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.

"What did you just say?" Buffy demanded, praying that she had heard the cheerleader wrong. If what she had said was true, thing were about to get very terrible right about now. This is just the worst possible thing that could be happening now. Cordy looked over at her from her position on the floor beside Willow�s bed.

"I said it was Spike," she paused, taking a deep breath. "And Angel." Cordy saw the gut wrenching pain flash in Buffy�s eyes and she bowed her head. Faith watched the interaction between the two. Deciding it would be easier to deal with the brunette right now, she turned her attention to Cordy.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "What did they do?" Cordelia looked up at the dark slayer for a moment before looking at the bed where Willow had been.

"They took her," she repeated in dismay. She was cursing herself for failing at her one job. All she had to do was sit there and watch Willow. What was so damn hard about that? It should have been something that even she couldn�t mess up. She tore her gaze away from the bed to look at Faith again. "She was sleeping, Willow was, and I was just sitting there. All of a sudden they came bursting through the door."

"How did they get in?" Faith questioned. She looked over at Buffy. "Don�t they have to have an invitation or something?" She turned back to Cordy. "Did you invite them in?"

"The welcome mat," Buffy answered before Cordy had a chance to answer the question. "Will�s mom bought it last month. I meant to ask Giles if it was safe. I completely forgot." It was obvious to the other two people in the room that Buffy was blaming herself for this.

"I guess you don�t have to anymore," Cordy snapped. "I say that every vamp in Sunnydale has an open invitation to your sweetie�s house now." Faith decided to chance the course of conversation before the two of them started to fight.

"So they just charged in a took her?" Faith questioned, drawing the cheerleader�s attention away from the blonde. Buffy still glared at her, but waited for her answer. Cordy thought back to when it happened and shook her head.

"No," she answered. "They were taking their time, like they knew that Buffy wasn�t here. At first I thought they were all talk, Spike can be that way, but then Angel grabbed me by the wrist." She held up her hand to show them the bruise that was forming. "He threw me on the floor."

"Then what did they do?" Faith questioned. "Did you see what they did to Red?" Cordy shook her head again.

"I must have hit my head or something," she guessed. "I don�t remember anything after that." She closed her eyes and tried to think hard. She could hear the footsteps. Feel the floor vibrating as the men stomped around the room. Her eyes shot open. "Crying. I remember hearing Willow crying. I couldn�t tell if she was still asleep of not." She looked over at Buffy. "I�m sorry."

"It�s okay," Buffy assured her. "It�s not you fault. There was nothing you could do without getting yourself killed." She laid a hand on the taller girl�s shoulder, trying to convey that she meant it. Faith was glad that they weren�t throwing blame around.

"So what�s the plan of action here?" Faith asked. "Where do you think they took her, B? You know the both of them better then the rest of us do." Buffy thought about it. She closed her eyes to see if she could try to sense Willow anywhere near. Nothing. That only made Buffy even more frustrated.

"If it were just Spike, I�d say he had her in the factory," she began. "But if Angel�s in on this, then they�ll be playing it smart. He�s not that stupid." She made a mental list of all the places Angel usually went and crossed them off the list of possible places they would be. "He wouldn�t be at the mansion, the factory or his old apartment. Those are all too obvious."

"But what if he knows you would think that?" Cordy asked. "He knows you won�t look there so that�s were they are." Buffy shook her head.

"He doesn�t play those kinds of mind games," she tells her. "It�s too risky. He�ll be hiding in a new place. I know it." Faith nodded in agreement.

"Shouldn�t we be calling G-Man right about now?" she suggested. "Get the Scooby Gang together? Well, what�s let of it anyway." She looked around the room realizing that this was it. "Okay, the Scooby Gang is together," she declared. "Don�t you think we should head over to Research Central? See what good ol� Ripper has to say about this."

"Yeah, I guess," Buffy stated, none too enthused about seeing Giles right now. She was still very pissed off at her watcher right now, but she was just going to have to suck it up. She knew that they would need Giles� help to find Willow. And finding Willow was on the top of Buffy�s to-do list. Right above, holding the redhead and never letting her go. Faith stood up from her kneeling position in front of Cordy.

"I�ll go give Giles a shout," Faith said walking to the doorway. "Give him the heads up. Tell him to get the tea brewin�." She left the room and went in search of a phone, leaving Buffy and Cordelia alone.

"Come on, let go," Buffy urged her, grabbing her hand and helping the cheerleader to her feet. Cordy was grateful for the gesture and gave the slayer a thankful smile. They began to exit the room.

"We�ll find her, you know?" Cordy told her, hoping Buffy would believe her. Buffy nodded mutely even though she wasn�t fully sure she believed her. "You just have to stop blaming yourself."

"She has to be okay, Cordy," Buffy cried. "I can�t live without her. She�s...she�s everything."

"I know," Cordelia replied. She an awkward arm around the shorter girl. "I know." Buffy looked at the hand resting on her shoulder and shiver.

"Please don�t do that ever again."

"Oh, thank God," Cordy breathed removing her arm. Buffy, despite herself, had to smirk at the genuine look of fear on the girl�s face. She shook her head and they continued their walk to meet Faith in the kitchen.

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

"Well, well, well," teased Spike. Willow slowly began to open her eyes. Angel came out from one of the other rooms, with a clean knife in his hand.

"What?"

"The little bit finally decided to grace us with her presence," he explained, pointing to the newly awoken witch. She wasn�t fully aware of what was going on around her yet. She didn�t recognize the voices and couldn�t understand what they were saying. Angel looked over at the redhead who was currently tied up at the hands and hanging from the ceiling, her feet only about twelve inches from the ground. Angel smirked as he approached her.

"Well, hello there, little Willow," he greeted her with false sweetness. He reached up and caressed her face with his course hand. "So good of you to join us."

"Buffy?" she croaked out, surprised at the painful thumping in her head. What the hell was going on? Angel let out an evil laugh.

"Your hero isn�t here to save you this time," he told her, roughly pushing her face out of his hand. The sudden movement brought Willow out of her unawareness and she looked around frantically for her girlfriend. Angel smirk and the expression of fear on her face. It wasn�t until just then that Willow realized he was there.

"Angelus?" she asked in fear. He opened up his arms in a �look at me� gesture.

"The one and only," he assured her. Spike let out a cough and Angel looked back at him. "Oh, yeah, and Blondie over there." Willow looked past Angel and say Spike sitting in a chair. Her eyes widened even more.

"Where�s Buffy?" Willow demanded, afraid that they had killed her already. The last thing she could remember was Buffy holding her in bed. Which meant that Buffy should be around here somewhere too.

"Trying to find us, no doubt," Spike answered. He lit a cigarette and took a puff. "Calling everyone together, forming a Scooby search party or what not."

"She�s not here?"

