Disclaimer: as always, I do not own these characters, I just enjoy playing with them for my own (and hopefully your) entertainment.
Sorry it has been so long in between updates, life and trouble get in the way of writing.
Chapter 12
After her silent greeting the vampire turned back to her work in the kitchen, adding a little more sway to her hips as she danced; Buffy was sure she did that just to tease her.
Buffy just stood there for a few minutes, sniffing a little, trying to get some idea of what Alice might be making for her.
Then she turned and went back into the den for her socks and shoes.
The Cullens had a beautiful house, but there was one thing Buffy had found, it lacked heat because none of the occupants really needed it.
Once she had her shoes on she went back into the other room and took a seat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.
"So, what did you have in mind for today? For training I mean" she asked the brunette.
"Well, I thought we might go back to the gym. You need to get back into your groove. You have the skills, my love, but you've been off your stride since I told you what I had come up with." the brunette replies.
It had actually been a bit before that Buffy thought to herself.
When Willow had told her that all their magic and research had come up with nothing Buffy had felt her world tip.
"Okaaayy" Buffy drew out the word, wondering what the vampire thought they were going to accomplish by this little trip.
Alice smiled and moved in front of her "I've seen how you move baby, you just need to get back to where you're comfortable." sobering, she continues " Even with the venom, this won't work if you aren't on top of your game. So we go back to the gym and get you moving, and we work on getting you comfortable with the idea of me biting you. I know this isn't going to be easy for you, but I don't want to chance you going into shock when I bite you either".
The brunette put her hand under Buffy's chin and gently raised it so she could kiss her, and then she grinned and went back to the stove before the food could burn.
A few minutes later she was looking down at a huge plate of chocolate-chip waffles, eggs, bacon and sausage, and a bowl of fruit, and realizing that she was starving.
And then realizing that her mate had anticipated her appetite, even before she had.
Looking up she caught the pixie perching on the counter and watching her with a smirk on her lips.
She struggled for a moment, trying to say what she was feeling, but she just couldn't get the words out, so finally settled for "You're amazing babe".
With that Buffy dug into her food.
A problem for another day she thought as she ate, why she couldn't just tell the vampire that she loved her, she really didn't know.
It was becoming clearer by the day just how much Alice loved her, that wasn't the issue.
There was just some kind of block in her own mind that kept her from saying those three simple words. Not that 'I love you' was actually simple, it was huge and complex, and it changed everything.
While she continued to eat her thoughts started to drift back to the guys she had been with, but she ruthlessly jerked her thoughts back to the now.
After all,the men were in the past, and she had no intention of ever going back to any of them.
Buffy is so engrossed in her thoughts that it isn't till Alice gently takes the fork from her that she realizes she had finished the food and was frowning down at the plate.
"Hey, if you're still hungry I can make some more" the pixie-like vampire says softly.
"Oh, uh, no I'm good, thanks hun. I was just thinking about stuff" the blonde replies.
"Thank goodness, for a minute there I thought the food didn't taste good" Alice says with a little laugh.
"No way, it tasted great, though not sure how since you don't eat" a line creases the slayer's brow as she wonders over the fact that someone who doesn't eat food can cook so well.
"Easy love, Emse and I used to cook for Bella when she was still human, she may not be too picky about food, but she knew to let us know if something was off, the rest is just smell, plus there are always cooking shows online".
The vampire shrugged as if it were no big deal.
"So, is there anything else you want to do before we head out to the gym?" she asked as she whisked the dishes over to the sink and washed them double quick so as not to leave a mess.
Buffy thought for a minute before answering "No, I guess not." the brunette said, then added "I should probably call Watcher Lawrence and let him know we'll be there in a bit though".
"Ok" Alice replied "while you do that I'll just go and change my outfit", and with that the brunette was out of the kitchen, presumably heading for her bedroom.
Buffy pouted for a minute at the lost opportunity to watch her mate change before pulling out her phone and hitting the speed dial for the Watcher.
Five minutes later they were in the Ferrari heading for the opposite end of town.
"Ok, so when we get there I want you to just start out with some routines, act like I'm not even there, if you can".
"Easy for you to say" Buffy retorts.
"Hardly" Alice snorts, "You are one of the few predators a vampire has, mate or not I couldn't ignore your presence if I wanted to, so I do know what I'm asking of you babe".
