See Part 1 for Ratings and Disclaimers
Silence reigns in the room. Buffy looks at each of her friends in turn, waiting for someone to start talking. When no one offers to say anything, she asks, "Anyone going to tell me anything?"
Dawn sighs deeply, then shrugs. "We got jumped from behind leaving the Place last night. I got bit, lost a little blood, Vi broke her hands beating the shit out the vampire. I staked him, then drove us to the hospital. Willow, Kennedy and Faith came and checked on us, then brought me home. Willow brought Vi home a little while ago. We're both gonna be fine. With slayer healing, Vi should have the casts off in what?" She looks at Faith and Kennedy for confirmation. "Two weeks or so?" They both nod.
She looks blandly at her sister. "Anything else you wanted to know about?"
Buffy just stares back at the teenager for a moment, obviously trying to process the tonelessly stated facts. Suddenly, she looks at the teenaged Slayer. "How could you let yourself get jumped like that? You're a Slayer! You can feel when a vampire is near, same as the rest of us. Haven't we tried to drill into your head that a Slayer has to be constantly alert?" She slashes her hand down, blocking any attempt to answer. "Obviously, that lesson didn't take, so I nearly had to bury another girl who's clearly too young for this! Not to mention my only sister!"
Dawn jumps to her feet as Vi sinks further into her chair, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, but Buffy plunges on with what she's saying. "And you two!" she yells, rounding on Faith and Kennedy. "Where the hell were you when all this was happening? Were you even trying to do your jobs, or were you in some crypt fucking instead?"
Faith is on her feet and eye to eye with the blonde Slayer faster than anyone can follow. "That's it, Buffy! I get that you're scared about Dawn and that you're pissed cause they both got hurt. I get that you need to blow off steam because of that. I do. If you wanna go to the training room, we can trade punches til you can think straight again. But, you don't get to blame this on me or Kennedy or anything but plain bad luck, cause that's all it was. Plain, old fashion, bad God damned luck! D'ya see?"
"What I see is you were too busy playing with your new toy and let a vampire get by you and attack my sister!"
"Enough about that kinda shit! We don't do that, so you can just shut the fuck up with things you're clueless about, got it, B?" Faith snarls.
"Sure seemed that way to me earlier, F! Sounded like you were having a really good time in the shower, so why should I believe you weren't polishing the top of some grave stone last night, too! " Buffy screams at the other Slayer
Willow's eyes widen a little, hearing that her lovers were having sex in the shower, but decides that can wait til they're alone. Right now, her attention is on keeping her Slayers from attacking Buffy. Neither of her girls handle being insulted well, and they really go crazy someone tries to hurt someone they love, so both are getting more and more furious. She can feel Kennedy preparing to launch herself upright to help their lover and knows she can't let her do that.
Faith glares with fire filled eyes at her blonde counterpart. "Last chance, Buffy. Drop it! You have no idea what you're talking about, so drop it or wake up bleeding!"
The blonde scoffs. "You never could take me, not on your best day, so not worried about that!" She looks at the witch. "Better call her off, Will, before I have to hurt her."
The implication that Faith is a dog causes Kennedy's to surge to her feet, but Willow grabs her arm and pulls her back down besides her. The Slayer turns and glares at her witch and tries to stand again. [Kennedy! No! We'll never get Buffy calmed down if you both thump on her. Please? Let Faith handle this?] the redhead pleads.
Kennedy stares at Willow for a few seconds, then tightly nods, adding the thought, [This time. She says anything else about me or Faith, though, she's mine!]
[Thank you, baby] Willow turns her attention to her other Slayer, hurrying to 'speak' as the dark Slayer prepares to fight. [Faith! I know you're mad. So are Kennedy and I, but we need to get Buffy to calm down, not for you two to kick her ass. I know she's asking for it, but you can't.]
Faith slowly lowers her fist and rotates slightly, enough to see Willow without losing sight of Buffy. [For you, Willow. This once.] Even the dark Slayer's mindvoice sounds furious.
"Leave her alone, Buffy! It's not Faith's fault! It just happened! We were coming home, we'd had a good time and we weren't paying attention to anything but getting to the car. That's all!" Dawn yells. "I mean, forget history much? How many times did you get jumped on when you were leaving the Bronze?"
"That was different!"
"How? How is it different? Because you're a Slayer? So is Vi! And she's a great Slayer, too! She totally trashed that guy! I only staked him to be sure he wasn't getting up, but, believe me, he wasn't!" the younger Summers retorts hotly.
Buffy matches her sister's glare, hazel eyes to blue ones. "That doesn't change the fact that these two," she says, pointing in the direction of the dark haired slayers, "Couldn't keep their damned pants on and let a vampire get away!"
Kennedy jumps to her feet with a snarl, charging forward, but momentarily gets tangled up with Faith, who's also trying to get to Buffy. The delay is long enough for the blonde to drop back into a fighting stance before Faith throws a punch, followed by a high kick. Buffy blocks both, but doesn't see the kick Kennedy launches, landing firmly in her stomach.
The air explodes from the blonde Slayer's lungs as she staggers back a step, then she straightens and spins around, kicking at Kennedy's head. The younger Slayer ducks and comes back up into a guard position.
"Separate."
Faith and Kennedy are both pulled gently back a couple feet, while Buffy is propelled several feet in the opposite direction. Everyone in the room looks at Willow, to see the witch, standing now, scowling impartially around her.
No one but Xander can figure out what's happening, but he's been on the wrong end of Willow in this kind of mood before. He knows the authority in the room just shifted and the argument is over. No matter what Buffy might think, she's lost. Period.
The wicca looks at her lovers first. "Kennedy, Faith, please sit back down." Kennedy reluctantly moves to comply, but Faith continues to stare at the oldest Slayer, fists clenching and unclenching. "Faith. Baby, I said, please."
The brunette's gaze shifts to her redhead for a second before she drops her eyes. Crossing the room, she flumps down beside Kennedy. Both women look more than willing to jump up and continue the fight, but Willow smiles her thanks to them and they both calm. A little.
Willow turns her attention to her best friend. "Buffy. You sit too," she points at one of the armchairs. When Buffy grudgingly does, the witch sits on the end on the coffee table, facing the blonde.
"You don't get to blame my girlfriends because a vampire knows where good hunting grounds are. They were on the other side of town, anyway, taking out the nest you said they should, so it's not their fault. They didn't 'let' a vampire get passed them, they were just in the wrong part of the city to catch him.
"It's not Dawn fault that she was chosen as a snack, and it's not Vi's fault Dawn was bitten before she could kill it. Dawn's right, Vi is a good Slayer and you've said so yourself. Think about this. If they'd stayed for even one more song, someone or several someones would be dead now, or going to become a vampire tomorrow. At least that vampire is dead now."
Buffy starts to reply, but Willow cuts her off. "No! You got your chance to yell, now I'm talking! I know you're scared about losing Dawnie. I am too! But, Faith was right. This happened because of bad luck, a wrong place, wrong time kinda thing. Nothing else! You know that, or you will when you stop thinking with your emotions and listen to your head."
Buffy frowns and looks aside, breaking the green eyed stare she was under. "Willow, she could've died! She shouldn't have been there. Not alone!"
"She wasn't alone. She was with a Slayer and a good one. Yes, she should have been there, because it was friday night, she's seventeen and she wanted to go dancing. Same as we used to all those years ago!" Buffy snorts once at the idea she too old to remember all the nights they went to the Bronze.
Willow smiles slightly as she senses the distraught Slayer is beginning to calm down. "Yes, they were surprised because they weren't looking to be attacked, but they both reacted quickly and killed the vamp fast. And, before you come over all forbid-y about either of them going back there, now they know to keep an eye out, so they won't get hurt again, right?"
Buffy stares at the floor for a moment, still thinking furiously about the near losing of her sister. She looks up, tears beginning to drip. "Will, I can't loose her! She's all I've got!"
Willow goes to her knees in front of her friend, gathering the blonde into her arms. "You won't! She lives in a house, surrounded by people with superpowers, so we'll keep safe!" The redhead's eyes flick over at the youngest Slayer for a second. "Not to mention, she's constantly hanging around a Slayer. You'll keep her healthy, right Vi?"
The young girl nods, trying to reassure her leader. "Don't worry, Buffy. I'd die before I let anything hurt her!" Vi suddenly realizes she may have said too much and retreats back into the couch cushions, blushing furiously. Daring to glance quickly around, only Willow seems to understand what she meant, though Faith is looking back at her, a wondering expression on her face. Dawn appears touched by her friend's devotion.
Willow releases Buffy and moves back to the table. When she's sure she has her attention, the witch asks, "Do you believe now it was just bad luck, and that everything will be of the good in a couple weeks?"
Buffy sniffs and wipes at the water on her face. "Yeah. I guess so." She looks up at Dawn. "But I am so scoping out this club and killing anything remotely not human before you can go back! No arguments!"
Dawn smiles and waves a hand. "Paranoid much? Fine! Do what you gotta do!" The teen is just happy she can go back without sneaking off.
Buffy stands, then glares at Xander. Willow follows her gaze, uneasy that a fresh argument is going to start.
"You promised me, Xander!"
The man smiles easily. "Guess I have to pay up now?"
The blonde walks over to him and grabs his wrist, pulling him to his feet. "Yep! And you are so gonna get a work out! You're gonna walk funny for days!" She drags him off toward the basement.
Willow smiles at their banter, grateful the crisis has been ended, though Buffy does still need to apologize. She also knows Xander will tell their friend that and the blonde Slayer will track down her own two later and do so. She turns slightly, looking at her girls. "From what Buffy said, do we need to talk?" she asks lightly, smiling to show she's not upset.
Faith nods and Kennedy replies, "Yeah, we should. Want to go upstairs?" Both women nod and the triple moves toward the stairs.