"Nope, wasn�t invited," Spike said, getting up and stalking over to their prisoner. "Or she didn�t want to come, not quite too sure �bout that one. Angel?" Willow tugged on the chains around her wrists, trying to get them loose. Wasn�t going to happen.

"Missed the call," he smirked. "Wasn�t there so she lost her shot."

"Yeah, isn�t it funny how that worked out?" Spike said, teasing her again. "We just happened to grab you at the exact time that Buffy wasn�t attached at your hip. Almost like we planned for that to happen or something." Willow narrowed her eyes at him.

"Where was she?" she asked, not believing that Buffy would have left her alone like that. Both vampires smiled at her. Angel stepped closer to her.

"Being distracted," he answered. Willow could hear footsteps coming from the shadowed corner. A figure appeared in the dark. It was man shaped, Willow noted.

"Yeah," he said. Willow recognized the voice right away. "I hope me getting the crap kicked out of me was enough of a distraction."

"Giles!" Faith called out as the three girls�s entered the library. Cordy was holding an ice pack to the side of her head. Giles emerged for his office.

"Hello, girls," he greeted, avoiding Buffy�s gaze. After she had left he felt horrible about what he said. He knew that he had hurt his slayer and that was not what he had set out to do. After a few hours of thinking, he had come to the conclusion that Willow made Buffy happy and vice versa. That�s all he could ever ask for. "Faith said there was some sort of emergency."

"Willow was kidnapped," Cordy explained before either of the slayers could say anything. She moved further into the library and sat down in one of the chairs in a huff. "They burst in, knocked me out and took Willow." At the news, he immediately turned to Buffy.

"Oh, my."

"It gets worse," Buffy whispered. "Guess who took her?" Judging by the worry in her voice, it was an old enemy. He shook his head and removed his glasses.

"Well, I�ll tell you," Cordy said, from her position behind him. He turned around to face her. "It was Blondie and Dead-Boy." He looked to Buffy for a translation.

"Spike and Angel," Faith spoke up, seeing that Buffy was having problems. He blinked a few times before removing his glasses. The Spike part wasn�t that surprising, he was a pain in all their asses, but Angel?

"Angel?" he questioned, knowing Buffy would know what he meant by that. She shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"I don�t know," she answered. "I�m assuming that he was turned somehow, I really don�t think that Angel would have it in him. No matter how upset he is with me."

"But how was he turned?" he asked. "At last I recall, a moment of true happiness is the only way for him to be changed into Angelus."

"Well, what about a spell or something?" Cordy suggested. "Couldn�t Spike have maybe done some sort of spell on him? I mean, if there�s a spell to restore his soul there�s got to be one to removed it right?" Giles raised his eyebrows at the thought. He put his glasses back into place.

"I haven�t ever come across it, but you may be on to something," he walked back into his office. Buffy and Faith joined the other girl at the table. Giles emerged again with a book. He sat down at the table and began to flip through it. No one spoke as he looked for any information. He found the page he was looking for and began to read it over.

"Whatcha thinking, G-man?" Faith interrupted. He held up his finger to silence her. She rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair.

"Here it is," he exclaimed. He turned the book around and slid it over to Buffy. She read it over, but didn�t understand what it was supposed to mean.

"Was that even English?" she asked in confusion. Faith pulled the book in front of her to read it. She made it to the end of the second line before she gave up. She shook her head and slid it across the table to Giles.

"I concur," she sighed, agreeing with Buffy about her confusion. Giles reread the passage to make sure he had read it correct. He removed his glasses again. Buffy�s eyes widened.

"No, no, put you glasses back on!" she demanded. "You only take them off when something is terribly wrong! There can�t be something terribly wrong when it involves Willow. You got that? Put them back on, tweed-guy!"

"It isn�t anything terribly wrong, exactly," he tried reassure her. He put his glasses back on to make her feel better. She appeared to relax a little when he did.

"Then what is it, exactly?" Cordy asked, never one to bet around the bush. She was getting tired of the suspense and she was getting a major headache. She pouted and pressed the ice pack to her head. The three of them ignored her actions.

"I believe I know how Angel lost his soul," he told them. They stared at him, indicating that he needed to continue. "A true moment of happiness." Cordy�s eyes widen and she looked over at Buffy, as did Faith. It took Buffy a second to realize what they were implying. She jumped up out of her seat.

"It wasn�t me!" she defended. "Hello, head over heals in love with Willow now! I didn�t give him a happy last night!" The girls shrugged their shoulders. Deciding she got her point across, she sat back down.

"That wasn�t what I was referring to," Giles began. "It says here that when Willow did the spell of restoration to give Angel back his soul, hers became linked with his." It took them all a few moments to process the information. Faith�s eyes light up.

"Oh, so you gave Red a happy last night!" she exclaimed with a wicked smirk on her face. Buffy�s mouth fell open and she saw Giles giving her a stern look. She shook her head frantically.

"No, I didn�t!" she correct. "Buffy gave no happies last night!" Faith gave her a �yeah right� look and wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive way. "Stop it!"

"Hey, you heard the book master," Faith reasoned with her. "What he said translates into; Red got laid last night." She ignored the death look Buffy was giving her. "So either you gave her some or she got it elsewhere." Before Buffy could give that any thought, Giles interrupted them.

"I said no such thing." They all looked at him.

"I gotta agree with Faith," Cordy put in. "What you said does translate."

"What I said was that if Angel didn�t sleep with anyone last night than Willow must have experienced true happiness." Faith waited for the part that she had gotten wrong.

"How is that different then what I said?" Despite knowing that her and Willow didn�t do anything last night, she had to agree with the other slayer. All signs where pointing to sex.

"You see, true happiness is found in different places for different people," he began to explain, a little disappointed that they all just assumed that he had meant sex. "For Angel, he was happiest when he was... when he was..."

"Boinking the Buffster," Faith filled in for him, seeing that he was having trouble finding the right words to use. Giles gave her a very uncomfortable look.

"Yes, well," he stammered. "Whatever the case, Willow may have been at her happiest for another reason." They all looked at Buffy for the answer. "Did anything special happen between you two last night, Buffy? And details aren�t needed." Buffy thought back to last night and the amazing things they said to each other in the hallway. Then it dawned on her. She was feeding Willow cookie dough ice cream. The only two things she said she needed to be happy in this world. Buffy smiled sadly at the memory.

"Yeah," she spoke up, noticing that everyone was looking at her. "There may have been some specialness shared." Giles nodded.

"Then I believe that is how Angel lost his soul." He closed the book and ran a hand through his hair.

"But what does he want with Willow?" Cordy asked. Giles sighed. Buffy really didn�t like the sound of that.

"I would assume that Angelus doesn�t want to be turned back into Angel anytime soon, so he�ll want to eliminate that threat."

"And how does he do that?" Giles took a deep breath.

"By killing Willow."