Buffy smiled a little at that and laid her hand on the vampire's knee.
"Guess we aren't as different as I thought" she says quietly, knowing that Alice would hear even a whisper over the loud purr of the Ferrari's engine.
Alice squeezing her hand is the only response she gets, and truthfully, the only one she needs.
As different as they might be, there is still much they have in common, aside from the mate bond.
Maybe Alice is just as nervous and unsure of this as she is?
Before Buffy even has time to fully explore that thought they are in front of the converted barn that serves as her workout space for now.
"Ready love?" Alice asks with a perfect smirk on her lips.
They get out of the car and link hands as they head inside.
Once inside Alice chooses a perch where she can see most of the open floor space and Buffy sets her stuff on the bench and starts stretching to warm up.
After a few minutes her muscles start to warm and her nerves ease with the physical movement. A few more and she isn't thinking about the fact that her mate is watching her, or that she is preparing for the fight of a lifetime.
Then Buffy transitions, almost seamlessly, from stretching to her actual workout, kicking, punching, and ducking as if there were a real enemy in front of her.
All her moves as familiar as her own face, the muscle memory working to make all else recede into the background until she is in her zone.
Without really realizing it the blonde begins to rotate through different martial arts routines, mixing and blurring styles on the fly.
ALICE'S POV
The pixie-like vampire watches as her mate's movements become more and more fluid and the worries slide off of her facial features, leaving a very zen like expression on her face.
Alice had studies numerous different fighting styles in her life, and she was surprised at how many Buffy was trained in. When the slayer began to blend styles Alice could only watch in growing awe of her mate. It was clear, at least to her, that Buffy wasn't even thinking about what move or style to do next, rather that she was just letting them flow through her body in a completely natural and organic way.
Had the woman not been the slayer, she could have had a very nice career in mixed martial arts, either as a teacher or a competitor. Then again, had she not been the slayer, Alice never would have met her . . .
That thought gave the brunette a moment's pause. It seemed that good things really did come out of bad, like Edward's breakdown bringing Buffy into her life.
When she looked back to the mat where Buffy was practicing she saw that the slayer's moves were beginning to get faster, just barely edging past normal human speed for now, but Alice could see that she was definitely in the zone.
The faster Buffy gets, the more hope Alice finds that the plan will actually work.
A few minutes later she decides it's time to join the blonde on the mats. Quietly she slips off the pommel horse where she has been sitting and moves around till she is in position just behind the slayer. Then Buffy spins around and they are suddenly face to face, it's too late for the blonde to stop the punch she was in the middle of throwing and Alice sees the conscious decision to not stop on her mate's face. Luckily for her, Alice is faster than Buffy, at least for the moment, and she ducks under the swing. Buffy gives her a small smile to acknowledge the move and keeps going.
The vampire grins back at her mate and engages her again, this time dropping low and sweeping her leg around, only to have the slayer jump high over it. Alice feels her eyes widen at the height of the blonde's jump.
Now more than ever she begins to appreciate the difference that is what it is to be a slayer.
Quickly the brunette feints left, swinging from the right, and again she just misses because the slayer has anticipated her move and is already out of the way.
Then Alice realizes her mistake, she hasn't been using her full speed, because she didn't take into account just how much faster Buffy was moving right now.
With a mental head shake at herself she adjusts her own movements and spins, putting herself into position behind the blonde, but the blonde still manages to get an arm up to block her swings before it can connect.
Even as Alice is trying to set up her next move the blonde is already spinning to get behind the vampire, emulating her, and instead of throwing a punch, she slayer flips Alice backwards over her arm, but Alice lands on her feet and leaps, catching the rafters and pulling herself up.
Then she looks down and arches an eyebrow at the blonde, waiting to see what she will do.
Without hesitation the slayer makes a running jump, swinging around the rafter and landing agilely instead of pulling herself up, before running at the brunette, flipping over her head and throwing a well aimed elbow at her ribs that actually finds its mark.
Alice bends forward and rolls before regaining her feet a short distance away and facing her mate, surprised but proud that the woman caught her off guard in such a way.
This WOULD work, she tells herself, before throwing herself back into the match.
After a few more kicks and punches, and near misses, Buffy finally lands a solid blow to Alice's mid-section from a well timed roundhouse kick and the vampire tumbles gracelessly out of the rafters, only just managing to land on her feet with a couple of stumbling steps to regain her balance.