Dawn watches them go, frowning to herself. Buffy's words to Xander have, for some reason, rekindled the anger in her towards her sister and the teen doesn't know why. She's sure that they're just going to spar, but if they were going to do anything else, Dawn's sure she'd be happy for them both. She loves Xander like he's already a member of the family, which he is, as far as she's concerned, so he and Buffy dating wouldn't be a problem. Would it? She doesn't understand why it just feels... wrong for those two to get together.
Sensing movement out of the corner of her eye, Dawn shakes her head and looks at Vi. The other teen is attempting to pick up one of the snack cakes Xander brought in earlier, but, with both hands in a cast, she's having a lot of trouble.
Dawn picks up the cake and unwraps it. "Here. Let me help."
Vi looks at her friend, a little annoyed. "I'm not a baby, Dawn. I can feed myself!"
The former Key shakes her head. Vi gets momentarily lost in the shimmer of the girl's hair moving. "Not right now, you can't. Unless you want to look like the loser at a food fight?" Vi shakes her head no. "Thought so. Besides, I've got lots of experience at this, so don't worry!" she assures the girl airily.
Vi looks dubious. "What experience?"
"Tara, Willow's girlfriend before Kennedy. A Big Bad broke her whole hand and made her crazy! I used to help Willow take care of her til she was better, so see? I can help you too!"
Dawn smiles, holding the chocolate-y cake up so Vi can take a bite. She doesn't quite understand the look the other girl gives her, but just figures she's grateful, but embarrassed about it. Her smile gets bigger and and she nods encouragingly.
Vi swallows nervously, the reaches out and takes a bite out of the proffered treat, 'accidentally' brushing her lips along one of Dawn's fingers.
The brunette just laughs and bubbles, "See? That wasn't so bad!"
Vi just grins and chews.
Willow leads the way in the triple's bedroom, moving over and sitting on the corner of the bed. Kennedy follows her in and sits in the corner chair, while Faith closes the door and leans against it.
Willow grins suddenly. "You know, you two were all with the snuggly this morning when I left, really just wrapped up together! Did you wake up that way?"
Kennedy looks away, face darkening a little. "Um, yeah. We did. You're - you're not mad are you?"
Willow giggles. "Why would I be? You looked so cute! Glad I took a picture, cause you're acting all embarrassed. Why?"
The younger Slayer shrugs. "Not sure. I guess cause I thought you'd be mad or upset or something. Cause it wasn't with you."
Faith frowns, but stays silent. Willow smiles tolerantly. "No, it was with your other girlfriend. That's what Faith is, for both of us, right? Our girlfriend. Kennedy, look at me." The brunette looks up. "You know how much I love you, right?"
Kennedy nods without hesitation. "Yeah, I do. I love you too, Will."
The redhead smiles again. "I know you do, baby. Faith, you know I love you just as much, don't you?"
Faith grins easily. "Back at'cha, Red. Same way." Her gaze shifts to her other girl. "Gettin kinda fond of the Brat, too!" she teases.
"Really? That's too bad, cause I just can't stand you!" Kennedy glares at the other Slayer for a second, just look enough for both of the other women to start worrying, the breaks up.
Faith lunges forward and grabs the younger girl, throwing her at the bed. Willow ducks, then rolls over and, with the ease of long familiarity, attacks the spots where her Slayer is ticklish. Kennedy squirms and tries to reciprocate, but the witch wiggles out of the way of her lover's fingers and continues her assault.
Faith stands laughing by the side of the bed for a moment, watching where Kennedy is trying to reach, then she joins her girls, going for Willow. The redhead squeals and moves closer to Kennedy, who smiles and helps Faith.
Willow is soon gasping for air and trying to stop laughing as first one Slayer, then the other stops tickling and starts lightly caressing. The witch's giggles turn to soft moans as Kennedy kisses her lips gently and Faith, sweeping crimson locks out of the way, begins to nibble and kiss at the back of her neck.
The make out session continues for several minutes before Faith reluctantly pulls herself away, having suddenly realized that she and Willow both were lying on Kennedy. She rolls off and falls beside the other Slayer. Reaching up, she lightly runs her fingers down Willow's back as she watches her witch and Slayer continue kissing.
Suddenly, the redhead and brunette break apart gasping. Dropping her head to Kennedy's chest, Willow struggles a bit to regain control of her breathing. After a moment, she looks at Faith. "Something wrong, sweetie? What's with the stopping?"
"Thought Kenn might not want to hold up both of us. You don't weigh much, but I do!"
Willow looks down at her younger Slayer, concern lighting her eyes. Kennedy waves it away, though, saying, "Didn't really notice." She smiles at both women. "Had other things on my mind!"
All three girls laugh. Willow smiles as a thought occurs to her, something Buffy said. "Did you two really... um, you know, in the shower?"
Kennedy starts looking a little guilty again, but Faith laughs harder. "Sometimes, Red, I just don't understand you! Here you are, keeping not one, but two oversexed, always horny Slayers happy and you still can't say the word 'sex'! And you always blush too, which is just too cute, right K?"
Kennedy smiles, though she still feels a twinge of guilt. "I always thought so. Still haven't figures out which is cuter, though. The blushing or the Willowbabble!"
Willow buries her burning face into Kennedy's chest for a moment. Then curiosity gets the best of her and she looks back up at her girls. "So, was Buffy right?"
Kennedy's smile vanishes. "Yeah. She was. I kinda joined Faith in the shower and, well, she was all naked and wet and, well..." she stops, embarrassed for some reason. "I really wanted to talk to you before she and I did anything without you. It just kinda happened."
The witch sighs. "Kennedy, does it bother you that you want Faith?"
The younger girl hesitates, then nods. "A little. You're my everything! It feels like I'm cheating if you're not there. When it's all three of us, I'm fine, before and after, but when it's just her and me, it's different. I wish it wasn't it, cause I love you both, but it is for some reason!" the confused girl wails.
Faith covers Kennedy's hand where it's holding Willow and looks at her Slayer. "Kennedy, I told you last night and today that I understood. I still do. Things will happen when they're ready to. I guess we weren't quite there today, but soon, right?" She moves her head slightly, enough to see both of her girl's faces. "I love you both, too, and, if you want, we can slow down again. I can go back to my room til we're really ready."
Kennedy quickly shakes her head. "No! I don't want you to do that! Besides," She smiles at her girlfriends. "not sure I can sleep without both of you here!"
"Me either! I like waking up all warm and safe, with my tough Slayers to protect me!" Willow giggles.
Faith smiles and chuckles. "Ok, I'll stay. We'll work through this, Kenn, don't worry. I mean, hey, you guys talked me into all this didn't you? This'll be easy!"
Both women laughingly agree. Kennedy looks at Willow, then Faith and, easing passed the witch, presses a kiss onto the Slayer's lips, once, twice, then draws back and repeats the kiss with Willow. The redhead smiles as they break apart and leans forward, nibbling and kissing her younger Slayer's neck.
Faith smiles and captures Kennedy's lips for an increasingly heated kiss, then darts her tongue into the other girl's mouth, inviting Kennedy's out to play. The raven haired girl accepts and a duel for dominance begins.
Willow pulls back for a moment and smiles as she watches her Slayers kiss scorchingly. "See? Easy!" she says softly before starting to plant soft kisses on Faith's neck this time.
Six hands start to roam freely as the make out session heats up.
"... said they'd be all right, remember?" Buffy says, leading Xander over to the storage boxes in the corner.
Xander smiles and agree. "Yeah, I do. I just figured the odds were in my favor. I mean, who could've know?"
"Doesn't change anything. You promised to help me work out if she got hurt, so, here." The blonde removes the lid from a rather large plastic tub. Whatever is inside is lumpy and flesh colored.
Xander looks into the box and frowns. "The puffy suit? No way, Buff! Anything else, please!" He peers all around the room, trying to find an alternate to suggest to her. "I know, hand me that sword. We could help each other train that way."
Golden tresses flying, Buffy shakes her head. "Sorry, Xand. You promised and this is what I want, so, let's get it on you!" she says, dumping the oversized garment on the floor.
The man just stares at her for a few seconds and sighs. Reluctantly reaching for the bottom half of the suit, he positions it so he can climb in it, cursing it under his breath the whole time.
A little over an hour later, Xander winces as Buffy helps him remove the upper half of the massive training aid. The Slayer tosses the garment toward it's storage bin and grabs a cold pack from the nearby first aid kit.
Walking back to her old friend, she catches the wince and tells him, "Oh, calm down, you big baby! I didn't hit you that hard, you know."
Xander works his jaw side to side, flinching when it pops. "Yes, you did. I'm just glad you weren't aiming for my jaw. I'd so hate to have to learn to talk through a hole in my throat!"
Shaking the cold pack to activate it, the Slayer reaches up and gently holds his chin, moving his head to the side to see the impact site. "There's barely a bruise! This is why you're whining?" she asks, smiling to show she's just teasing.
Xander grimaces. "I'm not whining! I'm in serious pain here. Just cause you Slayers can trade punches with the hordes of hell and still look april fresh, doesn't mean us poor mortals can." The man pouts, though his eye sparkles, showing he knows they're just playing.
Buffy just rolls her eyes at his antics. "Since you're acting like such a baby, you want me to kiss it and make it better?"
"Never know. That might work!" he smirks.
The blonde Slayer sighs explosively and goes to her tip toes, grinning, as she presses a soft, but light kiss onto the discolored skin. She's completely unprepared for the surge of emotion that rockets through her as her lips touch his face. Feelings long dormant roar throughout her being and she unconsciously increases the intensity of the contact.
Xander, too, is under the grips of something he thought long dead. The touch of Buffy's lips on his cheek causes him to lean into the caress, despite the mild pain of the tender flesh. He thoughts disjointed, he remembers his crush on the Slayer all throughout high school as well as his acceptance that that was all it would ever be.
Buffy pulls back, unsettled by the intensity of her feelings. She looks into Xander's face, locking her hazel eyes on his grey one, trying to decipher the emotions she can see there.
"Uh, Buff... I -" Before he can organize his thoughts and speak them aloud, Buffy lunges up and captures his lips in a heated, increasingly passionate kiss. Lips begin moving against lips as the man slips his arms around the Slayer and pulls her close. The pair begin moaning softly as the intensity of the kiss goes up a notch when the blonde flicks her tongue into his mouth, caressing his own.
