Heroes and Lovers
by als
Chapter 6 — Aftermath
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Buffy woke slowly. She could hear a voice speaking gently, but she couldn't quite make out the words. She gradually became aware of her surroundings and realized she was holding someone. Blinking confusedly, she looked up and saw a smiling Willow looking down at her.
She quickly remembered what had happened when they got back to their room. The kiss she'd shared with Willow played through her mind, bringing a happy smile to her face, and she put her head back down on Will's shoulder and snuggled closer.
Buffy could still hear Willow's words ringing in her ears. Those six simple words had changed everything, and in their wake Buffy had broken down into tears. She had cried herself to sleep in Willow's arms last night.
"Come on sleepy-head," Willow chided playfully. "It's all bright and cheerful, time to wake up."
"Don't wanna," Buffy responded squeezing her eyes closed even tighter. She shivered with excitement as she felt Willow's hand stroke her hair. The way her body responded to Willow's touch was incredible.
Willow heaved an exaggerated sigh, "Poor little Slayer, all worn out and didn't even have to save the world!" Buffy could just hear the grin on the redhead's face.
"Okay, okay," Buffy huffed with mock aggravation. "I'm up, geez." She opened her eyes and started to push herself up to a sitting position when Willow suddenly put her hands on each side of Buffy's face and leaned in, capturing her mouth in a soft kiss. The touch of Willow's lips against hers sent a warm flush through her body that left her tingling all over.
She felt Willow's mouth open slightly, and felt a gentle tug on her lower lip that sent a shiver down her spine. She parted her lips and slid her tongue gently into Willow's mouth, eliciting a soft moan from the other girl.
After a few moments, Willow pulled back. "Oh, breathing is good," she whispered, nervous tension obvious in her face.
"Mmmm, Willow-smoochies. Now that's a good way to wake up," Buffy whispered back. She watched as Willow's face relaxed in response.
"I'm glad you think so," her voice was soft as she spoke. "After last night, I was worried that you might not want me...to do that again."
Buffy smiled softly at her. "It's not that, Will," she said quietly, "I just...I don't want to rush things between us." She swallowed, fighting back her own nervousness, "So much has happened so quickly and everything feels different now. I just want us to take it a little slow for now, to be sure this is what we really want."
Buffy could see a touch of sadness in Willow's eyes at her words, but her voice was steady and supportive, "I can be patient Buffy. I don't want to push you into anything you're not ready for." Then she grinned mischievously, "Even though you are an amazing kisser."
Buffy felt the warmth of a blush rising in her face, "I've never kissed anyone that made me feel the way you do." She couldn't help but grin as Willow's face turned as red as her hair in response.
* * * * *
The first part of Willow's day flew by. She had been nervous about returning to class after missing a week, but as it turned out, she wasn't nearly as far behind in her work as she'd expected. For the most part, catching up would be pretty easy.
As she walked to meet Buffy and Giles for her first training session, Willow's thoughts drifted back to the Slayer and she bit back her disappointment. She knew that Buffy had feelings for her; she was positive that was what Buffy had wanted to tell her last night. 'Only instead of letting her say it, I kissed her. And then with the kissing her again this morning...way to scare her off, doofus,' she thought with a sigh.
'It does make sense for Buffy to want to take it slow though,' Willow frowned. 'I mean really, with Angel going all evil and then Parker using her and Riley chasing after her,' she stopped, stunned. 'Oh my God! It's Riley! That's what's got her all...and with the...she has feelings for him too!' She could feel her heart breaking at the thought of Buffy picking Riley over her. It felt like Oz leaving all over again, and it hadn't even happened yet.
'No,' she thought, clamping down on the emotions welling up inside her. 'I'm not going to do this. I'm not going to get all mopey and weepy over something that hasn't happened...something that might not even happen.' She put on her resolve face. 'I'm just gonna make sure that Buffy's happy, and if that means Riley,' she swallowed hard at the painful thought. 'Well, then I'll be supportive best-friend girl, just like I was when she was with Angel.'
* * * * *
Buffy glanced at the door again. 'She should be here any minute now.' Thinking about Willow was enough to tie the butterflies in her stomach up in knots. 'I can't believe the way she makes me feel, it's just so amazing.' She frowned slightly, 'So then why I am so terrified to admit how I feel?'
