Title: Whatever You Say

By: TutorGurl

Disclaimer: Don�t own anything. But you already knew that.

Pairing: Buffy/Willow

Summary: Buffy and Willow have secretly been dating behind everyone's backs. When their secret slowly starts to come out, people's feelings are hurt and friendships are put in danger.

"Hey, Buff," greeted Willow walking up to her girlfriend. Buffy gave her a quick kiss before putting her last book in her locker. "Whatcha doin'?" Buffy shut her locker and the girls began walking down the hall, hand in hand.

"Well, I gotta do my homework as soon as I get home, then I�ll do a quick sweep and then hopefully I can hit the sack," answered Buffy, smiling at the thought of getting to sleep. She hadn�t slept in almost three days. "Wanna have a sleep over?" she asked with a smirk. Willow�s mouth fell open.

"Are you kidding?" she gaped. "I know your mom�s cool, but I don�t think any mom is that cool. You honestly think your mom is going to let your girlfriend sleep over?" she asked as she put her arm around Buffy�s waist. A pained look came across Buffy�s face and she slipped out of Willow�s arms to sit on the couch in the lounge. Willow was confused at the reaction and slowly sat down beside the blonde. "What did I say?"

"I... I actually haven�t told my mom about us yet," informed Buffy as she played with the hem of her shirt nervously. She risked a looked at her girlfriend, but regretted it the moment she saw the hurt expression on her face. "I know I promised that I would, but every time I go to tell her I can�t seem to find the words."

"Is it me?" questioned the redhead. Buffy immediately shook her head. "Are you ashamed of me?"

"No!" assured the slayer, cursing herself for being so stupid. She took Willow�s hands in hers and looked the redhead in the eyes. "Baby, I love you. Forever. I have never and will never be ashamed of you. You are the most beautiful human being on this planet. How could I ever be ashamed of loving you?"

"I love you, too. Always, but..." started Willow, trying to explain her feelings to the beautiful blonde sitting in front of her. "Sometimes I get the feeling that you�re not in it for the long run. Every time you say you don�t wanna tell the gang I can�t help but feel that you don�t care about me or that you�re embarrassed to love me." Buffy shook her head.

"That could not be further from the truth," stated Buffy, squeezing Willow�s hands. "If you want we can tell the gang today. I don�t care. I just thought you�d want some time to get used to the idea of us as a couple."

"How am I supposed to get used to us being a couple when we can�t act couplie around each other?" the redhead countered. Buffy nodded her head.

"You are exactly right," agreed Buffy, squeezing her girlfriend�s hand. "So here�s the plan, we tell the gang that we are madly in love with each other and then we go home and tell our parents." Willow�s got really nervous at the mention of telling her parents. Buffy knew what she was worried about. "I can come with if you want." Willow shook her head.

"No, that�s okay," said Willow trying to sound confident. "If I�m brave enough to declare my undying love to you, I�m brave enough to tell my parents about it."

"If you�re sure." Willow nodded. They both stood up when they heard the bell ring. Hoping that no one was watching them, Buffy quickly gave Willow a peck on the lips and ran off in the direction of her next class. "Meet me at my locker after school!" she called and disappeared down the hallway. Willow smiled at her supportive girlfriend and touched her fingers to her lips.

"Until then, my love," she mumbled to herself before gathering her books and turning in the direction of her last class. She was walking down the steps when she felt a strong pair of hands grab her shoulders. She quickly whipped around to find the face of her childhood friend starring back at her.

"Heya, Will," greeted the goofy teenage boy. "What�s with the �I�m hopelessly in love� look you had going there?" Willow froze. Was she really that easy to read?

"What are you talking about, Xand?" she casually asked as she continued her walk towards class, knowing her friend would follow because they was in the same class.

"Oh, come on, Willow," laughed Xander following the redhead to class. "This is me you�re talking to. I�ve had that look plastered on my face every since the Buffster moved here." Willow gave out a nervous laugh and quickly walked into Spanish class. Xander was about to continue, but had to stop when he saw the look on the teacher�s face. He took his seat and nodded his head towards her, "Bonjour."

"Thank you, Mr. Harris, but this is Spanish class." Xander sunk further into his seat as she began to teach the class. Willow sat nervously, watching the clock, counting down to when she would see Buffy.

"Hey, Xander," began Willow, trying to figure out how she was going to get Xander to leave so she could talk to Buffy. When she said she was going to meet Buffy at her locker, Xander had insisted on coming too. "Why don�t you go find Cordy and we�ll meet you guys at Fort Giles." At the mention of his girlfriend�s name his eyes lit up.

"Good idea, Will," he praised as he ran off in search of the cheerleader. Willow shook her head and watched him run down the hall, remembering a time when that would have upset her. She smiled at the reason why it didn�t anymore. She was so lost in thought, that she didn�t hear the footsteps behind her.

"Guess who?" Buffy whispered into her ear as she covered her girlfriend�s eyes. Willow smiled and pretended to think.

"Umm...the most beautiful girl in the world?" answered Willow as she turned around to see the smiling face of her girlfriend.

"Nope, it�s me," the slayer smiled and kissed Willow quickly on the lips. "Where was Xander running to in such a hurry?" she asked after seeing her friend bolt down the hall.

"He�s off to see the Queen," she commented with a smirk. Buffy smiled and opened her locker. Willow was surprised to see pictures of herself on her girlfriend�s locker door. "What�s this?" Willow picked off one of the pictures and examined it. "When did you put these up?"

"This morning, right before you came up to me," she answered, not wanting to make a big deal out of this. "I was clearing out my dresser drawer and I found those. I mean, Cordy has pictures of Xander in her locker so I figured that�s what girlfriends did," Buffy explained, nervously. "Is this too fast? Do you want me to take them down?" Buffy began to take them off, but stopped when she felt Willow�s hand on her arm.

"Don�t you dare," Willow whispered. "I think it�s incredibly sweet." Buffy smiled happily and started to put them back on. "It just surprised me cause of how this morning I wasn�t sure if you were really serious about us. And now you have pictures. Of me. On your door." Buffy stopped her movements and gave the red head her full attention. Willow tried to avoid her gaze, but was trapped when Buffy gently took her chin and forced her head in her direction.

"What�s wrong, baby?"

"Nothing," she sighed, being truthful. "That�s just it. This is the first time in forever I can honestly say that nothing is wrong and I just can�t help but think that I�ll mess it up somehow."

