New In Town
by Salix
Stupid Rules
[reviews]
Buffy was standing in the foyer of her home. It was now almost noon, she had woken up only an hour ago, along with her girlfriend Willow. Last night was their very first date, and it could not have gone any worst. Ok, we're still alive so it could have gone worst, but whatever, she thought as she said goodbye to Willow who was going to walk home.
Buffy let out a happy sigh and closed the door when Willow was out of sight. Last night had gone ok, she decided. The movie was bad and Willow had to pay because Buffy had forgotten her wallet. They never made it to the Bronze, which was a drag, but at least she had some fun beating up a demon. And they had shared their first 'real kiss' and even had an unplanned make-out session. Yep, not too bad after all, she thought as she walked into the kitchen where her mom was sitting at the breakfast bar, drinking a cup of coffee.
"You're grounded for three weeks," was the first thing out of her mother's mouth, and she said it in a voice as if it were just a normal everything day to say. Buffy was surprised by it however, and stood stock-still. She looked over at her mom who was just staring right back with this look on her face that said 'don't you dare argue'.
"Why?" she asked sounding a little stunned. She hadn't done anything that she knew of. Sure she snuck out of the house but she never got caught and it was for a good cause, she had to patrol. She waited, trying to be patient for her mom to answer, but she was taking her sweet time.
"For not telling me Willow is your girlfriend and you two sleeping in the same bed, that's why. I've set rules, Buffy, and I expect you to follow them. If you can't you get punished, that's the way it works, always has," she told her and looked into Buffy's eyes with that superior mother stare. She wasn't about to go down without fight no matter how many death glares she got from her mother.
"I didn't tell you because she isn't ready yet. She's still scared of what you and her parents will think. We've slept in the same bed before, what's the difference now?" she asked and folded her arms across her chest in a defying manner. Joyce put her coffee mug down, using all self-control not to slam it.
"The difference is walking in your room and seeing her hand up your shirt that's the difference. I told you before, I don't have a problem with your girlfriends spending the night but they sleep on the couch when they do." She turned her attention back to the morning paper thinking that Buffy was going to let it go, but she still doesn't know how stubborn slayers can be.
"What's the big deal? It's not like we can get pregnant," she said a little loudly, tensing up ready for this to become a full-blown argument- no- a screaming match. Joyce looked back up at her anger in her eyes. Who does this kid think she is?
"You're a teenager Buffy, you shouldn't be having sex at all. I have no problem with your choice of dating girls, but I told you I was setting the same restrictions as if you were dating boys, if you can't follow them then you won't be dating anyone at all, you got that?" she yelled standing up as she talked walking closer to her daughter. Buffy was a little scared now, she had never seen her mom like this, ok maybe after that one time she got caught, but this is still scary.
"You can't tell me if I can date or not, I-" she said her voice angry and hateful as she tried to stand as tall as she could to make herself be eye level with her mother, but Joyce just stared her down and Buffy had to fight the feeling of fear that she was getting inside the pit of her stomach.
"I can and I will. I'm the mother, not you. Now go to your room and stay there until I say otherwise," she said and watched as Buffy turned around and stomped up the stairs to her bedroom and slammed the door. She sat back down at the breakfast bar and continued to drink her coffee. How could Buffy show such disrespect? She thought. She doesn't know what she's going to do with that daughter of hers, but there has to be some way to get her point across.
Why is mom being so stubborn about this? It's not like we did anything more then kiss. Ok, for a second there I thought it was going to turn into more, but it didn't! So why is she freaking out? Buffy thought as she paced in her bedroom. She's been up there for almost an hour now, still trying to think of why her mom would freak out like that. So far she hasn't really come up with an answer, not one that is goon enough for her.
Ok, the hand under the shirt thing I can understand, but it was only my back. It's not like Willow was groping me or anything! God, I need to get out of here, I need to think. I need to be with Willow, Willow makes everything better, she thought and she went over to her window and she slowly opened it up and crawled out. There was no way she was going to stay here, just no way.
She ran down the side walk towards Willow's house and even used her slayer speed to get there quicker. Breaking all world records for speed, she was there in less then five minutes. She knocked loudly on the front door and waited a little impatiently for an answer. Luckily it was Willow who answered the door.
"Buffy? Is everything ok? You look a little...upset," she said, her brawl wrinkling with concern. She took a step back and moved over to the side so that Buffy could enter her home but the slayer just stood her, picking nervously at her cuticles. She looked into Willow's eyes for a second and then down at the ground.
"Willow, will you go for a walk with me? I just need some air, and...you," she said and didn't look up for a few seconds until she heard Willow go back into the house. She thought that she had been rejected, until she saw that the redhead had simply gone back in to get her coat and house keys.