"Xander?" Willow choked out, when she saw that the mystery guest was none other than her life long best buddy. "You�re in on this?" Xander smirked and stepped closer so that they were mere inches apart.

"Come on, Will," he teased, shaking his head. "You think I was just going to sit back and watch as everything is taken away from me? And by my best friend no less."

"The fact that you�re a jackass, has nothing to do with me," Willow snapped at him. Xander chuckled before punching her hard across the face. Willow was dazed for a moment. She turned to the side and spit out the blood in her mouth before turning back to face Xander. Spike and Angelus watched the interaction with amusement.

"Well, who knew the little bit had it in her?" Spike asked rhetorically. He turned to Angel. "Did you know she could be so feisty?"

"She�d have to be for Buffy to be into her," he commented. Willow ignored their conversation and kept her focus on the boy in front of her.

"I thought you hated Angel?" Willow questioned. "Why would you ever work with him?" She continued to try to struggle free of the chains.

"I realized that we both have something in common," he said, glancing back at the vampires. "All three of us, actually." Willow gave him a questioning look.

"And what would that be?" she asked. "The fact that you�re all psychotic bastards?" Spike and Angel both smiled at her, clearly impressed at her attitude. Xander gave he a sick smirk.

"You know, Will?" he began. Willow�s insides curled at the look on his face. This certainly wasn�t the Xander she knew and loved. This was some hollow shell of the boy she used to know. There was definitely something up with him. "I like you like this. You should be this bitchy more often. I�m starting to see what Buffy sees in you. You talk that to her in the bedroom?" Without a second thought, Willow spit in his face.

"Shut your mouth," she yelled at him. He just continued to smirk as he slowly wiped the spit off his face. "Don�t you dare talk about our relationship like that."

"I don�t know if you noticed," he teased, gesturing at the chains around the redhead�s wrist. "But you aren�t exactly in the position to be making demands right now."

"Well, the way I see it, if I know Angel and Spike as well as I think I do, they�re going to torture me until I�m insane, anyway." She looks past Xander to the vampires to see if she was correct. They looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, I think that was pretty much the plan," Angelus confirmed, turning back to the redhead. "Thought I must admit, it takes some of the fun out of it when you knows it coming."

"Sorry," she grimaced. She turned back to Xander. "I also know that if they don�t kill you after they�re done with me, than Buffy will. And if there�s still a breath in me, I�ll be there to see it." Xander�s face dropped at his her words, but he quickly covered it up.

"Whatever," he muttered. He decided that he was bored with her and walked back over to where Angelus and Spike were. "So, what�s the plan?"

"What plan, boy?" Spike asked. "We have Red, we kill Red, Angel�s soul is gone forever and Angelus and I kill the slayer before reigning chaos over Sunnyhell. What part of the plan done you get?"

"The part where Buffy come in here and kills us all," Xander answered. Before he knew what was happening, Angelus had Xander by the throat and pushed up against a wall.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. "The slayer doesn�t know where we are. Unless you know something we don�t know." He tightened his hold on his neck. "Do you know something we don�t know?" Xander tried to explain himself but he couldn�t get the words out through the vice grip Angelus had on him.

"Hey, Soul Man," Spike called. Angelus turned his head to look at him, not loosening his grip. "Don�t you think it might be a little hard for him to spill, what with the death grip you have on him?" Angelus smirked at him and nodded. He let go of Xander and he dropped to the floor, gasping for air.

"Sorry there, big guy," he said to Xander. He grabbed his collar and pulled him to his feet. "Now, what are you talking about?"

"The fact that you seem to forget that Buffy foils all of your plans," he answered, shaking free of the vampire�s hold. "What makes you think that she wouldn�t do it this time?" Angelus thought about it and smirked. He reached up and patted Xander on the cheek, roughly. Xander didn�t like the look on his face.

"Well, because we�re gonna have a man on the inside," he answered. Xander�s eyes widened as he realized what he was saying. He shook his head frantically. "Oh, yeah. Here�s what you�re gonna do, Xand-Man. You�re gonna got to the library and pretend to be the good old Scooby member. If they seem to be coming on to our whereabouts, then you can just derail them on a different course. You think you can do that?"

"No way," he stated. "Look at me. Look at what Buffy did to me last time. There is no way I can go in there and come out alive. She�d sooner rip me to shreds than look at me right now." Angelus didn�t seem to be listening to his ranting.

"You�re going to go to the library and you are going to keep a watch out."

"And if I don�t?" Angelus smirked.

"Then you�ll be joining Willow over there," he said, pointing to where Willow was bound and gagged, hanging from the ceiling. "But we�ll be hanging you from somewhere else, if you catch my drift." Xander gulped and looked back at Willow.

"Okay, so I�m gonna go," he said before running form the room. The three of them stood in silence until they heard the main door slam shut. Angelus turned to face Willow, who was giving him a dirty look.

"She�ll kill him, you know," she stated, staring at the door her former friend had just exited through.

"I�m counting on it," he said. He shrugged and walked over to the table, grabbing a knife. He examined it, before walking over to where Willow was hanging. She looked down at the knife in fear before conjuring up all her courage and looking him in the face.

"And then she�ll kill you." He lunged forward and buried the knife in Willow�s left thigh. She let out a piercing scream as she felt the dagger slide into her skin. He smiled at the pain on her face as he pulled it out. He held up the bloody knife at eye level. He reached out and slowly licked the blood off of it, savoring the taste. Willow closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears.

"Yummy," he commented as he licked the knife clean. "You�re so sweet. I can�t wait to taste you whole." He winked at her before turning and walking out of the room, followed close behind by an amused Spike. It wasn�t until she was sure they were gone that she finally let the tears fall.

"Please, Buffy," she whispered. "See through him and save me."

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

"But if fang kills Red, wouldn�t that kill him too?" Faith questioned, finally breaking the silence that had fallen over the group after Giles had informed them of Angelus� plan.

"It would just kill his soul," he explained. "You see, it is only their souls that are linked, so if Willow were to die, Angel�s soul would be gone forever."

"So, that�s bad, right" Cordy asked. Buffy shot her a death glare. "No, I know the Willow dying part is obviously bad, but what about the Angelus part?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just, wouldn�t it be easier for you to kill him if you knew there was no chance of getting Angel back?" Buffy shook her head.

"Believe me, I will be having no trouble killing him this time," she shot back. "I�m actually looking forward to it."

"Aren�t we all," came Xander�s voice from the doorway. All four of them wiped around to face him. All three girls giving him dirty looks. Giles looked at him in surprise.

"Xander, what happened to your face," he asked, noticing how beat up he looked. He had dried blood on his face, a fat lip and a very black eye. He looked eyes with Buffy and shrugged.

"I beat the crap out of him," she said, the guilt she felt over it early, completely disappearing the moment she saw him. "And I�m about to do it again." She stood up so fast, the chair she was sitting in fell to the floor. Faith immediately stood up too and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, B," she warned. She sat Buffy's chair back up and pushed her down into it. "Trust me, he makes one comment and I�ll hit him myself."

