Jessie Sammler, Vampire Slayer

Chapter 50

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: The girls celebrate Valentine's Day.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from either show.

Reviews: I would like them. Constructive criticism is ok.


Just like Buffy and Faith had talked about, Dawn and Jessie's displays of affection became more frequent. It varied between innocent hand holding, kisses, hugs, and staring matches. Most of the slayers had no problem with the idea of the two girls as a couple and considered the displays as "sickeningly sweet". Buffy and Faith both had a laugh the first time they heard that phrase. The few times Buffy and/or Faith had caught them outside the apartment, it reminded them of how they would act some times. Buffy would also occasionally be reminded of moments she had witnessed between Tara and Willow. Dawn and Jessie made sure to save the more heated moments for their apartment. The most their classmates had to deal with watching was the couple kissing and having to occasionally straighten out their clothes after a brief make out between classes and during lunch time.

February 14th, 2004; Valentine's Day, around 4:00 PM

"So, B," Jessie started as she, Buffy, and Faith were walking down the sidewalk to the nearest bridal shop.

"Yeah," Buffy interrupted.

"Care to explain something to me?"

"Explain what?"

"What D has in store for me tonight?"

"What makes you think she made special plans for tonight?"

"Because it's Valentine's Day, and instead of you being alone with Faith and me with Dawn, we're searching the dress shops for wedding and bridesmaids' dresses when we could just as easily do a search online. Which can only mean she's preparing whatever she has planned, right now. So what is it, a night out on the town or a romantic dinner and a movie for two? Possibly followed by dancing or the bathtub scene from American Beauty? Maybe the flower petals are laying on one of our beds in the shape of a heart instead of floating in the tub."

Faith had smirked when Jessie continued the conversation with Buffy. She almost let out a snort at Buffy becoming uncomfortable when the younger blonde mentioned the popular movie. Buffy glared at Faith, making Jessie laugh before she, too, was caught in a glare.

"She's not doing any of that," Buffy lied unconvincingly by the expression on Jessie's face, "Ok, fine, we're supposed to be asking for your advice on dresses while she cooks a vegetarian dinner for two. We were also supposedly to say that whatever the three of us agreed on for bridesmaid dresses, she would go along with. So let's at least go along with her idea, ok?"

"Sure, so how did she decide on what to make?"

"She can thank Karen and Lily on that one, yo."

"When she calls me, we tell you we've decided to finish the search online. Then the two of us go out to dinner for ourselves. After we leave, she surprises you. The most experienced slayers after us are leading the patrols."

"So did you two make reservations for tonight?"

"Yeah, Faith made them but won't tell me where," Buffy replied and frowned a little when Faith smirked at the blondes.

"And I don't plan on telling."

"Please, Faithy," Buffy playfully begged when she saw no one was around them.

"I told you not to say that in public, B," Faith groaned before Buffy gave her a pouty look that made the plan to stay silent fail, "Fine, it's at Sarracino."

"Th-That's were we had our first date, and you almost proposed," Buffy said with a beaming smile,

"Yeah, I know," Faith informed as she stopped herself from blushing at the way Buffy smiled at her.

"I don't know who's sweeter, you or my sister," Buffy announced as she felt her heart flutter at Faith's response.

"I would think that the answer should be me since I'm the one you share a bed with and…," Faith declared before stopping at just the right moment and smirking.

Jessie laughed as Buffy became temporarily embarrassed.

"Well, I guess we should check out those dresses until Dawn calls," Jessie suggested as they reached the entrance of the bridal shop.

"Yeah," Buffy agreed as Faith took her fiancée by the hand and led her into the shop.

The girls tried on a few dresses at that shop before moving on to the next one. After the girls had spent around an hour combined at both shops, Buffy heard the vibration of her cell phone.

"She's ready for us to come back," Buffy stated as she stepped out of the dressing room that her and Faith had been in while Jessie waited for them and quickly closed the door.

"Well, then get out of those dresses, put your clothes back on, and let's get out of here," Jessie advised as she was waiting in a chair about five feet away from the dressing rooms.