"Sweetie," comforted Buffy. "Nothing bad is going to happen between us. I can�t promise I�ll live till the weekend, but I can promise that I�ll love you till then. You�re stuck with me, so you better get used to being happy cause I�m gonna do everything in my power to make sure you are." Willow smiled.

"I love you," Willow replied as she stuck the picture of her and Buffy back on the locker door. It was Buffy�s turn to smile. She closed her locker, linked her hand in with Willow�s and started towards the library.

"Well," she drawled. "That�s kinda convenient." They enter the empty library.

"And why�s that?" laughed Willow as they walked to the table to put their bags down. Buffy gave Willow a boost onto the table. Willow looked at her in surprise.

"Cause," she began as she moved Willow�s legs apart and stood between them so she had maximum contact. Willow held her breath. "I kind of love you, too," she whispered before she lunged forward for a kiss. When they broke apart they rested their foreheads together. "Has anyone ever told you that you taste like strawberries?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you taste like heaven?"

"Buffy," muttered Willow when Buffy finally let her come up for a breath. "I think we need to stop before somebody catches us." Buffy pouted and gave her the puppy eyes.

"But, Will..." she whined. "I�ve been so good today. Please?" Willow couldn�t resist and grabbed the slayer�s lower lip between hers. Just then the library doors flew open and the girls separated in record time.

"Xander," Cordelia moaned. "I told you, we are not making out in the closet anymore!" It wasn�t until then that Xander joined her in the library. He had a similar look to what Buffy had just had before on his face. Cordelia, unlike Willow, didn�t fall for it and turned her attention towards the girls. "Would you guys make out in a closet?"

"What?" shrieked Willow, misunderstanding what her friend was asking them. "Why would we be making out in a closet? We don�t make out! Complete absence of making out between us!" Buffy�s eyes widened as she stared at her friends to see if they had caught on to what the redhead was implying. They just seemed confused.

"So, that�s a no?" asked Cordy, shaking her head at Willow and moving further into the library. Xander follow her and they sat down at the table.

"What was with outburst mode, Will?" questioned Xander, putting his feet up on the table. Not wanting to risk Willow saying anything else, Buffy stepped in.

"Who knows," laughed Buffy, taking the set across from Xander. She took Willow�s hand and led her girlfriend to sit in the one beside her. "You know Will when it comes to any form of sexual contact. She just can�t control herself." Willow shot her a playful glare.

"And how would you know that?" she question, wanting to see the slayer squirm.

"Who cares," commented Cordelia, wanting to turn the topic towards something that involved her. "I�m so glad this week is over. I seriously need to unwind."

"It sounds like someone needs a trip to the Bronze tonight," mocked Xander, grabbing a random book off the table and flipping through it. "You crazy gals coming?"

"Sure," accepted Buffy, looking at Willow to make sure she agreed. Willow nodded her head. "We�ll just do a quick sweep and meet you there around eight?"

"Sounds like a plan," decided Xander, slamming the book shut and tossing it back on the table.

"Xander, do be careful with the books," Giles warned, coming through the swinging doors. "I�m in the middle of skimming through them all to decide which ones I can throw away."

"Rupert Giles throwing away books?" questioned Buffy in fake surprise. "How come I didn�t get the memo that Hell had frozen over."

"You do amuse me," he commented as he joined them at the table. "Do you all have plans over the weekend?" The two couples conversed to discuss if they had dates.

"Don�t think so. Why?" asked Willow, speaking for all of them.

"I was hoping you lot could give me a hand?" he suggested. "It could be quite fun actually."

"I doubt it, but we�ll come anyway," offered Xander, much to Cordy�s annoyance. Xander noticed that Cordelia was unhappy and decided that they should go find a place to make her happy again. "Well, ladies, I believe that we should be going." He took Cordy by the hand and she stood up. Giles wandered into his office and shut the door.

"Okay," replied Buffy. "Actually, Will, we should probably get going too." Willow nodded and the four of them made their way out of the library.

"Hey, Cordy," began Xander. "Can I drive home?" Cordelia rolled her eyes.

"You can go get the car and come pick me up," she answered. He frowned, took the keys and ran off. That left the three girls standing to wait. "What are you two up to tonight?" she asked, not really interested, but wanting to make conversation.

"Patrol, Bronzing and then sleep over," explained Buffy. Cordelia gave the couple a small smirk. Buffy didn�t seem to notice it, but Willow sure did. She was about to call the cheerleader on it when Xander came speeding around the corner in Cordy�s car, music blaring. "Whoa, Xand. Why don�t you turn the music down?!" Xander didn�t hear her. Cordelia made her way down to the car. "Have fun, you two!" Buffy called. Cordelia turned back to them, smiling.

"By the way," she replied. "You might wanna stop making out in such public places if you don�t wanna get caught. And Will, you really should work on a better cover story. See ya!" She got in the passenger side and with one last wave from Xander, they were gone. Buffy and Willow stared after them in shock.

"I told you we should�ve stopped," muttered Willow as she began walking towards home. It took Buffy a second to realize she was gone and quickly caught up with her girlfriend.

"So this is my fault?" she questioned, linking hands with Willow. "You�re the one that�s so kissable. With your redhead and beautiful green eyes. Soft skin and perfect lips."

"If you don�t stop I�m gonna have to ravish you right here," warned Willow as she continued walking. Buffy giggled and kissed her on the cheek.

"No complaints here."

"So," began Willow, trying to get Buffy to stop trying to kiss her. "What are we doing tonight? Besides patrolling and Bronzing?"

"Well, I have a few things in mind, but I�m sure you wouldn�t be up to them," Buffy answered moving a little closer to her girlfriend. Willow gave her an amused look.

"I don�t think you�re mom would be too appreciative of them either," the red head pointed out. Buffy rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Since we can�t do �that� girly thing," replied Buffy. "Why don�t we do the other girly thing? The �Buffy doesn�t get any action� girly thing?"

"And that would involve...?"

"Movies, chocolate, popcorn, kisses, pillow fights... you know the normal stuff," explained the slayer. Willow smiled at the idea.

"That sounds awesome," agreed the witch. Buffy smirk, evilly. Willow caught the look. "Don�t think I didn�t hear you slip kisses in there by the way, missy." Buffy pouted. Willow shook her head and gave her the resolve face. "And that�s not working this time. The last time you did that, Cordy caught us and we�re almost at your house and I don�t want your mom to see us."