"Xander, what are you doing here?" Cordy demanded in a very anger voice. Giles watched everyone in confusion, not knowing what was going on. Xander tried to think of something to say quickly.

"Just came to see the G-Man," he answered, throwing him a look. "Since he�s the only one around here that isn�t mad at me. What�s with the Scooby meeting and why wasn�t I invited?"

"I don�t know about the last part, but we�re trying to find Willow," Giles answered, sensing that the other three didn�t want to talk to him. "It appears that Angelus is back and he and Spike have taken Willow." Xander pretended to look surprised.

"Oh man," he sighed, running a hand over his face. He saw Buffy was giving him a strange look and decided that he had to get out of there. He couldn�t stay cool under her gaze. "Ah, you guys stay here and keep researching. I�ll head over to Willy�s to see if he�s heard anything." Before anyone could argue, He turned and walked towards the door. Buffy watched him go. Her eyes widened when she saw a glowing patch on the bottom of his jeans.

"Willow," she whispered. Giles, Faith and Cordy looked questioningly at her.

"What was that Buffy?" Giles asked. Buffy snapped out of her daze and torn her eyes away from the door to find that everyone was staring at her.

"I�m gonna go back to Will�s and see if Angel left anything," she said, standing up and walking to the door. "Then I�m gonna patrol, see if any vamps know what�s up. I�ll check in later," she called back over her shoulder as she walked out the door. Just as she got in the hallway she saw Xander exiting the school. She narrowed her eyes and quickly followed him. "Come on, Xander. Lead me to my Willow."

Buffy had been trailing Xander since the library, making sure to keep at least fifty paces behind him. She was surprised that he hadn't realized she was there yet, she wasn't being entirely stealthy, she was too angry to particularly care. Xander rounded the corner off of Main Street and started down an alley, an alley Buffy knew all too well. She cursed herself as she realized where Xander was going. The factory. She shook her head and continued to follow him. When she saw him go through the front door, she quickly turned to go around the back. She knew the perfect spot she could go through to get a better view of what was going down. She climbed up the latter and slipped through the window, quietly. She walked down the hallway and down the stairs, thanking God that the stairs didn't creek. She crept up to the window, getting a good look in on the room. She smiled when she saw that Willow was more or less okay. Angelus standing in front of a table and Spike was seated on the couch, watching television.

"Why are you watching that?" Angelus asked as he sharpened a knife. He held it up in the air and watched it flicker in the light. He smiled at how shiny it was. He laid it down and picked up the next one.

"Hey," Spike exclaimed. "Dawson's Creek happens to be a critically acclaimed drama, I'll have you know." Angelus rolled his eyes and Spike turned back to the television. "Oh, come on! You are so damn blind woman! Why can't you just wake up a see what's right in front of you?"

"I always thought Joey was much better off with Pacey," Willow commented from her position. Spike looked up at her and scoffed.

"Ah, piffle," he mumbled. "That boy can't keep himself out of trouble, how could Joey see anything in him. He's perfect with the psycho chick. I like her."

"Oh, please," she sighed. "She's crazy. How can you like her?"

"What can I say, I like my women crazy."

Buffy has to smile at their little argument. Only Willow could get into an argument about a stupid television show, while she's hanging from a ceiling in a vampire's hideout. Before Willow had a chance to comment, the door slowly crept open and Xander popped his head in. Buffy straightens up and leans in closer to listen.

"What are you doing here?" Angelus asks him, without turning around. He continues to sharpen his knife. Spike reluctantly switches off the TV and stands up. "I thought I told you to hand around Scooby Central." Xander slowly approached them.

"I went there," he tells them. "They were all gathered around trying to find her. They were all looking at me; I just couldn't stand it. I'm sorry. I crumble under pressure."

"Well, isn't that a nice little story." He raised the newly shined and sharpened knife into the air to inspect it. When he has it in the air, he catches a glimpse of long blonde hair. He holds the knife there and watches Buffy standing on the second floor. He smiled to himself and lowered the knife. He finally turned around to face Xander. "So, tell me again why you're here."

"Well, I just figured I couldn't stay there anymore," he answered, nervously. "I was going to crack any minute and I didn't want to blow it." Angelus continued to walk closer. Buffy and Willow both watched the scene with mixed feelings. They both knew what was going to happen and they didn't know what they should do about it.

"And what do you think Buffy would have done to you if she knew you were in on our little Willow snatching game?" Xander gulped in fear, also knowing what was coming.

"She would have killed me," he answered in fear. "Almost did and that was just for yelling at the little bitch." He pointed to Willow, hoping to get the heat off him. Seeing what he was trying to do, Buffy made up her mind about how she felt about the situation. Her conclusion: Go Angel, Go Angel.

"Now what do you think I'm gonna do to you now?"

"Umm... buy me ice cream?" he asked. Angel shook his head as he smiled. He backed Xander into the wall. He slapped his cheek roughly.

"Always a joker," he said. "Right to the end."

"End?" he choked out. Before anyone could react, Angelus had his hand wrapped around Xander's neck and his face was inches from his Xander's neck. He paused for a moment before sinking in his teeth. Willow snapped her eyes shut not being able to look, while Buffy couldn't tear her eyes away. Spike noticed Willow's expression and made his way over to her.

"What's wrong, Red?" he asked in a light tone. "I thought you'd want that? He did kinda hand you over to us, after all." He glanced back over his shoulder at the gruesome scene. Angelus pulled back and Xander slid to the floor. "There you go. It's over now."

"You promise?" Willow asked, not wanting to see it. It's not that she felt bad for Xander, he was a son of bitch and he deserved everything Angel was giving him, she just didn't want to see it.

"You bet," he assured her. She opened one eye and sighed when she saw that he was telling the truth. She opened up her eyes fully. "See, do you feel better now."

"Well, now that he's gone there's just me left," Willow pointed. "So, I'm guessing you're gonna get on with the torturing now?" Angelus smiled as he wiped the blood off of his fangs. He stepped over to the table and grabbed a knife before making his way over to where Willow and Spike were.

"I think I like that plan," Angelus decided. Buffy began to panic. She knew there was no way she could take them both on at the same time, but there was also no way she could just let them hurt Willow. She didn't know what to do. Angel was standing right in front of Willow, holding up the knife to her throat, but stopped. "Come on, Buff! You're just gonna let me torture her?" Buffy and Willow both snapped out of their thoughts. Angelus turned around, looking up to where Buffy was hiding and smiled. "So mice of you to join the party."

"Buffy?" Willow called out, not being able to see the blonde. She looked up to where Angelus was looking, but it was too dark for her to see anything. Buffy closed her eyes before stepping out into the light.