Buffy's eyes suddenly fly open as she realizes what she's doing. She swiftly pulls out searingly hot kiss and looks at Xander for a moment, then tries to move away.
Xander looks down into his best friend's face and sees her confusion for what they were doing and it mirrors his own. He hadn't had any serious desire for Buffy to be anything other than a friend since shortly after he and Cordelia had started dating. When she tries to move out of his arms, he opens them and lets her, unsure what else he should do.
"Xander, I - I" the blonde stammers, looking at the floor, blushing furiously, unable to form the words she wants to say. The feeling of his lips on hers is still blindingly bright in her memory and she can't just can't forget how good it felt.
Xander turns his head and looks at the crumpled puffy suit half lying in the corner. His own cheeks are flushed, though from embarrassment or the ferocity of their kiss, he can't say. "S'ok, Buffy. It was my fault. I'm really sorry." He tries to smile reassuringly, but it comes out as a grimace. "Guess you really never leave high school, huh?" he attempts to joke. It falls flat.
Blonde hair flying, Buffy shakes her head violently. "N-no! It's my fault! Not really sure why I k... did that."
She moves toward the stairs, not looking at him. The Slayer know they need to talk about what happened, but she's still horribly confused by her emotions and just can't do it now. "I-I'm going to go see about getting dinner together. Can - can you get the puffy suit put away for me?"
Xander finally glances her way, starting to call to her to stop. That they need to talk. He knows, though, that he's not sure he himself is ready to speak about what just happened and Buffy will need time to be able to say anything. Finally, he just nods. "Yeah, I've got it. If you want to order out, I'm kinda in the mood for chinese."
At last, the Slayer turns and regards her friend, gratitude in her eyes for his understanding. She wants to tell him it'll be all right, but she knows it won't. Not without work on both their parts. She simply accepts the offered space and replies, "Yeah, that does sound kinda good. Let me talk to everyone else."
As she starts up the stairs, he answers, "Just let me know what's decided, ok? Be up in a minute."
Buffy nods and continues up the stairs, not trusting her voice.
Dawn is sitting on the couch beside Vi, watching some movie that caught the other teen's eye. It's not really her style, but she's feeling very indulgent, since the youngest Slayer saved her life. Picking up her drink can, she realizes it's empty, and she immediately stands up to get another. "I'm going to get another soda. Want something?"
Vi looks up at Dawn, confused for a moment as she's pulled from her thoughts. "Oh, uh, no. I'm good." The brunette teen smiles and heads off toward the kitchen.
As Dawn enters the kitchen, Buffy emerges from the basement, and the younger Summers immediately notices how flushed and distracted her sister is. Unsure what's wrong, she asks, "Buffy? Everything ok? You didn't hurt Xander did you?"
Buffy looks at Dawn without comprehension, like she's unsure what the teen is asking. Then, shaking her head slightly, she stammers, "Wha? Yeah. I'm, uh, fine."
"What about Xander? Is he coming up soon?"
"Uh, yeah, he's good. I-I think he'll be up soon."
Dawn frowns, puzzled by Buffy's confusion. When the basement door opens, she automatically turns to look and smiles as she sees Xander in the doorway. Her smile dies slowly as she observes the way Buffy and Xander avoid each other's gaze and she notices how flustered the man appears. She also sees the bruise forming on his jaw and looks at her sister, furious.
"You said you didn't hurt him!" she says harshly, snatching the cold pack out of Buffy's hand. Stalking over to Xander, she gently places the pack on the sore spot.
A smile flickers across Xander's face as he takes the cold pack from Dawn's hand. "I'm ok, Dawnie. I just forgot to duck, that's all. Can you ask everyone else if chinese is ok for dinner?"
Dawn glares at her sister for a moment before answering. "Yeah, sure. I'll be right back." Giving Buffy one more fulminating look, she leaves.
Xander faces the Slayer. "Buffy. We need to talk."
The blonde refuses to look at him, but replies, "I know, but I-I can't. Not yet. I n-need to think first." She flicks a glance at his face. "You understand, don't you?" she pleads.
The man nods. "Yeah. I think I do. When you're ready, though."
Buffy smiles gratefully. "I'll find you. Don't worry." The blonde moves toward the back door, but stops as she touches the knob. "I'm gonna go for a walk. Don't worry about getting any dinner for me. Not very hungry right now."
"I'll take care of it, Buff. Be careful."
She nods and leaves.
As soon as Dawn's out the door, Vi throws her head back in a soft groan. Dawn has stayed with her all afternoon, helping her to eat, take a drink from her glass, anything she'd needed. The former Key had even helped her in the bathroom, though only with the clothes problem and she'd kept her eyes closed the whole time.
The entire time had been a test of the teenager's self control, to not just tell Dawn she was in love with her and the proximity was making her insane with desire. When she had sort of kissed the other girl's finger, her hormones had surged to the forefront, urgently demanding she do more. That she fulfill her desires.
The Slayer had managed to slap them back down, but she'd had to be constantly on the alert, in case her body tried to betray her again. She knew she'd almost been ignoring Dawn in her attempt to control herself, but couldn't really see a choice.
Willow. She needed to talk to Willow again. Talking to the witch at the hospital had helped more than she would have ever thought it could have. Willow would help her again, she just knew. She resolved to talk to her the next time the redhead came downstairs.
"Vi!"
The distracted teen looks up and over at the door. "What! Sorry, I was thinking. What's up?"
Dawn looks at her friend, a questioning look passing quickly through her eyes, displacing some of the anger. "Dinner. Buffy wants to do chinese. Is that ok with you?"
"Oh, sure. Uh, can you tell her to get me what I got last time?"
"You mean, what you had when we went by there the other day?"
Vi nods. "You remember? Ok, then that's what I want. Thanks."
Dawn smiles sweetly at the other teen. "Not a problem! I can help you with the rice, too, ok? Anyway, I need to go ask the others. Hope they're not, y'know, naked and sweaty. Can you say 'eww'?"
The young Slayer looks confused, and strangely to Dawn, hurt. "I thought you were ok with their relationship?"
Dawn waves her hands in denial. "Oh, I so am! No problems here! Just don't want to watch, you know?" she laughs.
"Yeah, I'm with you there! Hey, as long as you're there, can you tell Willow I'd like to talk to her tonight?"
"Sure, no problem. Back in a minute!" the brunette calls as she heads for the staircase.
The young Slayer's smile fades and she sighs. It's going to be a long night!
A hard knock causes all three women to jump slightly and stop where they are.
"Willow?" Dawn's asks, voice muffled by the door. "Can I come in?"
Their make out session has progressed to the point that everyone is down to their various types of underwear. Soft teasing kisses and caressing have given way to harder, deeper kisses and fondling and teasing of sensitive flesh. All three women groan in varying degrees of annoyance.
"Just a second Dawnie!" Willow calls as Kennedy reaches down and grabs the bed covers that are bunched at the bottom. After a moment of fumbling, the sheet and blanket are sorted out and everything is covered.
"Ok."
The door opens partway and Dawn slips her head in and looks toward the bed, her eyes firmly closed. Faith barks a laugh at the girl's expression, while Willow and Kennedy smile.
Willow colors lightly, but says, "It's ok Dawnie. We're covered up."
The teen squints, one blue orb showing briefly as she checks to see it's really all right. Seeing the situation, Dawn blushes deep red and whips her gaze to the closet door. "Uh, sorry! Buffy just wanted to know what you guys wanted to do about dinner. She was thinking chinese, but I wasn't sure, so she said to ask you guys but I wouldn't have bothered you if I'd known what you were doing. I mean you said you were going to talk, so I didn't think about what else you might be EEEKKK!" she cries, slapping her hand across her eyes.
Willow smacks Faith's arm as the Slayer lowers the sheet over her semi-nude form again.
"What? What did I do?" she asks, rubbing the place. Kennedy has her face buried in Willow's back, but her shoulders are shaking as she laughs quietly.
"That was mean! You shouldn't have done that to her." Willow tells her older Slayer, grumpily.
Faith looks a little confused, but grins wickedly. "Why was it mean?" Willow just gives her a look. "Ok, maybe a little, but if it was you doing the babble thing like that, K or me would've kissed you to stop it. Can't do that with Little D, so I improvised. Sorry, D!" she calls to the magenta-hued teen.
[So more than I ever wanted to know!] Dawn thinks, but replies, "S'ok. Just please don't do it again!" She cautiously uncovers one eye to check on the triple again, then looks back at the closet door. "So, about dinner?"
Kennedy looks up, finally able to get her mirth under control. "Chinese is fine with me. Just get my usual, ok?"
"Good with me too, D. You know what I like, right?"
"Willow and Kennedy?" Dawn asks innocently, smirking slightly.
Faith grins evilly and grabs the edge of the covers again. Dawn squeaks and hides her eyes, while Willow smacks her arm for teasing the teenager.
The redhead calls out, "Just order a little of everything, Dawnie. We'll be down in a few minutes."
Keeping her eyes covered, Dawn starts back out the door, then remembers Vi's request. "Oh, Willow? Vi said to tell you she wants to talk to you sometime tonight."
"Ok. Tell her I'll see her in a little while. Thanks Dawnie!" she says as Dawn closes the door.
Faith rolls over and smiles at her witch. "Now, where were we?" She kisses the hollow of the wicca's throat, tracing a path up along her throat.
Willow moans softly, but reaches up places her hand on the older Slayer's arm. "Sweetie, wait." Faith draws back, a little confused. "I definitely want to continue this later, but we need to go back downstairs, now."
Kennedy kisses the witch's shoulder, then answers, "Not til dinner's here. That'll be a while, baby."
"Not if someone doesn't go get it. Remember, they won't deliver here anymore. Something about a crazy person trying to kill the last delivery guy."
Kennedy scoffs. "Hey, is it my fault he looked just like a vampire that got away the night before?"
