, and instantly went into concern mode. Buffy woke up, and just smiled when she saw Willow watching her sleep. Instead of saying a word, or kissing her good morning, she just opted to snuggle closer to her body, tightening her hold around the redhead's stomach, and falling back asleep. Willow just continued stroking her hair, and felt the heat coming from the blonde was more than usual. She got out of bed, and got ready for work earlier, so she'd have time to nurse Buffy's fever down to some degree. Once she finished getting ready, she chose to ignore her morning coffee and newspaper, and just make sure her lover was feeling okay. She sat down on the side of the bed, and placed a comforting hand on the blonde buried in a ball under the sheets. Buffy just groaned, and curled into a ball tighter. "Baby..."
"I'm fine..." Her tone was mumbled, stuffy, and barely audible.
"Funny...you don't sound fine." Buffy groaned again, and shifted in the sheets a little until her hair was peeking out the top. Willow pulled the sheets back further to see that Buffy looked too pale. Placing a hand over her forehead, she moved it around her face, feeling the fire that was emanating there. "Buffy..."
"I'm fine, Will..." She sniffled a few times, and coughs hoarsely.
"Buffy..."
"Go to work." She coughed again, and moaned as she tried propping herself up on her elbows, only to feel dizzy, and fall right back down. This put Will in to action quick.
"You're not fine, Buffy." The blonde just moaned in discomfort, and coughed again in response. She saw Willow's resolve face, and knew that she wouldn't win the argument over her health. "I'll be right back. Stay here." She walked out the door.
"No problem." Buffy's voice was hoarse, and low. It hurt too much everywhere, and her body felt like a playground for germs. She was sick but she refused to admit it. Unfortunately, this time denial wasn't going to let her win, either. The room was spinning way too much, and there was just no position comfortable enough to stay in for too long. When she moved, her body protested...basically, she was miserable.
Willow returned with a few things in her hands. She laid the materials on the nightstand. Pulling out a thin thermometer, she shook it a few times, and stuck it into Buffy's grumbling mouth. Her face was etched with concern, as she noticed that the blonde's chest was rising harshly, and she hadn't stopped sniffling or coughing. Brushing back some blonde locks that were matted from sweat from her forehead, Will kissed her temple, letting her lips linger to feel the heat once again. Sitting up, she started to rub her girlfriend's belly softly, and stroking her hair, watching her with compassionate eyes, seeing how much Buffy was really suffering through her pained, hazel eyes.
Taking the thermometer out of her mouth, she checked it, noticing that she was right...Buffy had a high fever of 101 degrees. Laying the mercury stick back on the nightstand, she picked up a cold, damp cloth, and wiped the blonde's face gently, finally laying it to rest on her forehead.
"Now, tell me...what's wrong?" Buffy coughed, and tried to sit up again but Willow placed her hand on her chest, willing her to stay down. "Don't try getting up. I know you're sick. Your fever is 101, Buffy. That's not good. Just tell me what's wrong, and I'll fix it." She just coughed, and the sniffles just wouldn't stop coming. Willow handed her a tissue, and she clumsily wiped her nose, continuing with her harsh, hoarse cough.
"I don't want you to see me like this."
"Kinda late for that, and I don't mind. You're still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. So you're not in your prime right now...big deal. We all have our days. Let me take care of you. I want to take care of you but you have to tell me what's wrong first." Buffy smiled but her head was throbbing to the point that she couldn't hold her face that way for long.
"I love you."
"I love you, too; now, stop stalling, and tell me."
"Okay...well, it hurts."
"I kind of figured that one out already. Where does it hurt exactly?"
"Um...my head? And my entire body feels like it's doing a tug of war. My stomach is wrestling with my intestines, my throat feels like sandpaper is being pushed across it, I can't stop sniffling because my nose keeps wanting to run but is dry, and obviously my cough is pretty bad. Then, I feel so hot but I can't shake these chills. I've never felt this bad before in my life." Willow moved the cloth over her face again, and watched her with concern and compassion.
