Real Life, 3/?
Thanks to Kelly for the beta.
I've lived several lifetimes, and it's the most incredible thing I've ever seen. When a vampire sucks blood, it drains the life from its victim. But when Megan looks up adoringly at Buffy as she suckles at her breast, she seems to give her mum life. Buffy looks so peaceful. And peace is something I've rarely seen on that lovely face. When she looks over at me, though, concern clouds her eyes.
"William? What's wrong? You look like you've never seen this before in your life. You are really starting to scare me."
"I...you two, you're just so, so beautiful together," I stammer. Oh, bugger, I'm getting all teary again. Bloody insipid, I am. Megan is finished nursing, and Buffy fastens her blouse before putting the baby over her shoulder to burp her.
"I'm serious, Will. I know there's something you're not telling me."
I'm never going to be able to pull this off. I need to tell her, though I have no idea what to say. But, I plunge in anyway, unsure of what's going to come out of my mouth. Come on, you're what, shocked?
"Do you ever, do you ever feel like maybe, this isn't real? Like, it's all just a wonderful dream?" She gets that little line between her eyebrows. Not good.
"No." She stands up and lays Megan down in the playpen.
"I just mean, we *are* on the hellmouth, and a lot of strange things happen...."
Buffy turns around to face me, arms crossed protectively over her chest. Her chin lifts defiantly and she looks me straight in the eye. "So when are you leaving?"
"What?!" Bloody hell, where did that come from?
"So, this isn't real, it's all a dream...are you going to tell me you need your space now, or my being the slayer is just too much for you, or what?" Her bottom lip starts to tremble, and her eyes fill with tears.
"Buffy, no! No, I never meant anything like that!" I get up and go to her, putting my arms around her, but she just stands there stiffly, not responding. "Buffy, I love you."
"That's what they all say."
I take her face in my hands and look into her eyes. "You are everything to me, love. You know that." She can't hold back the tears any longer. They stream down her face, and her voice breaks. What have I done?
"Then why? Why are you acting so weird? And why are you saying things like our life is just a dream?"
Why, indeed? Who's to say that other life isn't just a nightmare? How do I know which one is really real? Rationalization is a wonderful thing. "Buffy, sometimes, I just can't believe that I'm here with you. I get scared that my real life could never be this good."
She reaches up and traces my lips with her finger tips. Then she brings my head down, and kisses my eyes, my cheeks, my lips. "Do you feel this?" she asks. "Do you feel me?" Her hands travel across my shoulders, down my arms, around my back. Everything I've always wanted, dreamed of. Gentle. Loving. Buffy.
"Yes," I answer, "I feel you."
"I'm real," she whispers, wrapping her arms tightly around me, her head against my chest. "This is real."
************
I am in the midst of a mind blowing make out session with my wife when the door bell rings. Just my luck. The baby has finally fallen asleep, and I was just about to suggest we head upstairs, and now we have company. I have the fleeting urge to rip someone's head off, if only I still could. Buffy swears before she gets up and straightens her clothes. Maybe she'll do it for me.
She puts her hand on the door knob and looks back over her shoulder at me. "Hold that thought," she says as she opens the door.
There on the front porch stands a truly terrifying sight. Xander Harris, in the loudest Hawaiian shirt I have ever seen him wear, and that's saying a lot. He embraces Buffy, and behind him I see Anya, who's apparently taken leave of her senses. Instead of her usual natty attire she is dressed in a shirt which matches the whelps. She is carrying two large shopping bags and is bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.
"Hello, fellow married people!" she chirps.
Oh, God.
I am on my feet now, having lost any and all lingering amorous thoughts; then I too am engulfed in a bear hug. "Will! How's the world's bestest best man?"
Lest there be any doubt left, I now know I truly *am* in bizarro world.
"I'm, uh, fine?" I get another odd look from Buffy. Been getting a lot of those, bearing in mind, I haven't been here a whole day yet.
"How are the newlyweds? How was Hawaii? Do you have pictures?" rapid fires Buffy.
"Great, incredible, and yes!" Anya beams. She and Buffy sit down on the sofa and Anya begins pulling things from the shopping bags. Souvenirs. "I had to do my part to contribute to the tourism industry," she explains. She holds up another Hawaiian shirt. "This is for you!" she says to me. Buffy is hysterical on the sofa. Then Anya pulls out a grass skirt and hands it to the slayer.
