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.

"Here vampires," called Faith, who was in desperate need of a fight. "Come here! I�m a helpless little girl in need of some sucking!" Nothing. "Come on!" she exclaimed. She stopped to see if she could sense any vamps in the surrounding area. Once again, she felt nothing. She did how ever hear crying. Faith, wanting to make sure the person wasn�t dying, followed the sobs until she found their source. "Red?"

"Faith?" gasped Willow through tears. She was sitting against a gravestone, her jacket wrapped around her arms and trying to clam down.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked, trying to figure out why Willow would be crying in the middle of a graveyard at this time of night.

"Nothing," she muttered back, sniffling back her tears. Faith raised her eyebrows and moved closer to the redhead. Willow was surprised that Faith was still there. The younger slayer wasn�t exactly known for helping people.

"You usually cry over nothing?"

"I�m just...having a bad day," she tries to convince her. Willow really didn�t want to have a conversation with Faith at the moment. She reminded her too much of Buffy, and right now, that was the last person she wanted to be thinking about. "I failed my math test." Faith laughed.

"That�s like crying over spilt milk," she commented. "And they say you�re not supposed to do that." She paused and softened her features. "What really happened? You�re in the middle of a graveyard, something must be up."

"I�m just upset okay," snapped Willow. "I didn�t feel like going home and I had nowhere else to go."

"Where�s B?" she asked, not noticing Willow flinch at the sound of her name. "Isn�t she like your go to gal pal for this sort of thing? Doesn�t she hold you and tell you everything will be okay?"

"Not for this."

"B steal your boyfriend or something?" she asked, trying to figure out what her fellow slayer had done to the redhead. Whatever she did, Faith was sure that Buffy wasn�t aware that Willow was out here alone. Buffy would never let her do that, no matter how angry they were.

"Something like that," Willow laughed bitterly. The noise sounded strange coming from Willow. Faith knew the girl well enough to know that something was wrong. Willow only got like that when she was really beat up about something.

"Look," the slayer began. "I can tell that you�re really upset right now. I�m no expert when it comes to matters of the heart, but I do have ears." Faith carefully sat down beside the redhead on the cold grass. "I actually use them on occasion." Willow gave her a doubtful look. "As long as you don�t have a British accent, anyway."

"I don�t want to bother you with my problems."

"Come on, Red," replied Faith. "You know me, if it bothered me I wouldn�t be here." Willow nodded, then looked away. Faith gave her a few moments to collect herself. "So what happened?"

"First things first," Willow sighed. "Buffy and I, we�re sort of a couple." Faith�s eyes widened. "Or we were anyway."

"So this does have to do with B?" Willow nodded. "She not treating you right or something?"

"Actually, she been amazing," the redhead sighed, remembering all the sweet things that Buffy had done over the last month. "She the sweetest thing in the whole world."

"So what�d she do?" Faith had to ask. Her mind was still a little boggled with the idea of Buffy and Willow together. Willow closed her eyes and decided whether she should tell Faith about it or not. "Come on, Red. We ain�t gettin' any younger."

"If I�m telling you what happened I want no interruptions, got it?" Faith nodded. "So we decided at school that we were going to tell everyone about us. We had been together for over a month and figured if was time to come out with it." Willow smiled at the memory of all the wonderful things Buffy had said to her earlier that day. "So Cordy caught us making out in the library, no visuals please, and then we told Buffy�s mom. Both of them seemed cool with the whole thing. I make her favourite dinner for her and then we go patrolling." She stops as she remembers the conversation with Angel. That so didn�t go over well. "We get to talking and Angel overhears us and finds out. He is not amused, but I think he�ll be okay with it. So we head to the Bronze and Buffy decides that it�s time to tell Xander. They go out on the dance floor and I�m watching them the whole time and...." Willow tries to hold back tears. "...and they...kissing...." She completely breaks down and leans into Faith�s arms. Faith holds onto her, but is more than a little uncomfortable. "Why... why doesn�t she want me?"

"It�s gonna be okay, Red," Faith says, searching the sky for some kind of answer she could tell the crying girl. "I know B and I know that she loves you. I also know that she would sooner die a slow and painful death than hurt you." Willow continues to cry and shakes her head.

"Then why...?

"I don�t know, Red," Faith answers honestly. "But there gotta to be some explanation."

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

�I cannot believe I screwed this up,� Buffy thinks to herself as she walks towards her house. �This is just so typical Buffy Summers to go and ruin the only good thing going in my life. I love her so much and I know that she loves me. How could this happen?� Buffy rolls her eyes, remembering what happened. �Damn it, Xander. What the hell were you thinking?� Buffy was so lost in thought that she didn�t hear the woman coming up behind her.

"Excuse me," the woman asked. Buffy snapped out her thoughts and looked towards the woman, indicating that she was listening. "Do you know where the nearest convenience store is?"

"It�s just around the corner," Buffy answered without emotion. She pointed to the direction the store was in. The woman nodded.

"Thank you, dear," she says before walking down the street.