"Sounds like you have a bad flu." She turned the cloth over, allowing the cold from the other side to contrast the warmth the current side had become, and kept it on her forehead. Grabbing some pills from the nightstand, she helped Buffy sit up a little to take them, as she helped her drink the water by placing the glass to her lips. Letting her take a few more sips of the water, she looked over at the clock, and noticed that she was already late for work. Brushing it aside, she wanted to finish her task, giving Buffy a dose of cough syrup, which she predictably choked on as it ran down her throat in an oozing fashion, coating the walls of her throat to help release the soreness that had formed there. Coughing a few more times, Willow continued to hold her up a little from the bed, and helped her take a few more sips of water to help take away the taste. She helped to tuck her under the covers again, and placed another kiss to her temple before getting off the bed.
"Where are you going?" Willow turned back around at the soft cry, and wanted to take all the pain away from her, seeing how utterly miserable she was. Making up her mind, she picked up the phone from the nightstand.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to fill the glass with more water, and get another blanket from the closet."
"Don't be gone long." She coughed again, sniffling when she was finished. Willow smiled compassionately towards her, and left to complete her tasks. In the kitchen, she filled the water glass, and speed dialed, placing the phone to her ear, hearing the familiar monotonic ring.
"Xander Harris's office. How may I assist you?" She placed the steam kettle on the stove, turning the burner on high.
"It's Willow." She moved over to place two slice of bread in the toaster.
"Just one moment, Ms. Rosenberg." She was put on hold a moment before she heard her best friend's voice greet her on the other line.
"Wills! Where are you? I was just about to call. You're an hour late...you're never late...matter of fact, you're never on time, either...you're always early. So, what gives? Did Buffy wear you out last night, or something?" The toast popped up, and she pulled them out carefully trying to avoid burning herself, and placed them dry onto a small plate beside the glass of water.
"No, actually. Buffy's sick, and I'm going to stay home today to take care of her. Do you think you can man the office today? If something major comes up, call me. Oh, and if Darla comes out of her coma, or the doctors call, then just call me at the house, okay? I'll try getting some work done here. Just email me the Rogue Slayer documents, okay? I'll go over them here while she's asleep." She pulled out a tray from underneath the sink, and laid it on the counter, moving the plate and glass there.
"Sure thing, Will. Anything else?"
"Nope, that'll pretty much do it. Thanks, Xander."
"Hey, what are buds for? Besides...I've missed more days this year alone than you have in your entire life." She pulled out a mug, spoon, and herbal tea bag, and put the spoon and bag into the mug, placing it on the tray.
"Point taken."
"Go, take care of your girlfriend. Heal her back to health. You always were good at playing doctor." Willow blushed at his playful jab, especially when she replayed back the memories of the night that Buffy had taught her the proper way to play 'doctor.'
"Bye, Xand."
"Bye, Will." He chuckled, and they both hung up the phone, and she laid the phone onto the tray. Just then, the kettle on the stove started whistling, and she turned the burner off, carrying the kettle carefully to the tray, pouring it gently into the mug. Placing the empty kettle onto a cold burner, she started sifting the tea bag with the water, magickly making a cup of hot, herbal tea remedy for the ailing blonde upstairs in bed. Picking up the tray, she carried it up to the bedroom, and laid it down on the nightstand, moving the medicines out of the way.
"Hey baby, I brought you something to put in your belly."
"I'm not hungry." Buffy grumbled under the covers. Willow pulled the tea bag and spoon from the mug, and laid them onto a napkin on the tray. She turned back to her girlfriend, who had managed to turn to her side to face her. Smiling gently, she started rubbing the blonde's stomach again, pushing back more stray, sweated locks from her forehead.
"You need to eat something, though. If you don't, you'll never get better, and I need you to be better." Willow pouted to prove her point, and Buffy laughed slightly, only to cough from the vibrations in her chest. "I brought you some tea, too. It'll help make you feel better; I promise."
"I'm all oogy." She stuck her tongue out of her partially open mouth, and made a heaving sound in the back of her throat for emphasis. Willow just stroked her cheek.
