Making Things Perfect
by Rin
Perfecting Present Problems and Promises
[reviews]
A/N: Sorry for the delay. This has been a long time coming...just got caught up in the hustle and bustle that is midterms, and term papers. Hope you'll forgive me...
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"Faith..." Dawn came bounding down the stairs in the early afternoon hours. She had finally managed to get Buffy to sleep, and left her older sister in a ball under the covers. The young brunette was confused at what happened, and needed to do a little searching, and fast. With the wedding only a day away, there wasn't much time to mend things between the two lovers. Willow was missing, and she had an idea that Faith would know exactly where the redhead would be, so she went in search of the buxom woman first thing.
"Yeah? What is it, brat?" Faith looked up from her coffee mug that was barely steaming. She and Kennedy had arrived only moments before but her girlfriend had started having a conversation with Spike in the backyard, and left her to her coffee. Dawn sat down in the chair next to her at the dining table, and positioned herself towards the older woman.
"Willow's gone."
"What?"
"Will...she and Buffy had a fight last night...I couldn't hear everything that happened but it was tense, and next thing I know, I heard doors slamming, and Buffy in the bathroom. Whatever happened, it's bad...Buffy was even throwing up, and I just now managed to get her to sleep. Do you have any idea where Willow is, or what this is all about?" Dawn's expression was pleading, hoping that Faith had some answers to the unsolved mystery.
"I think I have an idea where she is but no clue what the problem is...how bad?" Faith was confused. She noticed the tension in the two, and that they barely had a moment together the day before but she never suspected trouble.
"I'm not sure but I heard Spike and Fred both mentioned..."
"Weak points for both of them...that would make sense. I'd say start with Fred because I'm not so sure I trust Spike." Faith took her mug into the kitchen, drained the remaining liquid in the sink, and placed the mug in the dishwasher. Turning back around, she almost ran into Dawn, who had followed her heel to toe the entire time. "Woah there."
"Sorry...so...I think Fred is staying at her parents, so I guess we start there. Are you going to get Kennedy?" Dawn motioned towards the backdoor, where the girl in question was laughing with Spike and Adam about something.
"Maybe we can save some time...give me a minute." Dawn nodded, and Faith moved to the back porch, sitting down next to her laughing girlfriend on the steps. She leaned forward, and whispered in her ear, so that the two men wouldn't hear. "We have a problem. Red's missin'." Kennedy looked over at her girlfriend with disbelief, confusion, and curiosity, while the two men just continued chatting in the background. "Yeah...apparently she and B had some big fight last night, and she stormed off...I think I know where she is but Brat's sayin' that there's more to it, so we're goin' to investigate but we need your help."
"Sure. What is it?" Kennedy leaned further into her girlfriend, and kept her voice to a low whisper, as well, especially since she had discovered Spike had excellent hearing.
"Watch Spike while we're gone. We think he and Fred have somethin' to do with it, and we're headin' over to Fred's right now." Faith placed a hand high on her girlfriend's thigh, and squeezed a little in assurance when Kennedy nodded. Leaning forward for a quick kiss, she rose from the wooden steps, and made her way back inside the house.
"Well?" Dawn was getting nervous. She could hear Giles in the living room, and didn't want to alarm him unless necessary. Still being younger, and closer to the situation than the British man, she thought that she needed to solve things without his help, even though she'd learned the previous night that he was extremely useful in research situations. Her entire week's lesson plans were already taken care of, and she had a semi-relaxing week to look forward to...if she could only manage to get the two lovers back together, so that they could actually go on their honeymoon. She had plans for the house, and none of them included the two.
"She's on duty. Let's book." Faith and Dawn grabbed their coats from the rack, and headed off in search of Fred.
Sitting in the Burkle's living room, they waited for Fred to emerge from the kitchen. The two had managed to wake her up, and Dawn felt really bad when she saw Charles coming down the stairs. Apparently, it had been a long night for everybody. The two brunettes looked up when they saw the two coming back into the living room, steaming mugs in hand. Charles sat beside Dawn on the couch, and Fred took a seat in the chair next to it.