"Good to know I can still make someone happy," Buffy mumbled to herself. She sighed and turned down her street, spotting her house. All she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and cry. After a couple of minutes that�s what she was doing. �We were so happy. Everything used to be perfect.�

~~~~Flashback~~~~

"Hey, Will?" Buffy asked the redhead who was seated at the table in the library. Willow looked up from her computer and over to the blonde. She had a huge smile plastered on her face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Buff," Willow replied, getting up from her seat and moving over to the stairs to sit beside her best friend. "Is this a tutor question, a witch question, or a best friend question?" Buffy thought about it.

"I�m not sure," she answered. "Can it just be a Willow question?"

"Okay, what�s up?" Buffy looked around the library and noticed that Xander and Giles where standing in the office. The school was closed so there shouldn�t be anyone around.

"Can we go talk outside?" Buffy asked nervously. �I can�t believe I�m actually going to do this. I�m going to tell her how I feel. Deep breath, Summers.� Willow nodded and stood up.

"Sure," she replied, holding out her hand for Buffy to take. The blonde grabbed it and they made their way out to the quad. Just like Buffy had thought, no one was there. Buffy walked them over to a bench in front of a wall. They sit in silence for a moment and Willow�s starting to get worried. "Buffy, what�s up? Did I do something?"

"No!" Buffy answers too quickly. "No. This has nothing to do with you. Well, yeah, it does. Okay, it has everything to do with you, but not in a bad way." Willow looked at her confused, but happy. �What�s this about? Could she...no. Don�t be stupid, Will.�

"So if this has everything to do with me then shouldn�t you tell me what it�s about?"

"I�m trying, Will. It�s just...Hey," she said as she looked around. She smiled when she realized where they were. "This is where we meet." Willow looked around and smiled. Suddenly Buffy knew that everything would be okay. �I can do this. It�s been three years and she�s still with me. After everything I�ve done to her, I think she can take anything.�

"Yeah, I remember that day," Willow replied. "That day changed my life." Buffy frowned. �Maybe not.�

"Right," Buffy sighed. "Cause that was the day you found out about the whole Hellmouth thing." Willow noticed Buffy�s sad look and took her hand.

"No," she corrected. "Cause that was the day I meet you." Buffy looked up from their linked hands. "Ever since I meet you, my life has been completely different. Everything changed, but for the better. Before I meet you I had next to no one, just Xander and Jesse." She paused to think about her lost friend, but soon shook it off, not wanting to ruin the moment. "My point is you made my life better. You made me better."

"I thought you were perfect," Buffy admitted. Willow blushed and bowed her head. "Really."

"Thanks, Buff, but you�re stalling," Willow said. "Now tell me why we�re out here." Buffy looked away and took a deep breath. �This is it, Summers.�

"The moment I saw you, I felt something." began the blonde. "Till this day I�m still trying to figure out what it was, but it felt amazing. It was like nothing else in my life mattered. All the bad things that I ever felt would wash away as long as I was near you."

"Buffy, what does this have to do with..." Buffy put her finger to the witch�s lips.

"Please," she begged. "Just let me finish?" Willow nodded and Buffy removed her finger. "Over the past three years, that feeling has come true. We both know that I don�t have the best life and that I have to deal with my share of pain, but... you�re always there. And I can�t thank you enough for that. You have no idea how much you help me deal with." Willow smiles and squeezes her hand to urge her to continue. Willow appears to be cool on the outside, but she is ready to explode on the inside. "I had this whole speech written out about how you make me feel and how much you mean to me, but now, looking into your beautiful eyes, I realize that there are no words that could ever describe what you do to me. So, I�m just going to get to the end, if that�s okay." Buffy is starting to tear up and Willow offers her a supportive smile and nod.

"What is it, Buffy?"

"I�m in love with you," Buffy says quickly, knowing that if she waited any longer she was never going to say it. Willow�s eyes widen in surprise. "I know that I probably just ruin your life, let alone our relationship, but I just had to say it. It�s been eating me up inside since I first laid eyes on you and...." Before she knew it, Willow was kissing her mindless. �Oh. My. God.� Willow pulled away and looked at Buffy with an amused grin. "You kissed me."

"You noticed that, did ya?" she giggled. She brought her hand up to rub Buffy�s cheek. "Once again you change my life. Buffy, you make me the happiest I�ve ever been."

"I didn�t ruin your life?" she asked. "Now or before?"

"As long as I have you and cookie dough ice cream my life is great," Willow joked. Buffy gave her an amused smile.

"Cookie dough ice cream, huh?" she laughs and Willow nods. "What about just me?" Willow pretends to think about it for a moment then giggles.

"I guess, but it wouldn�t be the same," she answers and Buffy smiles.

"Then I guess we�ll have to see to it that we get you your cookie dough ice cream."

"I guess so," Willow agrees. They smile at each other for a while longer in silence, neither wanting to ruin the moment. �I have to tell her,� Willow thought. "Buffy?"

"Yeah, baby," she replied. Willow�s smile broadened. "What?"

"You called me baby," she pointed out. Buffy�s face falls for a moment.

"I�m sorry," she says. "It just came out. I won�t say it...."

"No, I like it," Willow reassures her. "It makes me feel loved." Buffy eyes lighten up.

"Good," she decides. "Cause I love you."

"I love you, too," Willow breathes, glad to have finally said it. "I always will."

"Promise?"

"Pinky swear."

~~~~End Flashback~~~~

"I�m going to fix this," Buffy decides as she sits up on the bed. She wipes her eyes and grabs her coat and her wallet. She checks to make sure she has enough money and runs down the stairs. She quickly remembers to get her keys before she�s out the door and running towards the convenience store.

"Alone as usual," Willow mumbled to herself as she walked into her empty house. Her parents were off on one of their month long trips and wouldn�t be back till some time next week. Willow took off her jacket, hung it up and threw her keys in the hallway table. She ran a hand through her hair before walking into the living room. The first thing she noticed upon entering was the flashing light on the answering machine indicating that she had a message. Willow knew it was Buffy, and she knew what it would be about, but she still wanted to listen to what Buffy had to say for herself. Faith had advised her to hear the other slayer out, knowing there had to be some kind of misunderstanding. She promised Faith to give Buffy a chance and she always kept her promises. She sighed and pressed the play button.

"Hey, baby," Buffy�s sweet voice floated into the room. Willow had to close her eyes at the sound of worry in her girlfriend�s voice. "I know that you don�t want to talk to me right now and after what you saw I can�t blame you, but I want a chance to explain what happened." Willow�s ears perked up at the demand. "Please, will you meet me at the back of the school at 10 o�clock? I don�t know when you�ll get this, but I�ll be waiting until eleven." Willow checked her watch; it was 10:15. "I�ll understand if you don�t want to come, but please, think about it. I hope to see you soon. I love you." The tape began to rewind itself and soon clicked signaling that it was done. Willow slowly walked over to the chair beside the table the machine was on and pressed the play button again, hoping the answer was hidden somewhere in Buffy�s message.

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

"Come on, Will," Buffy whispered to herself, looking at her watch for the hundredth time since getting there. Willow only had fifteen minutes left to come and Buffy was starting to get worried that Willow wasn�t going to be coming at all. She looked around at all the things she had set up and frowned. This had to work because if it didn�t than Buffy didn�t know what would. She started to pace back and forth again. "Where are you, baby?" Buffy whipped around at the sound of the door opening. Willow stood in the doorway. "Hey."

"Hey," Willow called back nervously. She had sat at home for almost half an hour listening to Buffy�s message, trying to decide whether she should come or not. Finally, after the twenty-fifth time, Willow just came.

"I wasn�t sure if you�d come," Buffy started, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. She didn�t understand any of this. Three hours ago they were dancing together at the Bronze and now they can barely look each other in the eyes.

"I wasn�t going to, but Faith made me promise to give you a chance," the redhead replied as she walked further in the area. She looked at all the candles and flowers that were set up. It looked almost like the dinner table did early, but better because of the moonlight. She was so busy looking around she didn�t notice Buffy flinch at the other slayer�s name. "This looks amazing."

"Thanks," Buffy accepted, trying not to sound too happy with herself. She was lucky enough that Willow even shown up at all, she didn�t want to get ahead of herself. "You look beautiful."

"I look horrible," Willow corrected, crossing in front of Buffy to sit on the bench. "I�ve been crying for the past two hours. My eyes are red and puffy and my makeup is a mess." She sat down.

"You look perfect," Buffy countered, sitting down too, but being careful not to sit to close to the witch. "You always do."

"Buffy, what are we doing?" the witch asked, not wanting to get caught up in the moment. As much as she wanted to get back with Buffy, not getting hurt had to be her main concern. "You can�t just kiss Xander and break my heart than think you can make everything good again with a few nice words and some candles."

"I know, baby," Buffy agreed. "What happened at the Bronze was a complete misunderstanding on Xander�s part. I was trying to ease him into the whole idea of us being together. I was talking in code. You know, �I have this friend...� Anyways, I was in the middle of telling him how much I love my �friend� when he kissed me."

"But I know what I saw, Buff," Willow argues. "When he leaned in, you didn�t exactly move away. That kiss lasted longer than a surprise kiss should have."

"I was in shock," the slayer explained, knowing it was a lame excuse. "I wasn�t processes what was going on until it was too late. As soon as I heard Cordy screaming, I snapped out of it and pulled away." She turned to Willow and looked her directly in the eyes. "I swear, baby, I didn�t know what was going on. If my brain was functioning I would have stopped it before it even started."

"In my heart I know that you would never do that to me," Willow admits and Buffy smiles. "But I can�t get that image out of my head. Seeing you two kissing...I felt like I was being ripped in two."

