Inell's Fanfiction Archive

Buffy looked at the car and smiled as she put her last bag into the trunk. She knew she should be feeling guilty about leaving just a little over a week after the initiative had been destroyed, but she didn't. She was only going away for two weeks, and she felt that she had earned a bit of a vacation over the last couple of years. Especially considering everything she had dealt with over the last couple of weeks. Adam and the initiative and Riley. It was all over, though. Adam was dead, the initiative was destroyed and Riley was gone. The last one still hurt, a fresh wound on her rather battered heart. He'd left her, gone away with the military when they had abandoned Sunnydale. Reassigned to a new case, she expected. She knew that she should have been more upset to see him leave. After all, she had loved him. But, here she was a week later getting ready to go on a road trip.

"We're only going to be gone for two weeks, Buffy," Willow said with amusement as she looked at the three suitcases in the trunk. She put her two smaller ones beside Buffy's, shaking her head, "We won't have any room to buy anything."

"What? No presents?" Xander tsked as he shook his finger at his friends, "If I am going to be slaving away on patrols while you two gallivant across the country, I expect lots of nice presents."

"We can buy," Buffy said, laughing, "just small things."

"Large is usually better and more expensive," Anya said thoughtfully, "unless it's jewelry. You can buy me jewelry."

"We'll remember that," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "Now, are you guys sure that you can handle patrol?"

"Of course we can't," Giles said dryly, "we've only been performing them for the past four and a half years."

"Yeah, but you've only got three people," Buffy reminded, wanting to make sure that she wouldn't need to feel guilty when she was gone.

"We will be fine," Giles said with a smile. "You two deserve this vacation."

"Besides, Anya and I are going away in July and then you two get stuck here alone," Xander pointed out. "It's only fair that we take our turn now."

Willow smiled, "They're right, Buffy. They're leaving us right in the middle of summer when it's hotter than hell at night in the shade. I think we will earn these two weeks."

"At least summer is usually the most boring time of year for demons," Anya said, "we should be pretty slow."

"I'm going to check my voice mail every night," Buffy told Giles, "leave me a message if you need us to come home. Maybe I'll check it twice a day."

"Buffy," Giles warned, watching as the slayer laughed.

"Sorry, I just want to make sure you can get in touch if we're needed," Buffy said, smiling sheepishly.

"You gave your Mom the license plate number and everything?" Willow asked Buffy, wanting to make sure they were really ready to leave.

"Yep. She knows what kind of car, what color and the plate. I also told her we'd call every other day just to check in," Buffy said.

"You know, it scares me a bit," Xander said looking from Willow's car to the girls. "You two, out there, driving."

"Shut up, Xander," Buffy and Willow said in unison before looking at each other and giggling.

"We're both very good drivers," Willow said defensively.

"Willow, you don't drive," Xander said, rolling his eyes. "I did check out the car, though. It's in good shape, especially considering it has been in your garage for the last two years."

"I do too drive," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. "I just choose to walk most of the time."

"It was nice of your mother to let you have her car," Anya said, looking at the dark blue Explorer. "Though, I guess she really isn't in town enough to use it."

"No, she's not," Willow agreed. "So, are we finally ready?"

Buffy looked at her best friend and smiled, "Money-check. Full tank of gas-check. Luggage packed-check. Music-check. Cell phone-check. Camera-check. Looks like we got the important things."

"You girls be careful and have fun," Giles said, hugging them both. "Try to enjoy yourselves."

"And do not think about Sunnydale," Xander warned, hugging them both.

"Have fun," Anya said, briefly hugging both girls. "And remember, jewelry."

Buffy laughed as she looked at Willow, "Who drives first?"

"You can," Willow said, tossing the slayer the keys. Both girls got into the car, putting on their seatbelts and turning on the radio. Buffy began to back out slowly, stopping the car suddenly several times. Finally, they were on the road. With a final wave, they started down the street.

"I'll say one more time, Buffy's driving scares me more than the Hellmouth opening," Xander said, shaking his head.

"They'll be fine," Giles said, laughing, "though I agree that I feel a bit more secure knowing that I won't be on the road with them."

"Buffy's always careful. She wouldn't let anything happen to Willow," Anya said, taking Xander's arm. "Can we go eat now? I'm starved."

"G-man, you want some dinner?" Xander asked.

"No thank you," Giles said, deciding not to point out again how he loathed that nickname. "You two run along."

"I wonder where they're going," Anya said as she and Xander started to walk away.

"I doubt they really care, as long as it isn't Sunnydale," Xander decided as they walked down the street.

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

Buffy pulled the car into the gas station, frowning as she tried to remember which side of the car the tank was located. She looked at Willow and smiled sheepishly, "Will?"

"Yeah, Buff?" Willow glanced at the slayer.

"Where is the tank?"

Willow laughed, "Buffy, the little arrow on the dash board? That tells you which side the tank is. Your side."

"Arrow?" Buffy looked at and rolled her eyes, "Oh, like I'm supposed to know that's there. This isn't my car."

"And to think you've lived as long as you have," Willow shook her head and clucked her tongue, "can't even read what's right in front of your face."

"Would you like me to turn this car around and go back?" Buffy threatened, her eyes lit with amusement as Willow giggled.

"No, Mom," Willow said, "but I was sort of hoping we'd actually get out of the city limits sometime."

"We can't start the trip without a full tank of gas," Buffy pointed out.

"Who says?" Willow asked, raising her left eyebrow as Buffy frowned.

"I don't know, but it must have been someone real important cause I remembered," Buffy said, turning the ignition off. "It's like a rule of travel or something. Trust me."

Willow laughed as she got out of the car. She went to the other side, leaning against the vehicle as Buffy began to pump the gas. "So, do we have any idea yet where it is we're going?"

"Not a clue," Buffy smiled, wrinkling her nose as the fumes reached her. "Ugh, I hate the smell of gas."

"Me too," Willow agreed, moving to look at the sky above. "Do you think any of the gang would believe that we are actually packed and almost on the road with no idea where it is we're planning to go?"

"No," Buffy shook her head. "Not you, Miss Plan Everything Down to the Last Detail girl. Me, they'd believe."

"You're such a terrible influence," Willow decided.

"Aren't I, though?" Buffy said with a wink as she put the nozzle back and capped the tank.

"Is it time to buy snacks?" Willow asked, deciding not to challenge Buffy's agreement to her earlier statement.

"Yep," Buffy put her arm through Willow's as the two girls walked into the store, "lots of good sugary junk food."

"Xander would be so envious," Willow laughed as she moved her arm from Buffy's and headed down the candy aisle. Buffy followed, picking up various things as they laughed and discussed their purchases. Finally, with two armloads full, they grabbed a soda each and went to pay. Willow watched as the clerk tried, unsuccessfully, to gain Buffy's attention. She smiled, finding it rather cute that her friend was completely oblivious to the flirting guy.

"You know, maybe we should west," Buffy said thoughtfully as she waited to pay. She looked at Willow, "What do you think, babe?"

"Babe?" Willow repeated, rolling her eyes. "What's next, chick?"

Buffy laughed before mock leering as she put her arm around Willow's shoulder, "I'll call you whatever you want, honey."

"You're impossible," Willow laughed before saying, "west is fine with me, darling."

"How much do we owe you?" Buffy asked the clerk, frowning when she saw that he still wasn't finished. She moved her arm off of Willow's shoulders and got her card from her back pocket, tapping her foot impatiently.

"With the gas, that will be $45.97," the young man said, giving up on his attempts at flirting with the curvy blonde. It was rather obvious she was only interested in the cute redhead.

"Oh, isn't this exciting?" Buffy asked as she handed the guy her gas card. "Our first purchase!"

"You're nuts," Willow said, taking one of the bags as Buffy signed the receipt. When they walked back outside, she looked around and smiled, "So, we're heading west?"