"Now...what do we owe this pleasure?" Charles asked, as he wrapped Dawn in another hug. It was always good to see the Summers girls. After all, they had saved him from a life on the streets when he was younger, and for that, he would always be grateful. It was the love and friendship afterwards that he would always cherish, and considered them closer than family. He, too, felt the pang of the loss of Joyce Summers, and had even quietly shed a tear (a manly one, though...of course) that the amazing woman had to miss her oldest daughter's wedding, which was a feat in and of itself, Charles had decided...since it seemed that nobody would ever be able to tame Buffy.
"Red's gone missin'." Faith stated it simply, and looked at Fred with questioning eyes, as though maybe the slim girl knew something they didn't. Her intimidation worked, and she could see the girl squirm in her seat.
"Well...why? I mean...that's not like Willow. She's always prompt, and prepared for anything. Plus, there's no way she's pulled a Xander. I mean, she was there for that, and loves Buffy too much...there's too much happiness written all over her for that to happen. She wouldn't just get up and leave, would she? I mean...it doesn't seem likely. Plus...there's that whole Spike thing..." Fred was cut off from her ramblings when Charles placed a comforting hand on her knee, and she blushed from the looks of amazement from the two women on the couch, who hadn't quite fallen trap to a Fred babble yet. Willow hadn't warned them, and the fast talking, and lack of breaths took them back. Finally, Faith recovered.
"Wait a minute...what Spike thing?"
"Yesterday...Buffy was all over Spike, or so Willow saw. She was really upset, and had cried to me all day because she thought Buffy was messing around with him. She said that every time she tried to talk to her, Buffy was always with Spike, and they were always touching, and one time, she had caught them kissing." Fred seemed nervous, and didn't want to break Will's confidence by telling everything but if the redhead was missing, Fred would cooperate. No matter what, she would always love Willow, and didn't want the girl to give up her chance at being blissfully happy, even if it wasn't with her.
"Buffy wouldn't do that!" Dawn jumped up from the couch, fists clenched at her sides, and steam practically rising from her ears. Her red face was calmed down when both Charles and Faith pulled the angry brunette back down to the couch. When she finally calmed down, she sighed, and tried it again. "I mean...she loves Willow, and she wouldn't do that to her. Spike must've done..."
"Wait. Willow said something like this happened before, though, so how can you be so sure..." Fred eyed the younger Summers girl with part fear, part curiosity. The outburst had startled her but she couldn't blame the girl for taking the defensive against her sister. She would do the same thing for Willow.
"That was different. They weren't together at the time, and I was scared, so I called Spike. He always gets Buffy out of her depressed states somehow...and I still don't want to know how...but I thought he could at least get her to leave her room, and eat something. I honestly didn't think she would...you know...again...with him, that is but Willow forgave her for that because Buffy never technically cheated on her. They've fought before but not like this. I've never seen my sister this upset before...and your name was mentioned when they were yelling at each other last night." Dawn was being held down by Faith, and calmed by Charles. Fred almost felt like she was being drilled but her intellectual mind had an idea why. It all went back to that weekend...
"She never in a million years thought that Buffy would then, either. She didn't even know Spike then but now she does, and knows what he was, or possibly still is, to your sister. Willow may seem confident but she's still that shy, little hacker underneath that was picked on in school. She never thought that she could be happy like this, and losing Buffy is her biggest fear. Now...what is the most likeliest thing that would make that fear surface?" Fred watched as realization came over Dawn's face, and Faith seemingly felt uncomfortable, since the whole breakup was about her loving Willow. Sitting across from her was somebody that could relate.
"Of course...and what would make Buffy nervous about the same thing? She has the same exact fear...losing Willow is the worst thing ever...and this is even worse than before, since she must've seen something, too..." Dawn looked up at Fred, knowing that the slim woman knew the answer.
"Me."
"Yes. Now...the question is what exactly did Buffy..."
"Willow kissed me." Fred refused to meet anybody's gaze. She wasn't sure who she wanted to avoid more...Dawn's glaring, accusing eyes, Faith's disbelieving ones, or Charles's hurt ones. She felt the need to elaborate, since it wasn't completely Willow's fault for the interaction. Emotions were running high the past few days because of the upcoming wedding, and the two friends had spent the day together, since Willow was having a hard time finding time with Buffy alone, and had witnessed her intimate interactions with Spike. Fred felt the tension, too...knowing that this was the final closure in their relationship...that the redhead was really staying away from her forever. Every time they had tried for closure, the feelings always returned, and they needed a definite finality this time, since there would never be another chance.