Faith rolls her eyes and Willow giggles, then pulls the young Slayer's hand up and kisses it. "No, we understand, honey, but the poor man you almost attacked was scared silly. So, we need to go down and you guys can go get dinner. Besides, I can see what Vi wants to talk about."
Both brunettes sigh and, stopping to kiss their witch first, get out of bed and start dressing again. Willow just lies there for a moment, admiring her lovers as the move around, gather clothing and putting it on, before dressing herself.
"Any idea what the Rookie wants, Will?" Faith wonders.
Willow shrugs. "Maybe. I'll talk to her while you're gone."
Kennedy looks at her perplexed. "Why do we have to go get food? Why not Xander or Buffy?"
Willow smiles seductively. "Because, the sooner we eat, they sooner you can do me a favor. One I think you'll both like!"
The Slayers look at each other, slow smiles appearing. Faith snatches the door open and both girls hurry out of the room. Willow chuckles to herself, anticipating the rest of the evening, as she follows her Slayers downstairs.
Dawn races back downstairs, still blushing furiously. Using the banister to tether herself, she barely even slows down at the bottom, but pulls herself around and continues to the kitchen without a break in stride.
As she enters the kitchen, she finds Xander sitting on a stool, cold pack in hand, writing on a pad. "I'm back. How's the jaw?", she asks, smiling sympathetically.
"Oh, hey. Ok. Doesn't really hurt right now. Might, a little tomorrow, but for now, it's of the good. No worries, Dawnster." He glances at the dinner notes he's made. "You got everyone's dinner order?"
She nods, then blushes again as the image of Faith flashes through her mind. "Yeah!" she squeaks, the clears her throat. "Um, yeah. You got the order form?"
Xander nods and moves over a bit, making room for the teen as she reaches for a pen to mark the orders she received. She's suddenly aware of how close she and Xander are standing, and she feels a flush spread through her. [What's going on?] she wonders. [I don't understand. It's Xander! Why am I having these feelings? He's like my brother!] Thoroughly confused, she finishes quickly and moves away.
"Dawnie? You ok?"
Dawn jerks her gaze up to meet his, smiling widely. "Sure! Oh, Faith kinda flashed me when I went up to ask them about dinner, but that's all."
Xander grins sardonically. "Caught them in a bunch of lesbian naughtiness, huh?"
"No! Well, yes, but they stopped and covered up before I came in. Faith jerked the covers off and she, sh - So didn't want to see that!" the young girl wails.
"Saw Faith in the buff, huh?" he asks in a joking voice, then sobers suddenly. "We're just going to forget that scary visual place, right?"
Dawn just nods frantically.
"What's the what, Patch? Food on the way?" Faith asks as she enters. Dawn's eyes turn toward her and the teen blushes again.
The Slayer grins until she feels a prod in her back. Whipping her head around, she finds Kennedy giving her a meaningful look before jerking her head sharply toward Dawn. Faith rolls her eyes, but looks back to the brunette teen. "I'm really sorry about upstairs, D. The way you were doin the babble thing, just couldn't resist, y'know?"
Dawn vigorously shakes her head as she replies, "Yeah, ok. J-just forget about it." 'I'm trying to!' she thinks.
"We were just getting the order together, so I'll yell when it gets here." Xander informs the Slayers.
"They won't deliver here anymore. Kennedy tried to stake the guy last time," Faith gleefully informs him, earning her a baleful look from her Slayer.
The carpenter's amused grin returns. "Don't know why that would keep'em away, the Land of Cleve being all hellmouthy. You'd think they'd be used to such honest mistakes as someone thinking their employees were creatures of the night!"
Kennedy vigorously nods. "My point exactly! But will anyone around here listen?" she scoffs.
Faith laughs as she throws an arm around her indignant young Slayer, pulling her toward the garage door. "Come on, Brat. Time we get there, it'll be ready." She stops and glances back at Xander. "As long as Patch calls it in soon, that is!"
He picks up the phone and shows it to the women. Faith nods and the Slayers leave.
While Xander calls in the prodigious amount of food, Dawn looks around for Buffy. She wants to apologize for yelling, though she's still not sure why she did. She knows, from her own lumps, that sparring with a Slayer can sometimes be dangerous. None of them would ever intentionally hurt the regular humans among them, but accidents happen. It's a hazard they've all long since accepted. The only reason she can think of for her to be angry about Xander's bruised cheek is that she was still angry about the whole 'Buffy blowup' earlier.
'That must be it,' she reasons, even though a thought nags at her that that's not it.
Opening the basement door, she sees the lights are out, so closes it up again and turns toward the dining room. Still not finding her, the teen returns to the kitchen as Xander hangs up.
"Have you seen Buffy? Need to say I'm sorry about yelling earlier, for, you know. Um, her hitting you."
Xander smiles uneasily. "Oh, uh, she said she wasn't hungry and went for a walk. Said she might be gone for a while."
"Oh." Dawn pauses, then plunges ahead. "Is everything ok? I mean, when I came in here earlier, you guys were all avoidy. Did she try to get all growly about the extra hellmouths thing? Or me getting hurt? Did you guys really fight?"
Xander glances at the teen, then looks off to the side. "Uh, no. We didn't fight. I mean, yes, I helped her with a work out. She asked me to wear the puffy suit and pummeled me for a little while. That's how I got hit. Her fist slid on the suit. She didn't mean for it to happen, Dawnie."
The brunette shakes her head, smiling slightly. "Obvious much? I know she wouldn't hurt you on purpose, like you wouldn't hurt any of us. So not a worry, once I stopped being mad. That's what I wanted to apologize for."
Dawn thinks for a moment, then presses on. "Is that why she was so weird? Does she think you're mad about it or something?"
"No, it's nothing like that."
"Then what's going on? Maybe I can help." she argues, looking confused.
The man gives her a pained expression. "Uh, yeah, maybe you can. But, later, ok? I need to talk to Buffy first."
"Why?" she asks, beginning to feel uneasy. "Did something happen with you two?"
Xander just gives her a strained look. "I just need to talk to Buffy before I can say anything, ok? Maybe we can talk tomorrow."
From the way he's acting, Dawn suddenly has an image of what must have happened between them and feels anger race through her. She scowls and snarls, "Fine! Don't tell me what's going on! After all, I'm far too young to understand anything, so why bother my poor brain!"
Turning her back on the perplexed man, she stalks off.
Vi sits staring at the tv, but not seeing anything. All her thoughts are on how to avoid Dawn as much as possible without straining their friendship. She knows that, with how hard today was, it'll be impossible to not confess to everything if Dawn keeps helping her the same way the entire time it takes her hands to heal.
Even though it was only a finger, the feel of Dawn's skin on her lips was intoxicating and the teen Slayer wants more. [It can't happen] she thinks, her emotions taking a downturn. She's more firmly convinced than ever that the former Key will react badly and not want to be friends. Even worse, to her mind, is the thought that the brunette would simply laugh and say she just wasn't into girls, but they're still friends, right?
Sensing movement, Vi looks toward the door at finds Willow entering. [Oh, thank God!] she thinks.
"Hey there, cutie. What's up?"
The teen blushes at the 'cutie' remark, but answers, "Can we talk a bit? I needed some more advise, if that's all right."
Willow smiles and sits beside the girl. "Sure. Since you're all advise needy, I guess same subject?" A sudden thought happens to the witch. "Oh, no. Dawnie's been down here the whole time, being really helpful, hasn't she?"
The Slayer nods vehemently. "Completely! I mean, I did kinda need the help. With most things, anyway, but I think I'm going crazy! We hang out a lot, I know, but today, she was always right here! Sitting beside me so close, we were almost touching, but close enough that all I could smell was her.
"I spilled a little soda, just down my chin, and she wiped it off. I even sorta kissed her, but she doesn't kn..." Vi stops speaking and blushes furiously. She hadn't intended to tell anyone that.
Willow just smiles, not without a great deal of sympathy. "Yeah, I can see why that would make the day all frustrating. Wait. How could you kiss her and she not know?" the redhead asks, confused.
Her face darkening a little more, the teen haltingly explains. "S-she was helping me with a little cake. She h-held it up for me to take a bite and w-when I did, I kinda, um -"
"Kissed one her fingers that was holding it? Sneaky!", the witch compliments, grinning slyly.
Vi flashes a grin, then shrugs. "Just kinda happened. Didn't plan it or anything. But, what am I gonna do? I almost told her everything. Twice! If this keeps up, I know I'll let it slip."
Willow frowns ever so slightly. "Still not getting why that's a bad thing. I mean, we both know Dawnie doesn't have any problems with the whole gay thing, so I don't understand why you just won't let her decide for herself."
"I told you, she's never shown any signs that she likes girls that way. I just can't take a chance that she would start acting weird around me. That way lies not being friends, and I couldn't take that! I can't explain it better than that, I just can't tell her!" the upset teenager cries.
Willow lays a comforting hand on Vi's arm and squeezes lightly, careful of the girl's injuries. Her heart goes out to her young friend, understanding a little of what she's feeling. With the strangeness of recognizing her feelings about Faith so recently, but wanting to deny it and not wanting to chance losing Kennedy. [Of course,] her mind reasons, [that worked out, right?]
The redhead focuses on the Slayer again, commenting, "Vi, again I tell you, she should find out how you feel. From you, before someone else finds out and uses it against you. But, I know you're all with the eeeee and the aaaaahhh, so the decision is yours. I promised I wouldn't say anything and I won't"
Vi smiles in gratitude, then looks at her hands again. "But, what am I gonna do about these? As long as I have these damned things on, she's gonna be right here all the time, trying to help. Basically driving me crazy!"
"That's so not a worry anymore!"
Dawn storms out of the kitchen, thoroughly confuse about why she's angry with Xander, but furious none the less. And Buffy. She's mad at Buffy, too, and that makes her even more perplexed, yet on more comfortable ground, as well. She and Buffy have been arguing her whole life, so being mad at her sister is kinda normal. Now, if the teen could only figure out why she was upset this time...