A moment later the blonde jumps down beside her, landing in a controlled crouch.
Alice throws herself at her mate, in a seemingly uncontrolled move, at the last minute however, she uses her speed and momentum to tackle the slayer to the ground, even then the blonde twists and rolls herself over Alice to gain the upper hand.
As they each struggle to be the one on top they roll side to side across the mat, and as they reach one side the slayer grabs for something beside them, and brings a large blade down to rest just above Alice's throat.
Both of them freeze in the moment, then a wide smile spreads across Alice's lips.
"You can do this Buffy, WE can do this" the vampire states, an air of triumph in her voice.
Buffy blinks as if coming out of a trance and her eyes widen as she realizes just how close the blade is to Alice's neck.
"Wow!" she exclaims.
"It's ok Buffy, you were doing great, doing what you will have to do when you face Edward" the vampire rushes to reassure her girlfriend.
Alice watches as the alarm fades from Buffy's face, to be replaced by a look that she couldn't quite decipher.
Until, that is, the slayer leaned down and kissed her deeply.
Buffy kissed her hard, almost as if she thought she might not have that many more chances to do it, and she pressed their bodies together, gently grinding against the pixie-like vampire in the heat of the moment.
Equally gently Alice takes hold of her mate's shoulders and eases her back.
"Easy there killer, we have all the time we need, my love" whispers to the blonde.
"Sorry babe, I guess I got a little carried away" the woman mumbles, looking sheepish.
"You're doing really good hun. This is going to work, and you and I will have the rest of our lives to enjoy each others company" the brunette says as the blonde slowly gets off of her and takes a few breaths.
Alice sits up and waits to see how long it will take her mate to calm herself so that they can continue with their training.
In a way, Buffy getting carried away was a good thing, it gives them both the chance to work on how fast Buffy can get back into her zone, back to the place where her speed and fighting skills are close to a match for Alice's.
While her mate is trying to get her head back in the game, the vampire goes to the bench and gets a water bottle out of the duffle bag and brings it back, handing it over silently.
At that the slayer looks up and gives her a small grateful smile before sipping the water.
A few moments later Buffy gets to her feet and sets the bottle aside before motioning for Alice to come at her.
The brunette cocks an eyebrow at her girlfriend; then launches herself across the space between them like one of the large cats that sometimes make up her diet.
The blonde quickly ducks to the side, not quite fast enough, Alice manages to snag her by the side and they tumble to the mats, each rolling and scrambling to get their feet under them.
Then the vampire is caught somewhat off guard, expecting the other woman to pause for a moment, when the slayer goes on the offensive, closing the distance between them in a second and coming in hot.
While the slayer's punches and kicks are impressive; she is moving a bit slower than she had been and the vampire finds it easier to dodge and block the attacks.
Suddenly switching things the brunette backs away from the slayer at full speed, forcing the blonde to follow her.
The change of rhythm throws the slayer off balance and Alice watches her work hard to adapt to the change of pace.
Soon though, it is the vampire having to work to keep ahead of her opponent.
Another break in their sparring and they talk things through to be sure that the current arrangement is working.
"I don't think I'm seeing what you are Alice, I feel like I'm getting worse" Buffy protests.
"Well, it's true that you aren't quite a match for me yet, but that doesn't mean that this training isn't helping." pausing she grabs a towel and hands it to her mate.
Buffy takes the towel, but makes no move to mop herself up with it, instead just waiting for her to elaborate on her statement.
"Try seeing this from my point of view for a minute. Each time we do this you are getting better, faster. The first time today it took you nearly half an hour to focus enough to move beyond human speed, this last time it took about five minutes. That's what I call progress".
After a moment Buffy nodded, "But that's still five minutes too long, in a real fight I would be dead".
Alice just holds back from growling at her girlfriend, the woman is hell bent on seeing the negative, the downside, of everything.
"We just need to keep working on it, and then with the venom to boost your natural abilities, you will win this fight!".
In a split second Alice is in front of Buffy.
"Because I am not going to lose you!", and with that she pulls Buffy into an almost savage kiss.
For her part Buffy responds as if they had been doing this for years, wrapping her legs around the vampire's waist and burying her fist in her short chestnut locks.
She revels in their unleashed passion, and in the small nips her mate peppers across her lips as her hands travel the length of the blonde's back, before gripping tight on her ass.