"Aww...baby. I'm sorry. I wish I could make it not hurt now but I'll take care of you until it does."
"I love you, Wills...my little Wills...my baby...my love." Willow giggled at the delirious state Buffy was in from the fever, and couldn't help but lean over and kiss her temple again. "Willow kisses...my favorite..."
"Well...you can have more Willow kisses after you eat something." She put some pillows at a 60-degree angle on the headboard, and helped Buffy sit up slightly. Placing the plate of toast on the blonde's lap, she helped the sniffling blonde drink some of the steaming tea, using both hands to steady the cup to her mouth. Taking the cup away, she lets Buffy eat some of the toast, and just helps her drink the tea in between bites. When she finished the toast and tea, Willow placed the mug and plate back on the tray, helping her lay back down again. "I'm going to get that blanket. I'll be back in a second."
"K." Willow returns shortly with the blanket, and places it over the comforter, wrapping the covers around Buffy more. "Shouldn't you be at work right now?"
"No. I called in sick."
"But you're not sick."
"But you are."
"You shouldn't call in to take care of me. I'm fine."
"No, you're not, and I want to take care of you. It's not everyday your girlfriend gets sick. I want to take the pain away...help make you feel better." Buffy smiled up at her girlfriend as much as she could without exploding. "Do you need anything else while I'm here?"
"No. I think I'll be okay."
"Try and get some rest. I'll work in Dawn's room, and leave the door open, so that I'm not far. I had Xander email me some documents that I can take care of from here, so it's not a big deal for me to take care of you. I want you all better so that I can give you those Willow kisses you're so fond of."
"That I am." Willow smiled warmly at her before kissing her temple one last time, and making sure she was tucked in comfortably. Picking the tray up, she left the room to let Buffy get some sleep, and sweat away the fever.
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Hearing Buffy groan and cry in her sleep, Willow's heart went out, and she looked up from her laptop to look into their bedroom, seeing the blonde slightly thrashing on the bed. Suddenly, Buffy bolted upright, and swayed around a moment or two obviously dizzy and lightheaded, especially from the sudden movement. Getting up, Willow followed her as she rushed to the bathroom. She moved in quick, grabbing the blonde locks so that her girlfriend wouldn't get vomit in her hair, stroking her the small of her back gently to calm the straining body.
After about ten minutes, Buffy flushed the toilet, finally relaxed somewhat, only to curl up into a ball, and start crying softly into Willow's chest. Soothing her, the redhead just continued rocking them back and forth, while continuing to rub her back gently. The blonde tightened her grip the best she could around her waist, and just cried with the occasional sniffle, and harsh cough into her girlfriend's white t-shirt. Willow decided to change before starting to work, knowing that she didn't have to be that presentable to take care of her sick lover. She had changed into sweatpants and a simple, white t-shirt, and was glad that she didn't have her business suit on when she would make the occasional trip to the bathroom with Buffy.
"Shh...baby, it's okay...it's okay...shhh...I'm here." After a few more minutes of rocking gently, Buffy finally calmed down. Releasing her loose grip from Willow's waist, she tried dizzily to stand up but had to let the redhead help her. Will put the toilet seat down, and sat her down on top of it. She pulled the wet cloth from the sink she had been using, and the glass to fill water, and went about the procedure. Helping Buffy take small sips, and rubbing her face softly, she finished by starting to pull the blonde's own soaked, white t-shirt from her body. Then, she pulled off the thick socks, and gray sweatpants that had traces of sweat marks as well.
"What are you doing, Will?" Her voice was weak, and her body swayed a little until she relaxed her back against the cool toilet.
"Shh...I'm going to give you a bath...wash some of the sweat off, and it'll help soothe all those aches and pains. I'll even get your rubber ducky if you're good." Buffy smiled lazily, and just allowed Willow to start the water into the tub, not complaining one bit about the comfortable, loving treatment she'd been getting the entire day from her caring girlfriend. Once the water was high enough, Willow pulled a couple of towels, wash cloth, and rubber ducky from the closet, making him dance slightly before placing him on the side of the tub with the towels. She moved to pull Buffy's soaked underwear off, and helped her gently get into the bathtub.