"Now, that, I can work with," I say. Buffy's eyebrows shoot up.
"William!" she scolds. But then she holds it up in front of her and wiggles suggestively. Definite possibilities, there.
The women continue to giggle over Anya's purchases, but before I know it a bottle of beer is being slapped in my hand. "Come on, let's escape while we can," says Harris. I follow him out onto the back porch.
We each take a chair, and sit quietly for a few moments, drinking our nice, imported beers. I notice that he looks good, for the whelp. Tan and fit. Relaxed. We are friends, apparently. Best man, he said. I'm not surprised, really. Funny, that. I suppose I should be appalled, but I'm actually not. Perhaps that particular phenomenon does not bear too much introspection.
"Hey, Will," he says, and when I look over, he's looking down at his shoes, a little embarrassed, maybe. "I, uh, well, I'm not much for the whole guy bonding thing, as I never had many guys to bond with." He takes a gulp of beer. "I just wanted to thank you, man. You know?"
Uh, no. "For what, mate?"
He smiles ruefully and shakes his head. "You're going to make me say it. Alright, thank you for being there for me, when I was so screwed up. About marrying An, I mean. You didn't tell me what to do, but you were just there, you know? And I appreciate it. And, by the way. You and Buffy? Great advertisement for the whole marriage is a good thing, thing."
Now I am part of the reason the whelp went through with the wedding? Considering what happened between me and Anya in my other life, this gives me some satisfaction. I'm really glad, actually.
"So, you happy, mate?" I take another swig from my bottle.
"Yeah," he grins at me. "It's the best decision I've ever made. She's an incredible woman."
"Yeah," I agree, "that she is." Never thought I'd care whether monkey boy was happy or not. Well, truth be told, I'm still not sure I care. But Anya deserves it, and for some reason Harris seems to make her happy.
We sit in companionable silence, drinking our beers, for several minutes. I am just thinking that it looks like this is a pretty good spot I've landed in. I mean, sure, I feel bad about Red and Tara, but other than that, things seem pretty sweet. Should've known better than to count my chickens, stupid git.
Because that's when the phone starts ringing.
TBC
Thanks to Kelly for the beta.
I've lived several lifetimes, and it's the most incredible thing I've ever seen. When a vampire sucks blood, it drains the life from its victim. But when Megan looks up adoringly at Buffy as she suckles at her breast, she seems to give her mum life. Buffy looks so peaceful. And peace is something I've rarely seen on that lovely face. When she looks over at me, though, concern clouds her eyes.
"William? What's wrong? You look like you've never seen this before in your life. You are really starting to scare me."
"I...you two, you're just so, so beautiful together," I stammer. Oh, bugger, I'm getting all teary again. Bloody insipid, I am. Megan is finished nursing, and Buffy fastens her blouse before putting the baby over her shoulder to burp her.
"I'm serious, Will. I know there's something you're not telling me."
I'm never going to be able to pull this off. I need to tell her, though I have no idea what to say. But, I plunge in anyway, unsure of what's going to come out of my mouth. Come on, you're what, shocked?
"Do you ever, do you ever feel like maybe, this isn't real? Like, it's all just a wonderful dream?" She gets that little line between her eyebrows. Not good.
"No." She stands up and lays Megan down in the playpen.
"I just mean, we *are* on the hellmouth, and a lot of strange things happen...."
Buffy turns around to face me, arms crossed protectively over her chest. Her chin lifts defiantly and she looks me straight in the eye. "So when are you leaving?"
"What?!" Bloody hell, where did that come from?
"So, this isn't real, it's all a dream...are you going to tell me you need your space now, or my being the slayer is just too much for you, or what?" Her bottom lip starts to tremble, and her eyes fill with tears.
"Buffy, no! No, I never meant anything like that!" I get up and go to her, putting my arms around her, but she just stands there stiffly, not responding. "Buffy, I love you."
"That's what they all say."
I take her face in my hands and look into her eyes. "You are everything to me, love. You know that." She can't hold back the tears any longer. They stream down her face, and her voice breaks. What have I done?
"Then why? Why are you acting so weird? And why are you saying things like our life is just a dream?"
Why, indeed? Who's to say that other life isn't just a nightmare? How do I know which one is really real? Rationalization is a wonderful thing. "Buffy, sometimes, I just can't believe that I'm here with you. I get scared that my real life could never be this good."