"...long as I have these damned things on, she's gonna be right here all the time, trying to help. Basically driving me crazy!", she hears Vi say, as she nears the door to the tv room.
A fresh jolt of fury surges through her. [That bitch!] Dawn thinks. [I was just trying to help, to pay her back for saving my life!]
"That's so not a worry anymore!" she informs the pair on the couch hotly.
Willow looks up and Vi's head whips around. The dark haired teen winces as she bumps one of her hands off her own knee, but just gasps, "Dawn! Dawn, no, it's not... I didn't mean... w-what I meant..."
Dawn slashes her hand down. "If I'm such a pain, just trying to be nice, then you can do it your damned self!" she snarls before turning and running up the stairs. After a couple seconds, the other two girls hear a door slam, loud and violently.
"No, Dawn!" Vi whispers. She turns and regards Willow with a guilty, horrified look, tears beginning to form. "Willow, what did I do?" She tries to stand, the effort a little clumsy since she can't really use her hands. "I've got to go talk to her! Sh-she needs to understand what I meant, that it wasn't anything she really did."
Willow gently grabs the young Slayer's arm, pulling back onto the sofa. "No! You need to give her time. Believe me, I've known Dawnie a long time and when she's this mad, she needs lots of time to calm down. Besides, the only way you can explain is to tell her the whole truth. Do you want to do that?"
Tears spills down the girl's face as she shakes her head. "A-are you sure she won't be mad later?"
The witch draws the distraught teenager into a hug. "Just wait! She'll find you in a little while and be all with the sorries for yelling. Not to mention, she'll offer to stay away if that's what you want."
More tears slip down the girl's face unnoticed as tries to believe what the older woman is telling her. "Y-you sure?" she asks, her lip quivering.
Willow smiles confidently, yet sympathetically. "Yep, I am! By tomorrow morning, things will be of the good again, I promise!"
Vi smiles back, tremulously, then launches toward the redhead in a sweeping hug. As she throws her arms around the woman, though, she bounces both casts off the back of the couch and recoils, gasping in pain. "OW!! Damnit! I'm a Slayer! We're supposed to heal fast. Why is this taking so long?!" she wails, her tears now of pain.
"Aw!! Sweetie, it only happened last night. Even Slayers need time to heal. Not as much as us poor mortals, true, but - You just have to give it a little more time."
The teen looks at her cast covered hands and grimaces. This is the source of her argument with Dawn. If she could fix her hands, everything would go back to normal, she's positive. She gasps softly as an idea comes to her. "Willow, do you, can you do, uh, I don't know, a spell or something to speed things up?"
Willow frowns. "Thought you didn't like me doing magic around you."
"I don't, really, but this time, it's ok. If I wasn't like this," she brandishes the offending limbs, "Dawn wouldn't have needed to wait on me and she wouldn't be mad at me now." She draws a deep breath into her lungs, then sighs it back out. "Can you do anything?"
"Maybe. Let me think." The witch's frown turns introspective as she considers what the Slayer is asking. Healing spells for others are very hard and difficult to cast, at least, the more major ones, which is what this would require. As her mind drifts back, searching through her accumulated magical knowledge, a stray memory surfaces. One of her using the power of the Earth to heal herself and Buffy helping.
Her eyes pop open and she smiles at the younger girl. "Yeah, I think we have a winner! And it's not a spell, really. Just need to meditate a bit. Can you do that?"
Vi looks dubious. "Meditate? How can that help?"
"Well, it once helped me regrow skin in about a day!" the witch pertly informs her.
Grudgingly, Vi nods. "Ok. If you think it'll work. Want to try now?"
Willow checks her watch, then shakes her head. "No, Faith and Kennedy should be back with food in a few minutes, and this will need a couple hours to work right. What do you say to your room, after dinner?"
They hear a door open and a call of "We're back!" as the young Slayer nods in agreement.
Willow stands and lays a hand on the girl's cheek and smiles reassuringly. "And don't worry about Dawnie! We'll fix it. Better than new. It's like my guarantee! Come on, let's go eat! Since you're prospective girlfriend isn't here, I'll help you." she says, pulling Vi to her feet as well.
The teen's eyes get huge at the witch's last words, but her heart warms with hope. "Willow! Don't say that. Someone might hear you!"
The redhead giggles. "Sorry, Vi. Just couldn't resist teasing you a little!"
Vi calms a little, then smirks. "You know, Kennedy was a bad enough influence on you, but with Faith working on it too, we're in such trouble around here, aren't we?"
Willow just laughs, color slipping up her cheeks fleetingly. "Probably" she agrees as they enter the kitchen.
Kennedy looks up and smiles. "Probably what, Red?"
The witch laughs again, explaining, "Vi seems to think you and Faith are a bad influence on me."
Both Slayers start to deny the charge, then look at each other and grin. "Well, it's kinda true, I guess." Faith concedes, a little uneasy.
Willow crosses to them and takes a hand in each of hers. "Never said I minded, did I?" she tells them both softly, before kissing first Kennedy, then Faith.
"Tryin to eat here! Take it upstairs, ok?" Xander reminds them, chuckling.
Faith gives him her wickedest grin. "Thought you wanted to watch, Patch!"
He matches her grin with a leer. "That an invite? Can I bring a camera?"
"Xander!" Willow scolds, blushing deeply. She starts to fuss at her Slayer as well, but knows it's just Faith being herself, so she settles for a frown at the irrepressible woman.
"Sorry, Red"
The witch shakes her head. "No, you're not, but it's ok. I understand, sweetie. Come on. Dinner's getting cold." She looks around for a moment, then frowns at Xander. "Where's Buffy?"
Xander suddenly looks a little uncomfortable and stammers, "Oh,uh, she went for a walk. She said she had some thinking to do, but to save her some food. What about Dawn? Wasn't she in there with you guys?"
"N-no. I think she's in her room. I'll call her" Willow evades. Clearing her mind, she sends a thought to the brunette teen. [Dawnie? Dinner's here. Are you coming down?]
[Not hungry.]
The redhead winces from the anger laced through the brusque reply. "Uh, she said she'll eat later."
Dinner is a fairly quiet affair, with Xander thinking about what happened with Buffy and Vi worried about Dawn hating her now. Willow keeps looking sadly at the youngest Slayer, then speculatively at Xander. They've been friends far too long for her to not know there was something missing from his explanation about Buffy suddenly needing a walk.
Faith and Kennedy look at each other, like they have every few minutes throughout the meal, then finally, the dark Slayer can't take the silence any longer.
"So, uh, with the Rookie on the DL, should, uh, me or Junior patrol with Buffy tonight, d'ya think?"
Xander's gaze returns from whatever faraway point he was focused on as he concentrates of Faith's question. "Huh? Oh, uh, not sure. Maybe. Buffy'll be back soon and we can see what she wants to do." He starts picking at his food again.
"Oh, ok. That'll work, I guess." concedes the Slayer. She looks at her brunette again with a questioning expression.
Kennedy shrugs and tries for herself. "So, Willow. Something happen while we were gone? It's a little quiet tonight and everyone keeps staring off into space."
Willow's eyes get a little big and she shakes her head quickly. A little too quickly is Kennedy's thought. "Not really. Dawn overheard something Vi and I were talking about, but she took it the wrong way and that's why she's not here enjoying starchy goodness with us. Other than that, I don't think anything else is wrong. Is there? Cause wrong things should be fixed, cause they can mess things up and, hey, there's enough messes around here! Right? And - and," she looks at her lovers, a little crossly, "You guys are s'posed to stop me when I do that!"
Kennedy smiles, in spite of her uneasy feeling that there's something Willow's not telling her. "Sorry, Red. I kinda like it when you do that!"
"Me too." Faith agrees. Willow smiles shyly.
The phone rings and Xander gets up to answer it. He returns a few minutes later, saying, "That was Buffy. She said she's just gonna stay out and patrol before coming home." Seeing Faith about to say something, he hastily adds, "Yeah, I mentioned about one of you guys helping out. She said she's got it and to not worry about it."
Faith considers for a second, then shrugs. "What ever she wants." She looks at her girls and grins. "Had plans tonight anyway!"
Kennedy nods, smiling, but Willow frowns slightly. "You mean, the plan you had to tell Xander your idea?"
The dark Slayer's eyes sparkle. "Oh, yeah. Those too. I meant the surprise you were talkin about after D interrupted?"
Willow half smiles and blushes, her cheeks pinking lightly. "Oh, that. Later, baby. I promised Vi I'd help her with a little problem after dinner. While I do that, why don't you and Kennedy tell him what you have in mind and help with get started with the plans, ok?"
Sensing now's probably not the best time for the teasing Faith loves so, Kennedy places her hand on her Slayer's arm and tells her witch, "Yeah, we can do that, right, tough girl?" [No more teasing right now. Something wrong.] she sends the thoughts to the other brunette.
[Yeah, I noticed. Just trying to lighten things up, Junior. Don't go crazy on me.] She rolls her eyes and turns toward Xander. "If you're through, Patch, grab your sketch book and meet us in the basement, ok?"
The man nods and all three stand and leave the room, taking their trash with them. Willow looks at Vi and stands, asking, "Ready to try this?"
Vi follows her toward the stairs, appearing a little uneasy. "What do I have to do? Will it hurt?"
Willow smiles to reassure the girl. "No, not at all. I've got to get something from my room. Meet you in your in a minute?" The younger girl nods and moves off.
Willow walks into her bedroom and stops, breathing deeply of the scent that hangs in the air. She smiles as the smell of her excited lovers trigger both memories of their loveplay, and desire to find them and continue what they started earlier. She feels a wetness creep from her nether lips as she thinks of what she want to ask her girls for tonight, hoping they'll agree.
Shaking her head a little, she ruthlessly suppresses her rising libido, and grabs the candles and incense she came in for and hurries from the room. Entering Vi's bedroom, she doesn't understand the look the teen gives her.
"Are you all right, Willow?"
"Fine! Why? Don't I look all right?"
Vi smiles slightly, unsure. "Well, you're kinda flushed and I thought maybe you..."