"If there was something I could do to make you feel better, I�d do it in an instant." Buffy takes Willow�s hands in her own and is happy when she doesn�t resist. "But the truth is, nothing can ever erase this night from our memories. I wish I could forget it, too, but I can�t. You can only trust me when I tell you that I love you more than anything in this world." A single tear slipped down Buffy�s cheek and Willow gently brushed it away.

"I love you too, Buff," Willow whispered. "You know that."

"I do..."

"That�s why it hurt so much," Willow explained. "What would you have done if you had seen me kissing Xander?" Buffy made a disgusted face at the thought of it.

"I�d kill him," Buffy answered seriously. "Maybe not kill him, but at least rip him limb from limb." Willow gave her a questioning look. "But I would still wanna be with you because I know that you wouldn�t do that to me. There is just something inside of you that can�t hurt people."

"So you�re saying you wouldn�t be hurt?"

"I�d be devastated," replied the slayer, her eyes almost starting to tear up again. "But, baby, you�d still be you. There is nothing you could ever do that would make me not wanna be with you." Buffy moved a little closer and Willow did too. Willow looked around at all the candles and noticed where they were.

"One again, another major moment in my life happens on this bench," she comments. "This is were we met and where you told me you loved me." Buffy smiled.

"This bench is pretty special, huh?" she asked to no one but herself. Willow nodded anyway. "But there�s one thing special to me that didn�t happen here."

"Buffy, what are you talking about?" Buffy stood up and held out her hand, not exactly sure if Willow would take it. Without even thinking about it, Willow took the offered hand and stood up.

"Just close your eyes and follow my lead," Buffy instructed as she begins to walk into the school with Willow trailing behind.

"Where are you taking me?" Willow asks, starting to get worried about where she was being taken. Buffy could hear the slight note of genuine fear in her girlfriend�s voice and squeezed her hand for reassurance.

"Do you trust me?" she questions, without realizing what else she was implying. Willow thought it over.

"Yeah," she simply stated with a smile on her face. "Yeah, I do." The smile soon spread to Buffy�s face. They continued walking in silence until Buffy found the place she was looking for.

"We�re here," the blonde informs Willow, but quickly covers the redhead�s eyes with her hands before Willow can open them. She waits a beat to make sure everything is okay and removes her hands. "Okay, you can open them." Willow opens her eyes and looks at the single row of candles that lit up the hallway they had just come from, then tried to figure out what was so special about this hallway. When she realized that Willow didn�t remember what happened here, Buffy�s face fell. "You don�t know where this is, do you?"

"No, no, I do," she lied, trying to make Buffy feel better. She quickly looked around again. "We�re in a hallway, with a water fountain and some lockers, classrooms..." She continued to search. "Oh, and some stairs...and...." she trailed off when she saw the disbelieving look on Buffy�s face. "No, I�m sorry. I have no idea where we are."

"This is where I fell in love with you," Buffy answered her. Willow�s eyebrows shot up into her hairline and she tried to search her brain for any special event that had happened between the two in this hallway. "You were right over there, taking a drink. You had this adorable green jumper on..."

"But that was the first time I saw you," Willow remembered. Her eyes widen when she finally understood what the slayer was saying. She couldn�t help but smile. "You know, you�re making it really hard to stay mad at you."

"That was kind of the plan," admitted Buffy with a shy smile. "I was pretty much betting all my money on the sweet talk."

"And what if that didn�t work?" questioned Willow, who was trying to fight the urge to jump Buffy. She always got weak in the knees when Buffy got all cute. At the question, a smirk broke out on Buffy�s face. "What?"

"Come here," she says and Willow complies. "I got one more surprise for you." She puts her hands over Willow�s eyes again and leads her over to the stairs. She sits the redhead down. "Keep them closed," she warned as she is forced to remove her hands to get the surprise.

"I can�t take it much longer, "the witch informed, taping her foot impatiently. She sat still when she felt Buffy�s hand laying on her thigh. She could feel Buffy leaning in and soon enough she felt Buffy�s lips on hers. The kiss ended all too soon for Willow�s liking, but she didn�t complain. "That was plan B?"

"Nope," replied Buffy. "I just couldn�t resist." Willow giggled. "This was plan B." Willow felt something cold touch her lips. Then she realized it was a spoon. She closed her lips around it and brought the offered food into her mouth. Buffy removed the spoon and Willow moved the food around for a moment to taste what it was. When she finally figured it out, her eyes shot open.

"Cookie dough ice cream," she whispered with a grin plastered on her face. "You remembered."

"You said that as long as you had me and cookie dough ice cream then your life would be great." Buffy began to explain. "If you had refused to take me back I was hoping this would make you feel better. I want you to have a great life, baby. If I could have one wish, it would be that."

"Oh, Buffy..."

"I figured if I can�t make you feel great, that�s the next best thing," she finished with a shrug. Willow laughed and moved closer to the slayer. They were inches apart.

"No ice cream could ever come close to the way you make me feel," Willow told her. "You make me feel like I�m the only one in the room. I just have to look at you and I know everything will be okay." Buffy had heard enough and closed the gap between them with a kiss. Several moments later, they broke apart and tried to catch their breath.

"Ice cream doesn�t do that?" the slayer teased. Willow giggled and shook her head. She brought her hand up to lay on Buffy�s cheek.

"Only you, love. Only you."

"Didn�t we have a night of girly fun planed out?" Willow asked as she pulled away from Buffy, much to Buffy�s dismal.

"We sure did," Buffy agreed. "Before that damned boy interfered!" Willow had to smile at the tone in Buffy�s voice. The slayer sounded like a five-year-old who was afraid of cooties.

"I guess that�s why there�s usually no boys allowed," Willow pointed out and Buffy nodded her head. She suddenly decided that she didn�t want to be talking about Xander at the moment so she quickly thought of something to move the conversation forward. "As beautiful as you have made this place, what do you say about going back to your place?"

"I say yay," cheered Buffy, also happy to be off the Xander subject. She stood up and turned her back to Willow. "Piggy- back ride?" she asked over her shoulder.

"You know I could never turn down a ride from a piggy," she answered standing up on the bench so she could have easier access to Buffy�s back. Buffy moved closer and Willow jumped on. The two giggled as they made their way back outside. Buffy frowned when she saw the candles.

"Poop," she sighed, starting to maneuver Willow off her back so she can blow them all out. She stopped when she felt Willow�s hand on her shoulder, motioning for her to hold on.

"I got this," Willow whispered. She waved her hand in the candles� direction and all the candles magically blew out. Buffy smiled at the proud look on her girlfriend�s face. "Neat, huh?"

"Baby, you never stop amazing me," Buffy commented before continue their journey out of the school. "So, to my house?"

"Yeppers," Willow agreed, bouncing slightly. Buffy laughed at the redhead�s behavior and looked around the street. Willow followed her gaze to the two people giving them funny looks. "We must look pretty funny, huh?"

"Doesn�t matter," Buffy commented. "As long as they know I love you, then how could that be a bad thing?" Willow smiled and kissed the top of Buffy�s blonde head. She decided against pointing out how that could be a bad thing, sensing the slayer didn�t feel like thinking about it.

"So," she began, kicking her feet a little. "What�s on the agenda for girly fun tonight?"