"Care to vague that up?" Faith was utterly jealous but knew she didn't have the right. No matter how many times she admonished herself for being in love with her friend, she still had trouble when she heard about Willow's intimate excursions with others, especially those that weren't her, and especially not Buffy (since she had given up that fight long ago).
"Well...you know how things have been tense..."
"Yeah...go on...we're waiting..." Dawn was getting impatient. Beside her, Charles was trying not to act mad in front of the others, and Faith was trying not to bolt.
"Well...you all know about our past...and how things were a little...intimate that same weekend." Fred was wringing her hands together, and still refused to meet eye contact.
"Yeah...but you said nothing happened." Charles finally spoke up, and tried to keep the anger from his voice but there were still traces there.
"Well...nothing beyond kissing, and a little heavy petting...I stopped her before things went any further, even though I really wanted to keep going more than anything." She stopped, and took a deep breath, willing herself to be calm. "I did, I admit that...I always will but she wasn't with me. It wasn't me. She was upset about Buffy, and just wanted comfort sex. Somehow, I managed to use logic, and wouldn't let her do that to herself...or me. I know what she went through when we were together...when she was still dating Tara. I couldn't do that again. I couldn't watch her go through that, and I know my heart wouldn't be able to take much more heartbreak."
"So, what? You two just decide to make out for the hell of it then?" Dawn had no problem showing her anger.
"No...I mean..." Fred took another calming breath. This was a lot harder than she thought, and she knew her heart was taking another beating at the expense of the redhead...it always would but she knew that it hurt worse when she didn't see her, no matter the circumstances. "Yes, she kissed me but I did nothing to stop her, and I could have. Emotions have been running wild, and the tension from the wedding was already getting to her, and when she saw Spike and Buffy kissing, she started to rationalize a little, and decided that she would calm down before confronting her, so we ended up talking, and feelings started to be expressed again, and we both decided that it was time for that final closure, so she kissed me as a sort of goodbye. It's not what you think...things between us...they were always intense, and we've tried so many times to just end things but it seems they always surface. Now, with the wedding, I guess my mouth came before my mind, and I mentioned that this was really hard for me...watching her with Buffy...watching her getting married. Willow's the type of person that...when she makes a commitment to something, she sticks by it...and this is a commitment she will never break. Knowing that, I guess I finally realized that this was it for us...there was no turning back, so we talked about it, and even though it still hurts...we sealed the deal."
"I can vouch for that." Faith was leaning into the couch, arms folded across her chest, and eyes peering towards her lap. She refused to look at anybody. More than anybody there, she understood exactly where Fred was coming from, and she didn't want the other two on the couch to attack Fred before thinking. Whether she liked it or not, she and Fred, much like Kennedy, were all connected through Willow...the love they would never have.
"Faith..." Dawn looked at Faith, and couldn't believe that the older woman was actually taking sides. She usually just sat off in the corner, and tried to stay out of all of the problems that would arise, offering support to Willow when alone. Faith hardly ever voiced her opinion, stating that she was merely five by five, and she was cool with whatever plan of action was set. She just added her sarcastic wit, and overall bluntness to the fold whenever felt necessary.
"Look, D..." Faith finally caught Dawn's disbelieving eyes.
"Faith?"
"Look...Red's not the type to take things lightly. She has a temper...we all know that but I see where Fred's comin' from here. It's not like Red was cheatin' on your sister. It's more like she was drawin' herself more to her by endin' somethin' that's always haunted her...like she's buryin' the past, which could be what B was doin' with Spike." Faith shrugged her shoulders, and leaned back into the couch, having put in her two cents.
"She has a point. I mean...Buffy usually does find solace in Spike, and even when she was with Riley. Since she's actually settling down, which face it...is something nobody would have ever guess for your sister in a million years...maybe she needed to bury her dark past, as well." Charles was taking deep breaths, finally understanding himself that it wasn't about cheating, it was about ending things, and he had a new respect for the dark girl on the other side of Dawn, since she was able to see this for what it was, and not what it appeared on the outside.