Willow blushes, darkening her cheeks yet again. "Oh! That. Yeah, I'm fine! Just peachy, with a side of keen, that's me!"
"Ok. If you say so. Did you get what you needed?"
"Oh, yeah. Here. I just have to set these," she holds up the candles, "and light this incense first. Then we just sit on the bed and all's well!" She bubbles, enthused as always to be doing a spell.
The teenager looks at the witch, a disbelieving expression firmly on her face. "That's it? That can't be all there is to it!"
Willow's eyes open wider and she hurries to add, "Oh, it's not! We sit facing each other and you put your hands in mine. Then I call on the power of the Earth to help speed up your healing while you concentrate on your hands being fine again. If everything goes right, you, missy, will be livin the cast free lifestyle before bed!"
Vi gives her a dubious look. "And if it goes wrong?"
A shrug. "Nothing happens and you have to avoid Dawnie for two weeks."
The auburn haired teen sits silently for a moment, thinking. Finally, she decides she really has no choice, not if she wants to try to keep her secret, and reluctantly nods to Willow.
The redhead smiles and motions for the young Slayer to move. "Ok, then. You hop up on the bed, while I get things going." She places the candles at what appear to be random intervals, but actually make mystical sense. Lighting the incense, she climbs onto the bed and sits cross-legged, facing the anxious teen.
"Ok, remember! You have to concentrate! Use what Buffy and Giles drilled into you in Sunnydale and meditate on your bones healing. It will hurt. We're basically cramming two weeks of healing into a couple hours and the universe doesn't give freebies. Still want to try?"
Vi looks a little scared, now. "It's gonna hurt? How bad?"
Willow shakes her head. "I'm not sure. When I healed myself this way, I could only manage about an hour at a time before I had to rest. Well, until Buffy helped me, then I finished it all at one time, but it still hurt a lot." She looks at the teen sympathetically. "If you don't want to, I'll try to help you deflect Dawn, but it won't be easy."
The teen's jaw firms at the mention of her love's name. "No, I can do this. Can we start now?"
The witch smiles easily. "Yep, we can. Give me your hands. Ok, now, concentrate on the broken bones fusing together and being one again. I'll be pulling the power through you to speed things up, but you have to tell the energy what to do, ok?"
A jerky nod. "Got it."
"Then, here we go. Deep breath. Think about a sunny day, clouds drifting in the sky. See the clouds?"
"Yeah."
"Watch them drift, lazy on the breeze. Ok, when you're ready, think about your hands."
Vi jumps a little when she feels the energy start through her, but quickly looses herself again in the image of drifting clouds. After a little while, she feels her fingers tingle, then a sharp pain hits her and she gasps. Deciding that means it's working, she steels her nerves and continues.
"... And so that's basically the idea. What'cha think?" Faith looks at Xander, waiting for him to comment.
Xander thinks over everything the two Slayers have told and mentally starts working their plan into his design ideas. [Faith is right] he thinks. [This'll help so much with the not moving.]
His gaze comes back and turns to the older Slayer. "Yeah, I can do that. And you're right, it will help with the floor plan upstairs. I'll have to do the new training area first, then we can start here and save the rooms on the second floor for last. Best of all, Willow and Buffy will both be happy they don't have to move again!"
"One of the things Red likes best about it." Kennedy assures him.
The man smiles as a thought occurs to him. "Of course, I'm gonna have to install..."
"If the next word out of your mouth is cameras, I hope you heal fast," the younger Slayer calmly informs him.
He flashes a grin at Faith and finishes. "Sound proofing. I was going to say sound proofing. You guys can be a little loud, you know!" He laughs as Kennedy's face darkens a little.
Faith just smiles and chuckles. "Yeah, I guess we can be." Looking around the room, she asks, "So, Patch, how big an apartment we talking here? I have a few ideas of things I wanna see in it and I'm sure Willow and Kennedy do too. What do you need to start figuring it up?"
Xander shrugs. "Right now? Just a little help with the measuring. After I know how much floor space we're talkin about, we can all sit down with Will and you guys can tell me what you want. Then I see if we can cram it in."
Kennedy nods and looks at Faith. "Will said she was going to be busy with Vi for a few hours. Wanna do the measuring part now?"
Faith shrugs and says, "Works for me. Nothin else goin on right now, so why not?" She starts to tease her Slayer about having ideas on how to pass the time, but decides not too. She knows Kennedy is still uncomfortable with the two of them having sex and doesn't want to rush her.
Looking over at Xander, she asks, "Got your stuff down here, Patch?"
He checks over the small pile of things he brought down and doesn't find it small bag of stuff he and Dawn bought earlier in the day. "No, I left it upstairs. Be right back." He runs up to the kitchen and grabs the bag from where he left it way before the whole mess with Buffy.
Thinking of the oldest Slayer reminds him of the confusion Faith and Kennedy have been distracting him from. After a moment, he consciously puts it from his mind again, knowing there's nothing he can do about it til the blonde comes home.
Coming back downstairs, he turns the corner and finds the two Slayers in an embrace, kissing softly, but with increasing passion. He remembers the last time he saw them like this and inwardly marvels at the difference a day can make.
"You guys wanna do this later?"
The brunettes pull apart reluctantly, Kennedy blushing faintly. Faith replies, "No, now's good. Red's not here, yet." She walks over to him and takes the bag from his hands, looking inside. Pulling out the large measuring tape reel out, she sees it's marked as one hundred feet. "This the one you wanna use?"
He nods as he pulls out a note pad and roughly sketches out a box. Labeling one narrow side "Front", he turns to the women. "Ok, what I'd like you guys to do is, one of you take the end and walk to the far end. The other, take the reel and go to the opposite end and pull the tape tight. Then tell me how many feet and inches it is. Then we repeat it for the short wall and we're done."
Faith holds up the tape to Kennedy. "Sounds easy. Which end do you want?"
Kennedy smiles wickedly. "I'll take the lead end. That way you have to wind it up!" She grabs the little tab sticking out and darts off toward the other wall.
"Hey!" The dark Slayer scowls playfully. "I'll get you for that, Brat! Makin me do all the work."
The younger woman calls back, "Not what you said last night!"
Xander smiles as he listens to the lover's playful quarreling, continuing to roughly draw in the rooms he know they'll need for their apartment.
Willow watches Vi carefully, looking for a clue that she should bring the teenager out of her trance. The girl hasn't flinched or made any pain filled noises for over five minutes, so the witch reaches our and gently shakes the Slayer.
"Vi? Come on out now. Let's see how you're doing."
Her eyes slowly opening, Vi looks at Willow, blinking her eyes furiously to clear them. "Did it work?"
"You tell me. Try to wiggle your fingers. Just a little."
Vi tries to move a finger, though the last time she tried this, it hurt like crazy. Feeling a twitch, she repeats the attempt with another digit, then another. Slowly, she starts to smile. "I think it worked. I-I mean it hurts, a little, but not like before. Can we take the casts off and check?"
Willow laughs at the teen's enthusiasm and nods, producing a pair of heavy duty shears. Using them, the redhead carefully slides the heavy scissors into the open end of the cast at the girl's wrist and slowly cuts up the top of Vi's hand.
The witch holds the cast open as the teen eases her hand out and examines it. It's still discolored by bruises, though not as badly, but the swelling is gone. Cautiously, the young Slayer closes her fingers into a fist. She hisses as the bruised flesh pulls tighter, but the pain is entirely different, not as excruciating.
Willow drops the discarded plaster glove on the bed and gently takes Vi's hand in her own. Holding it up to the light, she checks it, running her own finger down one of the teen's with a feather touch. "Ok, the bones look whole, but you're still with the big bruising. I know that hurts, but you know bruises heal in a day or so. Wanna check the other hand?"
Vi just holds it out and the redhead laughs and cuts the cast off. Both hands are pretty much the same, bones fine, but still bruised.
The teen slowly flexes her hands while Willow blows out the candles and collects them. The teen suddenly smiles and jumps off the bed hugging the witch. "Thank you! I'll be fine now. Why did I ever think magic was a bad thing? It's great!"
Willow smiles and hugs the teen back. "It was my pleasure, sweetie! Always willing to help my friends. And magic can be bad, if you do it wrong, but I don't do that anymore, so no worries!" Willow draws back out the girl's embrace and looks at her. "And like I said, don't worry about Dawnie. She'll be all with the sorry first thing in the morning, I'm sure. If not, I'll talk to her, make her see she heard wrong. It'll be ok, I promise."
Vi smiles. "I believe you." Unexpectedly, she yawns hugely. "Ok, it's not even ten. Why am I so tired?"
Willow shrugs. "Magic takes a lot out of you, believe me. I think my girlfriends are gonna be a little mad at you." The redhead yawns through the last three words. "Get some rest, Vi. You should be fine in the morning, so stop worrying, ok?"
The girl smiles, eyes shining. "Not worried. Just happy!" Another yawn starts, but she manages to cut it off. "And sleepy."
Willow chuckles. "Then I'll go. Good night!"
"Night. Thanks again!"
The witch leaves the teen's room and stops by hers long enough to put away her candles and stuff, then goes in search of her Slayers. She finds them and Xander watching one of the Tomb Raider movies, all three having agreed to watch it because Angelina Jolie was hot.
Xander sits in the chair furthest from the the triple's usual couch, while her girls are cuddled together, occasionally kissing. Sneaking up behind them, the redhead throws her arms around her lovers and says, "You guys are looking awfully comfy, there."
Faith chuckles. "Wanna join us, Red? Always room for one more."
Willow smiles, then stifles another yawn. Kissing each girl on the top of her head, she replies, "Tempting, but that healing spell really took it out of me." Coming around in front of her girlfriends, the wicca kisses both of them softly. "Think I'm gonna go to bed. I know I said I had a surprise planned and I do, but I'm too tired. Tomorrow?"
Both Slayers nod, Faith replying for both. "Sure, Red." She grins lustfully. "Something tells me you're gonna need your strength for this surprise, right?"