"But I thought you wanted me to tell my mom?" questioned Buffy, getting more than a little confused at her girlfriend�s changing moods.

"Yeah, but I want us to sit down and tell her in a nice loving way not give her a heart attack when she sees us groping against a tree."

"You�d let me grope you against a tree?" Buffy repeated, liking the idea.

"Not the point," laughed Willow. "Besides, I�m a very old fashioned girl, it�s against a wall or nothing." Buffy looked around.

"Well, there are lots of walls around here, you know?" She wiggled her eyebrows in a comical way. Willow giggled and couldn�t resist giving the blonde a quick peck on the lips. "The Buffanator, scores again!"

"And that�s as far as you�re getting tonight," Willow giggled and ran the rest of the way to the Summers' home. Willow was surprised to find the door unlocked and quickly ran inside and into the living room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what was going on. Buffy finally caught up to Willow in the living room and crashed right into her. Buffy didn�t realize what was going on yet.

"Jeez, baby," she sighed. "You�re not supposed to stop!" Willow just starred blankly ahead until Buffy caught on and followed her gaze. When she saw what had Willow so shocked, her eyes bulged out of her head. "Oh, God, scared for life!"

"Buffy," warned Joyce as she got off her boyfriend. The mystery man sat up and got his shirt off the floor and started to put it on. Joyce did the same. "I didn�t expect you home so early."

"I didn�t expect to find my mother and her new boyfriend fornicating on my couch!" replied Buffy. Willow still stood there in complete shock. She�d never even seen her parents kiss one another, let alone this. As soon as the word fornicating was out of Buffy�s mouth, the man was on his way to the door.

"Nice to meet you," he muttered as he past the girls. Willow waved absently.

"I�ll call you!" called Joyce, giving Buffy a disappointed look.

"You have got to be kidding me!" said Buffy. "I just walked in on you, half dressed, on top of some guy and you�re giving ME the �disappointed mom look�?"

"Can we just forget that this ever happened?" begged Joyce, in a desperate voice.

"A shopping trip to the mall might help me to suppress," grinned Buffy, sensing the opportunity for guilt presents. Joyce rolled her eyes, but nodded. Buffy�s smiled widened. "Will�s gonna come with."

"Of course," sighed Joyce, getting up and making her way to the kitchen. It wasn�t until she was out of the room that Willow finally found her voice.

"Hi, Mrs. Summers!" Willow called. Buffy laughed and dragged her best friend over the couch. Buffy jumped down on it, but Willow remained standing.

"You�re standing," Buffy pointed out. "Why?"

"Umm," began Willow. "Cause your mom just got to second base with some guy right there a second ago." Buffy�s eyes widened and she jumped up in disgust.

"Ewwwww!" she cried, frantically wiping the bottom of her pants. "You couldn�t have pointed that out to me before I sat down?" she pouted. Willow gave her a guilty smile and shrugged.

"You�re cute when you pout," Willow said, trying to justify her actions. Buffy looked to be contemplating her excuse for a few moments. She finally let a forgiving smile slip through.

"I�ll have to store that away for future use," decided the blonde. Buffy grabbed Willow�s hand and led her over to the reclining chair. Buffy sat down and motioned for the red head to sit on her lap. "Cuddle time. Now!"

"But what if your mom comes in?" she asked, trying really hard to think straight. It was hard for her to do that when there were thoughts of Buffy cuddles floating around in her head.

"I was just thinking about that," explained Buffy. "Don�t you think that now would be the perfect time to tell her? I mean, she�ll be so embarrassed about what just happened to get too angry. The way I figure it, if she can hide her boy toy, she can�t get mad at me for hiding my girl toy. Tit for tat." Buffy made a horrified face. "I just said the word tit when referring to my mom�s sex life." Buffy made the look again. "My mom has a sex life!" Normally, Willow would have found the statement amusing, but she was too busy being hurt. Buffy noticed the hurt look on her face immediately. "What?"

"Good to know you think our relationship is something you have to ambush your mother with when she�s angry," Willow whispered. "Am I really just your girl toy?"

"Oh, baby," Buffy whispered. She gently took Willow�s hand and pulled her onto her lap. Willow, despite being hurt, snuggled into the embrace. Buffy wrapped her arms around Willow�s waist and rested her chin on her shoulder so she could whisper in her ear. "I don�t think that at all."

"But you said..."

"Shhh," Buffy said softly. "I love you so much. Too much maybe. Sometimes I can�t control myself when I�m around you. You don�t even realize all the adorable little things you do that drive me crazy. Nothing would make me happier than to just be with you whenever I wanted. To kiss you senseless when you start to babble. I want my mom to know about us so I can do all that stuff. And like you said outside, I don�t want her to catch us making out on the couch like we did with her." Buffy laid two feather light kisses on Willow�s shoulder and neck. "I don�t want her to see us and think that it�s just some physical thing. Like what I�m thinking about her �friend�. I want to sit her down and tell her that I�m head over heels in love with you. I want her to understand that what we have isn�t just a silly high school hormone thing. That this is forever."

"Really?" asked a breathless Willow. She couldn�t� believe that this beautiful girl that just spilled her heart out to her was the same girl that beat vampires and demons to a bloody pulp. Buffy leaned forward until they were mere inches apart.

"Forever," she repeated. For the moment, Willow didn�t care about whether or not Joyce walked in on them. All that mattered was the girl sitting beneath her. She closed the little remaining space that was left between them and they found themselves lost in a passionate kiss. They broke apart and leaned their foreheads against each other. "I�d die if this ended even a day short of forever."

"Well, well, well," chanted Joyce. "Look who�s fornicating now?"

"What?" Buffy called to her mother, who was still in the kitchen. "We�re not fornicating."

"I know that," answered Joyce, making her way into the living room to join the girls. "Don�t be ridiculous, I was talking about our new neighbors..." she trailed off as she walked into the room. She stared at the way her daughter was holding her best friend on her lap and she raised an eyebrow at them. "You were saying?"

"Huh," Buffy mumbled, forgetting that her girlfriend was still snuggled up on her lap. She looked down at where her arms linked around Willow�s waist and then up at her mother. "Oh, yeah. About this..."