Somewhere in her mind Alice knew that she was probably leaving bruises on her mate, but the woman definitely wasn't protesting under her touch, and she really didn't want to stop.
It felt like she had been good for a very long time and now she had the chance to make up for it by doing exactly what she wanted to.
This woman in her arms, her mate, was the most tempting, irresistible creature Alice had ever come across.
The brunette drags her lips over her girlfriend's jaw and down the side of her neck, she can smell the woman's blood, now more than ever, and the blood sings to her in a way Alice has never before experienced.
Her tongue curls against Buffy's jugular and she wants to bite so badly that her jaw aches, Buffy whimpers, a needy sound, and she decides that now is as good a time as any to give her her bite and venom.
Just as she tenses to bite down on the soft, smooth neck in front of her a noise intrudes, insistent and growing louder by the minute, until she realizes that the sound is her cell phone ringing, more specifically it is Carlisle's ringtone.
With a groan, and no small amount of will power, she drags herself away from her girlfriend's arms.
"Buffy, Buffy, that's Carlisle, I really have to answer that" as she turns away the answering groan of disappointment from her mate is almost enough to make her laugh at the situation, almost.
After a deep breath she answers the phone "Yes Carlisle?".
"Alice, we have a situation on our hands here. Edward is looking for them". Carlisle tells her without preamble.
"What do you mean he's looking for them. He has been almost mindless for weeks now, no real direction, just causing chaos anywhere he can." she retort in disbelief.
"I really can't do more than guess at what is going on in his mind right now, but it may be that his shattered mind is giving back little pieces, and one of those is the memory of Bella and Renesme".
Alice could just detect the faint hint of stress in Carlisle's normally smooth calm tones.
"How long do we have Carlisle?" she asks quietly.
She hears a very low sigh before he answers her question.
"Fortunately for us, his mind is still damaged, and he isn't a tracker, but that only buys us a limited amount of time".
Alice has to fight not to grind her teeth or growl at him to get to the point.
Carlisle, unaware of impatience, continues.
"At best I think we have a few days before he picks up their scent and finds the safe house. Is Buffy ready to face him?".
Alice pauses, fighting off the urge to turn and look at the woman in question.
"She will be" is all she can say.
"How soon Alice?" Carlisle presses.
"Another day or two?, I can't push her any harder than that, she's human, she needs breaks and food and sleep" the second part is little more than a whisper as she doesn't want Buffy to overhear and get any ideas that might hurt her.
"So you're going to go ahead with the plan to use your venom?" he asks.
Alice can't fail to notice the note of caution in his voice.
"Yes, we've discussed it and think it's the best plan, the best option, we have" her tone is a touch colder than it was only moments before.
Carlisle, his voice a bit softer, replies "I understand. Call me when you're both ready and we'll arrange when and where to draw Edward in" and with that he hangs up and Alice is left wondering if she should have done something, said something, differently.
"Alice?, I think we need to get back to our training" Buffy calls out from behind her.
The slayer didn't know the half of it she thought as she put her cell phone back into the top of the duffle bag.
As they start to spar again she can see that Buffy is still distracted by, and likely still thinking about, what just happened between them.
After a few minutes she can see that this isn't working just now, maybe because of her own proximity, so she makes a decision.
"Buffy, I think it might be best if I step back for a bit, and you start from the beginning. Like before with your warm up exercises".
The blonde's jaw tenses up, like she is about to protest, but then she takes a deep breath and nods.
"You're probably right hun, I am still pretty wound up from jumping you" she says with a small smirk.
"Jumping me?" the vampire quirks an eyebrow, "if I recall, it was me who jumped you".
Buffy shrugs, "I'm still way too tempted to jump you, even if I do know that we need to be working".
The vampire licks her lips, the pull to have her mate, skin to skin, to taste her again and again, in every way, is almost irresistible; it's like a fire in her blood.
She is more acutely aware of it that ever before, it's no wonder Rose and Emmett couldn't keep their hands off one another for more than a few minutes when they first got together.
Finally she understands why things never felt quite right with Jasper.
Moving backwards she finds a comfortable seat once again on the pommel horse to watch her girlfriend as she tries to center herself again.
Alice knows she should feel slightly guilty for Buffy having to start again, but she just doesn't.