She reaches up and traces my lips with her finger tips. Then she brings my head down, and kisses my eyes, my cheeks, my lips. "Do you feel this?" she asks. "Do you feel me?" Her hands travel across my shoulders, down my arms, around my back. Everything I've always wanted, dreamed of. Gentle. Loving. Buffy.
"Yes," I answer, "I feel you."
"I'm real," she whispers, wrapping her arms tightly around me, her head against my chest. "This is real."
************
I am in the midst of a mind blowing make out session with my wife when the door bell rings. Just my luck. The baby has finally fallen asleep, and I was just about to suggest we head upstairs, and now we have company. I have the fleeting urge to rip someone's head off, if only I still could. Buffy swears before she gets up and straightens her clothes. Maybe she'll do it for me.
She puts her hand on the door knob and looks back over her shoulder at me. "Hold that thought," she says as she opens the door.
There on the front porch stands a truly terrifying sight. Xander Harris, in the loudest Hawaiian shirt I have ever seen him wear, and that's saying a lot. He embraces Buffy, and behind him I see Anya, who's apparently taken leave of her senses. Instead of her usual natty attire she is dressed in a shirt which matches the whelps. She is carrying two large shopping bags and is bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.
"Hello, fellow married people!" she chirps.
Oh, God.
I am on my feet now, having lost any and all lingering amorous thoughts; then I too am engulfed in a bear hug. "Will! How's the world's bestest best man?"
Lest there be any doubt left, I now know I truly *am* in bizarro world.
"I'm, uh, fine?" I get another odd look from Buffy. Been getting a lot of those, bearing in mind, I haven't been here a whole day yet.
"How are the newlyweds? How was Hawaii? Do you have pictures?" rapid fires Buffy.
"Great, incredible, and yes!" Anya beams. She and Buffy sit down on the sofa and Anya begins pulling things from the shopping bags. Souvenirs. "I had to do my part to contribute to the tourism industry," she explains. She holds up another Hawaiian shirt. "This is for you!" she says to me. Buffy is hysterical on the sofa. Then Anya pulls out a grass skirt and hands it to the slayer.
"Now, that, I can work with," I say. Buffy's eyebrows shoot up.
"William!" she scolds. But then she holds it up in front of her and wiggles suggestively. Definite possibilities, there.
The women continue to giggle over Anya's purchases, but before I know it a bottle of beer is being slapped in my hand. "Come on, let's escape while we can," says Harris. I follow him out onto the back porch.
We each take a chair, and sit quietly for a few moments, drinking our nice, imported beers. I notice that he looks good, for the whelp. Tan and fit. Relaxed. We are friends, apparently. Best man, he said. I'm not surprised, really. Funny, that. I suppose I should be appalled, but I'm actually not. Perhaps that particular phenomenon does not bear too much introspection.
"Hey, Will," he says, and when I look over, he's looking down at his shoes, a little embarrassed, maybe. "I, uh, well, I'm not much for the whole guy bonding thing, as I never had many guys to bond with." He takes a gulp of beer. "I just wanted to thank you, man. You know?"
Uh, no. "For what, mate?"
He smiles ruefully and shakes his head. "You're going to make me say it. Alright, thank you for being there for me, when I was so screwed up. About marrying An, I mean. You didn't tell me what to do, but you were just there, you know? And I appreciate it. And, by the way. You and Buffy? Great advertisement for the whole marriage is a good thing, thing."
Now I am part of the reason the whelp went through with the wedding? Considering what happened between me and Anya in my other life, this gives me some satisfaction. I'm really glad, actually.
"So, you happy, mate?" I take another swig from my bottle.
"Yeah," he grins at me. "It's the best decision I've ever made. She's an incredible woman."
"Yeah," I agree, "that she is." Never thought I'd care whether monkey boy was happy or not. Well, truth be told, I'm still not sure I care. But Anya deserves it, and for some reason Harris seems to make her happy.
We sit in companionable silence, drinking our beers, for several minutes. I am just thinking that it looks like this is a pretty good spot I've landed in. I mean, sure, I feel bad about Red and Tara, but other than that, things seem pretty sweet. Should've known better than to count my chickens, stupid git.
Because that's when the phone starts ringing.
TBC