"I'm working on it, J," Faith responded as Jessie saw Buffy pulled quickly back into the dressing room before the door was almost slammed shut.

Jessie smirked as she swore to herself that she had seen a brief glimpse of Faith's almost naked upper body before the door closed. She looked around and smiled that the other customers were too busy to notice. Her assumptions were confirmed as she heard the couple mutter low enough that only a slayer could hear.

"Faith, not here, not right now," Buffy insisted as Jessie could also hear a dress being unzipped.

"Just a few minutes, B," Faith requested at the sound of a dress hitting the floor.

Jessie glanced down and from where she was sitting, she could see the space between the door to the dressing room and the floor. She noticed a small, white heap where Buffy's feet had been. A second later, another heap appeared by the first one. Jessie then carefully made her away over to the door.

"Ok, knock it off, you two."

"They are off, why else do you think the door is closed, J?" Faith chuckled.

"Faith," Buffy almost moaned before Jessie heard the sound of what had to be Buffy pushing Faith away, "we both need to get dressed."

"Fine," Faith mumbled as Jessie could hear clothes being put on.

Jessie quickly walked back to her seat. She smirked as the door opened. She saw Faith smirking back at her and Buffy blushing while trying to hide what appeared to be a hickey on the lower right side of her neck. It was around 6:00 PM when the girls arrived at the front door.

"Now try to act surprised after we leave," Buffy pleaded.

"It's five by five," Jessie told her.

"Good," Buffy asserted as she and Faith both smiled at Jessie before opening the door.

"So how did the shopping go? Sorry, I didn't go with you. I just wasn't in the dress searching mode." I hope they kept their mouths shut. I want her to be surprised, but maybe in my attempt to do that, I made it obvious about what's really going on.

"It went ok," Jessie conceded while closing the door and trying not to smile at Dawn's attempt to remain cool at their return, "B said that you'd go along with whatever the three of us agreed on." She's so cute when she tries to hide something from me. Just play it cool too.

"Well, if you two don't mind, me and B have got plans. So give us enough time to get ready, and then the place is yours for the night. That's in case you two have plans."

"Why would we have plans, it's just another Saturday night," Dawn asked smoothly.

"Well, it is Valentine's Day, D. The over-commercialized holiday that you're supposed to spend time and money on the one you love the most," Faith reminded her while holding in an urge to laugh and blow Dawn's cover. Come on, don't blow her cover. You know she was working hard while you and Buffy kept J busy.

"Oh crap, J. I'm sorry. With the stress of homework, studying demon texts, practicing spells, and worrying about college acceptance letters, I kind of forgot to make plans until the restaurants were already full with reservations, and I'm a little tired too."

"It's ok. I guess being your girlfriend doesn't rank high enough for you to remember this over-commercialized holiday," Jessie sighed with fake hurt.

"I'm really sorry, I honestly forgot." Does she actually think I forgot, or does she know the truth?

"Honestly, it's ok, D. There's always next year. Although, I might not be as forgiving if you forget it again."

"Uh, alright. Where are you going?"

"I thought I'd go online and send out a few e-mails. Maybe talk to Grace since she hasn't got a date this year. If you need me for anything, just let me know," Jessie sighed as she turned away from Dawn.

"Sure," Dawn confirmed as she turned back to look at the TV while trying to think of the best way to get Jessie to come back out after Buffy and Faith had left.

As Dawn became distracted with these thoughts, Jessie turned back around and shared a wink with Buffy and Faith. After she was done getting ready, Faith walked into Jessie and Dawn's bedroom to talk to the blonde acting like she had no clue on what Dawn was doing.

"So did I make it look like I believed her?"

"Yeah, you did, J."

"Wicked," Jessie giggled before seeing Faith smirking at her, "What?"

"You have something planned for her too, don't you?"

"Maybe," Jessie giggled again.

"Will she like it?"

"It's something she's wanted for awhile," Jessie revealed before realizing that she might have had said too much.