"The usual," the blonde answered. "I was thinking, we can make some popcorn, watch a nice romantic movie of the non Leo-Kate variety, I can�t sit through that movie again."

"You saying that you wouldn�t freeze to death for me?" Willow teased, knowing that wasn�t what the slayer was referring to. She just didn�t think they made a good couple.

"In an instant," Buffy answered, truthfully. "You know that, baby, but come on! They had no chemistry at all." When Willow giggled, Buffy realized she was just kidding. "Maybe something in the Ringwald category." Willow nodded in approval. "Always a sure bet."

"Sounds good to me," Willow replied. "Do you think there could be room for snuggles?" she asked, as she held onto Buffy tighter.

"But of course," the slayer answered. "That�s going to be my favorite part of the night, bar none. Gotta love my Willow snuggles."

"And what are the changes of me falling asleep on the couch, wrapped in your warm embrace?"

"I�d have to say pretty likely," Buffy answered with a smile. "So, are we going to go with the obvious movie food choice of popcorn or are we going to mix it up a little?"

"I�m always a big fan of the mixing," Willow replied, just noticing now that they were almost at Buffy�s house. It was just around the corner. "I�m thinking something that requires dipping of some sort. Maybe some chips, not too far away from the popcorn family, but different enough to be considered mixing."

"You put way too much thought into that answer," the slayer teases, maneuvering herself so she could pinch her girlfriend�s butt. Willow yelped at the touch and playfully hit Buffy�s head. "Come on, you know you liked it."

"Maybe a little," the witch admitted with a soft smile. "I guess I can�t blame you, my butt is kinda cute, isn�t it?"

"The cutest in the world," Buffy agreed. They both laughed as the walked up Buffy�s driveway. "The first time I saw your butt...." She trailed off when she say Cordy sitting on her front porch. "Cordy?" The cheerleader looked up at them, tears of hurt and angry drying on her face. Willow slowly slipped off Buffy�s back and stood beside the blonde.

"I guess you two made up?" Cordy commented sarcastically. The girls looked at each other and shrugged.

"Cordy, what are you doing here?" Willow asked, moving towards the distraught girl sitting in front of her. "Why aren�t you making up with Xander?" Cordy shot her a bitter look.

"Make up with him?" she repeated. "Why would I ever do that? Her kissed someone else."

"So did Buffy," Willow admitted, not looking at the slayer. "You don�t see us avoiding each other." Cordelia shook her head and wiped her eyes.

"Yeah, cause she was the kissee, not the kisser," the brunette countered. "It wasn�t her fault he lend in. Xander�s the jackass that started it. He�s the cheater."

"Then why don�t you go tell him that?"

"Oh, believe me, I have. Repeatedly and very loudly," Cordy answered. "I just wanted to come by and tell you to tell him not to talk to me. I already told him that, but I�m sure he won�t listen." Cordy stood up.

"Are you still coming to Fort Giles tomorrow?" Buffy asked, as Cordy walked past her.

"Don�t know," she called back walking towards the end of her driveway. "Don�t count on it, though." She got in her car and drove off leaving Buffy and Willow alone.

"That was uncomfortable," Buffy admitted, making her way over to where Willow was sitting. Before Buffy could sit down, Willow jumped up and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the house.

"We can worry about Cordelia later," Willow explained, closing the door and pushing Buffy into the living room. She shoved Buffy onto the couch and went to put the movie in. "Now it�s girly time." She turned on the TV and plopped down beside Buffy.

"My favorite pass time," Buffy commented. Willow giggled and snuggled in closer. Buffy lay down on the couch and pulled Willow with her. She grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and laid it over them. She wrapped her arm around Willow�s stomach and watched as the beginning credits for Sixteen Candles played. She kissed the top of Willow�s head. "I love you, baby," she whispered.

"I love you, too," Willow replied. This was going to be a fun night and it was only 11:30. Buffy could hardly wait.

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

Joyce walked through the door of the Summers house five minutes after midnight and was surprised to find it relatively quite. The only noise was coming from the movie playing in the living room. She quietly took off her jacket and ventured into the room.

"Girls, what are you watching...." she stopped when she say the scene before her. Both her daughter and her daughter�s girlfriend/ best friend were passed out on the couch, snuggled up under a blanket. Joyce smiled as she turned off the TV. She walked over and kissed both girls on the forehead. Buffy�s eyes fluttered open at the touch.

"Hi, mom," she croaked out, sleepily. Joyce gave her a warm smile. "What time is it?"

"Midnight." Buffy looked down at the redhead in her arms and smiled. "Do you wanna move upstairs?"

"No, it�s okay," she answered. "We�ll just stay down here. I don�t wanna wake her."

"Okay, dear," Joyce replies, walking over to the door. "Goodnight."

"Night, mom," Buffy whispered back, careful not to wake Willow. Joyce waved and walked up the stairs and into her room. Buffy sighed and kissed Willow�s head.

"See you in my dreams, baby," she whispered and closed her eyes.

"Mmmm, baby," Buffy moaned as she opened her eyes. It took her a second to remember where she was. It wasn�t until she spotted the redhead sleeping in front of her. She smiled, realizing that there was no immediate threat to her or her girlfriend, and laid back down. She inhaled the sweet, natural smell of Willow as she let herself relax and be off guard for the first time in what felt like forever. She softly began to run her hands through the girl�s red hair. "Nothing bad is ever going to happen to you, baby. I won�t let it," she promised to Willow as much as to herself.

"No, no, no, please," pleaded Willow in her sleep. Buffy frowned at what her girlfriend was apparently dreaming about. Willow�s body began to rock back and forth in the slayer�s arms either in fear or in pain, Buffy was sure.

"It�s okay, baby, I�ve got you," Buffy chanted over and over. She held onto the witch, prepared to battle any physical threat that might try to harm her. Buffy�s touch seemed to calm the redhead down somewhat. "I�m here, baby. It�s okay."

"Help, help. They�re attacking," she cried. Suddenly her eyes popped open and she bolted upright, nearly hitting Buffy on the chin. "The tadpoles! They�re attacking!" The look of pure horror on Willow�s face was enough to throw Buffy into fits of laughter. Willow slowly took in her surrounding. She looked down at the laughing blonde and fell back down to lay beside her. She was more than a little embarrassed. "Thanks a lot, honey."

"I�m...I�m sorry, bab...baby, but...." She stopped to try to catch her breath. "The tadpoles?" She fell back into giggles. Willow rolled her eyes and playfully hit Buffy on the arm.

"You know I have frog fear," she explained, trying not to laugh. She watched the slayer roll around beside her and couldn�t help herself; Buffy was adorable when she laughed. Soon, Willow was joining the blonde.

"Oh, you are just too cute for words," Buffy breathes when the two slowly stopped laughing, only a few giggles slipping past occasionally.

"Well, missy," Willow began. "What was the almighty slayer dreaming about then?" A slight smirk appeared on Buffy�s face, which scared Willow a little. "Actually, on second thought..."

"Without giving away too many details," Buffy teased. "Let�s just say that there was us, alone, in a bedroom...I�ll let you fill in the blanks." Willow blushed at the thought of it.

"Leaves little to the imagination," Willow comments, trying hard not to think about it.

"Oh believe me," the slayer disagreed. "There�s plenty to imagine."

"Can we change the subject, please?" Willow asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in her own skin. She was never good when it came to sex talk, at least when it involved her.