For long moments the slayer just sits in the middle of the mat, breathing deeply and calming her racing heart.
When she finally gets to her feet she keeps her eyes closed as she begins to move, it's nearly the same routine as before, only small changes marking the difference in the slayer's mood.
When Buffy does open her eyes, Alice notes that she doesn't seem to be looking at what is in front of her, but rather at some point inside her own mind.
Though since she is calmer it probably doesn't include her, Alice thinks to herself ruefully.
Alice watches and listens to her mate's heartbeat as the woman gets closer and closer to a sort of meditation in motion.
When at last the blonde's breathing and synchronize with the moves of her personal kata Alice moves to take her place in the dance once more.
This time Buffy is not startled by the vampire joining her, her moves continue fluidly, changing only slightly to counter Alice's own.
Each punch, each kick or lunge is met with a smooth evasion or block and Alice barely even notices that she has gone back to her full natural speed, because Buffy is moving at almost the same pace.
While they continue their sparring through most of the day, with frequent breaks, Buffy grows more and more frustrated at how long it takes for her to access her full hidden speed and potential.
Finally her frustration comes to a head and rains down on Alice in a burst of temper.
"This isn't working! It's still taking way too long for me to match your speed, and you told me in the beginning that Edward is faster than you!" she all but yells at her vampire mate.
The blonde stalks off the mat and drops onto the bench dejectedly, head in her hands.
"It is working, you have come so far. You don't even see how easily you match me now. God Buffy! We still have time. And you are improving each and every time" the pixie replies, a note of stress cracking through her voice.
"We have only been at this for a few hours" her voice takes on a pleading tone.
"And we may only have a couple more days!" the blonde retorts sharply.
Alice's face must have shown some small sign of surprise then because the slayer continued.
"You shouldn't underestimate me. My senses are sharper than most, maybe not sharper than yours, but better than a normal person's. I heard your conversation with Carlisle."
Alice closed her eyes for a minute, it was all true, she had underestimated her mate. And she had kept the details of her conversation from her, even if she had done so out of worry for the woman.
When she opened her eyes again Buffy had her pinned with a stare that stopped the words in her throat.
"I'm mortal, but I wouldn't exactly say human".
At that Alice feels her eyes flash, NO!, her thoughts shout.
Then she is in front of the blonde, grabbing her by the shoulders and trying not to shake her to make her point.
"Stop it! You are human, in the way you care, in how you think of others, in how you worry about your sister and your friends. You are exactly why my family chooses to feed on animals, and treat humans with respect. Not out of fear of being hunted, but because you are all so precious and so unique that your lives are worth soo much more than ours. You fight differently because you are human, and it's why you're going to win.".
She pauses, placing her hand over Buffy's heart, "In here, in here you are all human. And it shines so bright that it gives me hope in the darkest night I have ever faced".
The slayer gapes for a minute, mouth opening and closing comically, before apparently getting a grip on what Alice has laid out for her.
Her jaw firms under the vampire's gaze and green eyes search golden.
"Ok, then what are we waiting for?" she challenges.
The brunette blinks at her girlfriend's abrupt about face, does Buffy mean what Alice thinks she means?
"Buffy?" she questions.
"I mean that Alice, what are we waiting for? You can bite me and then we can find Edward" the blonde replies.
Ok, so Buffy was talking about her bite, and it would be soo easy, especially considering how close she was to doing it earlier.
But there were a couple of things to think about right now, such as the fact that the slayer was hiding her fatigue, physically human or not, the woman was tired. It was normal, after all they had been training hard for most of the day.
"I could do that, I could bite you and keep an eye on you while the venom works, then we could go and meet up with Edward. OR. We could go and get some food, and some rest tonight. And I will bite you in the morning, when you are rested, and you can fight Edward when you're at your best, instead of tired." she holds up a hand to stop the protest that she knows is coming from the storm in Buffy's eyes.
"I know you want to get this done and over, I really don't blame you, but I also don't want to give you the venom when you're already worn down".
She can see the woman thinking it over, and accepting that while she doesn't want to admit it, she is actually tired.
Finally the slayer sighs and nods.
The vampire offers her girlfriend a hand, and when Buffy takes it pulls the woman to her feet and in close for a quick kiss.
When they break apart Alice grabs the duffle bag and they head out to the car.