They walked down the sidewalk, both girls being unusually quiet. Buffy gently took Willow's hand in hers and laced their fingers together, the gesture becoming second nature already, and Willow couldn't help but smile a little. It didn't last long though, because there was something wrong with Buffy and her being all quiet like this was going to drive the redheaded hacker crazy.
"Ok, Buffy, what's going on? You haven't said a word since we left the house and you look all upset, like something bad happened," she said, stopping and turning to face the blonde. Buffy looked up at her and didn't say anything at first, but interrupted Willow when she was about to speak.
"Mom grounded me for three weeks because we slept in the same bed last night. She said that if anything like that happens again then I won't be able to date anyone. Well, I could, but I'd have to lie to her about it. I guess I'm just afraid that she won't let me see you anymore," she said, tears welling in her eyes.
Willow didn't know what to say. Would Buffy's mom really do something like that? Then again, Willow was sure her parents were going to freak out and never allow the redhead to see the blonde ever again, but they're hardly home so that won't be a problem.
"She wouldn't, would she? I mean, she wouldn't make you break up with me or anything, right? If she doesn't want me sleeping in your bed with you then I won't, but she wouldn't make us break up?" she was scared and wasn't too sure if she should be or not and the unknowing look in Buffy's eyes made her all the more fearful.
"I don't know. She's never freaked out like this before. Maybe it's because of what happened at my old school, with the burning of the gym and me getting expelled, I don't know. I just don't know Will," she said and a single tear escaped her left eye and rolled down her cheek. Willow reached up and wiped it away with her thumb, feeling the smooth skin under neither.
"Come on, let's keep walking. We could go sit on the swings at the playground. Do you wanna do that?" she asked and only got a nod from Buffy, and they continued walking. Willow took the longest way to get there, not wanting to end their walk. She now had her arm wrapped around Buffy's lower back, her hand resting on the blonde's hip. She held Buffy close, as she rested her head on Willow's shoulder.
They finally made it to the playground but they didn't go to the swings. They walked over to the large jungle gym and climbed up and sat down on the bridge and just held each other. Willow was doing the best she could to comfort Buffy, her Buffy, and it was starting to work.
She felt the blonde relax and gently pull back far enough so that she could look into Willow's eyes. She had her hands wrapped around Willow's lower back and she was gently massaging the body under neither her fingers. Willow was doing the same, only to Buffy's upper back, in between the shoulder blades. She closed her eyes when she saw Buffy lean forward and the two shared a soft, very loving kiss.
"We'll be ok. No matter what happens, I'm not going to leave you," Buffy said and kissed Willow again. This one was filled with a little more passion. She wasn't too sure when their tongues got involved on the action or when Willow had worked her way down to Buffy's neck but sure enough there was a hickie left there, and the only thought in her mind was: Mom's gonna kill me when she sees it.
"I need to get home," Buffy said as she pulled away from Willow's touches. She wanted the redhead to keep up with the gentle, comforting caresses but she knew that if she kept them up then she would never be able to leave, and that would be a very bad thing. Willow gave her a small understanding smile and they stood up and walked out of the playground hand in hand.
Buffy had dropped Willow off at her house before heading home. She saw that the Jeep was still in the driveway but she didn't really give it much thought as she climbed up to the roof and back in through her window.
She thought she was going to die right then and there when she saw that her mother was waiting for her, sitting on the edge of her bed with her arms folded across her chest. One of her feet was impatiently tapping the ground and Buffy could have sworn one of the veins in her forehead was throbbing.
She watched in horror as her mom stood up but didn't make any attempt to move closer. Which was good because Buffy thought that if her mom did walk closer then she would pee her pants from fear. They both just stood there, staring at each other for a few minutes before one of them finally broke the silence.
"Two months. No T.V., no phone, no friends. The only places you will be going for the next two months are school and this house. All of your homework will be done right when you get home, and you will do all of the dishes. Arguments and protests will only lengthen your groundation, and if I catch you sneaking out of this house again for any reason, especially to sneak off to see Willow you will not be dating anyone for a year, are we clear?" she asked, her voice had taken on this deep pitch that reminded Buffy of a demon she had slain just last week.
"Crystal," she managed to squeak out before her mother walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Buffy fell back onto her bed, letting out a sigh of relief. So her mom hadn't killed her, but she still wouldn't be able to go out on any dates with Willow, or go to the Bronze with Willow, or go over to Willow's house for a make out session, or have Willow come over for a make out session. This just sucked.
That Monday the slayer was feeling ok. She was actually happy to be going to school because now she would get to see Willow, her Willow. She couldn't believe how much she missed her and it had only been two day since she last saw her. Two days too many, she thought as she walked up to her locker and pulled out some of her books.
She smiled when she felt a pair of warm hands sneak their way around her waist and rest on her stomach. And her smile grew when she felt soft lips against the back of her neck. She leaned back against the person, happier now then she has been since Saturday morning. But she tried not to think about that, right now all was right with the world because she was wrapped in her Willow's arms.