"We practically ran the whole way here and really needed to have a rest," began Willow, surprised at herself that she wasn�t babbling. "Buffy refused to sit on the couch after what just happened so she sat in the chair and offered me her lap."

"Oh, okay," replied Joyce, still giving them a suspicious stare. "I guess that makes sense." She shrugged and turned to go up the stairs. Buffy gave Willow a thankful smile and Willow gave her a sad smile in return. Buffy knew that Willow wasn�t really happy with lying to her mother.

"We were fornicating!" Buffy called to her mom. Willow whipped her head around to give Buffy a surprised look.

"Buff...?"

"No more hiding, baby," Buffy whispered to her and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. Willow smiled at her and gave her a thankful hug. Joyce slowly walked back into the room with a shocked look on her face.

"Excuse me?" she asked, standing at the entrance to the room. "Did you just say what I think you said?" Buffy nodded and motioned for her mom to sit down. Joyce followed her instructions and moved towards the couch. Buffy spun the chair that they were in around so she could face her mother.

"I did," she assured her. "And it�s not what you think. It�s not just about fornicating with us..."

"Could we please stop saying fornicating?" begged Willow, uncomfortable about the whole situation.

"Sure, baby." Buffy quickly kissed her on the nose. Joyce looked surprised to see her daughter being so loving to her best friend.

"Buffy, what exactly is going on here?" demanded Joyce. "Are you two experimenting or something? Cause I thought that wasn�t until college?"

"No, mom," corrected the slayer. "This has nothing to do with experimenting. Hell, we haven�t even experimented yet!" Joyce gave them an uneasy look. "Too much?"

"Just a tad,"

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Want to take it from here, sweetie?" Willow gave her a horrified look. "Okay, I�ll take that as a no...."

"So, what is this then, Buffy?" Buffy let out a sigh and took Willow�s hand for reassurance. "Are you two dating or are you just fooling around?"

"I�m not sure," answered the blonde. "It�s complicated, you know. We haven�t really gone out on any official dates yet. Since we�ve been best friends for over two years, we don�t really need the introduction phase. I do know that we aren�t just fooling around, though."

"Do you love her?" Joyce asked, her voice cracking a little. Buffy smiled and pulled Willow closer to her.

"More than anything," she simply stated. "I think I always have, even before I meet her. It�s kinda hard to explain it but...it just fits, you know?"

"Yeah," agreed Willow. "Like something was always missing from my heart, but I never seemed to realize it until I meet you." They smiled warmly at each other and Buffy gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"A simply yes would have been sufficient," mumbled Joyce as she cleared her throat. The girls pulled apart and they both blushed the colour of Willow�s hair.

"Sorry," they both mumbled.

"Buffy, what about Angel?" questioned Joyce, not realizing that the couple haven�t really discussed the vampire yet.

"Ah, the monkey in the room," Buffy sighed. Willow, though a bit touchy when it came to this subject, looked at her girlfriend lovingly.

"It�s elephant."

"Whatever," giggled Buffy. She looked over to her mom. "He�s a good guy," she began. Joyce gave her a questioning look. "When he�s not all evil and I hope that one day he�ll be happy. But I wouldn�t be the one to do that for him."

"I thought he was your soul mate?" Joyce pointed out. She had witnessed the pain that her daughter suffered over losing Angel. There was no way that she didn�t have feelings for him.

"I did too," Buffy answered truthfully. She noticed the hurt look cross Willow�s face and quickly continued. "For about a minute, when I first meet him in that alley. Then I saw you."

"Really?"

"Yeah," laughed the blonde. "When I walked into the Bronze and saw you sitting at the bar, that was it. I was yours. There was no escaping."

"Well, you know," started the witch. "No one can resist my wily Willow charms."

"Now, what genius was it that said that again?" Sensing another smooch-fest coming on, Joyce cleared her throat.

"And how long has this been going on?" she asked, hoping that she wasn�t kept in the dark about this for as long as she had been about the slayer thing.

"Almost a month," smiled Buffy. "You�re the first person we�ve told."

"I�m the only person that knows?" asked Joyce, surprise considering she was the last to know about Buffy being the slayer.

"Other than Cordy, yeah." Joyce�s face fell. "But she walked in on us at the library, so that doesn�t really count."

"It�s okay," Joyce sighed. She stood up. "This is going to take a little getting used to, but as of now...you have my blessings."

"Thank you."

"Your welcome," she smiled at the girls. "I take it you�re sleeping over Willow?"

"I was planning on it," she answered. "But if you don�t think it�s appropriate than I can always go home..."

"Don�t be silly, dear. You�re always welcome in this house," interrupted the older woman. Buffy was surprised that her mom was being so cool about this whole thing.

"But I have to sleep in the spare room right?"

"That�s alright, Willow," Joyce said, smiling at the girl�s question. "I trust you girls won�t do anything inappropriate. Just don�t stay up too late." She smiled at them one more time and finished her walk to the stairs. "By the way, I think that you two are adorable together." With that, she left the lovebirds alone.

"See," began Willow. "That wasn�t so bad, was it?" Buffy giggled and kissed her girlfriend lightly on the forehead.

"Nothing is ever bad when I�m with you."

"So," began Willow. "Are we going on patrol pre or post Bronzing?"

"I�m thinking pre," the slayer answered. "After dancing so close to you, I don�t think I�ll have the energy or the will power..."

"Ha, you said Will power." Buffy gave her an amused look and Willow blushed and giggled nervously. "Sorry."

"I swear," smiled the blonde. "You have got to be the cutest thing ever." Willow smiled and snuggled into her girlfriend. Buffy wrapped her arms around her and buried her face in Willow�s red locks.

"And I�m all yours," she sighed. Buffy smiled at the thought and kissed her head. "So, there will be dancing of the close kind tonight, huh?"

"Oh, yeah," Buffy breathed. "I think I�d go insane if you weren�t near me."

"Aw. When did you become so sweet?" the witch teased her. She loved when Buffy said those kinds of things. She has never felt so loved in her entire life. She thought back to her childhood and couldn�t remember her parents saying �I love you� even once. Come to think of it, no one had ever told her that until Buffy. "Hey, did you know that you were the first person to ever tell me you love me?"

"Really?" Willow nodded. "How could no one have ever told you that? You have got to be the most lovable person I know."