"You're going to say it to her, aren't you?" Faith whispered into Jessie's ear since she immediately knew what Jessie meant.

"Say what?" Jessie questioned as she acted like she didn't know what Faith was talking about.

"You're going to tell her you love her."

"I don't know, maybe. You can't say anything to either Buffy or Dawn, got it?"

"It's five by five."

Five minutes later, Buffy and Faith waved goodbye from the bathroom before leaving to say goodbye to Dawn and making their way to the restaurant.

"Later, D, and good luck too."

"Thanks, Faith."

"Have a nice time, Dawnie. Just try to stay calm, and it will go ok. Don't be upset if you don't hear what you want to hear, alright?"

"Don't worry. I'm not expecting to hear it tonight. I just want to spend time with her," Dawn confessed to her sister.

"Ok."

A minute after the door closed, Dawn recited the spell, and a delicious meal appeared on the kitchen table along with two lit candles and a few spread out around the apartment. Dawn took a breath as she turned off the lights and prepared for every possible reaction.

"J-Jessie, could you come out here?"

"Is it important, D? I'm kind of busy right now," Jessie exclaimed as she got ready to appear surprised by what she knew was happening on the other side of the door.

"Yes, it is." Come on, no need to be afraid. She won't laugh at you.

"Ok, I'm coming," Jessie muttered as she opened the door and went immediately into the surprised act.

"Happy Valentine's Day."

"WOW, D! Everything looks great. Happy Valentine's Day to you too."

"Thanks," Dawn said softly as she turned on some music.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm a little nervous."

"Why? It's just me. We've been alone together several times."

"But it's our first Valentine's Day as a couple. I just want it to go well."

"True. Maybe this will help you relax," Jessie offered as she placed her hands on both sides of Dawn's face and softly kissed her on the lips.

"What?'" Dawn inquired before getting caught up in the kiss.

Dawn felt herself getting weak in the knees and had to hold onto Jessie to prevent herself from falling. Jessie felt the grip Dawn put on her shoulders and almost broke the kiss with a soft giggle. When they finally broke the kiss, Dawn saw the look on Jessie's face and began to panic.

"What's wrong, D?"

"Don't laugh at me, please!"

"I wasn't going to laugh at you."

"For a few seconds, it looked like you were."

"I would only laugh if you made a joke. Not when you're being so sweet to little ole' me."

"Stop it," Dawn ordered through a blush.

"Ok, let's eat then. So what did you make tonight?" Jessie quizzed as Dawn pulled out a chair for her and helped her push her chair closer to the table before seating herself.

"Since you're a vegetarian, I called your mom and Lily. They told me your favorite vegetarian meals."

"You did that for me? That's so sweet," Jessie complimented her girlfriend before leaning around the candles and kissed Dawn on the lips again.

"Yes, thank you," Dawn commented as she felt herself inwardly swoon at Jessie's kind words and before soft lips touched hers.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly as topics ranged from where they were going this summer, the anxiety of waiting for college acceptance letters, how Jessie liked her responsibilities at being a high ranking member in the chain of command of the new slayer generation, and how they celebrated the little anniversaries couples sometimes celebrated, like the monthly anniversaries.

"So what should we do now?" Jessie began with a slightly raised eyebrow as they turned off the music, put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and started it up.

"How about we watch a couple of movies?"

"Any suggestions?"

"Are you up for romantic comedies?"

"Yes, what do you have?"

"I was thinking of The Wedding Singer and/or 10 Things I Hate About You."

"I'm up for both, D. Let's watch The Wedding Singer first."

"Cool," Dawn agreed as they sat down on the couch and snuggled up against each other.

The girls shared laughs at the antics of Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore's sweet personality. When it came to the scene when Adam was singing to Drew on the plane, both girls gazed at each other and saw a tear running down the other's cheeks. Both decided to remain silent as the movie ended. They quickly put in the second movie and laughed at several scenes. Jessie laughed at memories of Tad during the scenes involving the stereotypical jerk played by Andrew Keegan. Both laughed at the humor of Julia Stiles and Larry Miller. However, both shed tears again at the heartache shown by Julia Stiles at the end of the movie. After a few minutes of awkward quiet, Jessie made a suggestion.