Willow matches her grin with a seductive pout. "Maybe. You guys come to bed when you're ready, ok? I'm gonna go on, but I know you're not tired yet." She kisses both again.
Kennedy looks at her for a moment. "You sure?" The witch nods. "Ok. We'll be up soon." She grins, matching Faith's from earlier. "Maybe after your nap..." she stops talking, but wiggles her eyebrows.
Willow giggles. "Maybe. We'll see. Night Xander."
"Night, Will."
Several hours later, after watching the second of the Tomb Raider movies, everyone has gone to bed, including a reluctant Xander. He tries to stay awake, waiting for Buffy to come home, but eventually, he has to admit defeat.
Climbing into bed and pulling the covers up, he settles back and starts to drift off. A soft knock at his door causes him to jerk upright with a "Wha?"
Looking toward the door, he turns on the lamp beside his bed, saying, "Come in."
The door opens, admitting a solemn-faced Buffy. She looks at him for a second, then drops her eyes to the floor. "I guess we need to talk, huh?
Buffy walks down steadily darkening streets, not really paying attention to where her feet are taking her. She walks through a local park, then through the cemetery nearest the house all without seeing anything. All her thoughts are on what happened in the basement.
[Why did I kiss Xander?] she asks herself. [He's always just been a friend. I don't have any real interest in him. Do I?] She crosses a street without taking her eyes off the ground, not hearing the blaring car horns or the screeching tires of the car that nearly runs her down. [Am I falling for him? I mean, I love him, have for years, but not that way. Do I?]
For hours, she walks aimlessly, taking only the most casual notice of where she is. All her thoughts are on her past, her relationships, her friendships, none at all on her surroundings. She doesn't see dozens of appreciative glances, from both men and women as she walks, her head tilted down.
She remembers Angel, how much she loved him, even as she killed him for the good of the world. How, when he came back, she told no one, because they wouldn't understand. When he left her to go LA, she'd understood, intellectually, he was right, but her heart had died. She thinks about the last time she saw him, when he came to her in Sunnydale with information about the First. How they'd kissed, then fought over Spike.
[That was so typical of us!] she thinks. [If we weren't kissing, we were trying to kill each other.] Even as she thinks this, she knows that they still love each other and always will. Nothing will ever change that. [But then, isn't that the definition of soulmates?] she wonders bitterly, laughing at herself and her fate.
Parker's face appears unbidden, though it leaves just as quickly. Her sole entry into the world of one night stands, her memories of him are fuzzy and she does nothing to reinforce them.
Riley appears next. God, how she'd loved him! Nothing like Angel, but that only made it harder when he left. She remembers the night she found him in the vampire whorehouse, with the skanky vamp attached to his arm. She also remembers killing all the vampires from there the next night. That thought leads to memories of her doomed effort to keep him in her life, only to have him resurface a year later asking for help, new wife in tow. All she could think of when she'd seen him on the other side of the Double Meat Palace counter was, [Here's my chance to fix it!]. Then, to have "Sam" appear and declare herself, it had almost been too much to bear.
Her memories of the last encounter with Riley inevitably lead to thoughts of Spike, but her mind shies away quickly. The loss is just still too new, the memories too painful, to be considered. The last is the worst for the blonde, as it flashes through her mind before she can stop it. In her mind, she sees him as she last did, bathed in sunlight in the depths of hell. "I love you" she'd told him, finally able to admit it, surprised somewhat to realize that she meant it. She really did love him.
"No, you don't. But, thanks for saying it." Months later, and it still tears her up to know he died thinking she was only trying to make him feel better. She shakes her head violently, trying to clear those thoughts, and the cycle begins again as she thinks of Xander.
Finally, she ends up outside of one of the three main demon bars the Slayers have found so far in Clevelend. Hearing a hissed, "Slayer!" as she nears the door, her eyes snap up and into focus and she realizes where she is.
Looking around, she can't see who or what spoke, so she decides to go in and see if they're in there. [I can try to find out about the increase in vampires lately,] she also thinks
Opening the door, she enters the poorly lit room, her Slayer abilities allowing her eyes to near-instantly adjust to the light levels. Looking around, she sees mostly the same collection of assorted vampires and various demons, all of whom get really nervous when she walks in. Coming up to the bar, her eyes open incredulously. "Willie?!? What are you doing here?"
The weaselly little man smiles with real liking at her. "Hey, kid! Welcome to the new bar. You like it?"
Buffy smiles and really looks around, ignoring the patrons, some of whom take advantage of that to slip out. "Yeah! Reminds me of your old place in Sunnydale. How'd you end up in Cleveland, though? I was kinda worried you might not have made it out before we closed the Hellmouth."
Willie just grins and waves his hand away. "Nah! Saw what was going on there and got out of town quick. Wasn't sure what I was going to do next, but then the insurance guys tracked me down. Since the state of California called what happened to Sunnydale an earthquake, I got a check. I thought it over and came here to open a club, being used to the Hellmouth trade and all. Even ran into a few old faces, here and there. How about you?"
Buffy jumps up on a barstool and accept the glass the man sits in front of her. Taking a sip, she replies, "Well, the whole gang moved here with me, except for Giles. And," her eyes turn misty and she looks at the bartop, "Did you hear about Spike?" Willie shakes his head. "He's the one who closed that Hellmouth. It killed him, but he did it. He-he died a real hero." She picks up a napkin and wipes at the tears that have formed. "I still miss him. A lot."
She sits quietly for a moment, then shakes off her mood by force of will. "So, have you been hear long enough to start hearing things? I need to know why the vampire population is getting so big."
The bartender starts to answer, but is interrupted by a cry of "Buffy?!? Is that you? How are you, girl!!"
The blonde whips her head around to spot a familiar, loose skinned shape coming out of the back room. "Clem?" She breaks out into a huge smile and runs over, tackling the demon in a hug. "How are you? I so happy to see you! You have just got to come by the house one night. Dawnie'll be so happy to see you, too." she babbles.
The demon smiles, completely unaware how weird it looks, the happy smile with all those pointy fangs. "Sure! I'd love to come over, just let me know when, ok? I'll bring the hot wings and nachos, cause I finally found a place here that makes decent ones." Buffy laughs and drags him back to the bar as they catch up with each other.
As they talk and laugh, they both fail to see the confused looks bestowed upon them by the bar's other patrons. None of the gathered demons and vampires have ever met a Slayer in person, but ever tale they've ever heard says the petite woman in their presence should be trying her best to kill them all and succeeding, for the most part. Instead, she's laughing with a fellow demon and seems completely at ease in a room where she and bartender are the only two humans. More than one demon scratches their head and wonders what the joke is and whether it's on them.
Faith wakes with a snort and a wild look around, before recognizing she's still on the sofa, Kennedy curled up on/beside her. The younger Slayer is still asleep, and the older woman just watches her for several minutes, lost in her dusky beauty. Tearing her eyes away from her girlfriend, she finally notices the room is dark and that they've been covered with a blanket. [Xander,] she thinks, her eyes softening. [He must've gone to bed.]
Since no one else is around, Faith sets the "big, tough Slayer" attitude aside and smiles tenderly at her Slayer, then softly kisses her forehead. "Kennedy. Baby. Wake up." Another soft kiss, butterfly wing light, this time on the cheek. "Come on, Kenn. Open those big brown eyes for me. Willow's sleeping all alone. We need to fix that."
A muffled giggle echoes in the quiet room. "Knew it was all an act."
Faith smiles. "What's an act?"
Kennedy opens her eyes, looking up into her Slayer's face with a smile. She reaches up and gently strokes the back of her fingers along her girl's cheek. "The attitude. Always figured the armor plated battle bitch had a creamy, marshmallow center!'" she teases. Then she laughs softly. "Well, more of a spicy marshmallow, not creamy!"
The older girl's eyes open and her jaw drops a little at the description, then she grins and tickles Kennedy. The younger girl laughs and tries to squirm away, but she's trapped between Faith and the back of the sofa, so she's not very successful. Heaving herself up and on top of her Slayer, Kennedy retaliates, her questing fingers quickly hitting all Faith's most sensitive spots.
The dark Slayer immediately starts bucking and trying to get away, stopping her assault to grab at Kennedy's hands. Finally succeeding, both women lie panting, trying to get their breath back. Kennedy smiles as her breathing slows, then raises herself up and kisses her Slayer softly. It quickly escalates, until lips are moving against lips. They break apart for a second, then resume, tongues beginning to fight for dominance.
Faith moans low in her throat and tightens her arms around her younger girlfriend. Kennedy runs her fingers through her girl's hair for a moment, before drawing back and looking into light brown eyes and smiling.
The front door opening startles them both and they look up, struggling to separate and be ready to fight. When Buffy comes into view, they stop moving and Faith asks, "Hey, B. How was the patrol?" Kennedy smiles at Buffy, then starts planting little teasing kisses along her Slayers neck.
Buffy pulls herself from her thoughts. "Huh? Oh, didn't find anything." She actually looks toward her fellow Slayers, the darkened room no problem for her enhanced sight. She lets out an exasperated sound as she sees them lying together, the younger girl teasing her girl, and asks, "Don't you guys ever stop?"
Kennedy stops kissing and starts laughing. Faith smiles and chuckles as she replies, "Only to eat, sleep and kill vampires. Not always in that order." The once rogue looks at their leader and smiles wickedly. "Y'know, you could stand to find some fun, too, B. All work and no play makes Buffy a pain in the ass to live with." she quips with a grin.
Buffy stares at her open mouthed, then narrows her eyes as she starts getting mad. She bites back a retort, saying instead, "Whatever. I see Willow banished you to the couch. What did you do? Or did she finally come to her senses?"
Light brown eyes go from warm and teasing to hard and cold in an instant. The dark Slayer opens her mouth to reply hotly, but a slim hand covers it and Kennedy responds for her. "Nothing like that. We just fell asleep watching a movie with Xander. Willow went to bed early cause of a spell she did. Said she was really tired." The younger Slayer stands and extends her hand to pull Faith to her feet. "We were just going to bed ourselves, right, tough girl?"