"For now," Buffy said as they got back into the car. She opened her soda, taking a lengthy sip before putting it in the cup holder. "And thank you God for large cup holders. I hate trying to balance a bottle in those small ones."

"I think that should be thank you Ford," Willow said, giggling as Buffy glared at her.

"Whatever," Buffy rolled her eyes. "Are we ready?"

"We're ready," Willow said, looking out the front window. She waved as she said, "Good-bye, Sunnydale."

"See you in a couple of weeks!" Buffy said with a laugh as she pulled onto the highway.

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

"This is the life," Willow decided, leaning back on the blanket as she sighed happily.

"See? I do have good ideas sometimes," Buffy smirked as she looked out at the water.

"They happen so rarely that I'm just not used to them," Willow said, laughing as Buffy tossed a handful of sand at her. "Stop that!"

"Be nice and I might," Buffy said, eyeing the redhead as she scooped up another handful of sand.

"Buffy, put the sand down," Willow said, moving to sit up. "Fine, try to catch me, slayer girl," she taunted as she tried to keep herself from giggling as she got to her feet, running towards the ocean as the slayer followed her laughing.

"Gotcha," Buffy said, tackling her friend as they both fell to the ground. They were laughing though Buffy was keeping an eye on their blanket. She finally stood, offering Willow her hand. "That was too easy, little girl."

"Hmph, you just caught me because of that slayer speed," Willow said, sticking her tongue out as she headed back to their blanket. She fell onto it, glancing at the sun overhead. She waited until Buffy sat down before pointing out, "You do realize that we could have been hours away from here by now, don't you?"

"But would we have had as much fun?" Buffy asked, smiling. "Besides, we never get a chance to just come enjoy the beach. It's been months since we were here."

"That's because I don't like to swim," Willow said, rolling her eyes. "It is pretty though. And not as crowded as I would have imagined."

"We got lucky there," Buffy admitted sheepishly, "I figured it would be packed and we'd only stay half an hour or so."

"It's been nearly three. I think it's time that we made some serious decisions," Willow said as she reached for beside Buffy.

"I don't like serious," Buffy whined, "have I told you how much I like that suit on you?"

"Twice," Willow said, smiling slightly as Buffy again tried to side track her from her mission.

"The color is so you," Buffy said, her eyes narrowing as she studied her pretty friend. "It's almost the same shade as your eyes when you're excited."

"It's not going to work," Willow sang out as she opened the book.

"Huh?" Buffy moved her eyes from her examination of Willow's bathing suit to look at the redhead. "What's not going to work?"

"You're trying to distract me," Willow said, mock glaring though her smile ruined the effect. "We need to get this decided or we'll end up spending our first vacation day in Sunnydale!"

"If I was trying to distract you, you'd *be* distracted, baby," Buffy said with a wink before leaning over to look at the book Willow had opened.

"Impossible," Willow muttered as a faint blush of color swept over her cheeks. She moved to lay on her stomach, pushing her hair out of her face as she looked at the map. "Where do we want to go?"

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

"I don't know," Buffy said, frowning as she studied the map. "It took me the entire time we were at the gas station to think of coming to the beach and you're asking me?"

"At least you thought of the beach," Willow said with a smile. "OK. We have two weeks. We could go just about anywhere we want. Where do you want to go?"

"I don't care," Buffy said honestly. "As long as you're with me and it isn't here, I'll be happy."

"You're not helping," Willow said, giving the slayer a look.

"OK. We're at the beach now," Buffy said, looking around with a smile. "And as much as I'm enjoying laying out here being lazy, we live here. So, I'd rule out beaches."

"Oh goodie," Willow had to laugh, "we've ruled one thing out."

"Hey, I don't hear you giving any suggestions, missy," Buffy challenged.

"Well, it's June," Willow said, eyeing the map, "I'd say that we might not want to go to the Southeast. It's hotter than hell down there."

"Heat isn't the best," Buffy agreed, searching through the bag until she found a pen. "Ah ha!" she took the pen and put an X over Arizona, New Mexico, and the southern areas of California, Nevada and Utah. She then put a big line through the eastern coastal area and the pacific coast. "OK. What does that leave?"

Willow shook her head, "A lot."

Buffy suddenly smiled as she got to her feet. "Come on," she said pulling Willow to her feet. "We'll do this the right way," she picked up her shirt, twisting it as she smiled evilly. She moved behind Willow who was watching her suspiciously.

"What are you doing, Buffy?" Willow asked with a frown.

"Deciding where we are going," Buffy said, "just trust me."

"I hate when you tell me that," Willow said, letting Buffy tie her shirt around her eyes.

Buffy began to move Willow in circles, twirling her friend as she laughed. "Keep turning, Willow," she said as she picked up the map.

"I'm getting dizzy," Willow said as she kicked up sand.

"Stop!" Buffy said, taking Willow's hand and aiming it at the map She let it go as she said, "Now point."

Willow pointed, feeling the map underneath her finger. She pulled the T-shirt from her eyes, looking at where her finger had landed. She started to laugh, "Well, Buffy, it looks like we're going to Lake Superior. Somehow I doubt that there is a place to stay in the middle of the lake."

"We'll head to Minnesota," Buffy decided, seeing the land closest to where Willow had pointed. "See? That wasn't very difficult after all."

"Note to self, don't let Buffy make any more important decisions upon returning to Sunnydale," Willow said with a laugh as she shook her head.

"It worked, didn't it?" Buffy said giving Willow a lofty look. "We should go now. It's starting to get more crowded the later it gets."

"Yeah, let's go. I hate a crowded beach," Willow said, moving to pick up her stuff. "We can head to interstate 5 and go through Oregon and into Idaho."

"Oh, can we go to Montana?" Buffy asked with a smile as they started across the sand back to their car. "I've wanted to go there since that movie with Brad Pitt a few years back."

"Montana would be great," Willow said with a smile at Buffy's enthusiasm as she put her stuff in the back of the Explorer. She moved to the passenger side, glad that they finally knew where they were going. It was past time for this vacation to begin.

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

"No way," Willow said shaking her head as she dipped her French fry into ketchup.

"Yes, way," Buffy said before taking a drink from her soda.

"I think you're lying to me, Miss Summers," Willow decided before she stuck the fry into her mouth.

"What?" Buffy gasped, putting her hand over her heart as she dramatically said, "Me? Lie? To you? I'd never lie to you, Willow!"

Willow just rolled her eyes as she tossed her empty straw wrapper across the table. She took another bite as Buffy picked up the paper and glared at her.

"Is this how the entire trip is going to be?" Buffy demanded though her eyes sparkled with amusement, "You calling me a liar then throwing things at me?"

"Nope," Willow said with a smile, "sometimes I'll throw things first."

"You think you're so cute," Buffy said as she tossed the paper back at the redhead. Her eyes moved over Willow's face as a small frown formed. Willow *was* cute when she was playing like this, Buffy realized. With her eyes lit with amusement and becoming that unusual shade of green and her full lips twisted in that playful smirk that seemed almost wicked. Buffy grabbed her glass of soda, taking a long drink as she tried to ignore the direction her thoughts were going. This was Willow, her best friend. She should not, repeat, not, be looking at the redhead and thinking those kinds of thoughts. Lately, though, she hadn't been able to control herself. She was scared to death that she was falling for her friend and she had no idea how to handle it. Give her a demon to slay, fine. Make her deal with strange emotions and she was lost.

"I *am* cute," Willow said with a giggle before she noticed Buffy becoming silent. A thoughtful look was on her friend's face and she found herself wishing she could read minds. She took a bite of her hamburger, continuing their earlier conversation after she swallowed. "You were lying, weren't you?" she asked hopefully.