"Come on, baby, I was just..."

"Please?" she pleaded. Buffy immediately shut up when she saw the look in Willow�s eyes. She decided it was best to drop it for now, but she was definitely going to question her about it later.

"Sure, baby," she whispered, pulling Willow back into her arms. Willow relaxed at the movement and enjoyed the closeness of the embrace. "So, do you think Xander will be joining us at Chez Rupert this morning?" Willow tensed up again and Buffy felt it.

"Really don�t want to talk about him either."

"0 for 2, huh?" Buffy commented. Buffy kissed her on the neck and moved them into a sitting position; Willow situated on her lap. "Why don�t you go get showered while I start breakfast? I�ll get in quickly after."

"Okay," Willow whispered, slowly getting off Buffy�s lap. Buffy grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back down.

"Excuse the morning breath," she mumbled before kissing the confused redhead.

"What was that for?" Willow asked, thought not complaining. Buffy shrugged her shoulders.

"Just for being you," she answered, smacking Willow on the bum causing her to jump up. "Now go get cleaned up, you dirty girl." Willow laughed and walked towards the door, but apparently not fast enough for the slayer�s liking. "Faster, faster. I want to see your cute little bum in action." Willow immediately ran up the stairs, giving a little hop when before disappearing from Buffy�s sight. Buffy laughed at her antics. "God, I love that girl," she mumbled to herself before making her way into the kitchen to get breakfast ready.

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

"Hey, Giles!" Buffy called out as she and Willow walked through the library double doors. They girls waited for Giles to answer them, but nothing came. They continued over to the table. "G � Man?! We beat Giles to school on a Saturday. I didn�t think that was possible."

"Well, maybe he�s at the Magic Shop," Willow argued, not liking the thought of Giles not being reliable. "Or...or maybe he just stayed up late researching. Or..."

"Or maybe he�s human," Buffy interrupted. She knew Willow thought of Giles as like a kind of Super Man when it came to good behavior. "I�m sure he just slept in or something. Or maybe he had a hot date." They sat down on the table in the middle of the room.

"Speaking of hot dates," Willow began. "What are we doing tonight?" She nudged the blonde a little, trying to imply that she wanted a hot date.

"If we survive Book Fest 98, I was thinking dinner," Buffy informed her, bringing a smile to the redhead�s face. "We could get all pretty and go to a nice, fancy restaurant. My treat, as this will be officially considered a date."

"Aw, that sounds awesome," Willow gushed. "Let�s just hope you don�t get to first base with someone else tonight."

"I only play football with you, baby," sighed Buffy, moving forward and laying soft kisses on Willow�s neck. Willow giggled at the touch and what she had said.

"I think the metaphor is baseball," she corrected. Buffy shrugged and continued to explore the skin underneath her lips. "But who cares about baseball anyways?" Buffy nodded her head in agreement. "You do know that this is exactly where we got caught before, right?"

"Not caring," Buffy got out, before going back to her task at hand. She slid off the table to stand in front of the witch. She softly laid her hands on Willow�s sides as the witch ran her hands up and down her back. "This feel so good," she moaned.

"You feel so good," Willow corrected, tangling her hands in blonde hair. Buffy sucked hard and Willow hung her head back to fully enjoy the sensation. Buffy pulled back and locked her lips with Willow�s and they lost themselves in the kiss. Everything around them started to fade away, there was no table, no library, no books, just them. Together. Forever. Then as suddenly as it began, it ended.

"Girls, is that you?" Giles calls out as he comes out of the back stacks. Buffy immediately pulls away, but still stays close to Willow. They both wipe vigorously at their lips, knowing they were swollen.

"Ah, yeah, Giles," Buffy answered back. Giles walked down the stairs with a stack of books in his hands. He stumbles a bit, but makes it safely to the table without dropping the books. "We called out when we got here, but you didn�t answer." He starts to look through one of the books, not looking at them, which they are thankful for.

"Oh, yes, I was in the back," he replies, not giving his full attention. "Must not have heard you."

"What�s so interesting?" Willow questioned, noticing that Giles was starting to get really engrossed with the book. With Giles, it was either something extremely boring or extremely dangerous if he was that distracted. "End of the world or something?"

"No, no, Willow," he says as he tries to tear his eyes away from the page he�s reading. "Just a little something about a demon I once ran...into.... Is that a hickey?"

"Oh!" Willow squeaks out, quickly covering the mark with her hand. "Um, I... um...a..."

"What Willow is trying to say is... is that...um... what she�s saying is..." Buffy stuttered, not being able to think quickly. That was never one of her finest qualities. "Willow is saying... that...while it does look like a... a hickey..."

"That�s a hickey, Buffy," Giles interrupted her. "I�m quite certain of that. It was more of a rhetorical question. The implied question was who is it from?"

"That would be the work of me," Buffy admitted, bowing her head. She closed her eyes as she prepared for her watcher�s outburst.

"Excuse me?!" screamed Xander, from his position by the doors. "You gave Willow a what?"

"Xander, despite what you may think, this is a library," Giles warned the angry boy standing in the doorway. "Which requires that you keep your voice down." He was angry as well, all three teens could tell that by the sound of his voice.

"No!" Xander yelled back at him, his eyes still glued to his two friends. "I think that I deserve a little explanation here!" He folded his arms across his chest and waited, flexing and unflexing his fingers.

"And if you clam down, me and Will would be happy to give it to you," Buffy replied through clenched teeth. She understood that he was upset, but this was just ridiculous. Xander didn�t stand down and Willow left Buffy�s side to move closer to him.

"Come on, Xand," she tried. "Just come sit down and we tell you what�s going on." Xander shook his head and let his arms fall to his sides. Willow flinched at the fast movement, actually frightened that he might hit her. Buffy must have been thinking the same thing as she stepped forward.

"Baby, be careful," she called, but Willow waved her off, deciding that Xander wasn�t going to do anything that stupid. Buffy backed down.

"That�s disgusting," he spat out, after hearing Buffy�s pet name for Willow. Willow face flashed anger for a second before changing to hurt. "I can�t stand to look at either if you right now, I�m outta here," he announces before storming out of the library. Willow waits a second before moving to go after him.

"Baby, just let him be," Buffy advised.

"Xander, come on, wait up!" Willow yelled, ignoring Buff�s suggestion and running out after her friend. Buffy was about to go after her, but stopped at the sound of Giles� voice behind her.

"Let Willow talk to him first," Giles said, taking off his glasses and rubbing them between the material of his tweed jacket. Buffy�s shoulders slumped and she turned around to face her angry watcher.

"Well, he didn�t take that as well as I thought he would," she confessed, hoping the older man was going to react a little better to their news than Xander did. "You aren�t going to say something really hurtful, then run out of her like a little baby, are you?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Buffy, that�s enough," he snapped, causing Buffy to jump. "This is a serious matter and I�m sick of you treating everything as if it were a joke."

"Calm down, over-reacty guy," she warned in a serious tone. Xander�s little outburst was anything but a joke to her. "What�s your deal? I figured you�d be happy for me. For us. At least Will�s not a vampire."

"Which means she cannot protect herself," Giles shot back, putting his glasses back on. Buffy gave him a confused look. "I don�t have to remind you that you are the slayer..."

"Muchly not, but what are you...."

