The Simple Black Dress
by cathy nort
chapter 2
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Aunt Morgan gave Willow a quick hug then helped he girls to unload their suitcases from the trunk. The aunt was a large boned woman but not at all fat so she had no trouble handling both suitcases. Buffy and Willow followed her inside.
"You guys can stay in the guest room down at the other end." The woman said. "I have to have a minute to finish making it up. It's been so hectic what with the wedding and all. Why don't yo go and sit on the back deck. I left a pitcher of iced lemonade out there."
Though Buffy said that she and Willow could make up their own beds the Aunt was insistent. "you're my guests after all and I'm honored.
"It's lovelier than I could ever have imagined," Willow said after they made their way through the house and soon found the patio doors that led out onto the deck which over looked a surprisingly expansive lawn. Across the lawn, perhaps 200 foot away, a barn could be seen. The barn backed up to a thick stand of trees and beyond that the mountain's base.
In ten minutes Aunt Morgan returned. "Okay, that's done. I put your bags in the room. I am so glad to see you and that you choose to stay with me. I spend most of my time alone. Which is okay for writing but I do look forward to young company."
Aunt Morgan studied Willow for a few moments. Not long but obvious enough that Willow squirmed in her chair. The author broke off her gaze and glanced down at the watch on her wrist. "Oh shoot. I'd better get myself in gear or we'll be late for the wedding. Let me show you to your room. It's at the far end of the house. I don't know what possessed me to buy such a large place. I guess I had nothing better to do with my money."
The room was wonderful. Light, large and perky with two queen sized beds at opposite sides of the room. A sliding door opened out to a small stone patio and beyond was a patch of lawn.
After settling the girls the Aunt scampered off.
Buffy looked around, then a slight impish smirk crossed her lips. "Which bed do you want, Will?"
"That's easy. I want the bed you are sleeping in. No use making unnecessary laundry."
"Gotcha," Buffy said letting Willow slide into her arms. They kissed tenderly. It WAS going to be a wonderful week..........together. Of course they didn't want to be too obvious so they would have to muss up the unused bed just for show.
"We'd better get ready. The reception is right after the wedding service." Buffy said.
Buffy showered first while Willow unpacked her suitcase and put her clothes away. Then it hit her. The dress she had been planning to wear was not in the suitcase. She evidently had failed to pack it.
"Oh Lordy," she said aloud. Willow, what a dummy you are, she told herself. Now what?
Returning to the house she came across Aunt Morgan in the hallway. "Is their a boutique close by? The dress I was to wear isn't in my suitcase and I have nothing else appropriate to wear."
"No, there's not." Aunt Morgan said. "Not close by at least." She held up a finger. "But don't be worried. I've got a few things in my daughter's closet that would fit you nicely. I've been saving them.........," then she paused and let the sentence drop unfinished. "I'll go fetch one of them. If you don't mind me making the selection for you."
"Not at all. Anything will be better than what I have."
Willow went back to her room where Buffy was toweling off from her shower. Willow told her what was going on "Ouch."
"I know. Aunt Morgan has some dresses from her daughter Amy's wardrobe. She's getting one for me now."
And the dress proved to be beautiful. It was black with a tight neck line, bare shoulders and a plunging back. When Willow tried it on it fit nicely and she felt quite glamorous although the simplicity of the dress's design couldn't be denied. At any rate it was certainly more glamorous than if she had worn the one she had been intending to.
"I guess I won't be wearing a bra." Willow had brought nothing that would accommodate the plunging back. The dress was thin enough though that she would need a half slip. A black one. Aunt Morgan left and when she returned she had one in her hand. That too had been Amy's. Willow felt a little awkward being clothed in the wardrobe of a missing, or dead, girl but the truth was she really had no other choice.
Aunt Morgan left to finish dressing while Willow showered. When she came out Buffy was brushing her hair out and applying her make-up. She was now in the light purple dress with a v-neck and drop waist. Where Willow's dress was 'kicky' Buffy's was lusciously tight from the hips down and as short, if not shorter than the dress Willow would be wearing. That was saying a lot.
"Zip me up Will." Buffy turned her back to Willow who took the opportunity to snap the back of Buffy's exposed bra.
"Ow. Don't be funny."
Willow zipped it up and kissed Buffy on the back of the neck. "I love you babe. You look so darn gorgeous I'm going o be jealous all night."
Buffy sat and watched Willow dress. Quite frankly she preferred watching the red haired witch undress more. Or even better, helping her undress. While Willow demeaned her body Buffy thought it the most beautiful thing she ever saw. No doubt being in love with Willow was a huge influence on her but in Buffy's eyes, Willow was near perfect both physically and otherwise. Love just flowed from the Wiccan and not just to Buffy but to everyone Willow seemed to touch. That Willow's love for Buffy was so obvious, so all encompassing, so total repeatedly warmed the blond Slayer. There was nothing in the world that Buffy was going to let come between them.
Except death. She was a Slayer and that possibility was always there and in it's way it added to the urgency of their love.
After the wedding the reception was in the ballroom of the local hotel. It was fun and there were plenty of younger people so the music was focused at them. And what was more fun was that everyone was dancing in groups so Willow and Buffy were always in close proximity to each other and it didn't take much imagination to pretend it was the other they alone were with. Eye contact is a wondrous thing, Willow thought.
The only drawback, as far as Willow was concerned, was that she kept getting flashes of images. A road was the first and what road it was Willow had no idea. It was winding and it had guard rails on one shoulder. There was hardly time to see much more before the flash disappeared. Then later a vision of chanting, chanting by a group, a knife with a lethal looking blade, a black cloaked figure. These flashes did not occur one after another but were separate and brief to the point of being but a mere distraction. Willow finally put them out of her mind because she didn't know how to explain them. Besides she was with Buffy and that's all that really mattered. To let something as foolish as her imagination ruin this night would have been unforgivable.