"Hmm?" Buffy brought her attention back to Willow, taking a second to figure out what the redhead was talking about. When she understood, she smiled and laughed, "Nope. I was telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

"Can I just say that that is a most disturbing mental image," Willow asked, making a face.

"You should have been there to see it!" Buffy said, shuddering visibly. "There are just some things that we aren't meant to see," she said seriously.

"I just can't believe that Giles would have silk boxers covered with penguins," Willow said as she shook her head.

"I don't know if they were penguins," Buffy said, "I didn't pay that much attention. But, they were animals of some sort."

"I'd have pegged Giles for a flannel pajamas type of guy," Willow said before a slightly dreamy smile crossed her face, "or maybe, if he were feeling particularly Ripperish, nothing at all."

"Eeew!" Buffy said, wrinkling her nose in disgust, "Again with the disturbing mental image. Stop it, Willow!"

"Me?" Willow laughed, "You're the one that brought up Giles and his sleeping attire. I remember sitting here commenting on how fun it was to be out of Sunnydale."

"It is fun, isn't it?" Buffy said with a smile.

"Much fun. Just the two of us," Willow smiled, "I do notice that you changed the subject without admitting to your part in starting the conversation, but I'll let it slide this time. I just wanted you to know that I knew."

"Of course you did," Buffy rolled her eyes, "you know everything."

"And don't you forget it, missy," Willow said with a giggle before talking about their drive so far since that morning.

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

Willow looked out at the window of the car, a pleased smile on her face. She glanced at Buffy who was also looking out the window, a doubtful statement on her face. With a laugh, she said, "Come on. It looks charming."

"Charming isn't the word I was thinking," Buffy said, studying the rather run down motel in front of them. She looked at Willow hopefully as she said, "We passed a Ramada a few miles back."

"Buffy," Willow rolled her eyes, "we could stay at a Ramada almost anywhere. We cannot, however, stay at a Sleepy Time Inn anywhere but here."

"Thank God," Buffy muttered, eyeing the dark motel again. "Would you buy it if I said I was getting strange slayer vibes so we needed to go somewhere else?"

"Not at all," Willow said with a giggle as she opened the door of the car. "Are you coming?"

"I guess so," Buffy grimaced as she, too, got out of the car. She had nowhere where they were, having not paid a lot of attention to signs along their drive. She was pretty sure they were still in California, having an idea that they would have passed some sort of sign alerting them to entering Oregon. They'd taken their time driving, stopping to look at the ocean along the way before eventually heading inland. They'd stopped for dinner shortly after dusk, having driven another couple of hours before deciding to stop for the night. Now, Willow had decided that for them to have a fun and unique trip, they needed to avoid chain motels and hotel. Which brought them to the Sleepy Time Inn, a one story motel that looked like it had seen better days, probably thirty years before at least. While on a normal day, she might have thought the old fashion building was charming, as Willow described it, at the moment, she saw it as simply being old. She wondered if it even had indoor plumbing.

"You're a snob," Willow said as she looked at her best friend, seeing the distrust in Buffy's hazel eyes.

"What? Me?" Buffy looked at Willow and saw the smile on her friend's face. Rolling her eyes, she said, "Just because I would rather stay the night in a place that looks like it was built in the last twenty years does not mean that I'm a snob."

"Yes, it does," Willow shot back with a laugh as she walked towards the office of the motel. "Think about it, Buffy. This is new and exciting. A real adventure. I thought that was why we took this trip, after all. For adventure. This could very well turn out to be something truly amazing, you know?"

Buffy found her eyes lingering on Willow's smile and felt her own lips curving into their own lopsided smile. She shook her head as she caught up with Willow, "You know, you're right. Usually you never see the amazing stuff until it's there. It could be the best place that we end up staying."

"Good attitude, slayer," Willow said, pleased that Buffy was trying to forget her doubts. She decided to let her friend choose their lodging the next night.

"I always have a good attitude," Buffy defended with a wink as she opened the door to the office, blinking at the fluorescent lights before grabbing Willow's hand and pulling the laughing redhead in after her.

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

"Don't say a word," Willow warned as she glared at a smirking Buffy.

"Who me?" Buffy asked innocently as she put her bag down.

"Who me?" Willow mimicked with a roll of her eyes as she looked around their motel room.

"Hey, at least it has a bathroom," Buffy said as she looked into the small room that held a shower and a toilet and a sink. She turned on the tap, adding, "And there is running water."

"It's not what I pictured," Willow said with a frown as she took in the faded wallpaper and carpet that had long since known a true color. The TV appeared to be older than her, sitting a wooden dresser that definitely looked well used. The woman that had rented them their room had been nearly seventy at least, and the nicest thing, but Willow couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. She had wanted something really unique, some hidden treasure that they could tell everyone back home about. This was definitely not amazing.

"Hey, it's clean, it has a bathroom with working plumbing, and it has a bed," Buffy said, not liking the look of disappointment that was on Willow's face. "We're set for the night."

"I know," Willow gave her best friend a small smile. "I'm sorry. It's my fault we stopped here and now you're the one trying to cheer me up."

"There is no fault," Buffy said as she rolled her eyes, "you need to remember that this is an adventure. So, it's not a fancy suite with room service. It's a clean little room, which is all we really need tonight."

Willow laughed as she moved to the queen sized bed, falling back on it and bouncing slightly, "The bed is pretty comfortable. I guess it isn't too bad."

Buffy's smile froze as she watched Willow bounce on the bed. She leaned her head against the doorway, her eyes moving over the redhead's breasts as they moved against her shirt at the movement of her body, along her throat where her hair brushed on each bounce, to her full lips that were curved into a smile that made her pulse race, to pretty green eyes that were lit with amusement and happiness. Buffy gulped at the rush of heat that spread over her, her eyes widening as she realized that it wasn't getting better. If anything, it had gotten far worse throughout the day. She wanted Willow, was aroused by everything concerning the redhead, was confused as hell as this attraction seemed to be completely taking over her mind and body.

"Buff, you okay?" Willow asked as she stopped her bouncing, her concerned eyes on Buffy's face. "You look flushed."

"Huh?" Buffy came out of her trance, running a hand over her face as she calmed her racing heart. "Sorry, I was just thinking. I'm fine. Just a bit warm in here. I think I'll take a shower before bed. I'm pretty stinky from being out in the sun this afternoon. I wouldn't even want to sleep in the same bed as me right now."

"Me too," Willow made a face, her eyes staying on Buffy as she realized that her best friend wasn't being completely honest. She watched Buffy move to her bag, pulling out the items she would need for a shower. She saw a glimpse of what appeared to be blue lace undies and looked away before she saw anything else, wondering for a moment why it should matter if she knew what panties Buffy was wearing and exactly why she could so easily imagine her friend standing before her wearing only those panties and a smile. She fell back on the bed as she said softly, "I'll take a shower after you."

"Oh, sure," Buffy said, adding, "I'll leave some hot water."

"I don't think I'll need it," Willow muttered as she let out a slow breath, knowing that she would be using cold water that night.

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

"Are you asleep?"

Buffy didn't reply, instead continuing to stare at the wall concealed by the darkness of the room. She felt the bed move as Willow shifted, again. Couldn't the girl be still? It was bad enough dealing with the realization that she was in serious lust with her best friend. Now she was stuck sharing a bed with said best friend while trying to deal with these new emotions. The bed itself was terrible. It was sagging in the middle and not as big as it had first looked. She kept rolling to the middle even as she tried to balance herself on the edge. Willow's constant moving didn't help her maintain her position or her grip on sanity.