"The world must be upside down," sighed Willow. Buffy�s eyes softened. She hated it when Willow got down on herself. She wished that Willow would see herself as she did, a beautiful, smart, sweet amazing girl. "Anyways, when did you want to go on patrol?"

"Um," Buffy said, surprised by the sudden subject change. "Well, I told Xander that we�d meet them there at eight, so seven?" Willow nodded. "Now, the big question is, what are we going to do until then?"

"I have the perfect idea," began Willow with an evil smirk. "It�s intense, gets your blood flowing, makes you crazy..."

"Mmmm, I�m liking the sound of this," moaned Buffy. A huge smile came to Willow�s face.

"Homework!" Buffy�s face fell.

"What?" she questioned. "Come, Will, it�s Friday. Nobody that has a life does homework on Friday." Willow looked at her with a sad expression. "You do homework on Friday, don�t you?" Willow nodded. "Nobody that doesn�t have redhead and a life does homework on Friday."

"Hey, homework can have its bonuses," Willow defended. "We could do it on your bed." Buffy�s eyes shot up in excitement. "It meaning homework." Buffy pouted. "And every time you get the answer right I�ll give you a little treat. And I�m not talking of the chocolate variety."

"So homework, huh?" Buffy questioned. Willow giggled. "You do look uber-hot when you�re concentrating."

"I do?"

"Oh, yeah," the slayer breathed. "Sometimes when we�re in research mode and you�re all hunched over at the computer, just typing away... you have no idea how hard it is for me to control myself. Once I had this dream. We were in the library and you were at the computer. I came over and started giving you a shoulder massage... I think you can guess where it went from there."

"Actually, I can�t, remember?" Willow corrected quietly. "Willow still has her big ol� V on her forehead."

"That�s better than the big ol� L Xander has on his," Buffy tried to lighten the mood. Willow creaked a little smile. "You know that it�s not about that with me. I love you for you. We don�t have to ever have sex and I�d still be the happiest person in the world."

"I�m sorry that we haven�t done it yet," Willow replied. Buffy tried to silence her, but Willow insisted. "I�m serious, Buffy. I see the way you look when we come home from patrol. Faith was right, wasn�t she? You do get hungry and horny." Buffy blushed a little. "You�ve been so patient with me and I can tell that you�re getting frustrated."

"I�m not, baby," Buffy repeated. "I�ll admit that Faith did have a point, but just holding you when we get home is more than enough for me. I wouldn�t say that I get horny, passionate maybe. With her, she defines passionate as hot monkey sex. Me? I�m a cuddler."

"So you�re not mad at me?"

"Of course not, baby." Buffy leaned forward and took Willow�s bottom lip into her mouth. Willow moaned and leaned forward. Buffy let the lip go and pulled back. "See, that? That was enough for me. Being around you is like, a hundred times more intense than it would be with someone else. The feelings I have for you, make everything more intense."

"Buff, you are way too sweet."

"Nothing is too sweet for my Willow," the blonde declared. "Now, enough with the sex talk. I think it�s time for a snack, don�t you?" Willow nodded and stood up. Willow held out her hand and pulled the blonde up. "Piggy-back?"

"Yes, please," the redhead cheered. Buffy turned her back and Willow climbed on. The two laughed and made their way into the kitchen. "What�s on the menu?" Willow asked as Buffy sat her down on the island in the middle of the room. Buffy moved over to the fridge and opened up the freezer door. Her eyes lit up.

"I scream."

"You scream."

"We all scream.

"For ice cream!" Willow finished. The girl giggled at their antics and Buffy pulled out the carton and bowl. Willow hopped off the counter and walked over to the drawer to pull put the spoons. She grabbed two and moved to close the door, but Buffy stopped her.

"One spoon," Buffy whispered and smiled at her. Willow looked confused.

"But don�t I get any?"

"Oh, yeah," Buffy smirked. "You�ll get plenty." With that the slayer made her way up to her room. Willow stood there for another minute.

"Well then shouldn�t I get another spoon?" She called out. "Unless you�re gonna feed it.... Oh!" Willow�s tummy started doing summersaults. "Coming!" She quickly ran after her girlfriend and up to her room. When she entered, she found Buffy lying on the bed.

"You know," she began. "For someone so smart, you�re a little slow on the uptake." Willow pouted and made her way over to the bed.

"I stick my tongue in your general direction." Buffy burst out laughing and once again, Willow was confused. Buffy gave her a loving look.

"Not too good with the innuendoes either, are you?"

"Nay, I prefer the real thing," she stated. Buffy�s eyebrows shot up. Willow gave her an innocent smile and sat down beside Buffy on her bed.

"Do you know how crazy you make me?"

"You think I don�t do that on purpose? It�s all in my master plan."

"And what master plan would that be?" Buffy asked as she watched Willow take a spoonful of ice cream.

"The �Make Buffy Mine� plan," Willow answered. Buffy smirked at the ice cream that was still on the corner of Willow�s mouth. She leaned forward and kissed Willow, sucking up the ice cream in the process.

"Mission completed."

"Girls?" Joyce called form her room. Buffy and Willow immediately pulled apart and put at least two feet of space between them. After a beat there was a knock at the door. "Girls, are you in there?"

"Yeah, mom," Buffy called out to her. She quickly checked their appearances to make such they were decent before she invited her mother in. "Come on in." Joyce opened the door slowly, afraid at what she would see, and sighed when she saw the girls.

"Hi, Mrs. Summers," greeted Willow, a little nervous at what the older woman might say. She tried to keep the smile from spreading on her face, but found it hard. She was always giddy after make-out sessions with Buffy.

"Hi, Willow," Joyce replied sweetly. She liked Willow. She was a very nice girl. When Buffy had first introduced them she was extremely happy that her daughter had chosen such a sweet girl to be her best friend. Willow was such a good influence on her. Much better than those girls Buffy used to hang around with.

"Did you want something?" the blonde asked her mother. She�s never happy when she gets interrupted during her Willow-time. Joyce snapped out of her daze at the sound of Buffy�s voice.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you girls had plans for dinner," Joyce began. "Cause I was going to phone a woman from work to see if she wanted to get together tonight."

"That�s totally of the cool," Buffy answered, jumping at the chance to be alone in the house. "We can take care of ourselves." Joyce gave her a doubtful look. "Don�t worry mom. I got my Will with me. She�ll keep me in line."

"I sure will!"

"Are you sure?" Joyce asked again. "Cause I can make you girls some dinner before I leave..."