She knew the answer to that, but she wasn't happy with it. 'Oz,' she thought simply. 'Willow just hasn't had enough time to really let go and deal.' She sighed. 'And then with dying and coming back and the Powers? She had to be feeling pretty overwhelmed emotionally.'
'I have to be patient. I have to be sure that I'm not taking advantage of her, that this is what she really wants.' Buffy remembered all too well how much it had hurt when Parker had taken advantage of her, she wasn't about to do that to Willow or let anyone else do it either.
She looked around quickly for something to distract her from her less than happy thoughts. "So, Giles, what're we gonna start with when Willow arrives?" she asked, latching on to the first thing that came to mind.
"Ah, well, actually, I thought we'd begin with some testing...reflexes, strength, stamina, and concentration. Assess any areas where she has particular weaknesses that we need to address."
Buffy nodded. "That makes sense I guess. Gotta figure out where she's at before you can get her to where she's going."
Giles took a moment to let that sink in, "Ah, well, yes actually, that's precisely it."
Buffy turned with a smile as she heard Willow's voice, "So what are we waiting for? Let's get started." She was standing just inside the door, wearing a serious expression. It was the same one she had whenever she was concentrating on learning something new.
Buffy turned back to Giles with a grin, "You heard the lady, let's get started."
* * * * *
Willow sat on the floor, stretching her tired muscles as Giles looked over the notes he had made while scoring her performance on the tests he had given her. Buffy was nearby, doing the same. She had insisted on doing the tests with her, for moral support. Willow had actually thoroughly enjoyed watching the Slayer's performance, though more then once naughty thoughts had crept into her mind about Buffy that threatened to distract her.
Giles cleared his throat slightly before he spoke, and she cringed, expecting bad news. "Well, Willow...I'm quite impressed with your performance. Your abilities are on par with a highly trained professional athlete."
"Huh?" she said, thinking she'd heard him wrong. "Professional athlete...me? What?" She shook her head slightly. "But," she gestured at Buffy, "With the...and the...she was way out of my league...and with the sweating and being, well, sore after?"
Giles tried vainly to suppress a chuckle, "You can't compare your performance to Buffy. As tempting as I'm sure it is to use her abilities as a guide, she possesses a supernatural power that puts her well beyond the ability of normal humans." Willow glanced at Buffy, who blushed self-consciously at Giles' words. "You're abilities on the other hand are, well, exceptional, but still human. I can only assume it must be a side-effect of the transformation you underwent at the hands of the Powers that Be."
"Oh," she said quietly, her eyes wide as Giles' words sank in.
"See Will, I told you earlier that you were doing good," there was a definite note of pride in Buffy's voice. "You're in better shape physically then most people who train non-stop and you haven't even been working out."
Willow felt the color rising in her checks at the words of praise.
"Quite right, Buffy," Giles smiled at Buffy before turning his attention back to Willow "In fact, your physical abilities are so well developed, that aside from suggesting an exercise regimen to help maintain them, there's no real need to spend training time improving them right now. So instead, we can immediately begin to focus on the more pressing concerns of your training. Teaching you to fight and master your other powers."
Willow frowned slightly, "I'm not really sure how you can help me with my other powers though. I mean, they're kinda unique and all..."
"True," Giles' face got serious. "But based on your explanations, your powers are rooted in concentration and focus. That being the case, there are a number of exercises the council has developed over the centuries that can be of great use to you."
Willow absorbed his words. She had never really considered that there might be exercises and disciplines that Giles could teach her that would help with her powers. The breadth of his knowledge of training techniques amazed her, reminding her once more of why she had a crush on him so long ago. "Okay, where do we start? What do we do next?" she asked.
"Well, seeing as you've already been through a series of rather physically demanding tests, we can begin with learning some of the basic concentration techniques tonight, and start combat training tomorrow."
Buffy piped up, "Sounds very doable to me. I could use better concentration skills anyway."
Giles looked at her, an expression of shock and disbelief on his face, "Ah, well, I'd no idea that you'd want to work on this as well Buffy..."
"If it's good for Willow, it's good for me," The blonde Slayer responded firmly. "Besides, if you teach me too, then she and I can practice together so we can get better at it faster."
Giles was clearly still surprised with the maturity in Buffy's response, "Ah, yes, well, good point." He cleared his throat gently, "Let's begin by..."
* * * * *
Spike paced angrily around the living room of Angel's old mansion. It had clearly been deserted for a while, but the great poof had left most of its sparse furnishings intact, and Dru liked the place. Spike paused looked down at his chest again, at the hole left in his shirt where the Slayer had staked him.