Willow sighed as she was greeted by silence. She couldn't sleep. This wasn't anything new. She rarely slept for more than two to three hours at home, usually spending her time reading or slaying or surfing the web. At the dorm, it hadn't really been an issue. Buffy was out most nights slaying until the early hours of the morning, coming in right when Willow was finally feeling tired. Or, more common the last half of their college experience, Buffy wouldn't come home at all, instead staying with Riley. She'd never really had to deal with laying in the dark trying to sleep when she wasn't tired. She wished now that she hadn't suggested stopping, knowing she could very well have driven a couple more hours at least.

Adding to her insomnia was the fact that she was laying beside Buffy. This wasn't anything new, really. They had often shared a bed during sleepovers in high school. This was different, though. She couldn't explain why, but something was different. It might be the fact that she had spent the last two hours thinking about her best friend taking a shower, about joining Buffy in the shower, about things that best friends should not be thinking about. Even a cold shower hadn't helped, doing nothing to slow the fire burning in her belly. The next night, she would insist on two beds. Unfortunately, tonight's hotel had only had queen size beds available. At the time, she hadn't figured it would be a problem. Now, every time that she moved, her legs would brush against Buffy. Even laying still, she could feel the heat her friend was giving off. It was really not a good time to suddenly realize that she was attracted to the slayer. Of course, no time was really a good time. Buffy wasn't interested in her in that way, so it was entirely pointless to even dwell on the feelings she was experiencing. It was all just so damn confusing. Why did things like this always happen to her? First her crush on Xander for all those years, now this whatever it was towards Buffy.

She'd always loved Buffy, from the first time they had met. They were best friends. In all those years, she'd never thought it was anything except friendship. Had these feelings always been there and she'd just never accepted them or maybe she'd ignored them, knowing it was pointless to dream such an impossible dream. That couldn't really be right, though, could it? She'd never even realized she liked girls until college, until Tara. She just didn't understand it. In some ways, she was scared of these feelings, of the depth of the attraction and the love she felt for her best friend. In another way, it excited her, made her curious, made her wonder what if.

Willow turned her head to look at Buffy, her eyes moving down the slayer's back as she sighed again. She was no more tired than she had been before her big mental analysis. She almost missed Sunnydale, knowing that if she were back home, she might still be in the dark concerning the exact nature of her feelings for Buffy. If anything, she'd at least probably be doing a patrol at this hour instead of laying in the dark trying to sleep. She decided to try one last time to see if Buffy might also be awake, in case her friend hadn't heard her the first time. She whispered, "Buffy, are you awake?"

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

Buffy closed her eyes as Willow asked again, finally giving in and saying, "Kinda."

"I can't sleep," Willow said, still whispering though they were both apparently awake.

"The bed's rather lumpy," Buffy said, moving to lay on her back so that her back wasn't facing Willow. "And I'm not all that tired."

"Me either," Willow confessed, moving to lay back so she could stare at the ceiling, unsure what she might do if she stared at Buffy's profile for too long. Now was definitely not the time to do something rash, like lean over and give Buffy a big, wet, long lasting kiss. Stop it, Willow, she scolded mentally as she realized Buffy was talking.

"I can't believe that I actually have a chance to sleep like a normal person and I can't," Buffy was saying as she laughed softly, "I guess I'm so used to slaying now that my body doesn't think it's time to sleep."

"I know what you mean," Willow agreed, "I hardly sleep more than a couple hours a night, even without a patrol. It was the routine for so many years that I can't really adjust to not being out late slaying with you."

"You sound like you missed it," Buffy observed, turning her head slightly and looking at Willow's face, bathed in the shadows of the room.

"I did," Willow said softly, speaking the truth, "The last few months, I don't know. I've been bored. I missed the late night patrols and the talks as we waited for some vamp to dust. I know we all have to grow up, but it's been tough."

"You had Tara, though," Buffy pointed out, feeling slightly guilty for having ignored her friends for most of the year. "There were several times I wanted to get together, but you were with her."

"That's different," Willow said, frowning as she thought about it, "Tara was my lover, but you were my best friend. You never mentioned getting together with me, or I would have. I missed our friendship, Buffy. Tara would have understood, as I'm sure Riley would have."

"What are we doing?" Buffy asked, laughing softly. "We're talking about things that are over and done. We both had this talk a month ago, remember?"

"You brought it up," Willow said, having to giggle slightly as she realized that Buffy was right.

"Besides," Buffy said, ignoring Willow's accusation, "Riley is gone and so is Tara. It's just us again, the way it should be."

"Today was fun," Willow said, deciding to ignore the fact that her heart had raced at Buffy's innocent words, wishing they were being said under entirely different circumstances.

"Yeah, it was," Buffy agreed. "I can't remember the last time I had a real vacation, no slaying or anything."

"The summer after you first arrived in Sunnydale," Willow said, "after you died and all that. You went to visit your dad, remember?"

"You're right," Buffy said, "the next summer was when I was really stupid, running away like that. I ended up fighting demons, real ones and my own personal ones."

"And we spent the summer after graduation together, being lazy and hanging out at the beach. Oh gosh, that was just last year," Willow said, finding it hard to believe it had only been a year since graduation.

"Hard to believe, huh?" Buffy said, smiling in the darkness. "It's been a rough few years, hasn't it?"

"That's an understatement," Willow said as she thought back over the years in question.

"Willow, do you ever regret it?" Buffy asked, her voice serious as she nervously chewed on her lip, waiting for an answer.

"Regret what?" Willow asked, confused as to Buffy's question.

"Meeting me," Buffy whispered. "Be honest."

"Buffy Anne Summers, don't you even think that!" Willow said, knowing from Buffy's voice that her friend was worried. "Meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're so important to me. Never doubt that."

"But, you've almost died so many times because of me. You ended up staying in Sunnydale rather going to some fancy school somewhere because of me. Your life hasn't been normal since we met," Buffy pointed out, wondering why she was bringing this up now, when it was so late and they were so far from home.

"Thank God!" Willow said, turning so that she could study Buffy in the darkness. "If you hadn't come along, I'd have died. Really died, Buffy. Not just almost. You saved me. You always save me. And I chose to stay with you. A fancy school wouldn't have meant anything if you weren't there with me. If normal means not having you in my life, I don't want to be normal. Now, why are we having this discussion? Is everything okay?"

"It's perfect," Buffy said with a smile as she absorbed what Willow had said so passionately, knowing her friend was speaking the truth. "Everything's perfect. I was just having one of those sleepy thoughtful moments, you know?"

"You're weird," Willow said, having to laugh.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway," Buffy said as she covered a yawn. "So, what are we going to do tomorrow?" The girls began to talk quietly about the possibilities for the second day of their trip before eventually falling to sleep shortly before dawn.

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

Willow peered out the window, a scowl on her pretty face as she asked, "Didn't we pass that tree an hour ago?"

"No, it was a different tree," Buffy said without even looking. She laughed as Willow groaned.

"I'm sick of this!" Willow decided, knowing that she was whining and not even caring. She turned to face Buffy, "We've been driving all day and it doesn't seem like we're getting anywhere. Are you sure we're actually going somewhere?"

"Oh, no," Buffy said, glancing at Willow wide eyed, "You're right. We must be in the twilight zone or something!"

"Not funny," Willow said as Buffy hummed the theme to the once popular television show. "I'm getting car sick. We've driven at least a thousand miles and only stopped for gas and to eat breakfast."

"More like three hundred," Buffy said, glancing at the odometer. She noticed a small picnic area coming up and decided to stop there, get out and stretch. Willow was definitely showing signs of cabin fever.

"Picky, picky," Willow said, glaring at her best friend. The day before, she hadn't minded all the riding. It had been fun, getting away from home, escaping for this adventure. Now, though, after realizing last night that she was beginning to have much more than friendly thoughts about Buffy and having very vivid dreams concerning said non-friendly thoughts, she wanted to be anywhere except trapped in a car with the object of her growing lust. She had been cranky and tense all day. It wasn't fair to Buffy to have to listen to her whining, but Willow couldn't help it. She had no idea how to act or what she should do. She wished she had never realized that she was falling in love with Buffy. It made things awkward and weird.