"That�s okay," Buffy insisted. She knew what her mother was really worried about. She wasn�t afraid that they would starve to death or anything, she was afraid of what they would do alone. "We�ll probably just heat something up. We�re going on patrol at seven then doing some Bronzing with Xander and Cordy after."

"Okay," Joyce said reluctantly. "You girls have fun."

"You too!" Willow called out to her after the door was already closed.

"Don�t do anything I wouldn�t do!" Joyce called back to them as she headed towards the stairs.

"Judging by this afternoon, that doesn�t say much!" Buffy yelled back and tried to hold back a laugh. Willow fell into fits of giggles and collapsed on the bed. Buffy wasn�t far behind. They heard the door slam shut and soon they were left in silence. "So, what do you want to do for dinner?"

"I have an idea," answered the redhead. Buffy pushed herself up so that she was resting on her elbow and looked down at her girlfriend.

"I knew you would," she said as she bent down and kissed her nose. Willow smiled at her.

"Stay here," Willow commanded as she moved to get off the bed. Buffy quickly sat up and watched as Willow gathered the dishes in the room.

"Where are you going?" Buffy pouted. Willow walked to the door and Buffy got off the bed in a rush. "You didn�t tell me that this idea involved us being apart. How come your plan can�t have some smooches in it?"

"Just stay here," Willow begged. Buffy sighed and nodded her head. "Say it."

"I promise I will stay in here until you tell me I can come out," Buffy mumbled, but she had her fingers crossed behind her back. Willow smirk at Buffy, knowing what the slayer was doing. She blew her a kiss and walked out the door, closing it on her way out. Willow quickly ran down the stairs, careful not to fall, and made her way into the kitchen. She quickly discarded the bowl and in hands and went to work. About five minutes later, which was three minutes longer than she expected, she heard Buffy cursing upstairs. "Oh, come on, Will! That�s sooo cheating!"

"I knew she couldn�t do it," Willow laughed to herself as she listen to Buffy trying to break through the spell she had done. "Just calm down, Buff! It�ll just take longer if you fight it!"

"You are soooooo mean!"

"I thought you liked that!"

"That�s not the point!" Buffy called back. Willow knew she was smiling. Buffy was never good at being serious if she wasn�t really feeling it. Buffy waited for Willow to respond, but she didn�t. "Fine! I understand! I�ll just sit in here quietly and wait." Willow almost laughed out loud.

"Like that�s ever going to happen," she mumbled to herself.

"I heard that!" Buffy called down to her. Sometimes Willow forgot about her enhanced senses.

"Just be patient!" She listened to see if Buffy had anymore to say and smiled when she didn�t hear anything. She sighed and went back to work.

One long hour later Buffy heard a knock at her door. She jumped up and ran to answer it. She wiped open the door and came face to face with a beaming Willow. Buffy pouted when she saw that Willow was neither naked nor carrying chocolate like she had expected.

"I waited all that time and there�s no skin or chocolate?" Buffy asked in disappointment. Willow�s smile only widened. She grabbed Buffy�s hand and pulled her out of her room, but not without protestations. Willow continued though, knowing the slayer was just playing. If Buffy didn�t want to go than she wouldn�t be going. They made it to the bottom of the stairs and stopped.

"Now," began Willow. "Close your eyes." Buffy sighed, but did what she was told.

"This had better be good," she mumbled. Willow giggled and led her into the dinning room. They stood in the doorway for a moment.

"Okay, you can open them." Buffy quickly opened them and gasped at what she say before her. The entire room was full of candles and there was food on the table. Buffy slowly walked forward and examined the room. Buffy smiled when she saw her favourite meal on the table, spaghetti. The table was set for two and there was a chocolate cake set to the side.

"There is chocolate!" she cheered. Willow smiled nervously at her girlfriend.

"Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding?" Buffy questioned. "I love it, baby." Willow let out a sigh of relief. "How did you do all of this without me smelling it?"

"Spell," Willow answered. "I just wanted to do something special for you. You know, for telling your mom about us. That really meant a lot to me."

"I know," Buffy whispered as she walked over to Willow. "That�s why I did it."

"Thank you," she choked out. Buffy wrapped her arms around Willow�s waist and pressed her forehead against Willow�s.

"That�s all it takes to get all of this?"

"Yeppers."

"What do I get if I do this?" Buffy leaned in and gave Willow a light kiss on the lips. Willow breathed in and licked her lips.

"This," Willow answered as she plunged towards Buffy. The slayer was caught of guard by the passionate kiss, but quickly recovered and began to kiss her back. After several minutes, the couple broke apart. "Time to eat."

"Yummy."

"I meant the actual food," Willow giggled when she saw the look of lust cross the slayer�s face. Buffy quickly pulled back, embarrassed.

"Oh, yeah. Me too."

"That was amazing, baby." Buffy sighed as she swallowed the last bite of her chocolate cake. She laid her fork down and pushed her chair back. Willow stood up and started to clear the dishes. Buffy did the same.

"Thanks."

"Now, comes the non-so amazing part," Buffy began as she placed her plate and cup in the sink. "Working it off." Willow laughed as she reentered the kitchen with the last of the dishes.

"Are we heading straight to the Bronze after patrol or are we coming home to change?" Willow questioned. She turned on the tap and let the water fill the sink up until it had completely covered the dishes. She poured some soap in and watched the bubbles form.

"The sooner we get there the, the sooner we�re dancing," she replies as she wiggles her eyebrows in a comical way. Willow smiled at her and started the dishes. Buffy, feeling bad that Willow had not only made dinner but was now washing the dishes, joined her.

"All done," Willow cheered after she put the last plate back in the cupboard it came from. Buffy dried her hands and then tossed the towel to her girlfriend.

"Let us go then," she suggested, taking Willow�s hand and walking out towards the door. Willow started getting ready while Buffy was up in her room getting her slaying gear. Two minutes later Buffy came down stairs in full leather and carrying an extra stake and bottle of holy water. "For the lady." She said handing the things to Willow.

"How come you get to dress up?" Willow questioned, looking at her own outfit and then at the blonde�s. "Now you look so much better than me."

"Please," Buffy sighed. "You always look beautiful. You could be wearing a garbage bag and you�d still be the most beautiful person at the Bronze." Willow looked at her doubtfully and rolled her eyes.