"I'm here, baby," she called down to her girlfriend. "It's gonna be okay," she told her even though she knew she was lying. She hopped down over the railing and landed about fifteen feet from them.

"When did you get here, pet?"

"Five minutes ago maybe," she answered. "Just in time to witness you're terrifying debate about who Joey is meant to be with." Spike nodded.

"So, what is your take on the subject?" He asked, stepping forward. Angelus rolled his eyes and brought his free hand up to rub his temples. "Dawson or that Pacey poof?"

"Could we get back to the torturing part of the program, please?"

"Sorry," they both mumbled.

"So, what did you think, slayer?" he asked. "What, thought you would just drop in on us like you did before? You working with Blondie Bear over here?" He turned to glared at Spike, who held up his hands in defense.

"What, me?" he asked in surprise. "I ain't got nothing to do with this. I haven't seen her since I left town. I swear."

"And why was it you left town again?" he asked, turning his back to Buffy and stepping towards the other vampire, the knife still in his hand. "Oh, that's right. You completely screwed me over to save yours and Dru's asses."

"Oh, come on, man," Spike tried. "That wasn't anything personal. Don't tell me you're still on about that?" Angelus moved closer knife pointed out. "Now who's screwing who over? Where you gonna do me like this all along?"

"What can I say, I'm an amazing actor." Just as he's about to lung forward, he is hit in the back with a pipe. He falls to the ground, losing his knife in the process. Buffy stands over him, holding the pipe in her hands. She turns to Spike who is staring at Angelus lying on the floor.

"Unless you wanna be vacuum food, I'd suggest you get gone." She didn't have to tell him twice, he was out the door in a split second. Angelus slowly got to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. "You should know better than to turn your back on a slayer." He shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say?" he commented. "I like to live dangerously." Buffy swung the pipe at him again, but he ducked and tackled her to the ground. She kicked him off of her and sprang to her feet. The both stood staring each other down. "I could never get tired of dancing with you, Buff. It'll never get old."

"Well, I got a new dance partner," she shot back at him, rushing forward. They fall to the ground in a fury of punches and kicks. When they came to a halt, Angelus was on top of Buffy, his hand raised in the air to hit her. Before he could connect, he was sent flying across the room by a bright light. Buffy got to her feet. "Thanks, baby."

"No problem," Willow replied. Angelus had landed hard against the wall and was still struggling to get to his feet when Buffy reached him. She grabbed his collar and pulled him to his feet.

"Time to die," she informed him, pushing him against the wall. She moved to reach behind her back, but was stopped when Angelus switched the positions and pressed Buffy against the wall.

"I was gonna keep you alive so you could watch me slowly torture your little girlfriend, but if you wanna go now..." He leaned forward so he was millimeters from her neck. "Enjoy Heaven," he whispered into her ear. She grabbed the stake that was tucked in the back of her pants.

"Go to Hell," she whispered back. She pulled the stake to her front and jammed it into Angel's heart. A shocked look came to his face. "Stay dead this time," she warned him as he turned to dust. Buffy stared down at the pile of dust that was at one time her boyfriend. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard chains rattling.

"A big yay for the slaying of Angel," Willow said. "But do you think you could get me down from here?"

"Oh, baby..." Buffy quickly ran over to Willow. "Baby, are you okay?" She put an arm around Willow's waist as she reached up and ripped the chains out of the ceiling causing Willow to drop to the floor. She screamed out in pain when she landed on her left leg. "What? What is it? What's wrong?"

"My leg," Willow informed. Buffy's eyes widened when she saw the blood on her pants.

"Oh, God," she cried. "Baby, we need to get you to the hospital."

"No, no hospitals," Willow replied. "They'll just ask how it happened. We can just go to the library and Giles can look at it." Buffy looked at her uneasy. She never took chances when it came to Willow's well being. She finally gave in, deciding she didn't want to go to the hospital either.

"Okay," she said. "Up you get." She pulled Willow up and into her arms. She took one step before stopping. Willow began to question her, but was forced to remain silent when her mouth was covered by Buffy's.

"What was that for?" she asked when they finally pulled apart.

"I've been dying to do that for eternity," Buffy replied with a goofy grin on her face. Willow's smile widened. She reached up and gave her a quick peck on the lips. Buffy smirked. "Let's get you out of here."

"I second that." Buffy walked over to the door, but stopped when they came up to Xander's lifeless body on the floor. They both stared down at it. "Is he gonna be a...." Buffy shook her head.

"Unfortunately not," she answered in a bitter tone. Willow raised an eyebrow. "I really wanna kill him myself." Willow nodded sadly as she tore her eyes away from her dead childhood friend. Buffy began to walk again.

"I would have liked to see that, too."

Faith was starting to get worried. Buffy left nearly two hours ago and she still hadn�t been back. When Buffy had run out of there earlier, Faith had known what was going on, she saw the mark on Xander�s pants too. She knew exactly what Buffy was off to do and she was afraid that Buffy would go and do something stupid. She was originally going to follow after the older slayer, but decided that this was something that Buffy would want to do on her own. She was currently regretting that decision at the moment. Cordy saw the worried look on her face.

"What�s with the worry lines?" she questioned her. She leaned back in her chair, throwing the book she was looking through on the table. They had been researching since Buffy left and they still had nothing. Faith snapped out of her daze and turned to the cheerleader.

"Just wondering what�s keeping B," Faith informed her, looking back at the door.

"Well, she said she was gonna go on patrol after so I�m sure she�s just out hunting." Cordy shifted in her seat and moved the now warm ice pack to the back of her head. "You know how slayers can be. What was that you said before about slaying?"

"It makes you hungry and horny," Faith answered, distracted. As she said that, something came to Faith�s mind. Maybe Buffy had found Willow and killed the vamps and now they were alone. Doing the deed. A smiled came to Faith�s face.

"I guess that�s your answer," Cordy said with a smirk. They two girls laughed as Giles walked out of his office. His hair was a mess and his glasses were in his hands. His collar was undone which meant that he had been in deep research mode. If they didn�t know any better they might think that he had been sleeping.

"I see you two are deeply engrossed in your research," Giles said sarcastically as he sat down in one of the chairs at the table. He sighed as she rubbed the bridge of his nose, squinting his eyes closed at the same time.

"You alright, G-Man?"

"Up until you used that horrible name," he replied, straightening himself out and putting his glasses back into place. "I�m afraid that I have come up rather empty handed."

"Don�t sweat it, G," Faith told him. "When B ran outta here she was off to go rescue Red. They�re probably over at B�s house getting it on at this very moment." Giles flinched at the choice of vocabulary. That was something he really didn�t need to be picturing.

"Ew." was Cordy�s response.

"Was that last part quite necessary?"

"Hey, come on," Faith laughed. "I figured you�d be used to it by now. I�ve been around for what, three months now? It�s not like I�ve ever walked around on eggshells about it before." Giles decided it would just be best to leave it alone for now. He went back to what she had originally said.