"It's hot."
"I know...it'll help you sweat the fever out, and will get you clean at the same time. Plus, see? Ducky..." Willow placed the yellow plastic toy into the tub with her, as she relaxed slightly against the back, falling a little further into the water. She just idly played with the bath toy, while Willow stroked her hair from beside her. Willow let her sit in the tub for a while before she went about scrubbing her hair clean with a gentle shampoo that evaded the room with a light apple scent. Rinsing the suds from her hair, she just ladled the water from a cup, making sure not to leave any hair still soaped.
Finally, she softly rubbed soap around her body, and even leaned her forward a little to scrub her back gently. It was one of the most erotic things Buffy had ever experienced, and she couldn't enjoy it because of her stupid flu. She mentally cursed the powers, and made a mental note to have Willow do this for her when she felt better.
The redhead had been so gentle and caring for her all day, and she was amazed at the lengths Willow was going to in order to make her comfortable, and get better. If it were possible, her love for her lover grew in those moments, and each kiss to her temple, each soft rub of her tummy, each hot cup of herbal tea...everything that she did, let Buffy finally quell her fears about ever running away...she would never run away from this, even if the world was ending, and things were so bad that it seemed things couldn't be mended. This was where she belonged, and she knew that she would do the same exact thing if the roles were reversed. Those very thoughts, and the nearness of Willow were helping her heal just as much as the medicine.
"Will...you didn't have to do this."
"I know but I wanted to...like I said, I need you better."
"Remind me when I'm better to thank you fully...starting with me giving 'you' a bath..." Her eyes half closed from a mixture of the illness and enjoyment, Buffy lazily smirked in a sensual manner, and that caused Willow to arch an eyebrow at the thought, making her blush deep crimson.
"Leave it to you to make the flu sexy." Willow helped her out of the bathtub, draining the water, and drying her off softly, as she pressed her tightly to her body to keep Buffy grounded. She wrapped a towel around the now semi-dry Buffy, and led her back to their bedroom. Sitting her on the bed, she went about quickly grabbing another pair of underwear, sweats, and t-shirt, and picking up the comb from the dresser. Helping Buffy get into the clothes with a little struggle, she pulled her under the covers with her, and sat behind her as she combed her dampened locks. Once finished, she laid the comb on the nightstand, and positioned them so that she was spooning her girlfriend, pulling the covers over them.
"You forgot my socks."
"I know. You don't like to sleep with your socks on...that's why you've been struggling in your sleep. You need to rest, and you can't do that with socks on, so I left them off...okay?"
"Yeah." Her tone was drifting, and the sniffles and coughs weren't as strong as before, mostly due to the medicine that Willow had her take on the dot from her last dosage. She could feel her body start to fight it, and was more than eager to get it out of her system completely. She wasn't sure if she could handle much more of this without breaking down again, and she wanted to be strong. 'Willow's the best girlfriend ever...I should buy her a hallmark card that says that...'
"Shh...sleep, I'm right here with you. I'm not going anywhere this time. I'll sleep with you." Willow was talking in whispers, already feeling Buffy's breathing start to relax. The entire day had been filled with working on documents, helping Buffy in the bathroom, giving Buffy her medicine, making sure she was comfortable, going back to work on documents, medicine, bathroom, helping her eat something in hopes that it would stay down...it was quite the eventful day, and she wasn't happy that her girlfriend was sick but she was happy that she could stay home, and help nurse her back to health. In sickness, and in health, she was there no matter what.
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The phone ringing caused Buffy to jolt from her somewhat peaceful rest in Willow's arms. Picking up the phone, she coughed and sniffled before putting it to her ear. There would be some major disinfecting going on in the house once this was all over, and she hoped it was soon. She knew her voice would be mumbled and hoarse but she didn't want to wake the sleeping redhead that had cared for her all day.
"Hello?"
"Buffy...good. It's Robin."
"Hi, Robin. What's up?"