BUFFY'S POV
After a quick swing through one of Forks' two drive-thrus, she and Alice were back at the Cullens' house.
Alice moves around the house putting things in order and throwing things into the washer while Buffy eats the entire three meals they had gotten from the restaurant.
When she's done with the food, gone so quick she barely tasted half of it because she was so hungry, Alice takes her by the hand and leads her upstairs for a shower.
While they do share the shower, the vampire ensures that things don't get too heated, much to the her disappointment.
She had been suffering from a ragging case or the H&Hs most of the day, and while her stomach was now satisfied, the other half of that little problem had certainly not been taken care of.
Getting out of the shower she pouts, even as Alice dries herself hurriedly and wraps both of them in big fluffy robes, warm from the dryer.
"Alice, is something wrong?" the blonde asks as she is lead back downstairs.
"No, nothing wrong hun, I just want tonight to be about us, and relaxing, taking a break", the pixie-like vampire looks back over her shoulder at Buffy.
The slayer frowns but follows her girlfriend back to the den where she has been sleeping.
The first thing she notices is the towels laid over the couch and the candles scattered around the room.
When they reach the couch Alice turns to her with a smile and begins to undo Buffy's robe, dropping it to the floor, before Alice's own follows and she begins to get some idea of what her mate has in mind.
The brunette eases her down onto the towels and encourages her to lie face down, then Buffy feels smooth thighs on either side of her own as Alice straddles her legs.
There is a slight sound as the vampire rubs her hands together for a minute and then those hands are on her back, smoothing and kneading, firmly but gently.
Buffy begins to relax into the massage as Alice works to find and un-knot every bit of tension from her back, and then her shoulders before moving down her body, pausing every now and again to add more oil to her hands.
She lets herself sink into the couch and realizes that her girlfriend isn't just using her hands anymore, she is using her whole body, currently it's the woman's breasts pressing into her ass cheeks, and she gives a small purr of satisfaction.
Alice's hands glide up and down the insides of her thighs, stopping just short of where she really wants them, until she isn't sure she can take any more of this exquisite torture.
Then the brunette is climbing off of her and coaxing her to roll onto her back, and she starts the whole slow dance again, only this time, Buffy thinks, the view for her is infinitely better.
Finally the woman leans down and kisses her, while her nimble fingers slide up the inside of her leg just graze against the slayer's heated, needy, swollen sex.
Buffy moans into the kiss and the brunette cups her more firmly, easing the tip of just one finger through her lower lips to tease the little bundle of nerves and her moan turns into a cry.
The vampire keeps kissing her, and keeps flicking the pad of her finger over and over her clit while Buffy's hands come up to grasp and grip at the woman's sides and her ass.
And then Alice begins to lick at the inside of her mouth, in the same way her finger is moving around and over the slayer's clit.
Her hips begin to buck and Alice keeps going, only moving her head down to take one of her nipples into her mouth and suck gently.
One of Buffy's hands slides to the back of Alice's head and grips the woman by the hair, urging her closer, silently begging for more because the only sounds coming from her mouth are incoherent cries of pleasure.
As she hits the breaking point where she can't take anymore, her whole body shaking and breath heaving, Alice finally grants her what she needs, spreading her open and licking at her while thrusting three fingers deep inside her again and again.
Buffy hurtles over that golden edge of pleasure with an almost savage scream while her body clamps down on the vampire's fingers with a strength that would probably broken a normal person's hand.
When her brain begins to function semi-normally again she finds that Alice is laid out beside her, cradling Buffy against her own body, both of them still gloriously naked.
"My God, you are so beautiful when you cum, my love" she says.
Buffy is still relearning how to breath and only manages an odd sort of purring noise.
Alice laughs and holds her closer.
"Well, I hope that at least helped ease your H&Hs baby" she chuckles.
This time she gets out a "Mmmm" in response.
By moving her head a tiny bit she is able to watch her girlfriend get up and retrieve a blanket and snuff out the candles around them before she climbs back onto the couch and snuggles up to her side once more.
The very last thing the slayer does before she drifts off to sleep is lean into her girlfriend and whisper a slightly sleep slurred "I love you".
She is already asleep when Alice replies "I love you too".
The next morning Buffy wakes to a small surprise, instead of Alice being up and getting breakfast for her, the vampire is still curled up by her side, arms firmly in place around her.
"Mmmm, could get used to this" she mumbles, eyes still closed.