Faith still stares grumpily at Buffy for another second, then allows Kennedy to pull her to her feet, grunting as she does, "Yeah. Come on." She leads the younger girl around the blonde and towards the staircase.
"Wait." Buffy says. "What spell? Is there a problem I need to know about?"
"Not really. Red said it was a healing spell and she was with Vi for a couple hours after dinner, so I'd say the Rookie is back in action, that's all. Good night, B"
Buffy waves absently, going into the kitchen and checking the fridge. Sure enough, she finds that Xander ordered her favorite for dinner, even though she said not to. [Always looking out for me, aren't you?] she thinks as an image of the one-eyed man flashes before her mind's eye. She puts it in the microwave and sits down to wait, her mind still wildly active, despite the distractions of the day.
"Why'd you stop me, Kennedy? I was just gonna tell her she was full a shit!"
Kennedy looks at her brunette, then says, "I know, but we've already had one argument with Buffy today. We can wait til tomorrow for the next one. Besides," She grins and takes her Slayer's hand. "I wanted to get you upstairs!"
Faith's bad mood evaporates as she smiles lustily. "You did, huh? We gonna see if Red's still tired?"
"Yeah, but if she wanted to sleep that bad earlier, she's probably out for good. Big spells do that to her. When she cast the Slayer spell a few months ago, she slept for the better part of two days!" She smiles at her girlfriend. " It's probably just gonna be us. That gonna be a problem?"
Faith grins, then it slowly fades. "Not for me, babe, but how about you? You still stressin about the two of us? If you are, we can wait til Willow's awake."
Kennedy shrugs. "Maybe a little, but I'm not gonna get over it without some practice, so I thought maybe you could help with it?"
The older Slayer laughs softly. "Let's get to bed, then."
"Sure, if Will's awake. If not, we probably better find somewhere else."
Faith looks puzzled. "Why? We can be quiet, can't we?"
Kennedy just shakes her head ruefully. "Not something any of us are quiet at, sweetie. We'll wake Red and if I'm right, she needs the sleep."
They both stop at their door, then Faith cracks it open and they ease inside. Both brunettes feel the breaths catch as they see the moonlight coming in a just the right angle to outline their love. Willow is laying in the center of the bed on her back, face turned away from the window, bathed in the silver light of the full moon. Neither Slayer can ever remember seeing anything so lovely and both feel their hearts skip a beat.
They look at each other, identical smiles gracing their lips. Kennedy moves first, walking over to the side of the bed. Bending over, she places a strand of hair behind the redhead's ear before kissing first her forehead and then cheek. [God, she is so beautiful. How did I ever live without her?]
[Know how you feel and you're right. She is wicked gorgeous, isn't she?] Faith sends the thought at the younger girl. She, too bends over and kisses her witch, reversing the order Kennedy used.
They stand, hands intertwined, watching their lover sleep, both mesmerized for several minutes, before Kennedy sends, [Hey, you wanna just get ready for bed and slide in there with her?]
Faith glances at her, then back down to Willow. [We can. Unless you still wanna...?] Though she leaves the thought incomplete, the image that leaps into the other girl's mind is more than sufficient to finish it.
Kennedy smiles. [Still got a itch, huh?]
[Always,] is the laughing reply.
The young Slayer thinks for a moment and decides she's not going to be able to sleep, not with the way her body is humming. [Yeah, I think I need to too. She needs the sleep, though. Any ideas?]
[My old room. Nobody using it, so we can go there. Besides,] she turns to her Slayer, a wicked, hungry smile on her face. [My toybox is in there!]
Kennedy grins in reply, then bends down again and kisses Willow's cheek, whispering to her, "Back soon, honey."
Faith too, kisses the witch again, then takes Kennedy's hand as they leave. Neither notices a green eye's sudden appearance and a dimpled smile of anticipation.
Buffy finishes her food, puts the leftovers back in the refrigerator and throws the trash out. Checking the locks one more time, she sighs and decides to see if she can stall a little more. She climbs the stairs, bracing herself just in case Xander is still awake, but hopes she can put this off til tomorrow.
Walking up to him door, she knocks softly, waits a few seconds, then starts to move off when she hears a sound. A bar of light appears at the bottom of the door, then she hears a quiet, "Come in."
Taking a deep breath, the blonde opens the door and slowly enters, her face showing her serious mood. She glances up at her long time friend, then drops her eyes, staring at the floor. "I guess we need to talk, huh?"
Xander scoots upward, leaning back against the headboard. "Yeah, I guess we do. If you're ready, that is. No rush, Buff."
A smile flashes quicksilver fast across Buffy's face in response to the man's offer. She moves over and sits on the bottom corner of his bed. "No, now's ok." She grins ironically as she hears something. "Besides, can't really go to bed yet!" At his quizzical expression, she says simply. "Kennedy and Faith."
Xander smiles in understanding. "Having a little fun, huh? Yeah, I can see where that would be hard to ignore. So, are you ok? Anything happen on patrol?"
"Huh? Oh, no. I-I didn't really patrol. Just walked and thought. Oh! I did find out Willie and Clem have moved to town. Spent a while catching up with them and Willie said he'd try to find out about the sudden herds of vampires we've been finding."
"That's great. Dawn'll be happy about Clem, too. She always liked that, that,... What kind of demon is he again?"
The Slayer shrugs. "Not really sure. I never asked him or Giles, cause, well, he's harmless and a friend. He's just Clem."
Xander smiles. "Yeah." His expression sobers. "Want to talk about what happened now?"
Buffy sighs and looks at the floor again. "You mean, me hitting you?"
Xander grins a little at her attempt to dodge again. "No, I mean the really nice kiss you gave me."
"Oh. That."
"Yeah, that. Are you sorry you did it?"
The Slayer looks at him quickly. "No! no, nothing like that. It was kinda nice, wasn't it?" He just smiles and nods. "I-I'm just not sure why it happened, that's all."
Xander nods again. "Yeah, I know what you're saying. I mean, yeah, I had the major crush on you years ago, but that's long over. I haven't thought about you that way since Cordy and I got together. So, why now?"
Buffy shakes her head. "Not your fault, Xander. It's mine. You're my best friend, well, you and Will. I've never had those feeling for you before. I mean, I love you, but it's never been 'love', you know?" She looks at him, worried he'll take what she's saying badly or the wrong way.
The man waves one hand in a pushing away gesture, though. "I know. Like I said, I stopped those ideas a long time ago. I mean, yeah, jealous of Angel for a while, but then me and Cordy and then, me and Ahn, and well... Let's face it. Somewhere in high school you, me, Will and Giles became family. That kinda put the damper on any thoughts of trying to get you to go out with me, cause, well, Eww! Too much like dating your sister!" He grins at her as she giggles at his last words.
"I thought the words, 'You're just like a brother to me' were the kiss of death to guys. That's what Riley told me once. Well, that and, 'We can still be friends'!"
Xander nods. "Yep. Both are bad for the male ego, but not in this case. Or," he eyes her speculatively, "not til tonight." He looks at his favorite Slayer for a few minutes, then asks, "What are you thinking?"
Buffy stands suddenly and starts to pace. "Not really sure. Mostly, did it mean anything? Do I want it to? Do you? Should it?" She looks back at her friend, then resumes pacing. "Not to even mention the, if we decide it does mean something, do we start dating? Let's just count the ways that can go wrong!"
"Whoa, whoa! Let's just slow that wordapolooza down a bit, ok? Now, did it mean anything? Well, to me, it meant I now know my friend is a pretty good kisser!" he quips, smiling at her. She stares at him, then, almost against her will, she smiles back.
"Seriously, though, Buffy. I have an idea. Let's just ignore the whole really nice kiss and if it means anything for a few minutes. Let's get back to the dating idea you mentioned. Do you want to? Go out together, I mean?"
The Slayer just as unexpectedly sits again before she answers. "I don't know. I mean, one one hand, we could skip the whole first few 'getting to know you' dates, that's for sure. But, on the other, let's look a my track record. Every relationship I've ever been in, the guys all leave, one way or another. I-I'm not sure I want to take a chance on losing our friendship if things go bad."
Xander leans forward, reaching out to turn her face toward him. He locks eyes with her, then says, "I hear what you're sayin, Buff, and I agree. To a point. I don't want to lose a friend either, but I don't think that'll happen." He stops, groping for words, then an idea comes to him. "How about this. We stop obsessing about that kiss. It was nice, but not worth either of us going crazy worrying over, agreed?" She nods, eyes damp.
"Good. Second, let's try the dating thing. Just casually." he adds quickly when she starts to protest. "We can go really slow and we'll know fairly quickly if anything's going on, right? Besides, we're both kinda rusty at dating. We could think of it as practice to get back into things, remember how to act with normal people. Well," he laughs, "as normal as either one of us ever is!"
Buffy smiles and swats at him, then sits, thinking over his words. They make a lot of sense, she has to admit. Her smile becomes an urchin's grin. "When did you get so smart?"
Xander smiles easily and gives an 'Aw-shucks' kind of shrug. "Been hanging out with you and Will for years. Something had to rub off, even just a little."
"That must be it." She takes a deep, deep breath and let's it out slowly, thinking furiously the whole time. Finally, she looks back at the man sitting beside her. "Ok, we can try it. Just promise me we'll be friends, no matter what!"
Xander kisses her forehead. "I promise." he sees her suddenly blush and laughs to himself. "Tell you what. If that blush you got mean what I think it does, Slayer hearing and all, you're not sleeping anytime soon. Wanna help me kill a half gallon of ice cream while we wait?"
She smiles with child-like delight and jumps to her feet. "It's a date!"
Xander ruefully shakes his head, smiling though. "Starting those already? Wow!" Suddenly, his mind flashes back to earlier that day when Dawn said exactly the same words to him. [Now, why would I think of that?] he wonders, then dismisses it from his mind.
Buffy, never noticing the thoughts flitting across his face, just laughs and grabs his hand, dragging from the room.
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