"Did you say that Buffy was going to get Willow?"

"Well, yeah," she answered, confused at the anger in her Watcher�s voice. "She was gonna trail Xander. I don�t get why you�re so..." She was cut off when there was a loud banging coming from the hall. The three of them all looked at the door, waiting for whatever it was to enter. A minute later, Buffy came charging in with a passed out Willow in her arms. "Jesus, B! What happened?"

"Hi, Faith," Buffy replied. "Thanks for the help. Don�t worry, I got it." Faith and Giles both quickly made their way over to help her. As much as it killed Buffy to let Willow go, she gently laid her in Faith�s arms and watched as Faith brought her into Giles� office to lay her on the couch.

"What happened to her?" Cordy asked as she stood up to join them. Buffy ran a shaky hand through her hair as she took a breath in an attempt to calm herself. Giles put a hand on her shoulder to help her calm down. Buffy looked up at him.

"She�s hurt," she answered. "Her leg, it�s bleeding. She passed out on the way over here." She looked toward the office where she saw Faith tending to Willow. "Just help her." He nodded and made his way into his office. When Faith was sure Giles had everything under control, she emerged from his office.

"Red just woke up," Faith informed them. "Giles said he�d clean it out and then stitch it up. Apparently it didn�t hit any major cartilage or nothing. Whatever that means."

"I means she�ll be alright," Cordy replied, smiling when she saw Buffy relax a bit.

"Could you go by the factory," Buffy asked Faith. "Angel�s dusted, but Spike got away. Can you just make sure he�s really gone? I really don�t want to have to deal with him in the next lifetime."

"Sure thing, B," Faith said. She grabbed her jacket off the back of the chair and slipped it on. "I�ll check on you later, Red," she called to the office. "Later, C." With that she walked out the door leaving Buffy and Cordy alone.

"Did you catch up with Xander?" Cordy asked, trying to sound casual. Buffy closed to eyes, dreading what she was about to tell Cordy. Cordelia saw the look of pain cross her face and a sinking feeling entered her stomach. "What?"

"He�s dead, Cordy." Buffy told her. "Angel killed him." Cordy�s stomach fell to her feet. She couldn�t believe what the blonde was telling her.

"What?"

"He was working with them," Buffy informed her. The brunette�s eyes widened at the news. "I followed him to the factory. He led me to where they were. He set us up."

"He was..." Cordy choke back a sob. "He was working with Angel and Spike?" Buffy nodded. Suddenly she didn�t feel so bad about it. "He gave Willow to them? I can�t believe he would do...Is he gonna be a vampire?"

"No," Buffy answered sadly.

"Damn," Cordy muttered. Buffy smiled at her, finding it funny that they were apparently thinking along the same lines. "Cause I really wanted to kill him."

"Me too," Buffy sighed. "Believe me, I did too." She looked up and saw that, despite what Cordy was saying, there was still a lot of sadness in her eyes. "Did you want anything?"

"I think I just wanna be alone for a while," Cordy answered, trying to hold back the tears. She knew that Xander wasn�t a good guy anymore. Somewhere along the way he had turned into a jackass, but she still didn�t want him dead. He was still technically her boyfriend and at one point she did actually love him. Buffy nodded, telling her that she understood. "I�ll see you later."

"Later," Buffy mumbled as she watched Cordy leave the library. She hadn�t let herself grieve for him yet. Right now she was much to anger at him. She figured it was safer that way. If she just thought of him as the asshole that had tried to have Willow killed she didn�t have to remember what a great guy he used to be. She wiped her eyes and walked towards the office to find that Giles was almost done with the stitches.

"Ow," Willow muttered. She had her eyes squeezed shut, not wanting to look at what Giles was doing. She had her hands balled up into a fist. Buffy walked over to her side and took a hold of her hand. Willow�s eyes fluttered open at the touch. "Hey, you."

"Hey, baby," she whispered, kissing Willow on the forehead. She looked down to see how much Giles had left. "He�s almost done. It�ll be over soon." Willow smiled at her.

"I don�t know how you do this all the time," she commented. She had watched Buffy get stitches all the time. Hell, she had given the blonde some at times, but she never heard a word out of Buffy.

"Well, I got slayer strength," Buffy answered back. "After what I went through to get the cut, the stitches aren�t anything."

"Still," Willow protested. "All the stuff you go through... You�re my hero."

"I think you�re delirious," Buffy teased her. Before Willow could protest she felt Giles cut the string.

"All done," he told them as he stood up and went to clean himself up. "Buffy, can I speak to you for a moment?" he called for the main room.

"Yeah," she called back. She ran a hand through Willow�s hair, rubbing her forehead with the pad of her thumb. "Rest here for a few, baby. I�ll take you home as soon as I�m done." Willow nodded. Buffy stood up, but stopped when she felt a hand on her arm.

"Thanks for coming to get me," Willow whispered. Buffy smiled down at her.

"Always," she promised. She gave her one more kiss before walking out to meet a waiting Giles. She knew what he was going to say and she could tell that he was nervous.

"Buffy," he began. "About what I said earlier..."

"Don�t sweat it, Giles," she told him, smiling at his behavior. "Emotions were running high, I get it. You didn�t mean it."

"I meant it, Buffy," he corrected her. Her face fell. "I still believe that I have a point, but I didn�t mean what I said about your feelings for Willow. I have no doubt that you love her and I should never have said anything of the contrary"

"But you still don�t approve of us being together?"

"No, that is not what I�m saying," he told her. "While I do believe that you dating will put Willow in more danger, I am well aware that you would never let harm come to her. I just wanted you to know the risks."

"I know them, Giles," she told him. "Believe me, I thought about this a million times, but I love her."

"I know you do," Giles said with a smile. "I�ve never seen either of you happier and that�s all I could ever ask for."

"Thanks," she smiled. "That really means a lot to me and I know Willow will be happy to hear it."

"Good." Suddenly a thought popped into his mind. "Uh, Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"There was something Faith said earlier," he explained. Buffy raised an eyebrow, knowing that if it had something to do with Faith, it couldn�t be good. "After you saved Willow... You did come directly here right?"

"Yeah," she answered, confused at the question. "Why?" He shook his head.

"No reason." Buffy gave him a weird look before heading back in to check on Willow.

"I can walk you know," Willow teased her girlfriend. When it was time to leave the library, Buffy had insisted that she carry the redhead home, not wanting her to hurt her leg any further. Even thought knew it was unnecessary and it would probably make them look quite funny, she had agreed, always enjoying it when she was in Buffy�s arms.

"I know," Buffy replied, having no intention of letting Willow go. They were just walking up her driveway and would be inside any minute. She wasn�t surprised to find that her mom�s jeep wasn�t in the driveway. A grossed out look came to her face when she thought about her mom staying the night with her boyfriend.