"Are you okay? You don't sound so good."
"Oh, I have the flu but don't worry, Willow's been taking care of me."
"I'm sure it's really good care, too."
"The best."
"Well, listen. I won't take up to much of your time since you're sick but it's been a week since the book came out, and the bossman enjoyed meeting you, surprisingly."
"Yeah, Travers was different..."
"That's the nice way of putting it." Buffy chuckled hoarsely, and coughed again. "Listen, your book, as you know, has been selling like crazy, and I know you signed a contract for at least four more in the series but we need to discuss your book tour."
"My what?"
"Your book tour. Remember me telling you about publicizing your book?"
"Yeah..."
"Basically, this is how we do it. It'll only be a month long, and you'll travel around the country, visiting certain places to do interviews, and book signings. We even have a few spots for you on talk shows."
"Oprah?"
"More like 'Regis and Kelly'..."
"Figures."
"But Oprah wants you, too...so don't fear. We're just working on that date still. Nothing to worry about, though."
"A month, though?"
"Yeah...is that a problem?"
"Well, yeah...I have a wedding in five months, and there's still planning. Plus, I don't think I could sleep that long without Willow...it'd be like hell."
"You really are a writer."
"So I've been told."
"Well, listen. The book's extremely successful, and you're in high demand right now. That's just how
the game is played, Buffy. I'm sorry."
"At least let me talk to Willow about all of this."
"Sure thing. Just call me when you do, okay? This is important, especially to your career. It's in your contract. The economy's not particular worried about your love life, or wedding plans."
"Well, apparently they are, or they wouldn't be buying the book."
"True...but you know what I mean."
"Okay. I know. Just let me talk to Willow, okay?"
"That's fine. Call me whenever you get a chance, and get to feeling better."
"Thanks. Bye."
"Bye." She hung up the phone, and breathed out heavily, releasing the breath she had been holding. Coughing violently, she snuggled back into Willow's comforting arms, letting that conversation wait until after she started to feel better.
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Waking up the next morning, she still felt nasty. The symptoms that had shown signs of waving had reappeared through the night, and once again Willow called in to take care of her, even after much protest and hoarse, coughing argument. Robin had called back, letting her know that she'd need to be ready to fly out in a week, not giving her much choice on the matter, not that she'd argued anyways. She wanted to be successful, and she knew that this book was jump-starting her career. Now, all she had to do was tell Willow she'd be gone for a month, and get over this stupid flu.
"How are you feeling? I made you lunch." Sitting the tray down, and following the same routine as
yesterday, the two lovers went about their careful morning meal.
"I still feel nasty...but I'm getting better, I think. I haven't thrown up again, so that's of the good."
"Yep." She ladled the warm broth to Buffy's willing mouth, and let her try drinking her water on her own, even if her hands were still a little shaky.
"Will...I have some news."
"Good or bad?" She fed her some more chicken soup.
"Possibly both."
"Well...what is it then?"
"Robin called yesterday and this morning, and told me about my book tour."
"Oh yeah?" She continued feeding her soup, wiping the warm liquid that missed her mouth from Buffy's chin with the back of her hand, as she moved the spoon back to the bowl.
"Yeah."
"Well, that's good news, Buffy. When do you leave?"
"Next Wednesday. I fly out to New York for a week, and have a few interviews. I'm actually doing Conan O'Brien, if you can believe that. I didn't even know authors went on late night shows; I thought they were just morning show people."
"Guess not. Either that, or you're just special, which I keep telling you."
"I love you so much, Willow...nobody's ever taken care of me like this before. Not even mom. You didn't have to but you still did."
"I wanted to, and I'm sure your mom would have if she could have. She just had to work to support
you."
"You support me."
"Yes but she didn't have the luxury of being the boss, and besides, I'm still working here...I'm just leaving office stuff to Xander, and he'll call me if something major explodes." Buffy finished off the soup, and Willow laid down the bowl on the tray, picking up a few crackers to feed them to her. "Tell me more about your book tour."