"Sodding Slayer," he muttered as he resumed his pacing. His mind kept playing through the events of that night, trying to figure out where he went wrong. He had thought that turning the little witch and sending her after the Slayer was pure genius. "But the bloody bitch didn't turn!" He growled, kicking out at the wall angrily. His foot passed through the solid surface without disturbing it. Being reminded of his situation did nothing to calm the rage and hatred burning in his veins.
'Oh the Slayer had staked me right and proper all right. Left me a little pile of dust on the floor of a sodding crypt. I reckon she thought she'd be rid of me for good after that,' he continued his mental rant and started pacing again. 'Didn't figure on Dru though did she? Bloody forgot that Red's not the only witch who can make with the mojo.'
He walked over to the only table in the room. On it sat a small ornate urn. Spike reached out to touch it and snarled as his hand passed through it. He clamped down on his anger and spoke, "I may only be a bloody ghost for now Slayer, but you haven't seen the end of me yet."
* * * * *
Willow was beginning to wonder if suggesting a trip to the Bronze had been a mistake. She and Buffy hadn't even gotten inside the club and she could already feel the emotional energy radiating from the place. She could feel the happiness, excitement, and anticipation along with a strong undercurrent of sexual attraction and desire.
It was intoxicating in a way that she was totally unprepared to deal with. She struggled to try and close herself off, to shut it all out, but she could still feel the power of it pressing in on her. As they got inside, they were surprised at how crowded the bar was, until they realized that one of the more popular local bands was playing.
'So much for a quiet evening,' Willow thought with a smile. They were a bit late, so she looked around for any sign of Xander. Her eyes found him at a table near the dance floor, and he waved trying to get their attention. When Buffy didn't seem to see him, she reached out and gently grabbed Buffy's arm to get her attention.
The casual contact sent a jolt through Willow, leaving her skin tingling with rising desire in its wake. She felt her skin flush slightly as her pulse quickened. A warm feeling of arousal spread through her like fire, leaving her breathless for a moment.
* * * * *
Buffy felt Willow's hand grab her arm lightly, and her heart leapt at the contact. Instantly, Buffy's body reacted to the touch, her skin ached to feel Willow's gentle caresses, she craved the feeling of the redhead's soft lips against her. Suddenly Buffy wanted nothing more than to taste her friend's lips again, she longed to have Willow's body against pressed against her own.
A slow, seductive rhythm started as the band moved into another song. Buffy turned to glance at the object of her desires. She could see the heat and passion she felt reflected in the other girl's eyes. She grabbed Willow's hand and gently pulled her onto the dance floor.
* * * * *
Xander waited patiently, watching for the girls' arrival. They were a few minutes late, but he had learned long ago to expect that from Buffy. 'The only time Buffy arrives on time,' he thought with a wry grin, 'is when somebody needs saving.'
The Bronze was pretty crowded, but the band was excellent and Xander didn't really mind. He was glad that he'd gotten there early, even though it wasn't early enough to grab the table the Scoobies usually took.
He glanced back at the door and saw a familiar flash of red hair moving through the crowd. He grinned widely when he thought of the many jealous stares he'd be getting from the other guys in the club when Buffy and Willow sat with him. He saw Willow looking around for him and waved to get her attention. She saw him and smiled brightly.
He watched as she reached over to get Buffy's attention just as the band began to play a slow, sultry song. His eyes widened as he saw something pass between the girls and his jaw dropped as Buffy pulled Willow out onto the dance floor.
All of his remaining thought processes ground to a halt as he watched his two best friends dance. Buffy had pulled Willow close to her, and they had their arms around each other, moving together in ways that made his heart jump. He was enthralled, remembering all too well the feel of Buffy's body against his when she had once danced like that with him.
Xander felt himself responding to the scene playing out on the dance floor. He couldn't help it, but the sight of the beautiful bodies of his friends together like that was just too enticing. 'It's so wrong to stare at them like this,' he thought. Of course he knew at least half the men in the building were staring right along with him. He let out an audible gasp as he watched Buffy lean in and brush her lips across Willow's as the song finished and watched in complete amazement when it quickly turned into a brief, but heated kiss.
As the girls separated, Xander watched Willow grab Buffy's hand and lead her towards him. Their faces were lit up with the happiest smiles he'd seen from either of them in a long time and there was no trace of embarrassment over the public display they'd just put on.