"But I don�t suppose you�re going to let me down, right?" Willow asked. Buffy smiled, finding it amazing how the witch could always read her mind. She tightened her hold on the girl in her arms.

"Don�t plan on it." Buffy walked them up the stairs to her front door and waited as Willow used the key she gave her to unlock the door. Since her hands were full, she kicked the door open, lightly of course, and made their way into the house. She walked into the living room and dropped the redhead onto the couch.

"Thanks," Willow mumbled, sarcastically. She squirmed into a position that was comfortable and that didn�t hurt her leg. Buffy gave a sweet smile before heading back to shut the door.

"Do you want anything?" Buffy asked, deciding it would be best to get Willow anything she needed while she was up, since there was very little chance of getting up after she sat down with Willow.

"Um, a drink and something to eat would be nice," Willow answered, just realizing how hungry she really was. She hadn�t thought about the fact that she hadn�t had anything since breakfast yesterday. "Make that a slayer size meal, if you don�t mind."

"Are you trying to say something about my eating habits?" Buffy asked, jokingly. She knew that she ate a lot of a girl her size, but she had a very good excuse for it. It wasn�t her fault that she was a very energized girl. It came with the job after all. Willow smirked at the fake hurt on her girlfriend�s face. She gave her an innocent look.

"I wouldn�t dream of it," she answered, giving her a look that would have made the toughest slayer go weak in the knees. Buffy couldn�t help, but smile at her.

"You�re lucky you�re cute," she told her. Willow gave her another innocent smile before Buffy went into the kitchen to find them something to eat. She smiled when she saw the note on the fridge from her mother. She took it off the door and read it.

Buffy smiled and crumbled up the letter, throwing it in the garbage beside the counter before searching for something to eat. Not seeing anything else but cereal and bread, she decided on left over spaghetti and cake. She juggled the two containers in on hand, grabbed a couple forks and an almost full bottle of pop from the fridge before heading back into the living room to join the redhead.

"I come bearing food," Buffy greeted her, setting all the stuff on the table in front of the redhead. Buffy saw that Willow was having trouble sitting up and quickly moved to help her. "Up you get." Willow gave her a thankful smile before looking at the food Buffy had lain before her.

"Not exactly what I would have chosen for breakfast," Willow mused, trying to remember the last time she had spaghetti and chocolate cake for breakfast. Buffy shrugged her shoulders and sat down beside her girlfriend on the couch.

"You got captured and stabbed by psycho vamps," Buffy pointed out, starting to uncover the food, finding that she was quite hungry herself. "I think it�s okay for me to spoil you." She handed a fork to Willow, picking up the container. "Plus, mom hasn�t done the groceries yet, so there was only some healthy cereal and bread." She took a mouth full of spaghetti.

"You can�t make toast, huh?" Willow asked her knowingly.

"I always burn it," Buffy sighed, even though her mouth was full. She waited until she was done before continuing. "You know me, I can�t cook anything."

"Then I guess it�s a good thing you have me than," Willow commented. "You can fight all the vamps and I�ll be waiting at home with hot food on the table. It can be like a 1950�s marriage." Buffy smirked at the visual, imagining the two of them in black and white, her coming home from a hard day at the office to find Willow slaving over a hot stove.

"I can picture that," Buffy commented. Willow smiled at her and decided to start eating too. They finished the rest of the meal off in silence. When they were finished, Buffy put the container back on the table and took a big gulp of Coke before handing it over to Willow who took a more lady like gulp. Willow struggled a bit, but was able to get the bottle back on the table without any help from Buffy and without falling off the couch.

"So, you want some cake?" Willow asked. Buffy shook her head, rubbing her tummy to show that she was full. Willow nodded, feeling the exact same way. "We�ll save that for later. Maybe you�re mom will want some."

"Yeah," Buffy answered, distracted. Willow saw the far off look in her slayer�s eyes and put a hand on Buffy�s thigh. Buffy immediately snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh?"

"Where�d you go?"

"I�m sorry," Buffy answered, feeling bad that she hasn�t paying attention to anything that Willow had said. "I was just thinking about what you said before. You it just got me thinking is all."

"Which thing I said before?" Willow asked. She tried to think of something in particular that would have gotten the slayer thinking. "You gotta help me out here. I say a lot of smart things." Buffy smiled the comment, thinking that nothing could be truer.

"The whole thing about us being like a 1950�s married couple," Buffy informed her. Willow�s face fell.

"Oh," was all Willow could say. She cursed herself for comparing them to any married couple, knowing that Buffy would freak out about it. "Look, it�s not like I want us to get married or anything. Well, not in the near future. I mean, we�re still in high school and that wouldn�t be..." She stopped when Buffy silenced her with a finger on her lips.

"Shhh, baby," Buffy whispered, replacing her finger with her lips. "That�s not what I was talking about. I would love to marry you one day." Even though she knew that might never legally happen, she couldn�t help but smile at the thought of someday being able to call Willow her life. Willow let out a breath she didn�t know she was holding.

"Oh, good," Willow sighed. She played with Buffy�s fingers that were resting in her lap. "Cause I can�t think of anything that would make me happier." Willow smiled and placed a soft kiss on the blonde�s lips. "Then what were you thinking about?"

"About what you said before that," Buffy explained. "About the me fighting vamps and you waiting at home with food on the table." Willow frowned at her, confusion written on her face.

"You want me to fight the vamps?" Willow asked, knowing that wasn�t what Buffy was thinking. Buffy shook her head, amused at the thought of Willow being the slayer. "You wanna cook?" Again Buffy shook her head. "Then what are you talking about?"

"It�s just that..." Buffy trailed off trying to think of how to explain her feelings about what Willow had said. She took both of Willow�s hands in hers and stared directly into her eyes. "I didn�t come through on my part of the deal. You had the food ready, but I didn�t kill the vamps, you know?" She rested her forehead against Willow�s. "I let you get captured, I lead them right to you."

"No, Buff..."

"No, I did," Buffy argued. "They never would have come after you if it wasn�t for me. Hell, they wouldn�t even have known you existed."

"What about Xander?" Willow pointed out. "Vamps are the only evil thing in the world, babe. You can�t protect me from everything, and I don�t expect you to. It�s not your job."

"Yes, it is," Buffy corrected. "It�s my duty to protect people from all the baddies out there and I let them get you."

"It�s like you said," Willow began. "You have to protect everyone from the baddies. You can�t look after me twenty-four/seven, Buff. There are other people out there that need more help."

"But I don�t love everyone else," Buffy pouted. "I love you." Willow gave her a sad smile, telling her it was sweet that she felt that way, but also that they both knew that was wrong.

"But someone else loves that person," Willow answered. She looked Buffy straight in the eyes. "You can�t keep me locked up in a little box, Buff. I live in the real world, in Sunnydale more specifically, and I�m gonna get hurt. As long as you always come and rescue me, than I�m okay with that."