"You�re always sweet talking me," she said, pretending to be annoyed. Buffy shrugged her shoulders and put on her coat. "But I guess I understand that."

"Well, good then," Buffy replied, linking her hand in with Willow�s and walking out the door. The girls began their walk to the nearest cemetery. This was pretty much routine for them, so they didn�t really need to think about where they were going.

"So," began Willow, trying to ease into the subject. "Are we telling Xander tonight or tomorrow?"

"We better do it tonight," answered Buffy, without the slightest tone of fear. Willow was surprised at the tone of Buffy�s voice. Buffy just looked at her girlfriend with a happy smile.

"Seriously?"

"Mostly because it�ll be pretty clear as soon as I get you on the dance floor," Buffy explained, doing a cute little dance as she said this. Willow couldn�t help but let out a little laugh at the sight.

"I can�t wait," Willow answered. "The dancing, not the telling to Xander part." At the tone of fear in her voice, Buffy quickly stopped her movements at turned to reassure her girlfriend.

"Don�t worry your cutie little head about it," Buffy reassured her. Willow raised her eyebrow. "I�m telling him."

"You are?"

"Yeah, I figure it�ll be fair," she explained. "I tell my mom and Xand, you tell your parents. Which I think is going to be the hardest part." Willow shook her head, not wanting to think about how that conversation is going to go. She�ll be lucky if they don�t disown her.

"What about Giles and Faith?" the redhead countered. She wasn�t looking forward to telling her friend about their relationship, but she also didn�t want Buffy to have to go through it alone. They just entered the graveyard, so Buffy was getting into slayer mode.

"Faith will figure it out on her own and we can tell Bookman together," she answered, squeezing the other girl�s hand. Buffy, thinking this conversation was over, started to look around for any form of un-dead life.

"And Angel?" Buffy stopped. Sensing that this was a serious discussion moved them over to sit in front of a tombstone. "So?"

"I wasn�t lying before when I told my mom that I don�t love him," she began. "Me and him are over. Forever. I could never go back with him. We aren�t meant to be together."

"But you used to be so sure of that," Willow protested. Buffy shook her head and pulled Willow closer, so that Willow had her head resting in her lap.

"I was faking it," she admitted. "I was trying to convince myself of it. Cause deep down I knew I didn�t love him. I loved you. Even then. But I thought you weren�t mine."

"I was always yours," Willow insisted. Buffy nodded and stoked Willow�s hair.

"I know that now," Buffy replied. Willow sat up so that she was looking in Buffy�s eyes.

"You still haven�t answered my question."

"I�ll tell him soon. I promise." Willow nodded, understanding that Buffy just didn�t want to hurt the vampire. He really is a good guy, he should be happy. Willow smiled and leaned in to kiss the slayer. She wanted to reassure her that she was there for her. Buffy smiled and leaned in to. They were millimeters apart when they hard a grunt come from in front of them.

"Crap!"

"Angel?" Buffy muttered as she stood up, pulling Willow along with her. They both searched the area the noise had come from. Moments later, a guilty looking vampire came out of the shadows.

"Sorry," he mumbled, with is head down. He slowly made his way over to the girls, who still had their hands linked. Buffy pulled them closer to Angel, meeting him in the middle.

"Angel, what are you doing here?" she demanded, angry that he was eavesdropping and a little worried about what he heard. It was one thing telling him she was in love with someone else, but him hearing that she never really loved him was even worse.

"I figured you�d be patrolling," he answered. By the sound of his voice, Buffy assumed that he had overheard them. "Thought you could use some company. I didn�t know you would already have some."

"We were just doing a quick sweep then we�re heading to the Bronze," Buffy informed him. He looked up and suddenly all her angry washed away. He looked like he had no one left in the world.

"I figured," he replied. "That�s the usable Buffy Summers Friday night schedule. Work then play."

"I take it you heard us?" Buffy questioned lightly. Angel nodded softly. "It wasn�t what you think."

"Then you aren�t in love with Willow?" Buffy bowed her head. "Then it is what I think."

"I never wanted to hurt..."

"Save it, Buffy," he snapped. "Give me more credit then that. I�m 243 years old. I know when I lost. I�m not a baby, Buffy. I understand what�s going on." Buffy looks away, guilty. "You can�t help who you love. Believe me. You can just follow your heart and hope for the best."

"You�re not upset?"

"Are you kidding?" he questioned. "I�m dying inside." He paused for a moment. "I�ve never felt like this before. I need time to deal with it. Sort out my emotions before I have any big conversation with you."

"How long will that take?" Buffy questioned. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I don�t know," he simply stated. Buffy stepped towards. Angel held his hands up and stepped back. "I can�t be around you right now. Maybe not for a long time."

"Okay." Buffy whispered, a little hurt that Angel wouldn�t talk to her. She looked up at him sadly.

"I�ll see you around," he said, before he disappeared into the shadows. When he was out of sight, Buffy turned back towards Willow, helplessly. Willow, knowing that Buffy hated hurting people, opened her arms. Buffy walked into them and held on tight and started to cry softly. After a few minutes the sniffling subsided.

"Well," Buffy began. "That went better than I thought. He didn�t bite me or anything."

"Or me." Buffy laughed and pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"Thank you, baby." She said with a watery smile. She leaned in and laid a soft kiss on Willow�s lips.

"Ready to patrol?" Willow asked. Buffy thought about it and shook her head.

"I�m suddenly filled with the overwhelming need to dance up a storm. With you."

"Bronzing?" Willow asked. Buffy smiled and grabbed her hand.

"Yes please!"

"No cover?" Buffy asked as she noticed the sign hanging by the entrance of the Bronze. "Bonus."

"Good thing since I didn�t bring any money," Willow commented as they walked past the bouncer and made their way through the crowd.

"You do know that is this a date, right?" Willow shook her head. "Okay, well a date-like event anyways, which includes me paying for things."

"Since when do you have money to spare?"

"Since mom left us fifty bucks on the kitchen table," she answered as the girls made it to the bar. The bartender finished with his customer and turned towards them. "Yeah, I�ll have a diet Coke and she�ll have a Sprite, no ice," Buffy ordered. The guy nodded and began to get their drinks. A minute later he was done.

"Five fifty," he informed them. Buffy gave him six bucks.

"Keep the change," she said jokily. He gave her a dirty look and turned to the next person. Buffy picked up the glasses and followed Willow to their table. "Hey guys!"

