North and South...and West
by Rin
Afternoon Delight
[reviews]
A/N: One thing is for sure, there will never be a dull moment in this story...
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The early dawn hours were starting to shine through the windows beside the bed, as Willow started to stir under the covers. Buffy was changing Samuel's diaper (as the young lad had decided to wake up a few minutes earlier), and watching her lover sleep. Willow was so peaceful, and her shit-eating grin was adding to content expression on her face. Her eyes started to flutter open, and she stretched and yawned when she noticed Buffy tending to the baby. Sitting up, she didn't even care that the covers exposed her torso, her breasts reacting immediately to the cold.
"Mornin'." Buffy finished pinning Samuel's diaper before bringing the baby to the bed. When she pulled the covers back, she noticed a spot of blood on the bed. "Oh. I thought my cycle ended."
"Me, too." Willow was worried, until she remembered the night's events. "I did this. I did hurt you last night. Why didn't you say anything?"
"No...no." Buffy sat on the bed, and laid the baby between them. "You didn't hurt me. I mean...it was uncomfortable at first, sure...but it was well worth the end result."
"Then, why did..." Willow was panicking. Buffy would have none of that.
"No, Wills. You don't get to do this, okay? We just never went that far before, and well...mom told me how this is supposed to happen. It signifies the woman's purity." Buffy ran her hand down the redhead's arm. "It's okay. It's natural."
"You're positive I didn't hurt you?" Willow's face screamed worry.
"More than." Buffy wanted to change topics to keep the redhead from panicking again. Crawling under the covers, she leaned on her elbow to play with the baby between them. "We'll take a picnic today. That sounds lovely."
"I can have Mrs. Calendar settle something for us." Willow took a deep breath, glad that she hadn't hurt Buffy, though part of her was still worried.
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Amy started work that Monday, and was glad to be working again. Her last job was tending to an elderly widow, who had just passed away last month. It felt good to work for a younger couple, not fearing that they would die any day.
She hadn't gotten to meet General Rosenberg but Mrs. Rosenberg had been more than adamant in her duties as a housewife. Currently, the blonde was out, taking the baby for a walk. Amy decided to get started on the laundry, as she ran the water into the buckets in the backyard. Her hands were wet and soapy from scrubbing the garments down the washboard but using her hands always calmed the young woman. That's why she chose to help support her family, doing what she did best: tending house.
The weekend's laundry was almost finished, as she went about pinning the garments on the line. Next, she would work on the imported sheets. Such fine cotton would take a more delicate approach, as Amy started to run the sheets gently down the washboard. Moving it around, she noticed a stain on the bottom sheet. Curious, she lifted the sheet from the washtub, and didn't care that the water soaked into the cloth was dripping all over the bottom of her dress.
She knew this stain. She'd experienced it herself...only once. Somebody lost her purity, and since Mrs. Rosenberg already had a baby, the only logical explanation was that General Rosenberg was having an affair. These were, after all, the couples' own bedding.
Wringing as much water from the sheet as she could, Amy ran into the house with the sheet, ready to inform Mrs. Calendar. The older woman only looked at her with deep regret in her eyes.
"It's impossible. General Rosenberg would never do such a thing. Mrs. Rosenberg must've started her monthly, that's all." Jenny didn't leave room to argue, as she went back to her own task. "She's not had one for nine months, it must've snuck up on her. That's all."
Amy wasn't convinced but out of respect for the older woman, decided to let it drop for now. Taking the sheet back out into the yard, she did her best to remove the bloodstain. It wasn't anything a little elbow grease wouldn't fix but it still made Amy curious.
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Willow wanted to surprise Buffy for lunch, so she decided to come home early today. All week long, they'd been extra connected, and more loving than usual. The sex was great, the cuddles were great, and baby Samuel never woke up because of their late night activities. All in all, the redhead was in a VERY good mood, and she wanted to do something extra special for her wife today.
She met the courier on the way in, and took the mail in the house, running up the steps in a manner equivalent to an excited child's. Willow just couldn't wait to see Buffy, even though she'd left her just this morning.
In the house, there was noise in the kitchen, and the redhead made her way back there with a bounce in her step. In her uniform, she looked more like a kid playing soldier than a decorated war veteran. Inside, she saw Buffy helping Mrs. Calendar with dinner, and another young woman helping strain the beans. They all looked startled at seeing the general laying the mail on the kitchen island. Buffy was the first to react, as she smiled big, and rushed over into Will's arms.
"What are ya doin' home?" Buffy kissed her husband, too excited to care about discretion in front of the others.
"Wanted to come home, and surprise you. Thought I might be able to catch you before you started supper but I see I'm wrong." Willow wrapped her arms around Buffy, and leaned in for another kiss. "I was going to give the ladies the day off, thought we could...make dinner together."
"Yes, well...we haven't started supper yet, so you're in luck, General." Jenny smiled at the couple. They were too cute, and not very good at hiding their sexual tension towards the other. Amy was definitely wrong, though Mrs. Calendar knew something the young woman didn't, nor did she need to know.
"Well, then. I'm giving you both a day off, paid of course." Will smiled at Buffy again before turning her attention to the other two in the room. "Where's Samuel?"