"But I�m not," Buffy countered. "When I even think about something happening to you, I just want to crawl up into a ball and die." Willow made a sad face, picturing her girlfriend doing that. "I couldn�t stand it if something ever happened to you. You�re my everything, baby."

"You know I feel the same," Willow smiled. "Look, when Spike and Angel got me, you were off..." She stopped when she realized that she didn�t know where Buffy was at the time. "Where were you?" Buffy lowered her eyes.

"I called Cordy over to watch you while I went and beat the living hell out of Xander."

"See," Willow pointed out with a smile. "You were off protecting me. Well, defending my honor, same thing. Despite what you may think, just cause you�re the slayer doesn�t mean you can be two places at once."

"But..."

"No," Willow stopped her, holding up her hands. "Your argument is lost on me. I don�t wanna hear it." Buffy couldn�t stop a smile from slipping through. "Okay? You do your job and you do it better than anyone. All you can do is your best and I know you do that every time you go out there. So stop with this guilty nonsense, okay?" Buffy leaned her forehead into Willow�s more and moved her eyes so she could look into Willow�s.

"Okay." She smiled and kissed Willow. "I hope you know that it�s only because you are too cute for words."

"So I�ve been told," Willow giggled. "Are you sure there isn�t another reason?"

"Well..." Buffy teased her. She kissed her again. "I kind of love you too. That might have influenced me a little too." Willow gave her a proud smile.

"I knew it," Willow cheered. "You can�t resist my powers. You become weak at the very sight of me."

"How did you know?" Before Willow could answer, Buffy had her mouth covering hers. She gently guided Willow so she was lying on her back and eased herself into a kneeling position so she was straddling the redhead. Willow looked up at the beautiful blonde woman on top of her and ran her hands up her stomach. While Buffy was kissing her, her hands made their way under Buffy�s shirt and traveled up to Buffy�s breast.

"I want you," she gasped out through kisses. Buffy sighed into her mouth as she was forced to pull away from the redhead. Willow looked up at her with a mixture of confusion and hurt on her face. "I thought you wanted..."

"I do," Buffy told her, hating the hurt look that was on her girlfriend�s face. "More than anything, baby."

"Then why..."

"I don�t want your first time to be on my couch," Buffy told her. "Especially since my mom could come walking through the door any minute now." Buffy was glad when she saw the look of understanding come across Willow�s face. "This is something so special and I want it to be perfect for you."

"That�s so sweet," Willow gushed. She reached up and touched Buffy�s cheek with her hand. "I am very amazed at your self control, Buff. It must be driving you crazy." Buffy rolled her eyes and let out a puff of breath.

"With a capitol C," she replied. "But you�re well worth that wait, baby." Just as Buffy was leaning down to kiss Willow the front door opened. She closed her eyes. "I really should have heard her coming." They didn�t bother trying to separate, knowing that with Willow hurt, they were never going to make it. They just stayed in their positions and waited for Joyce to enter the room.

"Girls?" she called, taking off her coat and putting it on the rack. "Are you two here yet..." She stopped mid sentence when she saw the girls on the couch. "Umm...."

"Hi, mom," Buffy greeted her awkwardly, trying to turn her head to look at her. Willow gave her a little wave.

"Hi, Miss Summers," she called from beneath the blonde. Sensing that her mother was about to blow, Buffy slowly got off Willow, careful not to hurt her leg and sat down beside her. Willow did the same.

"It�s not what it looks like," Buffy tried to tell her. By the look on her mother�s face, Joyce didn�t pay it. "Really, we were just kissing."

"No," Joyce interrupted. "You were fornicating on my couch." Both Buffy and Willow flinched at the word, remembering their own reaction to finding Joyce on the couch with a guy. Buffy frowned.

"No more shopping trip to the mall?" she questioned, sad that she lost her guilt shopping spree. Joyce gave her a stern look.

"Oh yeah," Joyce replied. She saw that Buffy and Willow really did look sorry and softened her features. "I haven�t seen either of you since Friday."

"Oh, yeah," Buffy said, trying to make conversation. She thought back to all the things that happened since she last saw her mother. She couldn�t believe that was just two days ago. It felt like a lifetime. Joyce shuffled uncomfortably from foot to foot, not knowing what to say to them.

"So," she began, trying to find a safe subject. "What did you two do this weekend?" Buffy and Willow looked at each other, both thinking about all that had happened over the last seventy-two hours. They smiled and turned back to Joyce.

"Nothing much," Buffy finally answered. Joyce smiled at them.

"That�s good," she replied. "You girls hungry?" They shook their heads, motioning to the food on the table. "Okay, then. I�m going to go have a shower and then make myself some breakfast."

"Okay," they answered at the same time. Joyce smiled at them one more time before making her way up the stairs, leaving Buffy and Willow alone.

"Well, that was interesting," Willow commented.

"Are you kidding me?" Buffy asked. "Did you see the look on her face? She was mortified. I bet you she�s thinking the same things we were thinking when we walked in on her and Kent."

"I doubt that she...how do you know his name is Kent?"

"There was a note in the kitchen," Buffy explained, moving closer to Willow, deciding that she was too far away from her beloved. "It said she was spending the night at Kent�s house, so unless she has another boyfriend I�m assuming that was Kent." When Buffy tried to kiss her, Willow moved back.

"You knew she was going to be coming home?" Buffy nodded, continuing her pursuit of the redhead. "And you let things go that far?"

"You know I can�t control myself around you," Buffy told her, happy that Willow finally let her kiss her. She pulled Willow�s body into her lap so she would have easier access. "You have this power over me. I like it."

"I do, do I?" Buffy nodded as she nibbled on Willow�s ears. "Oh, that feels so good."

"I was going for that," Buffy commented with a smile. She left Willow�s ear and kissed her way down her neck to her shoulder.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

"I have an idea." Buffy turned her so they were facing each other and kissed Willow full on the lips. Oxygen soon became and issue and the two of them were forced to break apart. Buffy brought her hand up and gently brushed a strain of hair out off Willow�s face and behind her ear. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too." Buffy gave Willow a quick peck on the lips before pulling away fully.

"So, what fun stuff do you have planned for us next weekend?"

"Um, let�s see," Willow began. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, we could go to the beach. Oh, and then we could head over to the ice cream bar and get cones." Buffy smiled as she listened to her favorite thing in the world: Willow-babble. As long as Willow was babbling, everything was right in her world. "Then we could make a trip to the mall, of course we�ll have to invite Cordy for that part, then we can go out for that dinner you promised me last night." She looked at the smile on Buffy�s face. "Is that okay?" Buffy smiled and pulled her into her arms.

"Whatever you say, baby," she told her. She pressed her lips to Willow�s forehead, enjoying the safe feeling she got from having Willow's skin against her lips. "Whatever you say."

~ The End ~

Send Feedback...

Back to Main Fic Page