Risky...but worth it
by Rin
Twister and Mickey Mouse
[reviews]
"So...this is nice." Willow didn't want to mention the obvious. The obvious being that this could be their last date ever...even though it was only their second. Buffy wasn't faring much better. She would cast glances at Willow, and tears would form in her eyes but she'd fight them. She wouldn't look Willow directly in the eyes, and that was truly heart wrenching for both girls.
"Yeah...thanks for taking me out. You didn't have to." Buffy was looking over her menu. It was going to be her last real dinner. She'd never even met her real family. It made her call them last night. Mrs. Summers had always written her number at the end of her letters but Buffy had never once called. Now...she had. She'd heard her mother's voice for the first time since she was a baby. It was soothing...calming somehow. Yet at the same time...utterly making her miserable that she'd missed out on that part of her life. She wondered what else she'd miss out on...until she looked over at Willow. She'd miss out on what would've happened with her and Willow.
"Don't cry, Buffy. We can go if you want." Willow didn't want to overdo it. She argued with herself all night. Do I take her to a really fancy, expensive restaurant? No...that'd be like a last meal on death row. Do I take her to a fast food place? No...she can get that anytime. What does that leave? They wound up at a fancy French restaurant off the new Sunnydale Mall. The actual mall didn't open until summer. Buffy would miss that, too.
"No...no, we'll stay. No crying. I promised no crying." Buffy hadn't slept at all last night, and Faith...of all people...had curled into bed beside her to help her calm. They hadn't officially told Faith but they all knew she'd heard...It was obvious in her lack of comment and lewd mannerism.
"You can cry, Buffy. It's okay." Willow reached across the table, and took the blonde's hand in hers. "I...um...I'm going to be there by your side. The entire time. I won't let you die alone."
"I know you won't. Thank you." Buffy didn't want her there. She'd be putting herself at risk, too...but Buffy had seen her first (and possibly last) resolve face. Willow would be there...in all her witchy ways. They'd be equals in this. No sidekicks involved. Willow had made that clear, too. "Let's just do tonight the way you planned, okay?"
"Sounds perfect." Willow had everything set. Buffy would be staying at her flat tonight, too. She'd already cleared it with Giles, and had Faith take over Buffy's toothbrush and night things. "After dinner, we're going to a movie. Then...a surprise."
"I love surprises." Buffy smiled. This woman...she was so...amazing. "I love you, Willow. I know we've only known each other two weeks...and I know that I'm young...but I feel like I'm over the hill sometimes. I may not have the courage to tell you that again...so I wanted to now."
"Have you decided, or should I give you a few more minutes?" The maitre d' came at the most inopportune time...but was it really that inopportune? The girls were about to get way emotional in a fancy restaurant.
"Um...sure. I'll just have the...um...special." Buffy hadn't had a chance to take French yet, so she couldn't read the menu...but that was okay. She'd wing it.
"Actually, can you bring her this?" Willow pointed to the menu. It was Buffy's favorite food...but with a flair. She didn't really think Buffy would want snails cooked in duck sauce. "I'll have the same. Thanks."
"What are you doing? Being all butch?" Buffy just looked at her...but was more than happy for the save. "What did I order anyways?"
"Do you really wanna know?" Willow saw the nod, and just pointed to the lady's dish at the table next to theirs. Buffy reacted appropriately...shiver and all. "Thought so. Trust me...this'll be a surprise, too."
"Thanks." Buffy was more than happy for the save. "Say...what movie are you making me watch? It isn't one of those witch fu movies you have at the house is it?"
"No...no witch fu." Willow chuckled. Buffy was too cute sometimes. "I promise you'll love it."
"I'm sure I will." Buffy finally made eye contact with Willow. Those amazing green eyes...the ones that stole her heart from first glance. The ones that were so calming to her now. "Hey...did I ever tell you I had a sister?"
"Yeah...Faith. I've met her. Quite a handful." Willow chuckled.
"No...I mean a real sister." Buffy saw Willow's face shift to 'tell me everything about you' face. "Yeah...her name's Dawn. We've never actually met. She lives in LA with my birth parents. Well, my Mom anyways... She and my dad got divorced last year, and Mom's looking for a new place to open an art gallery. I thought about suggesting here...because this place is in dire of some good art...but with the Hellmouth and all...I don't want them to risk their lives anymore than they already are."