"Will, there's something that's not so good about it..." Willow cocked her head a little, and eyed her girlfriend with curious green eyes that were full of caring, love, and concern. "I'll be gone for a month." Willow's head dropped for a moment, and she missed Buffy's mouth when she went to feed her the cracker, which caused the blonde to chase after it, in turn making her fall over from the dizziness. Seeing the fall, Willow gently scooped her back up, trying not to panic at the thought of Buffy being gone for that long. She chose not to react just yet, and focus on making her lover better.
"Okay. Here...chew." Buffy scrunched her eyebrows slightly, trying not to wince in pain from the headache, and started to chew the rest of the cracker slowly. Willow kissed her temple softly, once again lingering to check the heat there. Giving her the last of the water, she helped her lay back down comfortably in the bed before taking the tray back down to the kitchen. "Get some rest now. Just call if you need me."
"Okay..." With that, Willow took the tray down to the kitchen, and went about cleaning the dishes. Then, she started cleaning the entire kitchen, eventually moving to the entire bottom floor of the house. She dusted, cleaned windows, swept the floors, and even vacuumed, hoping that it didn't wake the blonde upstairs in bed. When there was nothing left to clean downstairs, she moved to the basement, doing laundry, and then cleaning Buffy's training equipment to some degree, trying to get the smell of sweat from the room until the familiar smells of laundry detergent and fabric softener started to fill the air. Again, finding everything clean in the basement, and putting in another load of laundry, she moved to the second floor, starting with the guest bedroom, and then working her way to the bathroom, totally oblivious to that darkness that permeated the entire house, and the ill girl in the other room.
Looking up from her knees, scrubbing the bathtub, she saw Buffy come in, and use the restroom on her own, without any help. She looked down, and stared at the yellow gloves on her hands, mentally admonishing herself for not noticing that it was dark outside. She had just been trying to occupy her mind, not wanting to think about her girlfriend leaving for an entire month, the only form of communication from electronic sources. When she stopped working, she could already feel the coldness on the other side of the bed in the morning, the gentle kisses before they snuggled in for the night, the synopsis of their days over dinner, and especially the passionate moments that always lingered, were always there.
"Now that I'm feeling better, are you sure that you're okay?" Willow brought her attention back to the now squatting Buffy, taking the scrub brush from her hands, and placing it beside the bottle of cleaner. She pulled Willow's rubber gloves off, and placed them beside them as well, noticing the elements of well worked hands, and knew her girlfriend was trying to avoid dealing. Pulling her into a hug, she kissed her temple this time, letting Willow sob against her body, clutching her still aching body tightly. She may be feeling better but she still wasn't great. Her fever had gone down again, and the dizziness had diminished. She was once again granted the use of her limbs, and had been taking the medicine and taking care of herself for the past 8 hours, hearing her lover going on a cleaning spree from where she was lying.
After crying softly for a few hours, she knew the reason Willow was avoiding was because she knew it was for the best, that she didn't want to argue because it was important to her career, and she wanted her to be more than successful. Buffy knew that the redhead was trying to quell her temper, and her fears about the time apart, not wanting her to go at all but knowing that she needed to. She felt the same way, and cried not just for herself but also for her lover, and knowing it would be hard on both of them, especially since they hadn't spent more than two nights apart since they'd moved in together. It was going to be difficult, a test of sorts, and she wanted to pass this one more than any before in her life.
"Wills, baby...it's okay. I'll call every night, sometimes five times a day if possible, and you'll see me on TV. I'll make sure to say hi to you each time I'm on screen." The redhead's sobs were still strong, and Buffy's tears were falling rapidly, too.
"But you're leaving me..."
"I'm not leaving you. I'm going away for work, like you do sometimes, only longer."
"Yeah...like 28 days longer." She looked up panicked. "Oh, no! Don't come back as a zombie, please."
"You'd still love me as a zombie."
"Yeah but I'd still love you better if you were just Buffy."