"Hey! I'm not Willow's dark past! We had a good past! A light past!" Fred knew that after their initial breakup, they were never really together, and she had even participated in something with Willow that the redhead regretted, probably still to this day, but she still didn't want to believe that anything they had ever done was somehow bad.
"Look...we've established a little of what's going on...can we just..." Dawn stopped when Faith's cell phone rang. The musician's eyes bulged, and she quickly answered it, and listened to the other line intently, not being able to get a word in edgewise. Her girlfriend was rambling a mile a minute about what she had discovered on her end, and nobody else in the room knew what was being said but could tell that Faith was mad by the pure fire that was coming off of her in waves. When she hung up, she had to run her hands harshly through her hair, and sigh before grabbing her coat, and urging the others on, intent on finding Wills.
Dawn and Faith left the other two at the Burkle house (they still weren't dressed), and would meet them back at Buffy's. They made their way to Willow's old apartment, and weren't surprised to find the redhead still hidden under the covers. Pulling back the covers, Faith picked the girl up, and placed her in the shower, as Dawn watched the scenario from behind, noticing that the normally harsh brunette was nothing but gentle when handling her sister's girlfriend. Still clad in her flannel pajamas from the night before, Willow suddenly snapped out of her puffy, blurred daze when she felt cold water sting against her body. Standing up, still in the shower, she was soaking wet, as she snapped on Faith, wanting to unleash her anger somehow.
"What the hell are you doing????!!!!!!!" Dawn watched as Willow stomped her foot, splashing the water that had drawn somewhat on the bottom of the shower, and causing Faith's pants to get wet from the calf down. The redhead was yelling, and Dawn finally understood that this was a lot more than she had first imagined. She just thought that she would go in, find out what happened, and get them back together but the look on Willow's face told her otherwise. She might just have to call in Giles after all. Unless...
"You look like a drowned rat, Willow. Why don't you get out of there?" Faith kept her calm, ready to form a defense should her friend suddenly attack.
"Well, I wasn't the one that put me in here...so what the hell are you doing?!!!"
"Harsh language..." Faith leaned, and turned the water off, helping Willow out of the shower, as the redhead pounded her chest, trying to get her away, until finally she collapsed into the brunette's arms, sobbing. Faith just stroked the dampened hair, and didn't care that she was becoming soaked in the process, or that Dawn was seeing her sensitive, caring side. She just held her friend tight against her body, and even rocked them slightly, as she brought them down to the floor when Willow's knees went weak from her torment. "Shh...it's okay, Willow. It's okay."
"How can it be okay?" Her voice sounded tortured, and strained through the sobs, and Dawn couldn't help but fight tears herself upon seeing her (maybe) soon to be sister-in-law.
"It will be...I promise...it's all a mistake...everything...I promise you, Willow." Faith picked the redhead up again, and Willow held tight around her neck, as she was placed on the side of her bed. Dawn followed, and watched as Faith went about changing the soaked redhead carefully, and taking care of her in every way possible. She'd seen her sister do it when Willow had a bad flu but it shocked her to see this loving care coming from somebody she thought was bad, and sometimes maybe even evil to a degree. When she combed Willow's hair, had her dressed in dry clothes, and fed her, she placed the redhead on her large couch, and wrapped a blanket around her, as she went to the guestroom to retrieve some of her clothes that she'd left there. When she returned, she found Willow talking to Dawn, who was filling her in on the events so far.
"So...you're not mad then?" Willow's eyes were pleading, and Dawn could tell how vulnerable the redhead was at that moment.
"A little still, yeah...but I understand. I just don't get why Buffy would do the same thing with Spike...I mean, you and Fred actually loved each other, still do...but Buffy hates Spike...she hardly tolerated him sometimes. Something just doesn't feel right..." Dawn was rubbing Willow's back, much like she did to her sister the night before, and Faith walked back from the hallway. Seeing Willow's tense face, Faith quickly moved to sit beside her, knowing that Dawn was getting her up to speed.
"There's more..." Willow looked up at Faith, and flinched seeing the fire in her eyes, and the harshness in her voice. "I didn't want to say anything yet...because I know you like him, D...but that was Kennedy on the phone earlier. She overheard Spike and Adam talking..."