"Maybe that's all part of my plan, you getting used to sleeping and waking up beside me" Alice teases her.
"Well, for a tough vampire chick, you are very cuddly" she replied, cracking open her eyes just a bit to watch the vampire's reaction.
The brunette just laughed and teased back, "And you are very snuggly for a big tough vampire slayer".
Even as she laughed with her girlfriend, Buffy remembered just what they would be doing today.
Almost immediately the vampire was stroking the side of her face. "We don't have to do this Buffy. There's a chance you can beat him without the venom in the equation".
"It's ok, we've been over this babe". She shrugged and then reached out to caress a hand down her mate's arm.
Mate, the word was feeling more natural to her by the day, strange how that had happened.
"I'm ok, just a little nervous. I get this way before most big fights. So when, and where, do we do this?" the slayer asked solemnly.
"I think it should be near where we plan to confront Edward. So that you can have the time to recover, and it should be well away from populated areas. We don't want any innocent humans wandering into the middle of this, or the fight".
Buffy listened, realizing, not for the first time, just how much forethought Alice put into everything that had to do with her.
"Ok, on the other side of town is the highway that runs to Port Angeles, so maybe it should be closer to the mountains on this side. Will it be a problem that this is familiar territory for him?".
"Normally I would say yes, but he isn't in his right mind, so I don't think it will make a difference" she states sadly.
"I'm sorry, he isn't the guy you knew anymore" I remind her.
"I know, I think most of us accepted that a while ago, but I still miss my brother" Alice agrees.
I kiss her forehead and then rest my head against hers, there really isn't much else I can say that would help, we both know that today if all goes according to plan I will be killing her brother, even if he isn't really her brother anymore.
"There's an old hunting cabin at the base of the mountain, it should work for our purpose. And it will be deserted this time of year" the brunette finally says.
I nod, "Ok. How do we get to that cabin?".
My question makes her smile and I wonder why that smile makes me suddenly nervous.
"The cabin is pretty isolated, probably an hour's hike from the nearest road" she begins.
"Seriously Alice?!, what about that makes you think it will work for us?" I protest.
She rolls her gorgeous eyes at my dramatic interruption before continuing.
"When I say it's an hour's hike, what I actually mean is, it would take a normal person an hour to get there. With me carrying you it should only take a few minutes" she smirks.
"Wait, hold up!" I say as I catch part of her plan. "What do you mean carrying me?".
"It's perfectly safe, we did it with Bella all the time before she changed, and we still carry Renesme almost everywhere. I can get us there much faster, and speed is what we need right now" she adds.
And then she sits up letting the blanket fall to her waist, and I lose my train of thought to an embarrassing degree.
"My eyes are up here" she laughs mischievously.
"Um, sorry hun" I sputter as I turn just a bit red.
"I forgive you love. Besides, you know I love knowing I affect you like that" she adds, grinning even bigger.
I can feel my cheeks growing hotter and do a face plant into the pillow to try and hide.
But instead of laughing and trying to pull me out of it, I feel the couch dip and rise and she smacks my ass on her way to get dressed.
"Come on little red sexy ass, we have stuff to do today", her voice floats back to me.
After a minute I throw back the blanket and crane my neck, trying to see my butt, sure enough there is a faint red mark where Alice's hand had landed, not painful, but certainly there.
Dropping my head to the pillow I groan, only to hear a quick riff of laughter from another part of the house.
Finally I push myself up and pull on my robe to follow her and see what I might have to wear for today.
With a little digging we manage to come up with some of her larger things that will fit me, to go with my own underwear and shoes, not the best, but it would do.
Once we are both dressed, Alice collects a few things from around the house into a small backpack and leads me out the back door.
Turning, she gives the backpack to me, I just stare at her, confused for a minute. "I thought you said the cabin was off of a road?".
"Oh, it is. But it will be faster to go on foot, even carrying you" she answers.
I take a quick step backwards, but she already has a hold of my hand.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to drop you. Just put on the pack and get on my back, piggyback style" she says calmly.
"But . . .. " the protest dies in my throat as she just continues to stare at me and wait.
I glance up at the mountain, and then back at the house; there was no going back now, so I might as well just do it.
Sliding the straps onto my shoulders I look back at Alice and she turns her back and helps me on, I wrap my legs around her and close my eyes, trying to pretend that we were doing anything else. Maybe this is just like my fear of flying, having the control taken away from me wigging me out.