"Hmm, I love it when you wear your hair up," she heard the redhead whisper into her ear. She shivered when she felt the warm breath on her ear and neck, but it was s good shiver. She felt the soft lips on the back of her neck again and couldn't help but lean her head to one side, a silent plead for Willow to move her soft touches to the side of her neck, to the one little sensitive spot that Willow doesn't yet know about, the little spot that drives Buffy insane when touched in a gentle way.
She groaned in frustration when she felt Willow pull away, leaving her cold and wanting more. She turned around to see why Willow had stopped and her eyes widened when she saw her English teacher glaring at them. He said something about proper conduct in the halls and if he sees anything like that again they'll be both suspended, and he walked off. Buffy was still a little surprised and scared by the encounter that she didn't really hear what he said, just that he sounded mad.
"We need to be more careful. I can't get in any more trouble I'm grounded for long enough as it is," Buffy said and closed her locker door and then leaned against it. Willow stood next to her and took a hold of Buffy's hand and laced their fingers together.
"It's only three weeks, I'm sure you'll manage," Willow said and smiled at her. She watched Buffy's brawl wrinkle and she gave Willow a weird look. Then her eyes lit up like she remembered something that she had forgotten to tell the redhead. Then she looked at Willow with a little bit of guilt.
"It's not three weeks, at least not anymore. She caught me sneaking back into my room, and so now it's two months. No T.V., no phone, no friends, and no you," she said sadly and watched the surprise cross Willow's face. She could tell that the redhead was sad and possibly a little angry. "And I have to do all the dishes, how lame is that?" She was trying to lighten the now tense mood, but it wasn't working too well.
"So for two months the only place I'm going to get to see you is here? That doesn't seem very fair," Willow said and pouted a little. Buffy found that look just irresistible and she couldn't help herself as she leaned over and took Willow's bottom lip between her own and gently sucked on it. She froze and her eyes shot open when she heard someone cough to get her attention.
"What did I just get through telling you two? Principal's office now," the teacher said with obvious disgust and walked behind the two teens as they made their way to the principal's office. Other kids were staring at them and giving them these looks that said 'dead teens walking'. Buffy couldn't help but feel as if she were in a bad prison movie or something.
The principal didn't go as far as suspend the two because this was their first trip to the office for this kind of behavior. The teacher argued with him, but he wasn't about to have a lawsuit placed against the school for bigotry, so the punishment was three weeks detention and they have to help out in the cafeteria at lunch. He threatened to call their parents and inform them of the incident when Buffy started to argue, and she quickly shut up.
"Jeez Buff, you must have some pretty bad karma. I mean, first you get grounded for two months by your mom, and now you have three week's detention?" Xander said as they walked to their history class together after the morning bell rang. It just didn't seem fair to Buffy. She works really hard keeping Sunnydale safe, the least she should be able to do is break the small rules and have a little fun with her girlfriend.
Luckily her mom works until five so she wouldn't notice that Buffy was getting home an hour later then normal. She had to work extra hard to get her school work done sooner so her mom wouldn't think that she was just ignoring it, ignoring her punishment. That's the last thing she needed at that moment in time.
Finally, after an hour and a half of confusion and concentration her finally got all of her homework done. She went downstairs to get a snack and as she passed the front door she heard someone walking up the pathway. Strange, she hadn't heard her mom's car out front, and those didn't sound like her mom's work shoes on the porch, and her mom never knocks on the door.
She opened the door and saw Willow standing there, tears in her eyes that were about to fall and by the red streaks down her face it looked like she had been crying for some time. She had her backpack and also her overnight bag that she takes whenever she spends the night at Buffy's house. Stranger and stranger.
"What's wrong Will?" Buffy asked as she stepped aside and let Willow in the house. The redhead was struggling to keep her composure as she set her bags down next to the door and hung her head low, letting her hair shield her face from the outside world. Buffy was very concerned at this point, she had never seen Willow so upset.
"My parents...they called the school...and asked why I...I have detention," she said in between gasps for air. It was hard to understand what she was saying, and all Buffy had understood from it was 'parents', 'school' and 'detention'. She knew this wasn't going to be good.
"They...they yelled...and told me to...to break up...with you...but I told them no....So they...they kicked me out...and said...said not to come back...until I do," she couldn't stand it anymore. She lost all of self-control that she had managed to maintain and she felt like she was going to fall. She felt Buffy's arms wrap tightly around her a few seconds before her knees finally buckled.
Buffy carried the other girl over to the couch and they sat there together, Buffy doing her best to comfort Willow as she cried on the blonde's shoulder. It took her almost half an hour to finally calm down but she did. And winning the 'worst timing of the year award' she heard her mother pull up in the driveway.