"Hey, Buff," greeted Xander who was sitting beside his girlfriend. Cordy scooted over so they could all fit. Buffy took off her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair before she pulled out Willow�s chair for her. Xander watched the action with a little confusion, but didn�t think anything of it. Cordy smiled to herself.

"So," Cordy began. "What did you guys do at Buffy�s house?" Buffy saw that Willow was about to answer, and figured she should intervene considering what happened last time she tried to cover it up. She laid a hand on her girlfriend�s thigh and squeezed.

"Just hung out and had dinner," Buffy said, glaring at the cheerleader. She should have known that Cordy was going to make this as hard as possible.

"Sounds like fun," commented Xander, being the only one at the table to not know what was going on. "Was patrol eventful? You guys are early."

"Yeah, all was quiet on the home front," Buffy told them. She felt guilty that she didn�t really do much patrolling. She knew that people would pay the price for her laziness, but she tried to forget about that. "Must be a vampire convention out of town or something."

"Yeah," laughed Willow. "Can�t you just picture them in their little tourist hats and shorts? Cameras hanging around their necks." Everyone looked at her in amusement. "They could have nametags and the whole nine and...."

"Will, let it go," Buffy nudged her. Willow stopped herself and looked at all the faces staring at her. She turned red and bowed her head.

"Sorry."

"Well," started Xander, trying to change the subject. "With that little description aside, let us dance." He stood up and grabbed Cordy�s hand and the couple made their way onto the dance floor. Buffy and Willow looked after them.

"You wanna?" the witch asked nervously.

"I�ve been waiting all day, baby," Buffy answered standing up. Willow stood too and the two walked hand in hand onto the floor. They grinded and moved to the up-tempo beat of the song, not caring what people thought. The song lasted for a few more minutes and was followed by two more fast songs. Buffy was careful not to get too close to the redhead, knowing that Xander was watching them move, but she wanted more than anything to just grab the redhead and press her hips into hers. The song stopped and the lights went on in the club. Everyone turned towards the stage. The band made their way out. Devon stepped up to the mic.

"Hey, Sunnydale," he called and a few people cheered. "We�re Dingoes Ate My Baby and we�re new in town. I know you�ve been moving to some pretty fast songs so you must be tired. Well, now�s your time to relax." He stepped away and the band started to play a soft love song. Buffy looked around as all the couple started to pair off and looked longing at Willow. All she wanted was to take her in her arms, but she couldn�t. Willow nodded her head, telling Buffy that she understood.

"I�m sorry," Buffy whispered, taking Willow�s hand and walking back to the table. She was surprised to find Xander and Cordy sitting there. "You guys aren�t dancing?"

"Cordy decided that her feet hurt," Xander answered sarcastically. "And since she�s the center of the universe, we�re gonna sit this one out." Buffy looked over at her girlfriend and Willow nodded.

"You wanna dance?" Buffy answered Xander, sensing that it was the perfect time to tell him. That way she and Willow could enjoy a slow dance later. Xander�s face lit up at the question and he looked over to his girlfriend.

"Whatever," she muttered, too busy tending to her aching feet. Xander jumped up and walked over with Buffy to the dance floor. Willow, watching Buffy put her arms around his neck, sat down in her chair.

"He�ll be okay with this, right?" Willow asked Cordy, not taking her eyes off her dancing friends.

"I don�t see why not," Cordy answered. "I�m sure he�s had enough male fantasies about the two of you together so..."

"What!?"

"Oh, come on, Willow," Cordelia gushed. "You�ve known Xander your whole life. Nothing goes on in his head besides sex, you know that." Willow rolls her eyes and continues to watch the two dancing, trying to read their lips.

********************

"Do you have any idea how long I�ve dreamed of this since that last dance?" he whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment. Buffy closed her eyes and tried not to think about that night. The only thing she could remember was seeing the devastated look on Willow�s face the whole time. She laughed nervously.

"Yeah," she said. "That was a weird phase. Talk about bitch-fest 97�."

"I try to forget about that part," he informed her. Buffy was starting to feel really uncomfortable; he was staring straight into her eyes. She thought she felt Xander pulling her forward.

"Xander," she whispered. "I need to tell you something."

"So tell me," he stated. "You know you can tell me anything." He was starting to get excited, she could tell. "What is it, Buff?"

"I have this friend," she began, figure it was best to ease him into it. "And I realized I have feelings for them."

"Feelings?" he repeated with a smile. He was overjoyed. Everything was finally starting to happen for him. "What kind of feelings?"

"I�m in love with them," she explained. "Head over heels, hand over fist, over the moon in love with them. You don�t understand what they do to me. Every time I�m near them I just have this overwhelming need to kiss her...." She began, but was cut off when Xander pushed his lips to hers. She froze and didn�t know what to do.

********************

"Oh, God," cried Willow, almost slipping off her chair at what she saw. Cordy heard the gasp and looked up from massaging her feet.

"What�s your problem?" she asked before following her gaze to where Willow was looking. Her mouth hung open when she saw her boyfriend kissing Buffy. She stood up so fast that her chair fell to the floor causing many people to turn in their direction. "What the hell do you think you�re doing!?!" she screamed. At the sound of her friend�s voice, Buffy came to her senses and pushed away from Xander. The band had stopped and everyone was looking at them.

"What did you do that for?" she demanded. He looked at her in confusion and stepped forward, in which she stepped back.

"But I thought... you said..."

"Xander!" Cordy screamed, stalking over towards them, leaving Willow alone at the table. They turned in her direction, Xander looking at Cordy and Buffy staring at Willow. It wasn�t until she locked eyes with Buffy, that she came out of her daze. She quickly grabbed her coat and ran towards the door. Buffy took off after her and finally caught up with her outside.

"Baby, wait!" Buffy called, grabbing Willow�s arm and turning her around. When she saw the devastated look on Willow�s face, her heart broke into a million pieces. "It wasn�t what it looked like, he..."

"Don�t touch me," Willow snapped. She ripped her arm out of Buffy�s grip and turned to continue her walk home. Buffy followed after her.

"Baby, please...." Willow whipped around and Buffy skidded to a halt.

"I�m not your baby," she screamed. "I never will be again. I hope you and Xander will be very happy together." With that she turned and disappeared around the corner leaving Buffy to stand in the alley alone.

"Baby..."

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