"And that everyone around you is in danger just by being friends with you," he pressed on, ignoring Buffy�s answer.

"Of course not," Buffy replied. "Giles, just get your point across." He sighed when she didn�t understand what he was trying to say.

"Buffy, how many times was Angel put in danger because of his relationship with you?" he asked, his tone getting darker at the vampire�s name. Buffy didn�t answer. "Willow doesn�t have the strength, skill or speed that a vampire has. If she is put in a life or death situation what makes you think that she will be able to survive it?"

"It won�t come to that," Buffy answers, forcefully. "I won�t let it." Giles shook his head in frustration. "She�s not going to get hurt. I�d die before I let that happen."

"I�m very disappointed in you, Buffy," Giles sighed. "I thought Willow�s safety was more important to you." Buffy took a step forward, taking his comment as an insult.

"Nothing is more important to me," she corrected. "She means everything to me, Giles. I assumed you knew that. I�d die if anything happened to her."

"And I believe that she would feel the same," Giles mused. "You and I both know that slayers have a very short life span and we have both come to accept that. Willow hasn�t." Buffy bowed her head, not willing to look him in the face. "What happens when you don�t come home from patrol one night and she�s left all alone? She�d be devastated and would probably never get over. I cannot believe that you are willing to risk her future happiness for your own. That�s just plain selfish." Buffy raised her head, meeting Giles� gaze and holding it.

"Go to hell, Giles," she stated on the verge of tears, but still forcefully. Giles� features softened at the emotions in her voice and he moved to comfort her, but she stepped back. She gave him one last glare before turning and walking to the door.

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

"Xander, come on, wait up!" Willow called after her friend. Xander ignored her calls and continued walking down the hall. "Xander, please, just stop!"

"Willow, I can�t talk to you right now," he warned her, not wanting to say something that he�d regret later. He was hurt and he wanted to be left alone. Willow, however, was having none of if. She sped up and finally caught up with him. She grabbed his arm and spun him around to face her.

"Talk to me!" she demanded, still holding his arm so he wouldn�t run off. "Why are you so upset about this? Why can�t you just be happy for me?" He had had enough. He tugged on his arm and pushed her away in the process.

"Why do you think, Will?" Xander shot back. "You know how I feel about her. You knew and you did it anyways! How can you do that to me?"

"News flash, Xander," Willow yelled. "This isn�t about you! This was never about you! This is about me and it�s about Buffy! Why don�t you get that?"

"I get that," he corrected. "More than you know. That�s my point. This isn�t about me because you never even stopped to consider my feelings. About how this would make me feel."

"Right now, I really don�t care how this makes you feel," Willow informed him. "I love her, Xander, more than anything. She makes me happier than I ever thought I could be." She made sure that Xander was looking her in the face when she continued. "I�m sorry that this upsets you, I really am, but I will not give up my chance at happiness just because you�re a selfish little baby!"

"What a surprise," Xander muttered. "You�re choosing Buffy over me."

"Yeah, I am," she confirmed, not trying to hide it. "And we both know that you would do the same if you were in my position. I have always stood by you, Xander, even if you were being a complete jerk. But I�m done. Ever since we were little, this friendship has been one sided and I�m sick of it."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I�m done with this," she decided. "I am not going to let you use me anymore. You can either accept that I�m with Buffy and be happy for us or you can just leave me the hell alone." Xander stood in front of her, jaw clenched, not saying a word. Willow lowered her head, knowing his answer. "Can�t say I didn�t see that coming," she spoke. She shook her head in disgust and turned to walk away.

"So this is it?" Xander called after her. She stopped walking, but didn�t turn around and he walked towards her. "You�re just going to let some little bitch..." was all he got out before he felt a sharp stinging on the side of his face. He brought his hand up to rub the spot where he had just been slapped. He locked eyes with a very angry Willow. "I see she�s already starting to rub off on you."

"Shut up, Xander," she warned him, balling up her fists. She really didn�t want to have to hit him again. She didn�t enjoy it the first time, but she certainly didn�t regret it. "You made your decision already. We are no longer friends."

"Well, if we�re no longer friends than I just wanted to ask you something," he spat back at her. She narrowed her eyes at him and squeezed her hands tighter. "How does it feel? Knowing that no guy could ever stand to touch you? I knew you were desperate, Will, but lesbianism? I gotta say, that�s pretty sad." Willow had nothing to say. No snappy comebacks, no threats, no nothing. She felt the tears start to run down her cheeks and couldn�t take it any longer. She turned and ran out of the school. Buffy came walking out of the library just as the doors closed behind her girlfriend.

"Baby?" she called out, not caring what Xander would think. She spotted Xander standing by himself in the hallway and put two and two together. She glared at him before running out after the redhead leaving Xander alone.

"Chicks," he muttered, turning around to go out the other exit. When he turned around saw his girlfriend standing in the doorway of the girl�s washroom.

"Nice, Xander," she shot at him, walking towards him. She shoved him out of her way as she walked by. "Real nice." She too walked out the same doors as Buffy and Willow had gone out of. Xander sighed and began the long walk to his house. Alone.

"Baby!" Buffy called out, as she tried to catch up with the redhead. "Willow, come on, slow down!" It didn't really matter if the witch slowdown, considering the slayer could be at her side within a moment if she really wanted to. Buffy decided that she would give her girlfriend a little space, she would slow down if she wanted to talk about it. Finally, Willow had to slow down as the tears began to overwhelm her. Buffy stopped running and slowing walked over to Willow's side. The redhead was bend over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath and hold back her tears and the same time. Buffy gently laid a hand on Willow's back. "Baby?"

"Home," she gasped out. "Just take me...home." Buffy looked around her surroundings. They were only about a block away from Willow's house. She looked back down at the redhead, who was still trying to get her herself under control. Buffy bend down so she was at eye-level with her. She touched her cheek so the redhead would look at her.

"Will, we're just around the corner from your house," the blonde informed her. "Did you wanna walk or do you want me to carry you?" Willow thought about it for a moment and nodded indicating that she could walk. Buffy nodded her head and put her arm around Willow's waist, moving Willow's arm around her neck. "Come on, baby. Let's get you to bed." They made it about five steps until Willow stumbled and started to sob.

"God...Buffy," the redhead sobbed, almost falling if it wasn't for Buffy's firm grip on her. Buffy shook her head.

"Okay," she decided. She positioned her arms under Willow's knees and swiftly pulled her up and into her arms. "Time to carry you now." Willow didn't protest, instead just laid her head on Buffy's shoulder and continued to cry. Within three minutes, they were at the Rosenberg house. For some reason, the door had been unlocked, which was weird since nobody had been there for over two days. Not wanting to dwell on it, Buffy just kicked the door shut and made her way Willow's room. When they got there, Buffy gently laid Willow down on her bed. Buffy went to move down, but Willow caught her.

"Please stay," she pleaded. Buffy's heart broke at the desperation in her girlfriend's voice. Buffy knelt down beside the bed and took both of Willow's hands in hers. "Please, Buff...please stay with me."