"Willow, I need you to wait here for a minute ok? I need to talk to my mom real quick," Buffy said and waited for any response before she left. Willow just gave a small nod and then Buffy gave her a small hug before she quickly left the house to meet her mother halfway up the walkway.
"Hi Buffy, wanna help me carry these?" Joyce asked and handed her daughter a bag of groceries and then walked back to the car to get another. Buffy was glad she had gone back, this would give her more time to explain. She was praying to any god or goddess who would listen that this went well and her mom didn't freak out.
"Look Mom, please let me explain everything before you say anything ok?" Buffy asked and with a somewhat timid look on her face. Joyce looked back at her, a little bit of hesitation and a tad of anger, knowing that Buffy only says that before starting a conversation when she might get into trouble.
"What did you break?" Joyce asked and that got an eye roll from Buffy. She watched as Buffy shook her head and attempted to explain what was going on.
"Willow's parents, they kind of found out about us being a couple, and they tried to make her end our relationship." She's using bigger words then normal, this can't be good, Joyce thought. "But she said that she wasn't going to so they kind of kicked her out, and she doesn't have anywhere else to go so she came here."
Joyce stood there, in a bit of a shock. She knew that Willow's parents were gone a lot on business and from what Buffy has told her about them they just seem to ignore Willow when they are home. She just couldn't understand how they could just kick her out of her home like that. She sighed, even though Buffy is grounded and it's because of what she and Willow did, she couldn't turn the girl away.
"Alright, but she has to sleep on the couch, and no funny business when I'm not home," she said in the 'this is only temporary so don't get too excited' type of voice. It was the same type of voice that she used when Buffy once found a little puppy that they kept until it animal shelter opened the next morning.
"Thanks Mom," Buffy said and pulled Joyce into the biggest hug she's ever received from her daughter. It made Joyce smile seeing her daughter this happy and she let go of the fact that Buffy's still grounded. Even if she did screw up she'll give her some time to be happy before enforcing the rules again.
After the groceries were unloaded Buffy and Willow sat on the couch in the living room. Her mom wouldn't let them go up to Buffy's room and it made Buffy a little mad but she decided to drop it, she was in enough trouble as it is. The two are watching T.V. and Willow is snuggled up to the blonde, her blonde, needing nothing at the moment but comfort and support.
"What am I gonna do, Buffy?" she asked and snuggled up closer to the other girl. She wanted to hide, to get away from everything bad that was happening. How could her parents do that to her? It was such an awful feeling that was in her stomach, and her chest, constricting and twisting, making it hard to breathe.
"I don't know, Will. Maybe if they just have some time to cool off they'll see what a big mistake they made," she whispered softly to her. She honestly didn't know what they were going to do. She liked to think that as long as they had each other then nothing else mattered, but she knew that wasn't true. They needed the love and support of their families just as much.
That night Buffy was tossing and turning in her bed. She couldn't get to sleep despite the fact that she had taken two Tylenol PM's. She just couldn't make herself fall asleep and the more she tried the more resistance she found. She stopped moving, deciding that maybe if she just stare at the ceiling for a while then she'll get bored enough to pass out.
When she was still and quiet her slayer senses started to roam free. She heard a little noise in the distance. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs, and she focused on it. She concentrated hard until she was one hundred percent sure what it was. She shook her head from side to side, knowing that this might have happened. She got up and slowly crept downstairs so she wouldn't wake her mom.
She walked into the living room and stood in the door jam for a few minutes. She watched as Willow lay on the couch, a blanket pulled over her head, covering her entire body, hiding her from the world. She was crying pretty hard and it ripped Buffy's heart in many pieces to see her like this. She knew that she would probably get into trouble with her mom, but she didn't care, Willow is more important then some stupid rule to try and prevent teenage naughtiness.
She slowly walked up to the couch and pulled the blanket back. She sight made her breathe leave her body and tears sprung to her eyes. Willow's face was buried in the pillow that her arms were tightly wrapped around. The sobs made her body tremble violently, and she didn't even bother to look up when she felt her covering being pulled back.
Buffy slowly slipped onto the couch next to her redhead and pulled the covers over them leaving only their heads exposed. She wrapped her arms around Willow and pulled her close, so that Willow's head was resting on the blonde's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around Buffy and held on tightly as if her very life depended on it.
She buried her face in the slayer's neck and cried harder then she's ever cried in her life. She felt Buffy's hands softly rubbing the length of her back, and she heard the other girl whispering reassurances into her ear until she finally cried herself to sleep, exhausted from the day's events and dreading the day to come.
Don't worry, I'm not going to abandon this story. I know it may seem like I am because I haven't updated in a while, but the forth one is being worked on. I have come down with a terrible case of writer's block so it's taking me longer then normal, but I will continue it.