"Go on..." Dawn wasn't sure she wanted her to but knew she had to listen, as well, already suspecting what was happening, since she knew Adam was too conservative for his own good. Plus, his religious and spiritual beliefs always worried her...she never knew exactly what he was talking about...she just thought he was cute, and he always treated her okay.
"Well...seems Adam and Spike set the whole thing up."
"How? I mean...Willow kissed Fred, and Spike and Buffy were..."
"Kissing, I know. The key word there bein' Spike...and think about it. Willow didn't kiss Fred until she saw Spike and Buffy kissin', and from what she heard, Kennedy's not entirely sure that they were. Seems like Wills was fooled into thinkin' that by our best bud, Spikey." Faith was talking more to Dawn but was still commenting for her friend's sake. She just didn't want to be the bearer of bad news the young girl because her boyfriend was the mastermind behind the whole thing.
"Hey! Sitting right here! Sitting right exactly here." Willow looked at them, wondering if they even remembered she was right there between them. It was hard to miss her.
"Oh, yeah...sorry, Wills. It's just that Adam..." Faith placed a comforting hand on the redhead's leg, and turned a weary gaze towards Dawn again. "He didn't want you guys to get married...somethin' about messin' with the order of things...that it wasn't right, and Spike just wanted Buffy, so he helped him, only he didn't."
"Okay...huh?" Dawn was confused but wasn't surprised that her ultra-conservative boyfriend thought that way, and she was fuming with anger, ready to send him packing as soon as they got back to the house. First things first, though...Buffy and Willow must get back together.
"Spike let them do it themselves."
"Okay...I repeat...huh?"
"The tension...especially with the wedding two days away, and the arrival of Spike and Fred, what better way than to lead them to a major fight." Faith took her hand from the redhead's leg, realizing that it had stayed there too long, especially since she was becoming a little flushed from the close proximity.
"Makes sense...but how..." Dawn kept her hand on Willow's back, feeling the redhead's heart beating faster, probably remembering the fight.
"Ken says that they were talkin' about makin' things appear as not, or rather Spike was. He was braggin' to Adam about how he managed to break them up, and that Buffy would be crawlin' to him any minute. Kennedy's watching guard over Buffy; she called from her bedroom, and said she was still sleepin'."
"Well, that's good...I mean...it's good somebody slept...because I sure as hell didn't." Willow's tone was icy, still angry for some reason. "Doesn't explain why I saw them kissing."
"Spike can be really...persuasive." Dawn finally clicked all the pieces together, and came up with a theory. "He has a way to get under your skin, and put thoughts in your head that aren't entirely true, although you take them as such. He knows Buffy...he knew exactly how to play her, and I'd say he knows enough about you, Will, to know how to push your buttons, as well...if there's any indication in the last time he was in Sunnydale."
"Okay...so Brat's got answers...now we deal with the problem." Faith looked at Willow's cold stare, and internally shivered. Whatever happened really did a number on the girl. "How exactly were they kissing, Willow? I know it's hard but we need help if we're going to figure this out..."
"They were there together..."
"You mean..."
"I mean not 'kissing' kissing. Well, maybe. I don't know. It was inconclusive, and I didn't stick around to find out. Might have slammed my fist through another wall or something." Willow's voice changed, and the icy tone was replaced with doubt. It was just too hard to deal with everything...especially since they were happy only moments before she saw them.
"Well then...what Ken said may be true...Spike may have managed to position himself to a place that made it appear like they were kissin' but they weren't. From what she heard, she was pretty sure they didn't. She also mentioned that Spike was braggin' about how he made the slayer think that more was goin' on between you and Fred. Apparently, he saw you two actually kissin', and decided to use that angle, since you're Buffy's weakness." Faith looked at Willow, and noticed that things were starting the click in the redhead's mind, and guilt from mistakes, and the things said the night before settled. Then, she remembered what made her run, and it had nothing to do with Spike, or Fred, or kissing.
"She threw a pillow at me."
"What?" Dawn was confused. She wasn't sure where the random comment surfaced from, since they were talking about something completely different.
"Buffy...she threw a pillow at me. That's when I ran out of the house. I didn't even grab anything other than my sandals. I just left. She was going to sleep in bed with you because she couldn't stand to be beside me, and that's when we started fighting. When she was really mad, she threw her pillow at my face." Willow wouldn't look at either of them, who weren't understanding
completely why that made her leave. It was just a pillow...right?