"Upstairs sleepin'. We put him down a few minutes ago." Buffy's eyes glowed with mischief. Willow understood what the blond wasn't saying out loud. 'The sooner they get these two out of here, the sooner they can go upstairs, and fool around.'
"Well, then. Ladies, have a lovely day off." Willow didn't mean to ignore the other woman in the room (since she'd never met her) but after Buffy's unsaid declaration of intended tomfoolery, everything else flew from the redhead's mind.
The two watched as the other ladies left the kitchen before Buffy firmly attached her mouth to Willow's. They kissed in pure passion, and the redhead moved them forward against the kitchen island. The cold that was coming in from outside was ignored, as the heat in the kitchen only ignited further. There was no moving from this spot, as Willow palmed a breast in her hand.
Ignoring all decency, Willow used her strength to prop Buffy up on the kitchen island. Moving down, the redhead buried herself underneath the blonde's dress, eager to taste Buffy again. It had been too long since she'd done this...since this morning. That was way too long.
Buffy only gripped the counter, and once she felt the contact of Willow's mouth on her intimate area, her head fell back, and she brought one hand to the redhead's hidden head, urging her forward. Gods...how she loved this woman. Goddess, how this felt good.
When she peaked, she fell back against the island, eyes rolling in the back of her head. Willow appeared, face smeared and hair wild from being underneath the dress. She pulled Buffy down from the counter, and they fell to the floor in one big heap. There, they made love for hours, rolling around the dirty floor, rolling over the mail Buffy had knocked over the counter early on in their passion.
"Oh, yeah...I forgot about the mail." Willow reached over, and pulled the mail to them. She was in a state of disarray, her clothes all mussed, her blazer, overshirt, and uniform pants thrown all over. She was only in her union suit (long johns), which the two had learned early on in their residence at this house was a good idea if they ever made love in the kitchen. "We should get up, check on Samuel. I'm sure he's hungry, or needs a change."
"I'll get dressed, while you check on him." Buffy was fully unclothed, not caring if the neighbors saw, just as long as she could feel Willow's hands all over her body. So much for the modesty her mother had taught her.
"Okay, be right back." Willow leaned over, and planted a firm kiss against Buffy's lips before pulling her uniform pants back on, and heading up the stairs to grab Samuel.
When she returned, Buffy was only partially dressed, and reading a letter. The blonde had her hand over her mouth, and tears running from her eyes. With baby Samuel in her arms, Willow moved over, and place a comforting hand on Buffy's back, silently asking if all was okay.
"It's a letter from William." Buffy's tears were freely flowing now.
"I figured Dawn or your mother would be the first to write." Willow was worried, as Samuel just pulled at Buffy's loose hair, used to it being up in curls or pulled back. "Is everything alright?"
"The old slave quarters are completely gone, from the fire that night." She swallowed hard. "William and the others are movin' out the ruins to save the land there."
"What else? I doubt that has you this upset, sweetie." Willow rubbed Buffy's back until the blonde pulled around, and wrapped her body entirely around her husband in a tight hug. "Hey, it'll be okay. Whatever it is...it'll be okay."
"It's Riley Finn. He snuck...he got Dawn and Susie." Buffy squeezed harder, willing the evil in the world to go away, just by holding tight to her lover. "He snuck into the house when they were out, and raped them. That bastard raped my sisters!"
"What? Why?" Willow couldn't breathe. As soon as she asked those questions, she knew the answers. Vengeance. Revenge. The man was paying the family back for taking the life of his friend. Since the one responsible was miles away, he took it out on the weakest and most vulnerable in the house. All the blood fell from the redhead's body. "This is all my fault. He was...he was trying to..."
"No, no this is all his fault. None of this is on your hands, do you hear me?" Buffy steeled her jaw, knowing this would be Willow's reaction. "This is all his fault."
"But if I hadn't killed..." Willow was hushed by Buffy squeezing harder.
"No. You don't get to blame yourself. This is not your fault." Buffy released her grip a little when she felt Willow relax a bit. "Mom wants to send Dawn up here, to live with us for awhile."
"Of course." Willow moved baby Samuel to the other arm before she went over to make his bottle. She needed this contact with the baby, to feel that he was safe and secure, and the evil in the world would not touch him. "What about Susie?"
"William says Forrest and Mary are spendin' more time with her but when Mother asked if they would like to send Susie, too, Mary just replied that it was a common occurrence in slavery, and she'd always prepared Susie for the possibility, even though...even though we were good to them." Buffy's tears were stopping, as she wiped her eyes. "I'll send a telegram to Mother right away."
"I'll stay with Samuel. Would you like me to go with you? It's starting to get dark." Willow didn't want Buffy out of her sight. If Riley Finn would attack Dawn in her own home, then what was stopping him from making the trip up here to take what he'd always wanted: Buffy?
"Please?" Buffy didn't have to ask twice, as Willow handed the baby to Buffy, so she could finish putting her uniform back on. "I'll get Vincenzo to prep the carriage, and meet you in the foyer."
"Okay." Willow pulled on her suspenders, and picked up her jacket. Surely this wasn't happening, and any moment, she'd wake up on the floor with a naked Buffy in her arms. This was beyond a nightmare, and no matter what her wife said, the redhead couldn't shake the feeling that this was all her fault.