"Hiya Xan!" Willow piped up, her voice excited and happy, as she slid into a seat.
He moved his mouth, desperately trying to form a coherent thought and say something, but failing miserably in the effort. He just kept looking from smiling Buffy to happy Willow and back trying to comprehend what had just happened.
After a few moments, Buffy spoke, sniping at him lightly, "I think watching us dance might've broken Xander." There was laughter in her eyes as she said it, and that of all things finally snapped him out of it.
"But, what, and why and how?" he stammered blankly fumbling for some sense of composure. "Is there something you two might want to tell me before I have a heart attack?"
The girls both broke out laughing and Xander had a feeling that this was going to be a long evening.
* * * * *
Buffy couldn't stop thinking about how much fun she had at the Bronze. Despite her reservations about how Willow was feeling, Buffy had been unable to keep her hands, or her lips, to herself over the course of the evening's festivities. She wanted to giggle every time she thought of the look on Xander's face after the first dance.
She cast a sidelong glance at Willow and Xander. She really did enjoy spending time with him, but tonight she couldn't wait to get rid of him so she could have more one-on-one time with Willow. She couldn't help thinking about how wonderful kissing the gorgeous redhead felt. Buffy was so caught up in her reminiscing that she never saw the attack coming...
She felt the fist slam into the side of her face as she went sprawling to the hard pavement. Luckily for all of them, her Slayer instincts kicked in and she rolled quickly to her feet assessing the situation. Four vampires had appeared out of nowhere and attacked. Buffy drew a stake from the sleeve of her jacket as one of the vamps grabbed Willow while another threw Xander to the ground.
"Okay, you guys are so begging to have your asses kicked," she sniped angrily. She lashed out staking the nearest vamp effortlessly while kicking another in the leg dropping him to the ground. She lunged toward the one holding Willow only to be tackled to the ground by the vampire that had thrown Xander.
They rolled across the concrete and Buffy cursed as she felt her leather pants snag on the concrete. When they came to a stop, the vamp was on top of her, struggling to pin her to the ground. With a quick shift of her weight and a controlled kick, she flipped the vamp over her head and sprang back to her feet. Buffy glanced at Willow; the other vamp was still holding her and was about to sink his fangs into her neck. "Willow!" she shouted in terror, realizing she couldn't get there fast enough to stop the vampire from biting the redhead.
Suddenly, the vampire exploded into dust and Willow collapsed to the ground, shaking. Xander stood behind her, bleeding from a small cut on his forehead and holding a stake. "Nobody hurts Willow, not while I'm around," Buffy heard him say as she moved toward them.
Buffy felt the vampire she'd thrown off grab her shoulder roughly. She grabbed his hand, and spun, jerking his wrist up between his own shoulder blades and angrily staked him from behind.
The remaining vampire had managed to scramble to his feet. Looking around, he seemed to suddenly remember an urgent engagement elsewhere and tried to run. Buffy merely flipped the stake over in her hand and threw it with perfect precision. The fleeing vamp exploded into dust mid-stride.
Xander was helping Willow to her feet as Buffy glanced down and saw the jagged tear in the knee of her pants. "Damn it! These were my favorite leather pants!" she whined loudly. She looked at the pile of dust left by the responsible vampire, "You better be glad you're dead or I'd stake you all over again for this."
* * * * *
Willow lay sobbing on the cold concrete, everything had happened so fast, just like the night Spike had attacked her. She cursed herself for freezing up, letting the memory of that night cause her to panic.
She felt Buffy's arm wrap around her, comforting her. "It's okay Will, it's okay," she heard the blonde Slayer whispering, trying to soothe her.
She pulled back, angry at herself, at her weakness. "It's not okay. I froze and if it hadn't been for Xander I'd have been a victim all over again."
Xander stood back quietly, watching the exchange between his friends. Willow got to her feet tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't want to be a victim."
Buffy stood up, gently putting her hands on Willow's shoulders and turning her around to face the Slayer. Willow could see just how serious she was, as she spoke again, "You're not a victim Willow. You're a survivor. You've seen and done and lived through things that most people can't even imagine." Buffy smiled gently, "You died Will, it takes time to get over that. Trust me, I know."
Willow couldn't help but smile gently at her friend's words. She remembered how bad things had been for Buffy in the months after she died at the Master's hands. It was just going to take time.