"I...a pillow? You left because of a pillow? I heard some of the things you two said...and it was a pillow that made you leave?" Dawn couldn't keep the angry sarcasm from her voice, and she was still sour over the whole thing. She was very overprotective of both women, especially her sister, who had taught her that very trait.
"It was more than a pillow." Willow's voice was quiet, and she wiped the tears from her cheeks, sniffling, and taking a deep breath to calm herself. She just wanted Buffy...wanted her to hold her, make things better, kiss away her tears, and cuddle...but she knew that was impossible at the moment. Her life was at stake...because Buffy was her life...but it was hard.
"She threw a rock at you, or somethin'? Help us out here, Will..." Faith was failing to understand, and when she met Dawn's gaze, knew she wasn't the only one.
"No...she just threw the pillow but she did it when she was angry. How do I know that when she's mad, she won't throw something else? What if next time it's a...a...something hard? It's not that she threw a pillow...it's that she threw something at me because she was mad."
"Oh." Both girls understood completely, especially Faith, since she had been on the receiving end of flying objects thrown from rage. However, it was different with Buffy. She highly doubted that the blonde would ever throw something to hurt the redhead physically...it was meant more to hurt her emotionally, since Buffy's defenses were aimed to make the person feel what she felt. She didn't think that the blonde knew that Willow already felt that way.
"Wills...come with us?" Faith edged the girl from the couch, and put her coat on her without protest. When they reached the Summers home, Willow refused to see Buffy, even though every bit of her was crying to do just that and more. Instead, she stayed on the couch with Faith, Fred, and Charles, while Dawn went upstairs to work on Buffy. Giles just looked up from his book, and cup of tea, feeling the nervous tension flying everywhere but deciding to stay at bay.
"Buffy?" Inching in the room, she closed the door, and sat on the crumpled bed next to her covered sister. She waved Kennedy over, who was sitting in the chair by the window, just as Faith said...keeping watch. They finally managed to get Buffy to sit up, and look at them, and once again, Dawn wanted to scream and cry out for everything and everyone that ever made her sister and Willow feel like this. She narrowed her eyes when Adam and Spike's faces appeared in her head. When they finished explaining things, and managed to get Buffy calm and decent (much like Faith had done for Willow earlier), they let the blonde explain.
"I never kissed Spike. I never would...well anymore. I have Willow...or rather had..." Buffy's tone was sad again, feeling utterly guilty for her reactions and actions the day and night before, and now wanting nothing than to hold her lover again. It's all she wanted now...it's all she'd ever want. "I messed up...I never meant to hurt her...I just...everything's so messed up. I messed up."
"We kinda got that part..." Kennedy urged, as she watched Dawn finish Buffy's blouse.
"It's just...I would never throw anything at her to hurt her...it was just a pillow, and I just couldn't take anymore. I didn't think she'd run out like that...I didn't think she'd think I would actually throw something at her to physically harm her. It never crossed my mind."
"Well, you should know by now that Willow takes things seriously. You...she takes the most seriously. The littlest thing regarding you, and the two of you together, is going to send her over the edge. If you were shot like Tara...it wouldn't surprise me if she tried to destroy the world." Kennedy was sincere, and Buffy smiled at her girlfriend's former lover, even though it was a pained smile. Sighing, she took a deep breath, and nodded. Both girls looked at each other, knowing what that nod meant, so they left, and twenty minutes later, Willow emerged into the dark bedroom. She merely just sat there at the edge of the bed, afraid to come any closer in case something else happened. It was still fresh, and they hadn't touched each other in over a day...barely saw each other...it was too surreal.
"Will, I..."
"Buffy, I..." They both giggled slightly at their synchronicity, and that caused Buffy to move from the headboard, and wrap her arms tentatively around her lover, testing the water before jumping in completely. When Willow didn't flinch, or make any notion that she should stop, the blonde dove headfirst, wrapping the redhead in the biggest hug she could bear.