"Someone obviously woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Buffy said with a smile. She was in a great mood. She had slept well, waking up with Willow against her. She'd laid there for half an hour watching her best friend sleep, wondering why it had taken her so long to realize that she was in love with the redhead, then going to take a shower before Willow realized her thoughts and feelings. She was happy that she had realized what she wanted, but still not really sure what to do about it. So, she'd decided to wait and see if something happened to give her an idea whether or not Willow could feel the same way. She wasn't going to risk their friendship over her love, so she was also trying to deal with the knowledge that Willow may never know that she loved her. A future without Willow wouldn't be a future worth considering, though, so Buffy kept her mouth shut. Willow had woken up in a bad mood and it just seemed to be getting worse. She'd tried to be nice, but the redhead was snappy and cross. Buffy pulled off the road to stop at a picnic table. "We can stop here for a bit. Get out and stretch."

"Good," Willow said, leaving the car and starting to walk. She needed to deal with this before Buffy decided to just leave her out here in the middle of nowhere. She honestly had no idea where they were. Buffy had checked the map and said they'd be heading into Oregon. So far, Willow hadn't seen a sign telling them they were in a new state so she assumed they were in northern California somewhere. All she knew was that there had been a lot of trees and nothing much else.

Buffy let Willow walk alone, sensing that her friend didn't want company. She stretched and looked at the trees before moving to sit on the picnic table and wait for Willow. She rather enjoyed this, being in a park without worrying about vampires. Of course, it was still afternoon, but it was just nice getting away from everything back home. She didn't know how long she sat there before she heard footsteps. She glanced at Willow, thinking how beautiful her friend looked with the sun making her hair seem even more red. Buffy drew her eyes away from Willow's face as she smiled, "Feeling better?"

"I'm sorry," Willow said sheepishly, watching as Buffy moved over on the table so she could sit down. She joined her friend, looking at the sky. "I was acting silly. Just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Bad dreams?" Buffy asked with concern.

"Goddess, no," Willow squeaked, her face flushing as though Buffy somehow knew what she had dreamed. "Not bad, just not very restful."

"Okay," Buffy said, deciding to drop it since it was something Willow obviously didn't want to discuss. "Everything's good now, though?"

"Better," Willow said, "I was just getting tired of driving, I guess. Not used to being in a car like that. And everything looks the same."

"Yeah, I noticed that," Buffy smiled. "All the trees sort of blend together after half an hour."

"It's not just the trees. It's the small towns and the road and everything. It just makes it seem like we're not going anywhere," Willow said with a shrug.

"You know," Buffy said thoughtfully, "we should have just picked some city that neither of us had visited and spent a week there, instead of all this driving."

"That could have been fun," Willow agreed. "I don't mind some driving, but geesh, this is constant."

"We could always change our plans," Buffy said, excitement entering her hazel eyes. "Maybe head up to Seattle."

"Is there anything there?" Willow asked, not knowing a lot about this area of the country.

"Who knows? We could explore and make our own fun," Buffy said, liking the idea of not being trapped in the car so long and spending time with Willow in a new place.

"We could go to San Francisco after, on the drive back home," Willow said, excitement entering her eyes. "I've never been there. Oz and I went to LA a couple of times, and Jesse, Xander and I went to visit Jesse's uncle in Alabama when I was ten, but that's about the extent of my travel adventures."

"I went there with my Dad a couple of times, before slaying, and the divorce and everything," Buffy said with a faint smile. "I saw a little bit of the city, but it was mostly for business so I saw a lot of the hotel room. I was young, too, so I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it all that much anyway. I'd much rather see it with you.

"Are we sure we want to change our plans?" Willow asked, figuring that they could probably be in Seattle in another day or two.

"Definitely," Buffy said as she saw how happy Willow was at the idea. "We've got a pretty long drive ahead, so we'd better go."

"I'll check the map and figure out what roads we need to take from here," Willow got into the car and then looked around. She glanced at Buffy and asked, "Where exactly is here?" Buffy looked at her and then they both started to laugh, deciding to wait until the next town to check the map.

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

"This is beautiful," Willow decided, her eyes looking over the gentle waves below.

"Yeah, it is," Buffy said, her eyes moving over Willow before looking off the balcony. "It's so peaceful."

"I noticed that," Willow turned her head, smiling and suddenly noticing just how close they were standing. She moved back into the room, cursing her raging hormones as well as the voice inside her head that kept telling her to kiss the slayer senseless. Then, she had to curse the other voice that urged her not to stop at just a kiss. Then, she stopped and wondered when she had gone crazy, hearing voices and such. Shaking her head, she groaned.

"Problem?" Buffy asked with amusement as she leaned against the balcony door, watching the redhead make a face.

"Not really," Willow said as she turned and smiled sheepishly at her friend, "Just wondering what I should do about the voices in my head."

"Voices, huh?" Buffy said, clucking her tongue as she shook her head. "I heard about that on the Discovery channel."

Willow smiled, "Well, then, Doctor Summers, whatever should I do about them?"

"Let me see if I remember," Buffy said, growing thoughtful, "Ah ha! I remember."

"Well?" Willow waited expectantly, watching as Buffy tried to grow serious.

"First, you must accept the voices as being part of who you are," Buffy said, "Next, you must have a huge dinner at a seafood restaurant. Then, you must take a long, lazy walk along the beach with your bestest friend in the entire world."

Willow laughed, shaking her head, "I think I'll accept that diagnose, Doc. Dinner sounds like a great idea."

Buffy smiled, always happy when she made Willow laugh. She was so glad that they had nixed the idea of driving halfway across the country, instead focusing on the western coast. After they had made their decision, they had headed out of the trees and towards the ocean. Near dusk, they had reached the town of Seashell, near the Oregon border. Willow had loved the name and Buffy had loved the town, so they had decided to stop for the night. Remarkably, they had found a nice motel on a small cliff overlooking the ocean. The room had two beds, the only drawback as far as she could see. It even had a path that lead down on the south side of the motel to the sand and water. Buffy had spotted a pleasant looking cafe a block away from their room, that being where she intended to take Willow for dinner. "Come on then. I saw the perfect place to eat on our way up here."

"Lead the way, Buffy," Willow said, laughing as Buffy took her hand and pulled her out of the room.

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

"I can't eat anything else," Willow declared with a smile as she placed her napkin on her plate.

"I second that," Buffy said as she took a drink of her soda. "I'm stuffed."

"The food here is excellent," Willow said, a bit surprised. When Buffy had first approached the cafe, Willow had thought that it looked a bit dilapidated. She'd been happy to find that the outside was clean and welcoming. The tables had lace tablecloths and candles, and the chairs were comfortable. Their order had been taken shortly after they had been seated, with them choosing the special of the day that had been some sort of fish with french fries and a salad. It had been delicious, as had the homemade dinner rolls. Willow knew that she had eaten too much. But, truthfully, they hadn't had a large lunch, grabbing a hamburger at a small diner. The girls had taken their time eating their meal, spending nearly two hours eating and talking.

"We'll have to stop back by on the way home," Buffy decided, picking up the check after the waitress placed it on the table. When she saw Willow reaching for her money, she said, "No, this one is on me. It was my idea, I pay."

"Buffy," Willow started to protest but knew it was useless. Instead, she said, "Fine, but I pay next time."

"Sure," Buffy agreed as she took out enough money for the meal. She left the tip on the table, walking to the front to pay their ticket. She laughed as Willow mentioned gaining several pounds during their dinner, reaching over and patting her friend's flat stomach, "Sorry, Will. I don't buy it."

"Here's your change," the cashier said, handing over the change. She smiled at the two girls, saying, "You make a beautiful couple."