"I was just gonna take off your shoes, kay?" Willow blushed a little at her mistake and nodded her head. Buffy gave her a reassuring smile before laying a gentle kiss on her lips. "I'll be back in a couple seconds, slayer speed an all." Willow nodded and let go off her hands. Buffy moved to the end of the bed and took off the girl's shoes. She laid them on the ground and then took off her own. She pulled back the covers and slid in beside her girlfriend. Without any words, Buffy just wrapped her arms around the witch's waist and pulled her close. At the gesture, Willow lost the little composure she had gained back and broke down again. "It's okay, baby. Everything's gonna be okay. I promise." They laid in silence for a while until Willow finally fell asleep. Buffy however, was too worried about the redhead and too angry with Xander to get any sleep. She waited until she was positive the witch wouldn't get up before she grabbed the phone beside the bed. She dialed the person's number and after two rings they answered.

"Hello?" came the impatient voice of Cordelia Chase. She had a very busy schedule of doing nothing planned for today and she didn't want it to be disrupted.

"Cordy, hey," Buffy greeted, trying to sound supportive, but not sympathetic. If there was one thing Cordy hated, it was other people's pity. "What are you doing right now?"

"I don't know, it depends," Cordy answered suspiciously. "What do you want?"

"When we went to the library this morning, Giles and Xan...he who shall remain nameless kinda found out about me and Will," she informed her sort of friend. "Let's just say, they didn't take it too great."

"Yeah, I know," Cordelia sighed. She had decided that she wasn't going to let Xander know he had hurt her; she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. And what was the best way to show him she wasn't upset? Act like nothing happened. "I saw the whole thing between him and Willow, wasn't pretty."

"You saw it?" Buffy questioned, raising her eyebrows. She looked over at the redhead. She had wanted to ask her what Xander had said, but she didn't want to upset her anymore than she already was. She decided she wanted to know. "What did he say to her? She was practically hysterical."

"I don't really remember everything," the cheerleader began. "He felt betrayed or something. Like just because he was in love with you that meant Willow wasn't allowed to be happy. And where does he get off being in love with you still when he's supposed to be with me?" Buffy rolled her eyes at Cordy's behavior.

"Cordy!" she yelled, getting the girl's attention. "Willow?"

"Right, sorry," she mumbled. "So she got mad at his selfishness and tried to walk away, he called you a bitch, she slapped him, it was all very intense." Buffy's eyes narrowed when she heard what he said about her, but she was kind of proud at what Willow had done for her. "She was all 'This friendship is over' and he was all 'No guy would ever touch you that's why you had to become a lesbian'."

"He said what to her?" Buffy asked slowly as to make her anger evident. She had to surprise the sudden rage she felt burning in the pit of her stomach.

"I know, harsh, eh?" Cordelia said, her voice softening a little bit. "When he said that I had to stop myself from attacking him." Cordy stopped to remember why they were talking in the first place. "Oh, yeah. What did you want?"

"We're at Will's house, she sleeping," Buffy explained. "I was wondering if you could come over and stay with her while I go and pay Xander a little visit."

"Sure," Cordy answered. "I don't have to hold her or anything do I?" Buffy almost laughed at the genuine fear in her voice. She probably would have laughed if she wasn't so angry.

"No, Cordy," she answered. "A big no on the holding of MY girlfriend."

"Then I'll be over in a few." Both girls hung up. It wasn't until nearly ten minutes later that there was a soft knock on Willow's bedroom door. "Buffy?"

"Come on in," Buffy called quietly. Cordy entered and smiled at what she saw. Buffy and Willow looked absolutely adorable all cuddled up together. Cordy was about to say something, but stopped when Buffy motioned her to be quiet. Cordy walked further into the room and sat in the chair beside Willow's bed. Buffy slowly unfolded Willow and stood up to face Cordy. "I doubt she'll walk up, but if she does just get her a drink or something. Please don't tell her what I went to do, she wouldn't be pleased."

"Sure," the brunette replied. "I'll just watch TV or something." She looked around the room to find where the television was, but was surprised to find that there wasn't one.

"She doesn't have one in here," Buffy informed her. "But you can use her laptop if you want," she suggested. "But no dirty websites, though."

"Do me a favor?" Cordy asked. "While you're tearing Xander a new one, can you get a few in for hurting me?" Buffy was surprised to see the girl so sad over her breakup with Xander. It never really occurred to her that she loved him. Buffy smiled at her and nodded.

"You got it," she spoke. She turned her attention to the sleeping girl on the bed. She ran her hands through beautiful red hair before laying a soft a kiss on the girl's head. "I'll be back soon, baby," she whispered, but still loud enough to be heard by the cheerleader. Cordy smiled at how sweet Buffy was with her. Buffy stood up straight and walked to the door. "I won't be long."

"Oh no," Cordelia insisted. "Take your time." Buffy smirked and walked out the door. Cordelia looked around the room for something to do. Seeing nothing else, she got up and grabbed the laptop then sat back down in the chair.

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

Xander was currently lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling sorry for himself. How could they do that to him? They were supposed to be his best friends. They both knew how he felt about Buffy and they both knew how he would feel about them being together. And they didn't care. Sure, he knew that what he had said to Willow was way harsh, but he didn't regret it. He wanted her to feel bad for what they had did to him, in his mind she deserved it. He sighed when he heard a loud banging on his front door. He rolled his eyes and reluctantly got up. He slowly walked through his house, getting annoyed at the banging, the person hadn't seized yet.

"Coming!" he yelled at the person. The person still didn't stop knocking. "What the hell is your frickin' problem, man?" he demanded, swinging open the door. Before he could even say anything to the blonde standing on the other side, he felt her fist connect with his face. His hands flew to his nose and he tilted back his head in pain. He stumbled back a little, leaving room for the blonde to enter. "What the hell was that for?!"

"You hurt Willow," Buffy stated, stepping inside the doorway. "Now I hurt you." She closed the door.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Buffy?!" yelled Xander from his position on the floor. He watched in fear as the slayer approached him. He looked into her eyes, trying to find a way to reason with his friend. He shuttered at what he say. He looked into her eyes and didn�t see his friend staring back at him. What he saw was the slayer. And she was out for blood.

"It�s like I said before, Xander," she stated calmly. Xander felt his stomach drop at the tone of her voice. An angry Buffy he could deal with. A sad Buffy he could deal with. Any kind of Buffy he could deal with but the one in front of him. "You hurt Willow, I hurt you. That�s the way it is."

"You have got to be kidding me!" he sighed and got to his feet. The way he figured it, Buffy was pretty much going to beat the living hell out of him as it is, so he might as well get some shots in too. "This is always about Willow! Everything with you is about the frickin� witch!" Buffy punched him hard in the face. He stumbled a bit, but refused to fall down. He was going to be a man about this.

"I�d watch it if I were you, Xander," Buffy warned him. She was having serious problems on the inside right now. When she had heard what he had said to her girlfriend, her first instinct was to kill him, but as she was walking over to his house, she got to think about it more. No matter what he said or did, Xander was still her friend. She wasn�t sure if she would be able to look Willow in the face again if she hurt him too badly. "The only thing keeping you conscious is the fact that Willow would hate me if I killed you and that�s the only reason. So you should be thankful for her."

"Thankful?" he repeated. He laughed bitterly, wiping the blood that was dripping out of his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. "What the hell do I have to be thankful about? That she was sneaking around behind my back? That she was secretly seeing the girl she knew I was in love with? That she didn�t give a damn about my feelings about this whole thing?" Buffy closed her eyes, trying to keep cool, which was proving to be a more difficult feat than she had originally thought.

