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DISCLAIMER: Sue me.
SUMMARY: PG. Sometimes the results are worth the (long) wait.
WORDCOUNT: 1078
THANKYOU to Kristi for the quick beta.
Background in Chocolate Probation.
END OF THE (TWISTED) ROAD
by Leni
Xander wasn't used to silence after sex. Much less when both were wide awake. For all her
enthusiasm - or maybe because of it - Anya had always been the first to fall asleep and
Xander had usually followed suit soon after her.
But his new lover was awake and happily snuggling on top of him, her hair tickling his
chin and her legs familiarly between his. She was using her left arm as a cushion, as if
his chest wasn't comfortable enough. Her free hand, busy distracting him from whatever
sleep he could have gotten, traced the lines of his palm with blunt fingernails.
Xander suddenly remembered that she had always done that when she was worried:
That first time she stayed on her own in her big house and had held onto him when he had
leave at ten. When they had discussed about telling Jesse's parents the truth - which they
didn't. When she appeared in his bedroom and told him that she'd chosen Tara over Oz and
finally, last year, when she told him to meet her in a coffee-house and Xander had almost
believed she'd committed the paths in his hand to memory by the time she'd told him how
she and Kennedy weren't working anymore.
And now, of course, just after they'd made love for the first time and the only thing
Xander wanted to do was to still the hand in his by holding it tightly. So he did exactly
that.
"What is it, Willow?"
She didn't look at him but he could feel her soft sigh over his skin. "I
just..."
Xander knew she was frowning now, trying to choose her next words carefully. He poked her
side with an impatient finger. "You just what?"
"I never really thought we'd be together like this, I guess," she rushed out.
The hand at her side went to her shoulder and slowly massaged the flesh there as Xander
thought of a proper answer. Finally he decided that she didn't make any sense. "You
didn't?" he chuckled and Willow moved as if wanting to face him. Xander held her in
place, caressing down her arms as a way to tell her to keep listening. "You were the
one to push this, remember? Leaving more hints than healthy about 'us'."
Willow laughed aloud, stopping his hand and threading her fingers through his. "So
you did notice?"
Xander smiled, thanking God that he wasn't the fool he'd been at highschool. Besides...
"Kinda difficult to ignore you appearing in my shower while I was using
it."
"It was a failed spell?" she mumbled against his chest, and he could feel the
repressed laughter seep into his skin.
His hand left hers and instead he let his arms go around her, resting both hands just
above her hips. Kissing the disarrayed hair, he murmured against it, "You are still
the worse liar ever, Wills." He chuckled. "You weren't even blushing when you
saw me."
Willow giggled, shrugging as much as she could in her position. "You weren't blushing
either," she defended. She didn't say more because suddenly her arm decided to go to
sleep on her, and she had to shift until it was free. Of course, that made her leave her
comfy place instead landing her on the mattress. Xander moved on his side then, careful to
be face-to-face with her this time. He knew Willow wanted to be here, with him, but he
would be much calmer if he could read it on her expression too.
She blushed under his probing stare, tugging at the sheet around her waist to cover
herself. Xander stopped her, grabbing her chin and lifting it to kiss her. Both smiled
when the kiss ended, and Willow snuggled closer to him, sheet completely forgotten now.
"We took too long to get here," Xander whispered and the words tickled her hair.
Willow nodded eagerly, giggling when her head bumped against his nose. "With many,
many, many twists," she added, giving a brief thought to Oz, Tara, Anya, Kennedy and
Faith. "Are you happy now?"
Xander smiled. "This," his hug turned tighter, "feels right, Willow."
"Yeah," she agreed.
"Though I guess Kennedy won't be happy at all. She still hoped-" Xander stopped
at the sudden pain on his chest. He looked down at Willow to find her mock-glaring him.
"Alexander Lavelle Harris," she began and Xander tried not to laugh. He had
heard her 'I'm serious' voice thousands of time, and this definitely wasn't it. But he
decided to play her game anyway. "Are you talking about another woman while we're in
bed?"
He laughed, unable to stop it this time. "Well," he chuckled amusedly, "she
is your ex, so I don't guess it counts. "Now," he winked, "if we
were talking about Faith..."
Willow huffed indignantly as she slapped his chest again.
They looked at each other and laughed.
Yes, this felt right.
"Tomorrow we'll have to tell the others," Xander began when the moment passed.
Willow sighed, then a grin took over her lips. "I wouldn't worry. I'm sure they
noticed us kissing on the dance floor."
Xander groaned. Now their friends would never believe that they hadn't been hiding
anything, that they'd just resolved everything last night at Dawn's birthday celebration.
While it was true that he and Willow had been dancing around the issue of becoming a
couple for months already, it seemed that the daiquiris Dawn insisted every one drank -
and Xander knew it couldn't possibly her first drinking experience - had pushed them to
this last step.
The whole gang had arrived to Boston the day before, checking themselves in the hotel
nearest to Dawn's apartment. They had planned to throw their youngest a mini Happy 21
surprise party at a local, no-minors policy club. But it seemed like the biggest surprise
had come in the form of the two of them making out like there was no tomorrow. "Yeah.
Maybe. But they'll want details. Remember," he added as he spooned himself behind
her, "they still think that you like girls."
"Well," Willow answered with a confident smirk, "Buffy always said that you
were one of us..."
Xander laughed aloud. "Oh, you'll pay for that one," he warned a second before
tickling her just where he knew he'd have her begging for mercy in a couple of seconds.
Willow shrieked.
In the next room. Giles decided that he really wanted to see Boston at night.
The End
09/04/04
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