"Huh?" Willow looked at the girl in surprise as Buffy answered.

"Thanks, you have a good night," Buffy said, smiling a bit larger at the girl's misplaced but honest compliment. She took Willow's arm and walked out, giving her friend a smile as she said, "That was nice of her. She said we were beautiful."

"Yeah," Willow said, still stuck on the couple comment.

"Stop overthinking it," Buffy said, giving her friend an amused glare. "It didn't bother me, so it shouldn't bother you."

"It doesn't bother you that she assumed we were a couple?" Willow asked, catching her friend's hazel eyes.

"No, it doesn't," Buffy said, wishing again that the girl's words had been true. Instead, she asked, "Why, do it bother you?"

"No," Willow admitted, having no problems being seen as Buffy's lover. Shaking her head, she cleared her mind of those thoughts, instead saying, "What a night. We have excellent food, wonderful conversation, and have someone tell us we're beautiful."

"And the night isn't over yet," Buffy said, her voice slightly husky as she licked her lips, looking away from Willow's face. She'd seen a flash of desire in her friend's green eyes as Willow had answered her question. She wasn't sure what it meant, if it even meant anything, but she couldn't control her wishful thinking.

"You were serious about the walk?" Willow asked, a smile slowly crossing her face.

"Of course," Buffy said, glancing at Willow as she said, "We need to work off some of that dinner."

Willow's mind flashed to other ways they could burn calories, all of them involving naked flesh and sweat and....She gulped, pushing her hair out of her face as she said, "Let's walk."

Buffy watched Willow walk past her, wondering what had caused her friend to become flushed before running to catch up to the redhead as they started down the path to the ocean.

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

"It seems so quiet," Willow whispered, not wanting to disturb the tranquility by speaking too loudly.

"It's nice," Buffy said softly, her hazel eyes scanning the ocean. They had been sitting on the beach for nearly half an hour, just listening to the ocean and watching the shadowy waves. If she had to think of only one word to describe how she felt at the moment it would have to be peaceful. Happy was another that came to mind. Sitting on a deserted beach, the soft sound of the waves, Willow beside her...yeah, happy was definitely on the top of the list.

"Kind of spooky too, but in a good way," Willow said, glancing at her friend's profile, bathed in moonlight. "Did that make any sense?"

"I always understand you, Will," Buffy said with a soft smile. "And you're right. It is sort of scary. There is hardly any light and the water is so dark."

"Yeah," Willow said as she leaned back on her elbows, her eyes moving to watch the water. "I can see our hotel from here."

Buffy looked at her friend, seeing that Willow had her head upside down, looking at the cliff behind them. "I almost hate the idea of having to climb back up. I'm so relaxed that my body feels like jelly."

"Jelly?" Willow looked up, getting a bit dizzy staring at the upside down hotel. "So, your body feels squishy and gooey?"

"Okay, yuck," Buffy wrinkled her nose, "maybe jelly isn't the right word."

"I understand what you mean," Willow laughed, echoing Buffy's earlier words as she continued, "I always understand you, Buffy."

"I know you do," Buffy looked away, wanting to add that that was yet another reason she loved her so much. Instead, she looked down the beach, finding it odd to be outside, at night, relaxing, not worrying about demons or slaying. She voiced her thoughts, "I can't believe I'm at the beach, at night, and I'm not looking for some demon or vampire."

"You're gonna get spoiled," Willow said with a smile. "When we make it to Seattle, we may have to do some impromptu slaying so you don't get lazy. You know, keep you alert and in shape."

Buffy glared at Willow in the darkness before a mischievous smile crossed her pretty face, "Lazy huh? In shape?"

Willow looked over and noticed that Buffy was moving towards her, "Buffy, what are you doing?"

"I'll show you lazy, little girl," Buffy said before pouncing.

Willow squealed, getting to her feet before Buffy could grab her. With a laugh, she started off down the beach, the slaying chasing after her.

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

"I'm gonna get you, my pretty," Buffy threatened as she chased Willow across the sand, laughing as her friend nearly fell to the sand.

"I don't have Oz anymore, so you can't have my little dog too!" Willow shot back, trying to cover a giggle at the thought of Oz as Toto, clearing those rather demented images from her mind as she ran towards the water's edge.

"Yuck! As if I'd want him," Buffy said, grimacing at the thought before suddenly smiling as she mentally decided that skinning the werewolf and using his fur for a rug wouldn't be that psychotic. He had, after all, hurt Willow terribly, and thus deserved to be a nice rug. A nice rug laying in front of a fireplace with Willow nude and wet waiting for her....Buffy cleared her throat, deciding that those particular images would have to wait until later, preferably when she was in the shower. "You're the one I want, Willow."

"Stay back!" Willow yelled as she picked up a piece of wood laying on the beach, a laugh escaping her as the blonde slayer stopped running.

Buffy looked at Willow, committing the vision of her friend standing in wet sand holding an old piece of wood with her hair blowing from the light wind, her cheeks flushed and her eyes dancing with laughter, knowing that she wouldn't want to forget how beautiful Willow was that particular moment. She smiled, putting her hands on her hips as she laughed, "You dare challenge me, witch?"

"That I do, slayer," Willow said as she adjusted the driftwood in her hand. She watched Buffy study her for a moment, knowing the exact moment her best friend planned to attack. She'd learned the look well after years of patrols. She warned, "I have a big stick and I know how to use it."

Buffy froze, her eyebrows raising as she contemplated Willow's innocent threat. She decided to take a chance and continue the flirting they'd been doing all evening. She smiled suggestively as she purred, "Oh, honey, I'm sure you know how to use it....why don't you show me?"

Willow knew her mouth was hanging open, having not expected Buffy's words at all. She saw the amusement in her friend's hazel eyes and realized that she was just playing, having no idea what affect her words had on the redhead. Willow smiled, the decision to play along already made when she said, "Do you really think you could handle it, sugar?"

Buffy's eyes narrowed at the challenge, answering, "I can handle anything you give me, Red."

"Oh, really?" Willow lowered the stick, courage entering her as she took a step forward, wondering what the hell she was about to do, knowing that nothing was going to stop her, and not giving a fuck either way. "Anything, Blondie?"

Buffy gulped, her body heating up as she saw the gleam in Willow's green eyes, knowing that a similar look of lust and need had to be burning in her own eyes. Her nipples were tight, her panties were moist, and they hadn't even touched yet. The whole evening, though, had practically been foreplay. She'd flirted more with Willow than she'd ever flirted with anyone, taking every opportunity to touch her friend. It was not a surprise that the woman at the cafe had believed them to be lovers. Buffy had made her interest pretty obvious, in her opinion. Of course, Willow had never seemed to understand, taking the touches as those of friendship. Now, though, the redhead was looking at her with arousal. Buffy licked her lips, knowing that whatever she answered would change the course of both their lives. She could just laugh and pretend that it had all been a game or she could risk everything in hopes of gaining the one thing she truly wanted. Without hesitation she responded to the tease, huskily answering, "Anything, Willow."

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

Willow felt her heart stop at Buffy's words. She looked deep into her best friend's hazel eyes, wanting to make sure they were talking about the same thing before she continued. They were. She smiled slowly, deciding that if this was another dream, she hoped she didn't wake up for awhile. She moved forward, watching as Buffy waited. Leaning forward, she stopped when their lips were nearly touching, "Anything?" she asked again, mostly to prolong the moment, to push Buffy and confirm that the slayer did want her.

Buffy whimpered when Willow spoke, the redhead's breath brushing against her lips, so close they were touching. She could feel her best friend's breasts brushing against hers as they stood on the silent beach. When did Willow get such a sadistic streak? "Please," she begged softly, barely recognizing the tortured voice as her own.