"Okay, I'll come back as just Buffy then." Willow smiled sadly, and Buffy wiped her own tears away before caressing Willow's cheeks between her hands, and wiping the warm liquid with her thumbs. "I'll bring you back something special from every day we're apart, even if it's just a tiny paper umbrella from a drink, or a newspaper from that city. I don't want to be without you but I have to go."
"I know you do...and I'm sorry I haven't been taking care of you for a while."
"You have been...you've more than taken care of me. It's more because of you that I'm feeling
better than anything."
"How are you feeling now? You're walking, and not falling over, so that's good."
"Yep! Fever's gone, I think, and my stomach isn't so blechy but my body still aches all over, and my throat is a little sore. No coughing but still some minor sniffling. Should be good as new by tomorrow."
"I'm sorry you've been sick."
"Not your fault, and you've done more than take care of me. You put your job on hold for a while to do just that. I wish I could do the same." Willow sighed, and caressed Buffy's cheeks as well, tracing her thumbs in a soothing motion across her cheeks, similar to what the blonde had done to her earlier.
"That was different, though. If you were sick for a month, I'm not sure I could've completely avoided not going into the office. The work I needed to get done could be done at home but you can't publicize your book that way. You need to be out there. You need to show the world how great you are...how amazing...how beautiful...how special. I understand that, and we'll get through it. Who knows? Maybe I'll even find a few days off to fly out to be with you. That's still an option at this point. Do you even know where you're going yet?" Buffy looked into loving, sad eyes, and couldn't stand the thought of being away that long after seeing the soulful green gaze.
"New York mostly but there are towns and cities that I'll be at to do book signings. Robin called this morning to let me know that I was booked on Oprah officially."
"When's that?"
"I'm not sure exactly. I have to go into his office, and get all the details. All I know is that I'll be gone until December 2nd...home in time for the holidays."
"You'll miss Thanksgiving. You love Thanksgiving."
"I know. I don't know where I'll be physically but I know I'll be emotionally and mentally here with you, Dawn, and the others. I'll be home in time for Chanukah, though. I'll even try and find you a fancy dreidel or menorah...something from that art shop down in Greenwich Village maybe. They had neat things...maybe they'll have something like that." Willow just nodded, and pulled Buffy tight to her body in an embrace, not wanting to ever let go.
"You'll be there until December?"
"Yeah..."
"No breaks in between?"
"From what Robin tells me, none."
"You're going to miss our one year anniversary..." Buffy hadn't realized this yet, and she started breathing heavier. The test just kept getting harder and harder, and there was no way to fully prepare, or study for the exam, even though she knew that her brainy girlfriend would try just that.
"Willow..."
"Buffy..."
"I don't want to go now."
"You have to."
"But I'll be missing too much...that's too important, and Thanksgiving...not to mention your birthday! You only turn 27 once."
"I know but we'll talk every day, and you're going to get me something every day, and I'll do the same for you. If push comes to shove, I'll even have phone sex."
"Really? Will, that's...you don't have to...I know how awkward it made you when I mentioned it when we first started dating." She recognized the deep blush running from Willow's neck to her face, and smiled knowing that it was something she regretted asking to begin with after hearing the discomfort in the redhead's voice. She thought it just wasn't personal enough.
"But we're not just dating now...and we've actually started building a life together. Things are so much different from almost a year ago. I'll do it...especially if it's the only way I can be with you."
"I love you so, so, so, so much...and I promise I will more than make it up to you when I'm back." Willow kissed her sweetly, not caring about the spread of germs anymore, just needing to feel the familiar taste of Buffy's mouth pressed against her own, even if it had an added cherry cough syrup flavor. When their lips parted, they rested their forwards together, still kneeling on the bathroom
floor. "I can't wait to marry you."
"Me, either."
"We'll still have four months to make things perfect."
"And they will be...even if everything goes awry."
"Yeah..." She kissed her more firmly, this time aware of Buffy's still being sick but not caring about the spread of the germs so much as her body was still aching. So, she got up from the floor, bringing a healing blonde with her, and took her back to the bedroom to tuck her in for the night, hoping that she would feel better in the morning, and they could make good use of the remaining days they had together before Buffy had to leave on her book tour.