"Do you even hear the words that are coming out of your mouth?" Buffy asked in disgust. "You think you�re better than Willow?" Xander nodded.

"I didn�t keep secrets about a relationship I knew would hurt her."

"How quickly you forget," Buffy mocked. Her control was beginning to slip quickly. She wasn�t sure how much longer she could take it. "What do you think she felt like when she found out about you and Cordy?" Xander�s face fell. "Yeah, she really felt like a million bucks."

"So what?" Xander questioned. "I had this coming? Is this some sort of payback? Cause I thought you guys were cool with me and Cordy now."

"First, and let me make this completely clear, there is no you and Cordy now. Got it?" she informed him. His face showed a flash of pain at the comment. "Second, how could you possible think that low of Willow?" Once again Xander laughed bitterly.

"Well, she hasn�t really proven me wrong has she?" Buffy moved to punch him, but Xander, knowing it was coming, duck and Buffy put a hole in the wall. Xander looked back at the hole, shuddering at what that might have done to him if she had connected. Buffy removed her hand and they both stared at the blood for a moment. "Look at you. And you think you can treat her gently." Buffy�s jaw clenched and she balled up her fist.

"I�m warning you, Xander," she cautioned. "You�re already standing on really thin ice." Xander totally ignore her warnings.

"I mean, look at your track record," he began starting to get into it. "There was Owen, I believe we all ended up in morgue trying to outrun a vampire. And that was on the first date, right?" He took a step forward, not caring that Buffy was narrowing her eyes at him, as only the slayer does. "And then there was Angel. I really don�t need to get into all the details of that train wreck, do I? Face it, Buff, you dig the bad guys, you�re attracted to the danger." He still moved closer. Buffy was starting to become almost hypnotized by the sound of his voice. "Willow can never do those things. She�s just little ol� Willow Rosenberg. The sweet, cute, Jewish computer hacker."

"Xander..." the slayer breathed. She closed her eyes in an attempt to regain her composer. He smiled at the sound of her voice. He moved closer, until they were mere inches apart.

"You want a man," he whispered. "A guy who can treat you right. That guy is me." He grabbed the sides of her face and brought her head towards his. He kissed her with passion for about a second before Buffy pushed him away roughly. Before he could say anything Buffy had him sprawled out on the ground underneath her. She held him up by his collar with one hand and punched him repeatedly in the face with the other one.

"You just don�t get it, do you?" she yelled at him. "I don�t want you! I�ve never wanted you! I could never want you!" She punctured each sentence with another punch. She continued to punch him until his face was almost completely covered in blood. She about to hit him again until she looked down at his face. She saw the blood and dropped his collar in shock. She slowly stumbled off of him and stood up on shaky legs, staring down at him. "Oh, God. Xander..." Xander propped himself up on his elbows. He spit out a mouthful of blood onto the carpet before looking up at the blonde. He had a sick grin on his face.

"And you say you don�t like it rough," he spat at her. "You need the fighting, the pain, in your relationships." He managed to pull himself to his feet. He wiped at his face in an attempt to remove some of the blood. "You can play the cute little lesbian soul mate game with Will, you can hold her every night and call her baby until the cows come home. But you�ll always want it. You�ll always crave for the pain."

"No, I love her," she stated with conviction. There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to be with Willow for the rest of her life. He was just trying to play with her mind. She wasn�t going to let him. She hugged herself around the waist and shook her head. She decided to get back to the reason she had come over here in the first place. "I don�t care what the hell you say to me, but you will not hurt Willow. I will see to that."

"And why�s that?" he asked sarcastically. "Cause that�s you�re job? You know that�s all you�re gonna end up doing, don�t you? Hurt her."

"I would never..."

"That�s all you�ve ever done," he cut her off. "Ever since you came here, you�ve been hurting her in one way or another." Xander took a cautious step forward and Buffy took a step back, trying to stop herself from hurting him any further. He was already bloody enough. Buffy shook her head.

"I�m not listening to any more of this," she decided, turning and walking to the door. She pulled it open and stopped, not turning to face him. "I mean it, Xander. You hurt her again in anyway, space or form... you�re dead. In the �I�ll kill you� sense of the word." She walked out the door, slamming it shut. Xander stood stock still for a few moments, just staring at the spot the slayer had been standing.

"I�ll be waiting," he said. "I love the pain just as much as you."

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

Buffy walked down the street, staring down at her feet. Watching them move. Left, right, left, right. She was trying her hardest not to give any thought to all the things that Xander had just said to her. Also trying not to think about how she had completely lost her control and nearly beat him to death. What if she lost control again? What if the next time it was with Willow? She shook her head, losing the thoughts in the sea of emotions that were currently running through her. She was so lost in thought that she didn�t hear the footsteps coming up beside her.

"Hey, B," Faith greeted her sister slayer. "What�s with the pouty? You and Red not made up yet?"

"How�d you know about me and Will?" Buffy asked her, actually thankful to see the brunette. She was glad to have something to distract her. The two of them fell into sync with each other�s footsteps.

"Had a little girl talk with Red last night," Faith informed her. Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Found her crying while I was on patrol. She was sittin� in the middle of a graveyard."

"What?" the blonde asked, trying not to think about what could have happened to her girlfriend if the other slayer hadn�t come along. Deciding not to dwell on the thought, she shook her head. "Nope, all is good in the �Buffy loves Willow� department. While, in the actual loving part of it, anyway."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning, Xander got his jerk on today," she explained. "In a monumental fashion." Faith nodded, knowing what had gone down the night before. "Said some pretty harsh stuff to Will."

"That way you have blood all over your hands?" Faith asked gently. Buffy had tried to rub it off on her clothes, but Faith could still smell it. Buffy looked down at her bloody hands. Faith caught the guilty look. "Hey, don�t sweat it, B. Way I see it, Dorkus had it coming for months. Finally got what he deserved."

"But that doesn�t change the fact that I used my powers to hurt somebody," the blonde countered. "Not just somebody, a friend." Faith looked at her skeptically. They rounded the corner to Willow�s street.

"After what he did last night and what he must have said today, you still consider him a friend?" Buffy thought about it for a moment and shrugged. She was so very confused right now. They began to walk up the Rosenberg driveway.

"I don�t now right now," she confessed. "We�ll have to want and see what else he has to..." Both slayers came to a halt when they saw the front door wide open and several plants knocked off the porch. "Oh, no," Buffy muttered, sprinting into the house, Faith not far behind. "Baby? Baby!" When they made it to Willow�s room, they found Cordy sprawled out on the floor, unmoving. Willow was nowhere in sight. Seeing that Buffy was in shock, Faith moved to the check on the cheerleader.

"Come on, Cordy," she muttered, lightly ruffling the girl, trying to get her to wake up. After the fourth try, Cordy began to stir. Cordy slowly opened her eyes. It took her a moment to remember what happened, then she began to frantically look around the room.

"No, Willow," Cordy called. "Where�s Will?" Cordy looked up at the blonde and her heart broke at the pain and fear she saw in her eyes. Buffy was still standing in the middle of the room.

"What happened?" Faith asked. Cordy closed her eyes, hoping to hold back the tears.

"They took her."

"Who?" Buffy whispered. "Who!?" she screamed after Cordy didn�t answer.

"Spike," she finally stated. She paused not wanting the blonde to attack her or something. "And Angel."

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