In a matter of minutes, though it felt like hours to me, Alice is rubbing my calf.
"You can open your eyes now sweetie, we're there".
Releasing my death grip I allow myself to slid to the ground. Just in front of us is a smallish cabin, and off to the side is an even smaller shack, which I assume is probably a smoke house, since Alice did say this is a hunting cabin.
Even with my senses I can't hear anything but nature around us, it seems odd to me since I'm used to all the people and noise of the city.
I look up and see that the brunette is already standing on the minuscule porch waiting for me.
As I join her on the step I see her hand twitch on the doorknob and then she opens it easily.
"Huh, guess it wasn't locked" I joke.
A grin is her only response.
Stepping inside I see that it looks a little bigger on the inside than it does from outside, room enough for a small kitchen with a table, two couches, a fireplace, and a coffee table, and there are two doors, leading to what are probably a bunk room and a bathroom.
At least the place is fairly clean I think to myself.
Alice takes the pack from me and puts it on the coffee table before sitting on the couch and patting the cushion beside her for me.
When I sit she puts her arm around my shoulders ad suddenly it feels as awkward as a couple of teenagers on a first date.
Pulling back for a minute I lick my lips, and see that Alice's eyes lock on the movement.
"Here and now?, even after last night?" I ask, not even fully saying the question because I know she will understand.
"Yes, I always want you Buffy, no matter the circumstances" she answers without hesitation.
After a moment of thought I get to my knees on the couch and straddle Alice's thighs, her hand immediately move to my ass, partly to steady me, partly just to grab my ass, I grin.
"That's more like it".
She kisses me like she will never get enough, and I easily match her passion. I twist one hand into her hair, and feel hers slip up under my top to smooth their way across my back.
This is how we had planned it, letting the heat of the moment absorb the shock of the initial bite, and hopefully ease the pain of the venom starting to work in my system.
Once we get started it just snowballs, I tug her shirt off and she helps me with the bra, then her breasts are in my hands, her hands are kneading my ass and caressing over my core, through the fabric of my pants.
I am lifting my hips, trying to will her fingers where I want them, it doesn't matter that we just did this last night, I may never get enough of her.
Her lips nibble gently over the corner of my mouth and trace the line of my jaw, I drag her mouth back to mine for more heated kisses, lips and tongues tangling and warring for dominance.
I can feel my blood pounding, racing through my veins, she is teasing me relentlessly, dragging me higher and higher and I don't give a damn about the crash that I know is coming.
She pulls my shirt over my head, only breaking contact with my lips for a split second and then her nimble fingers release the catch of my bra and cool air hits my nipples, making them pucker and ache.
They aren't cold for long though, as her hungry mouth is already licking and sucking its way down my neck before latching onto a proud perky nipple.
I moan and clutch at her, barely aware of my nails raking down her back repeatedly.
Alice's hands, meanwhile, have found just the right spot over my clit and are teasingly using the fabric between us add more friction and increase my arousal.
I'm squirming and moaning on her lap, and that's when it comes, just as I notice that my nipple has gotten cold from the absence of her mouth, a sharp, piercing pain at my neck, quickly followed by a slowly rising burning.
It's too late though, the bite itself sends me crashing into my orgasm, screaming her name as I go.
As the haze recedes I know that my heart should be slowly coming down, but it isn't, it's still racing, and the burning pain is spreading through my body.
I clamp my mouth shut, trying not to scream from pain.
Alice is holding me across her lap, rubbing circles on my back, it would be soothing, if it didn't feel like my blood was on fire.
Muscles begin to strain and cramp and I do scream, but I can't hear it over the blood rushing in my ears. I can smell Alice all around me, though my eyes are squeezed shut tight. Cant think, can't move, can't hear or see, nothing but pain; and then nothing at all as I pass out.
ALICE'S POV
Buffy has stopped screaming, thankfully, and she is still breathing, but I suddenly have no idea what to do. I don't know how long it should be before she comes to, or when I should start to worry.
Her heart is beating faster than normal, and her breathing is a bit shallow, but that is "normal" for what the venom does.
I take a deep breath, trying not to panic as my mate lies on my lap unconscious.
And then I reach for my cell phone and call the only person I know who might have some answers to my questions.