"Willow, baby...I'm so sorry. I never kissed Spike. I promise. Dawn's down there taking care of things right now...he won't be back for a long time, and neither will Adam. Baby...I'm so, so, so, so sorry...with another gazillion 'so's added." Buffy just allowed Willow to bury her neck into her unclean neck, and didn't care one bit that she smelled of sweat. It was Willow...she was holding her Willow...that's all that mattered, and the same thing went for the redhead, too.
"Buffy...I'm sorry that you thought I was...with Fred...but I would never...that's the past...that's what I was doing...I was giving more of myself to you, and it may be an awkward way to do it but it needed to be done."
"I know...I know...just...I love you so much, Wills. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, and tomorrow, I am going to make sure that never happens. I'm going to hold onto you for the rest of my life...no holds barred." Willow nodded, and looked into Buffy's hazel eyes for the first time in what seemed like years, and she was lost again...falling in love even more, if at all possible. She was speechless, and the only thing she could do was kiss the blonde senseless, and make sure that Buffy understood that she felt the same...only using more primal, heated ways...loving that the blonde wasn't holding back, even though there were guests scattered around the house. Some that were no longer welcome.
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Meanwhile, Dawn was standing outside, watching Spike's back, as he puffed on a cigarette in the moonlight. Her eyes were narrowed with hatred, and her jaw was clenched tight. Resolve was set, and Spike finally turned around, and noticed her standing there, looking like she was about to hunt something with her bare hands, and give it the fight of a lifetime. Standing up, he was truly concerned. No matter what he did, or ever would do, he would still love Buffy, and always care for her little sister. Inside, he wasn't as soulless as he appeared; his soul just lost its way most of the time, and he focused more on his own primal need than others' reactions towards it.
"Spike. You sleep, right? You...you sleep?" Her cold, icy glare was starting to unnerve him, and didn't understand where this was going exactly.
"Yeah. What's your point, niblet?"
"Well, I can't take you in a fight or anything, even with you chained. But you do sleep. If you hurt my sister or Willow at all...touch them...you're gonna wake up on fire." With that, she turned around, and left him shocked on the back porch, not caring what he took of her threat but knowing that she would have no problems with going through with it. That's when Spike noticed that Adam was missing in action, too.
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"I do."
"You do?"
"I do."
"You do what?"
"I do...love you with everything that I am...because you're a part of me...and without you, I'm nothing. You make me want to live. You're my Willow." Buffy was gliding her gorgeous wife across the dance floor in a slow sway in time to Faith's singing, which had caused her to shed happy and sad tears from the memories the song produced, and was currently making. No longer would such a beautiful song hold a tortured place in her heart.
"Well...I guess that makes you my Buffy, then." Willow smiled that happy smile that made the blonde whirl with complete joy, and she just continued swaying her wife...yes, her wife. It was still surreal that only hours before they had stood on a beach, and declared before their friends and nature that they were forever united. When they arrived at the Bronze, the place was packed with all sorts of people, most of them Buffy didn't know but recognized a few from movies, television, and music. Willow was more popular in the entertainment industry than she ever would have guessed. Apparently, some of the women there had slipped through Willow's black book, since some of them would congratulate Buffy on managing to settle the redhead down in an actual relationship. Some were jealous but most were utterly excited that she succeeded where they failed. She was more than happy that she was the one that succeeded, especially as she remembered the way that Willow's hair shined as the setting sun, her auburn locks flowing slightly in the wind. It was like a movie...too surreal...that was a word she used a lot to describe her relationship with the redhead, and knew it would forever be a part of her lexicon.
"This is nice." Willow pulled Buffy's body tighter to her, and couldn't help but place little kisses on her lips, as their faces stayed practically glued together, much like they had been since the night before when things had settled from the constant drama that was their life together.
"Yeah...nice."
"I love you, Mrs. Summers." Willow smiled, and placed another gentle kiss on Buffy's lips before pulling back, and letting her wife comment.
"Well, I love you, too, Mrs. Rosenberg, so I guess that works out perfectly then."
"Yeah...I guess it does. We've managed to make things perfect. How'd that happen?" They kissed again, and just let themselves sway to Faith's smoky voice, letting the night take them completely away, and more than excited to spend the rest of the nights in the other's arms.
I'm under your spell
Surging like the sea
Drawn to you so helplessly
I break with every swell
Lost in ecstasy
Spread beneath my willow tree
You make me complete...