"Well, LA is a pretty scary town, I hear." Willow hadn't been. The only part of LA she'd seen was the LAX.
"But not as scary as here. I've only been here...three months now I think...and I can tell it's worse than other places." When the waiter brought the French bread, Buffy tore into it with gusto, making her yummy face that Willow loved to see. "Anyways, Dawn's about five years younger than I am, and from what I can tell in my mom's letters, she's a handful. Has to be better than Faith, though."
"Hey...now Faith isn't that bad. She's just thirteen. You were thirteen once." Willow didn't even bother with the bread, opting to watch Buffy chew instead.
"That was years ago, though. I'm a very mature fifteen now." Buffy was prideful on this. "What about you? Brother or sisters?"
"Nope. I'm an only child. I don't think my parents would've known what to do with another kid. They barely knew what to do with one." Willow didn't let her grudges show. This was about her and Buffy. Happy times abound.
"How many...um...relationships have you had...before me?" Buffy wanted to know everything...but she had to sum all of her questions up into the main ones. Other relationships talk was usually reserved for a month after dating...but they didn't have that.
"Hmm...I'm not really sure. Sixteen...seventeen if you count that time I made out with my...um...that's not really important." No need for embarrassing Willow stories.
"No, tell me. I wanna know." Buffy was so involved in Willow speak that she barely registered the food sitting in front of her when it was brought. Their conversation bordered on heavy and light. Nothing was off limits. Buffy had nothing but her yummy face on throughout the rest of the meal, even through the baked pear dessert Willow ordered. Secret's in the sauce...
"We just watched that movie last night. You didn't have to take me to see it. I didn't even know it was playing out here, or I would've gone already." Buffy couldn't believe she'd missed that fact. She was too caught up in Willowy-ness to pay attention to much else these past few weeks. It was ironic that the first movie they saw together...well, as a couple. They'd watched movies over at Giles's before. The first movie they saw together happened to be Buffy's favorite. It seemed that the world was prepared for the prophecy of Buffy's death. Great food, favorite movie, perfect girlfriend...who looked gorgeous by the way...
"Well...you've been busy lately. Plus, I didn't mind seeing it again, either. It's a good film." Willow hung Buffy's coat up in the closet, right next to hers. "Come on...we still have hours of fun yet."
"Ooh...I'm so excited." Buffy rubbed her palms together, as Willow led her over to the couch, and proceeded to take her shoes and socks off for her. "What are you doing?"
"Well...you can't very well play Twister with your shoes on. Doesn't seem fair when I'll be barefoot, too." Willow took her own shoes and socks off, and tossed them under the coffee table along with Buffy's. No need for messiness. Accidents can happen.
"Twister?? That's my favorite game!" How did Willow know that? "Did you ask Faith?"
"No...actually, I just had a craving to play Twister this morning." Willow smiled. Yes, she asked Faith...but it was more along the lines of 'what are Buffy's favorite things'...Faith only knew slaying, Willow, and Twister.
"You're pulling my chain." Buffy helped her get the game ready, and pretty soon they were giggling up a storm. Willow went to every store in Sunnydale looking for Twister, and the last place she looked (obviously) was the only place that had it. "Right foot yellow? Even I can't stretch like that."
"Oh, come on, Slayer. You afraid to try?" Willow smirked that evil, sexy smirk, and Buffy was all for the challenge. This was her moment of pure happiness. Willow and Twister. Of all the things...
"Willow...call a truce?" They'd been playing for well over an hour, and Buffy discovered just how limber and flexible Willow was... Truth was, Willow didn't know how much longer she could hold out. She was tempted to use magicks but that was just cheating. Then again, wasn't supernatural slayer strength a cheat code, too?
"Sounds good." Willow dropped on her back, glad for the chance to breathe. Her last position had her body almost sprawled across the whole board. "Want some water?"
"Sounds great." Buffy was up first, and came back, water bottles in hand. Willow was folding the game board up, and putting it away. "What else you have planned, oh great mistress of ceremonies?"