"Would you like to dance with me?"

"Sure," Dawn consented as she slowly stood up while Jessie turned on the music.

Dawn froze at the first song Jessie seemed to stop at before turning around to face her.

"Are you ok? It's only Kiss's 'Then She Kissed Me'."

"Yeah, it's just been awhile since I heard that song," Dawn mentioned with a smile before being pulled close to Jessie.

"Relax, D, it's just that two of us. Nothing to be afraid of," Jessie assured at the tense vibes she was getting from her girlfriend.

Dawn decided to try and relax by laying her head on Jessie shoulder as Jessie wrapped her arms around Dawn's waist.

"Better?" Jessie assumed

"Yeah," Dawn sighed happily. I could almost die of happiness right now.

After the song was over, Jessie changed the music to a radio station that was currently playing love songs for couples on this holiday. Dawn tried to stay in control as Jessie would occasionally sing along to a song she liked. After Jessie had finished singing another song, she stared at Dawn. This made Dawn a little nervous for the second time since Buffy and Faith had left them alone.

"Wh-What is it, J-J?"

"I was wondering something."

"Yeah, about what?"

"I was wondering if you were planning on saying those three words couples say to each other during holiday moments like this."

"What three words?"

"I think you know what words."

"I don't need to say it. You know how I feel about you." I say it a lot. What makes this day any different?

"Yes, but humor me, ok?" Jessie teased. I can't wait to see the look on her face when I say it back.

"No," Dawn teased back but gave in at Jessie's 'puppy dog eyes' look, "Don't look at me like that. I love you, Jessie. Happy now?"

Then Dawn playfully rolled her eyes at her girlfriend.

"Yes, I am. And, D…," Jessie admitted and paused to make sure she had Dawn's complete attention.

"Yeah?" Dawn encouraged casually.

"I love you too," Jessie divulged before softly kissing Dawn on the lips.

"Wh-What? D-Did y-you j-just s-say y-you l-loved m-me?" Dawn stuttered as she broke the hold Jessie had on her and fell back until she was sitting on the couch again.

"Y-Yeah, I-I d-did," Jessie answered playfully and smiled until Dawn frowned a little at her.

"Are you just saying it because it's Valentine's Day, or do you really mean it?" Dawn grilled as tears began to steadily flow down her cheeks.

"I mean it, D. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

Dawn hugged her tightly for a moment as tears continued to run down her cheeks. Then a question popped into her head. Part of her wanted an honest answer while the other part of her didn't want an answer at all.

"Jessie."

"Yes?"

"When you say you love me, how much do you mean?"

"Huh?"

"How much do you love me?"

"Explainy," Jessie demanded to prolong this playful torture directed toward Dawn.

Dawn rolled her eyes again before getting more specific.

"I mean do you love me as much as Buffy and Faith love each other or how much you loved Katie?"

"Well…," Jessie said before hesitatingly biting her lower lip.

She was afraid of how to answer this one. The wrong answer could possibly break Dawn's heart. For a minute, she actually began thinking she shouldn't have said the three words at all.

"Be honest with me. I have a rough idea of the answer already, but I want to hear it from you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Ok," Jessie paused again to take a breath before answering the serious question, "I don't love you as much as Buffy and Faith love each other, or how much I loved Katie."

"Oh," Dawn sighed as she didn't take the time to wipe her tear streaked face.

"It doesn't mean that it can't ever get that strong. It means it might take a little longer, but I do love you. Is that the answer you were expecting?"

"Yes," Dawn stated confidently.

"You don't love me any less now, do you?"

"No, don't be silly. You were honest with me. I still love you."

"Good," Jessie voiced with a smile as she stood and began walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom to get you some tissues because your make up is running a little," Jessie confided as Dawn began to blush, "Unless you want to try the punk or gothic look."