Willow moved her mouth, kissing the left side of the slayer's mouth. The kiss was brief, teasing. She moved her head and kissed the right side, taking a bit more time. She could hear a heart beating so loudly, not sure if was her own or Buffy's. Maybe it was both, joined together. She moved her mouth again, running her tongue over the blonde's bottom lip. She felt Buffy's mouth open, the slayer's tongue moving to touch hers. She moaned before she gave up and claimed Buffy's mouth, her tongue taking possession. She felt Buffy move against her, breasts against breasts, the slayers leg going between hers. It was just a kiss but she felt like she was going to die. She didn't want to stop even as the need to breathe forced her to pull back.

"Wow," Buffy muttered, her hand running through her hair as she gulped in deep breaths of air.

"Buffy, what's going on?" Willow had to ask, having never seen any signs of attraction or lust from her friend.

"I think they call it kissing, Willow. Shall we do it again to remind you?" Buffy asked teasingly.

"I mean this," Willow gestured, a bit irritated that Buffy seemed so amused. "We've been friends for years and we've never done that before."

"Weren't we stupid?" Buffy asked, finding that her entire body was focused on Willow, aching for the redhead. "To think we wasted all those years when we could have been kissing like that."

"Buffy, it's not a joke," Willow said, fighting the urge to smile at Buffy's obvious enthusiasm.

"I know," Buffy said softly, knowing Willow well enough to know how insecure her friend was. "It's just, the last few days with you have forced me into accepting something."

"What?" Willow asked.

"That I love you, that I want you, that I need you. You're the most important thing in my life, Willow. You have been since we first met. It just took me a few years to realize why," Buffy confessed.

"Oh my," Willow said, looking at Buffy in shock. "You love me? Like a friend?."

"No, like this," Buffy said, taking the initiative this time and kissing the redhead deeply and firmly, giving no doubts as to the exact way she wanted Willow--preferably naked with legs spread. At that image, Buffy felt a fresh wave of arousal. She moved her hands down Willow's back, cupping the taller girl's ass and squeezing before pulling back.

Willow felt a smile cross her lips as she said, "I think I may need another demonstration. I'm still confused."

"Do you uh," Buffy trailed off, not sure how to ask.

"I love you, Buffy," Willow said softly. "As my best friend and more. I want you, if you're sure that's what you want. I don't want to lose you."

"You'll never lose me, Willow," Buffy promised as she kissed the redhead again. Not soon after their lips touched, she felt a raindrop.

Willow pulled back, looking up as she felt the rain. Soon, another drop followed then another. "We'd better get to the room."

"I'll race you," Buffy challenged as she took Willow's hand and began to run towards the steps by the cliff side. It started to rain more as they ran, causing her to laugh. She turned towards Willow, stopping and saying, "This is corny as hell, but I don't care. I want to dance with you, in the rain."

"Buffy, you're crazy. We're getting soaked!" Willow said, having to laugh as she saw the stubborn look cross the slayer's pretty face. "Okay, I'll dance with you but you owe me a warm bath."

Buffy laughed wickedly as she took Willow's hand, pulling the girl into her body, huskily saying, "I think that can be arranged."

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

"I don't think dancing in the rain was a good idea," Willow laughed as she and Buffy entered their room. She was freezing, her clothes were soaking wet, and she was more aroused than she could ever remember being. They had danced on the beach with the wet sand under their feet and the water pouring down on them. Their bodies had been a perfect fit, Buffy's shorter body fitting against her's perfectly. She shivered as much from cold as from the memory of the blonde's breasts pushing against her wet flesh, of Buffy's hands on her back and butt, of the slayer's warm breath on her neck as they had gotten lost in their dance.

"I loved it," Buffy admitted with a laugh, turning to look at Willow as she twisted her hair to get some of the water out of it. She saw the desire in Willow's green eyes and licked her lips, rain water forgotten as she fought the impulse to go kneel and bury her face between Willow's legs. God, what was happening to her? All she could think about was getting those wet clothes off of Willow and tasting every single inch of her best friend.

"We're drenched, Buffy. We'll probably both get colds," Willow said as she rang out her shirt, only stopping when she looked up and found Buffy's eyes on her. A wave of heat spread over her at the look in the slayer's eyes, making her remember all too well what had been happening between them on the beach. Buffy loved her. Not only loved her, but wanted her. She had snagged a slayer. Wouldn't Xander be jealous? Thoughts of Xander fled her mind as she looked at Buffy, wondering what would happen next. She didn't know if she could make the first move, well not really the first if you counted the kiss on the beach which she had actually instigated, but the first move that would result in clothes being tossed on the floor and cries of pleasure being screamed from the blonde slayer's lips. The room was starting to be become very warm, Willow noticed.

"I'll warm you up," Buffy said quietly, not sure what to do next. She'd told Willow about her feelings, knew that the redhead felt the same. They'd shared two kisses on the beach that had aroused her beyond comprehension. Now what? This was all new to her. Not the sex, she'd been there and done that. But, with Willow, it was more than sex. She was more nervous than she had been her first time, her love for Willow far more than her feelings for Angel had ever been, not that she hadn't loved the souled vampire, she just loved Willow more. She knew Willow, knew how insecure her friend was despite being the most beautiful and intelligent person alive. Words wouldn't be enough. Tonight, Buffy was going to have to seduce Willow.

"Buffy, are you sure?" Willow asked, needing to make sure her best friend wasn't going to do something she'd later regret. "We can take it slow, just cuddle tonight."

"I want you, Willow," Buffy said with a smile. "Fast, slow, rough, gentle, each and every way imaginable. I'm never letting you go."

"Oh," Willow gulped as a shy smile crossed her face. Any doubts she may have had fled with Buffy's words. This was more awkward than she had imagined. What was she supposed to do now? She looked down at the puddle of water that was now on the carpet, laughing softly as she said, "I'm dripping wet."

Buffy moved forward, her hand moving up to caress Willow's cheek as she caught her soon to be lover's eyes, promising with a wicked smile, "I'll make you wetter," right before she claimed Willow's sweet lips.

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

Willow licked her lips after Buffy pulled back from their kiss, her eyes catching the slayer's as she whispered, "Are you sure?"

"Never been more certain," Buffy whispered back before kissing Willow again. This was something she would have no trouble getting accustomed to. Kissing Willow. Soft, sweet, tasty Willow. Her Willow.

"Buffy, how about a bath?" Willow asked softly after they pulled back from the most recent kiss.

"A bath?" Buffy smiled, deciding that that was a good idea. She was cold and wet from the rain, as was Willow. Wouldn't do for either of them to get sick, not when she had visions of days spent in bed. She had years to make up for, after all. "I think that's a good idea."

"Come on," Willow took Buffy's hand and walked towards the bathroom. It wasn't the biggest tub but it would do. Somehow, she didn't think bathing would be occupying their minds all that much anyway. It seemed perfectly natural to be thinking about taking a bath with her best friend. There was no awkwardness or hesitancy in moving their relationship to this logical next step. In fact, she felt rather foolish for never having realized how much time they had been wasting.

"Can I..." Buffy felt her face turning red as Willow looked at her with curiosity in those beautiful green eyes. "Can I undress you?"

Willow smiled easily, seeing that, despite her confidence, Buffy was nervous. That made her forget her own nervousness as she nodded shyly, "Yes."

"I've wanted to do this for so long," Buffy muttered under her breath as she raised a hand to Willow's shirt. She tried to take it slowly, having had this particular fantasy since that Halloween when she had been stunned to see just how gorgeous her shy best friend truly was. She had felt an urge, even then, to lock the door and take her time undressing the girl before anyone could see just what a catch she was. She hadn't, of course, but she'd often had that fantasy. Now, she was being able to act on it, and all she wanted to do was get the wet clothes on the floor.