"Wha..." Willow spewed her drink of water all over the floor. No need to explain that one...not to Buffy...not yet anyways. Well...guess not ever...which didn't really bother Willow. Tara was quite the needy person in the bedroom. Another reason why that relationship didn't work out. Willow was more of a gentle lover...not so much the dominatrix as Tara had pinned her.
"Breathe, baby." Buffy smiled. She'd never called anybody 'baby' before; it was...real. "You need me to give you mouth to mouth?"
"Maybe just to be sure..." Willow's sultry 'come here' look was more than enough to start the kissing festivities for the evening.
The two wound up in Willow's bed. Nothing more than kissing, though. Buffy was more than happy that her toothbrush sat snuggly...right in the spot beside Willow's at the bathroom sink. The redhead had almost moved her in...not for a night...but for an eternity... This was her Heavenly dimension. Willow...
"I'll never get to meet Mickey Mouse." Buffy was snuggled in Willow's arms. They'd remained quiet after their last few kisses. This night seemed to go way too fast...
"I've never met him, either, if it makes you feel any better." Willow ran her fingers through that soft, honey hair.
"Promise me when you do, you'll tell him I'm sorry I never made it to see him?" Buffy had been listing things off, things she wanted to do but never did. Things she'd never get a chance to see. "I won't even graduate...only five days left, and I won't graduate."
"I'll make you a diploma, if you'd like..." Willow got of bed, and went to her printer desk, grabbed a marker and sheet of paper, and started writing. Buffy just sat up in bed, and smirked at her little display. Deciding that she needed to feel Willow's skin against hers...just once...she waited for Willow to come back to bed before making her move. "Here! See? You're official now."
"The Willow Degree?" Buffy took the paper w/ the smiley face, and scooted a little to let Willow back in the bed. "And what, pray tell, does this entitle me to?"
"Lots of things..." Willow kissed her, just a sweet little kiss that grew into something more. "That, for example..."
"I like being a graduate of Willow...what's the next degree in Willow? I'm getting my doctorate's if possible..." Buffy kissed her again, and leaned back. Biting her lip, she decided that it was now or never. She slowly tore her tanktop over her head, and sat there in only her boxers. Willow's eyes went wide...
"Buffy, wha...hey, put that back on." Willow tried to look for the shirt but it was tossed.
"I don't wanna die w/o ever knowing what it's like to touch you." Buffy was serious. Willow found a hard time concentrating with those perfect, perky boobs just staring at her like that. It took all her strength to keep herself in check. She couldn't upset the mating ritual. Willow still held out hope that Buffy wouldn't die tomorrow, especially with her there to help. If that were the case, and she was resolved that it would be, they couldn't do what Buffy was asking her...
"I know. I get that. Just...we can't...it's complicated."
"Why complicated? Are...um...do you not want me?" Buffy was inching back from her but Willow held her thighs tight, pulling the blonde back onto her lap, and holding her there for no escape.
"That's hardly the issue...I want you so bad...I just...we can't. Not tonight."
"Oh...but I thought you had your period last week?" Buffy was still a little unnerved. She'd never offered herself to anybody before...and here she was...getting rejected.
"I did...that's not it. I'm just...it's not time."
"We don't have time!"
"Yes, we will!" Willow didn't want to yell. Not over this... "Buffy...just...trust me...we'll have many nights to come."
"But I wanna come tonight with you, Willow. I don't want to wait." Buffy held her head down, embarrassed at her behavior.
"Well...you'll just have to..." Willow held firm. No arguments. "How about...how about just for tonight, we snuggle...and then...WHEN you make it tomorrow night, we'll talk about it."
"I won't...it was foretold. Giles has never lied to me." Buffy was on the verge of tears again.
"He's not lying to you now, Buffy. Just b/c it's written doesn't mean we can't change it around a little. I'll be there...that wasn't foretold was it? Things change..."
"What if you get hurt, too? What if you die?"
"Then...we die together." Bold maneuver...but hey...Willow was confident. Scared but confident that they would get to that mating ritual. By not doing it tonight, and promising Buffy (and herself) that if they made it, they'd take that ultimate step in their relationship...that was an extra motivator for Buffy to do that much better...and fight to stay alive that much harder...