"No, I'm not a big fan of that. Go get some, I'll wait here."

"Alright."

As Jessie made her way to the bathroom and Dawn let a few more tears come out, Buffy and Faith were slowly making their way back to the apartment. Faith had decided they should be quiet and spy on them as they reached the front door. They heard soft music and a very slight sound that sounded like a sniffle. Each had different reactions. Faith began thinking the younger couple would once again be caught in an intimate situation while Buffy was more negative. She feared Dawn had said those three words again to Jessie but got nothing back. The sneer on her face clearly said that she was ready to tear into the heartbreaking blonde. Faith took that as a cue to say something.

"Don't jump to conclusions."

"I don't want to, but it doesn't sound good."

Buffy casually opened the door to find noise coming from the bathroom, the stereo on, and Dawn hiding her face in her hands as she sat on the couch. Jessie heard them but chose to act like she hadn't. She stood just out of sight of the three girls in the family room.

"Dawnie, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah," Dawn sniffled.

"Then look at us," Buffy gently commanded.

"Ok," Dawn relented softly as she slowly peered up into her sister and Faith's eyes.

Buffy felt her anger rise at seeing the tear streaks and the messed up make-up and asked, "Did Jessie say something to you?"

Dawn nodded slowly.

"What did she say, D?"

"She said…She said that…," Dawn muttered before focusing toward the bathroom in the hope that Jessie would be back soon.

"Hi, B, Hi, Faith, how was your evening?" Jessie greeted too happily in Buffy's mind after seeing that her sister looked like a wreck.

Buffy stormed over to Jessie, glared at her, and was prepared to hit her if needed.

"What did you say to my sister to make her cry like that?"

"Ease up, B, I told her that I loved her," Jessie told her with a smirk before walking around Buffy, stopping in front of Dawn, and handing her a few tissues.

Buffy spun around and eyed her sister so fast that Faith and Jessie were surprised the blonde didn't get whiplash.

"So those are happy tears?" Buffy gasped before groaning at the memory of Dawn asking basically the same thing back in Sunnydale after Xander had prevented Willow from destroying the world.

"Yes, dummy," Dawn replied with a laugh as she knew exactly what Buffy was thinking the moment she groaned.

"Another inside joke?" Jessie determined as the sisters hugged each other.

"Yeah," Buffy spoke as she broke the hold on Dawn and stood in front of Jessie, "I'm sorry I acted like that. I jumped to conclusions and wrongly accused you of hurting Dawn. Can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive. You were being a protective sister. Honestly, it's five by five."

As Buffy hugged her, Jessie saw Faith smirking at her and Dawn wiping away tears while smiling.

"You talking like me is kind of turning me on, J. How about we ditch the Summers women and test out each other's mad skills?"

"FAITH!" Buffy and Dawn shouted and ended it with menacing glares.

"Dang, I thought you Summers women had a sense of humor these days? I was only kidding."

"Well, it wasn't funny," Buffy warned her.

"I'm SO sorry, B," Faith apologized as she walked over and hugged Buffy, who was wiping away a tear.

"Ok, now maybe you'll learn to be more careful about what you say during moments like this," Buffy instructed as she almost melted into Faith's hug.

"Do you forgive me too, D?"

"Yeah, if you remember for future reference what Buffy just told you."

"Done," Faith complied as she and Buffy watched Dawn hug Jessie.

Before calling it a night, each couple told the other how their night went. Dawn and Jessie smiled at Buffy saying how romantic Faith had been and regretfully laughed at Faith telling them how the whole restaurant witnessed a girl coldly dumping her date that night. Buffy snuggled up to Faith as Dawn and Jessie described their night. When Jessie revealed what the first song they danced to was, Buffy held in a laugh but Faith couldn't. This irritated Dawn. However, she finally gave in and told Jessie why Faith laughed. Jessie kissed her before telling her that was one of the cutest things she's heard in awhile. All four of them went to bed with smiles on their faces that night.