"Buffy!" Willow moaned as the slayer's hands removed her clothes, touching her body in gentle caresses.

"You like that?" Buffy asked, watching Willow's face as she moved her hand over the girl's breast. She squeezed, her thumb brushing over a hard nipple as Willow gasped, the look of pleasure on the redhead's face the most beautiful thing Buffy could recall ever seeing. Impulsively, she leaned forward, her lips replacing her hand. Willow's cry of pleasure filled the small bathroom as Buffy began to suck on her breast, her hands moving behind the taller girl as she managed to get rid of the rest of Willow's clothes. She pulled back, her face flushed as she looked at Willow. "You're so beautiful."

"Thanks," Willow whispered, her breathing erratic as she smiled, "My turn."

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

"Please," Buffy begged as Willow laughed softly, the slayer's hazel eyes dazed with need as the redhead continued to undress her.

"Shhh, love," Willow whispered as she slowly brushed her fingers against the light brown hair between her best friend's legs. Buffy had spent half the night torturing her with flirty smiles and touches and kisses. It was her turn now. Buffy hadn't been the only one to imagine them together, and Willow was going to enjoy every minute of their first time. "What do you want, Buffy?"

"You...only you," Buffy moaned as Willow's fingers again dipped between her legs. She didn't know if she could stand for much longer. It had been twenty minutes at least since Willow had decided that it was her turn to undress Buffy. Instead of pulling clothes off as quickly as the slayer had, the wicked redhead had taken great pleasure in moving slowly, tasting and touching every bare inch of flesh as it was revealed to her. Buffy was going crazy with need and desire, having never felt such intense emotions in her life.

"Good answer," Willow whispered, looking into Buffy's face and seeing what she wanted to see. With a smile, she kneeled down, her lips moving over the slayer's flat stomach, her tongue trailing south as Buffy gasped. With gentle strokes, Willow moved her tongue over the wetness between her best friend's thighs, listening to the sounds of pleasure and begging coming from the slayer. She moved her right hand behind Buffy, pulling the blonde closer as she quit teasing and began to feast on the slayer's juices.

"Oh my God!" Buffy cried out when Willow's tongue brushed against her clit, her world exploding as she felt herself come, her body arching as her hands clutched the redhead's hair, pulling her even closer as she rode out the waves of her orgasm. Willow continued to taste her, two fingers pushing ever so slightly into her tightness as the redhead's hand clutched her ass. Buffy felt a finger brush against her ass, her eyes widening as she felt Willow playing with her. No one had ever touched her there, the sensations mind numbing as Willow's slim fingers began to push into her from both directions. She felt as if she was going to pass out from the desire that was consuming her, her body not sure which direction to move as both were causing such wonderful pleasure. She finally gave up, just turning her body over to Willow as she road the redhead's face to another intense orgasm. When she was finally able to think again, she groaned, pushing Willow away. Hazel eyes moved over the redhead's face, lust sweeping over her as she saw her juices coating Willow's beautiful face. She watched as Willow brought her hands to her lips, her tongue licking each one clean, the moans of pleasure giving her no doubts that the redhead found her tasty. She had to kiss her again. Willow was just too kissable.

Willow felt Buffy's lips on hers, the slayer's tongue sweeping into her mouth as they shared the taste of the blonde. Willow gasped when she felt Buffy's hands between her legs, the slayer sending three fingers into her as they both kneeled on the floor kissing. She was so wet, so aroused. It didn't take much for her world to turn upside down, the slayer catching her cry of release as they continued to kiss, barely stopping to catch breath before their lips would meet again.

"I want to fuck you," Buffy said when she finally pulled away for breath, her hand moving against Willow as she continued to thrust her fingers into the tight redhead. She had never really understood the need to possess another person, to make them hers, until now. She wanted to make Willow hers, mark the girl in ways that left no doubt that they belonged to each other. Maybe she'd been around vampires for too long, but the need to make Willow hers would not diminish. "You're mine," she whispered possessively before claiming Willow's lips in a rough kiss.

"The bed," Willow said when Buffy pulled back, her eyes meeting the slayer's. She smiled softly when she saw the need burning in their hazel depths. "Let's go to the bed."

Buffy nodded, not removing her hands from Willow on the short walk to the bed. She pushed the redhead down, her eyes lighting up with desire as she crawled up the bed to straddle her best friend. A wicked smile crossed her lips as she said, "What do you want, Willow?"

"You, only you," Willow whispered, using the slayer's words from earlier.

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

Buffy brought her hand to her lips, licking her fingers as she tasted the essence of Willow. It was intoxicating, and she had to have more. But, not yet. Now, she really just wanted to fuck. She laid against Willow, her hand moving back between the redhead's legs. She began to enter the girl, her lips licking and sucking on Willow's breasts as her fingers moved slowly at first before gaining momentum. Buffy looked up, her free hand moving to push Willow's hair away from her flushed and sweaty face. "Come for me, baby," Buffy whispered, watching as her lover began her journey, teeth biting lips, eyes glazed with need and passion, body arching as she tightened around Buffy's fingers, a cry of surprise mixed with pleasure coming from her torn lips as Buffy leaned over and bit into her neck. After a few minutes, both girls finally looked at each other, Buffy smiling sheepishly as she realized she had bit Willow. God, she was as bad as the vampires she spent her life fighting. "I'm sorry, about the bite," Buffy said softly, her wet fingers moving over the mark that was on Willow's neck. "I just couldn't control myself."

"I kinda liked it," Willow admitted softly, finding great pleasure in the idea that she had made Buffy lose control. "That was so intense. Did you feel it?"

Buffy laughed softly, glad that Willow wasn't angry about the bite. She thought she might have gone too far, but, again, Willow had surprised her. "Yeah. I knew we'd be good together, but that was fucking unbelievable."

"I'm so tired," Willow said, her body feeling as if she had run a marathon. "The bath is going to have to wait."

"Yeah, cause we'd just need another one right after," Buffy smiled, her lips brushing against Willow's.

"Aren't you tired?" Willow had to laugh as she saw the lust still burning in her lover's hazel eyes.

"I'll never be tired of you, Willow," Buffy said with a loving smile. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Willow said softly. "More than I thought I could ever love anyone."

"You're my life, Willow. My life and my love and my world," Buffy whispered, her fingers brushing against Willow's cheek. "And you've got the most kissable lips I've ever seen."

Willow laughed, "I do? Well, that's good, right?"

"Yeah, very good," Buffy kissed the redhead before pulling back and asking, "what do you think the others are going to say?"

"Who cares?" Willow said with a smile. "Honestly, I don't think they'll care as long as we're happy. Xander will be a typical guy and probably ask if he can watch. Anya won't care at all and Giles will be glad that we've both found our soul mate. And, in a way, I don't think he's going to be very surprised, you know? He tends to see a lot more than we think."

"Yeah, he does," Buffy agreed, knowing that Willow was right. Their friends would accept this change in their relationship without batting an eye, well, Xander would probably start drooling but he'd get over it soon enough.

"We should get some sleep," Willow covered a yawn, "we're checking out in the morning."

"I kinda wouldn't mind spending the rest of our vacation here," Buffy admitted with a smile. "This place is peaceful. Besides, I'd love to make love to you in the moonlight on the beach."

"I think that could be arranged," Willow smiled, not at all unhappy at the idea of spending the rest of their time in the little seaside town. It would always be remembered as a very special place in her memories from now on, being the place that she and Buffy realized that they were in love and had become a couple.

"So, sleep can wait," Buffy said as her lips twisted into a wicked smile, "I want to taste your entire body, Willow-mine."

"Sleep can definitely wait," Willow agreed, finding Buffy's possessiveness arousing beyond belief as she felt her own desire to mark the slayer as her own. She stopped thinking and gave herself over to pleasure as soon as Buffy's lips touched hers.

THE END