Part 17
"Willow!" Xander caught her up in a huge embrace. "I'm so glad to see you."
The others stood and slowly made their way over to the pair. Buffy wasn't sure what to say, so she stepped forward and rubbed her old friend's arm "Hey, Will."
"Buffy." Willow let go of Xander to hug her best friend. "I've missed you all so much."
"We've missed you too."
One by one they stepped up to greet her: Giles, Dawn, William, and finally Anya. "I'm not going to hug you Willow." She informed her. "We haven't been especially close in the past, and I'm afraid of you."
"That's OK Anya, I understand. I'm a little afraid of me too."
"Willow, how are you feeling?" Giles didn't mask his concern.
"I'm fine. Really." She noticed the shop "Wow! Major redecorating."
"And we have you to thank for that!" Xander threw his arm around her. "Come on over. We were just having dinner."
"Pizza! Is this heaven?"
"No, it's just Sunnydale" Dawn answered lightly. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming back?"
Willow picked up a slice of pizza and bit in. She rolled her eyes in ecstasy. "Umm. Oh that is so good." She swallowed and licked her top lip. "I knew that everyone would be busy here, and I didn't want a big scene at the airport either. Plus," she looked around shyly, "I wanted to take some time to get my nerve up before I walked back in here."
"And you did walk, right?" Anya asked pointedly.
"Oh, absolutely!" Willow assured them. "No swoosh and pop for me."
"So you're off magic again?" Xander passed her a cup of soda.
"Completely." Willow took a sip. "I'm off magic forever."
Buffy reached out to touch her friend's arm. "Can you be sure of that Will?"
"Yep." She reached out and wiggled her fingers. "See, no light displays. I'm clean." She noted their concerned expressions. "Really everyone. I've been stripped of every last trace of power. I couldn't do a pencil levitation if my life depended on it."
"Stripped, Willow? That sounds extreme." Buffy commented.
"It's OK, really. It's what I wanted. This way I know I can never hurt anyone again. You'll just have to take me as I am: plain old Willow."
Xander hugged her again. "She was always my favorite part anyway."
"Thanks Xander." She glanced around and waved her hands at the table. "Eat everyone! And tell me what's been happening. I want to know everything."
*****
"Thank you for walking me home Giles."
"My pleasure Anya. It's been a big day."
"Yes. And tomorrow is Sunday, so we can sleep in."
"Ah, yes. It was good planning to have the re-opening on a Saturday."
"And all the free help didn't hurt either."
Giles smiled in amusement. "Well then, I'll be off." He stepped away.
"You aren't coming in?" The dismay was clear in her tone.
"It's late dear, and I know you want to go to bed."
"That's right, I do. So come in now and I won't have to wait any longer."
"Anya," he braced his hand against her doorway and leaned over slightly to study her face. "Perhaps tonight is not the best time to get into this, but we probably need to talk about what happened yesterday."
"You mean the kissing."
"Yes, that is what I'm referring to." He adjusted his glasses on his nose. "I'm afraid I didn't use my best judgment when I allowed that to... to continue."
"You didn't like it? You said you liked it."
"Well, yes, it was very nice Anya... but most likely it shouldn't happen again."
"If I were to kiss you again, you don't think you'd enjoy it anymore?"
"I'm sure it would be a pleasant experience. You have very nice... lips."
"Thank you. I enjoyed your lips too."
Giles was flattered, in spite of himself. "It's very kind of you to say so." He roused himself from his bemused state. "Now wait, this is not what I intended..."
"What did you intend?"
"We are really not well suited, you and I." As a hurt look crept into her face, he rushed to explain. "Fir... first of all there is the age difference."
"There isn't much I can do about that, silly. Once you're over a thousand years old, the dating pool is narrowed considerably if you restrict yourself to staying inside your age bracket."
"Yes, of course. But that's not quite what I meant. It's just that I represent a sort of authority figure to all of you."
"You quit."
"Excuse me?"
"You quit. You left and went back to England so that Buffy could be her own authority figure. We still respect you, but you're simply not in charge any more."
"I suppose, in a way, that that's true."
"So if you don't have any more objections, come inside and we can kiss some more." Anya reached for his hand and tugged him into her apartment. She shut the door quickly behind him, then loosened his tie with a quick tug of her thumb and index finger. She pressed up against him and nuzzled his neck softly.
"Anya, this isn't right."
"Why not? Do you have a girlfriend back in England?" She kissed him behind his ear and nibbled on his earlobe.
"Um, actually, no."
"Are you gay?"
"Pardon me?"
"Impotent?" She slid her hand down his torso. "No. You're definitely not impotent." She brought her hand back up and removed his glasses. "So tell me why this is wrong."
His hand groped along the wall to find the door. He felt for the knob and tried to twist it. "Is this door locked?"
"Yes."
"Good."
*****
Buffy and Dawn took the long way home, cutting across two cemeteries in a mini-patrol. "Kind of slow tonight." Dawn commented.
"Huh?" Buffy's mind was elsewhere.
"Hello! Patrolling?" Dawn teased her. "Where are all the vamps?"
Buffy paused to consider the observation. "You're right. They've been thick as flies lately, and I haven't even seen one tonight."
The girls resumed walking. "Maybe you scared them off the other night."
"What other night?"
"In our back yard - with my teacher." She grinned.
"You saw that?"
"Oh, yeah!" Dawn smacked her on the arm. "Buffy, you were a freaking animal!"
"Stop it!" Buffy blushed. "It was a good fight, and there he was looking so."
"Terrified?" Now Buffy smacked Dawn's arm. "Ow!"
"So I guess you saw Angel, too?"
"It was better than Days of Our Lives."
"And then you lurked on the stairs and heard the rest?"
"So are you going to tell him?"
Buffy stopped. "I don't know what to say to him. I treated him so badly, I don't know if he would even want to get involved with me now."
"So then why don't you find out?"
"Willow!" Xander caught her up in a huge embrace. "I'm so glad to see you."
The others stood and slowly made their way over to the pair. Buffy wasn't sure what to say, so she stepped forward and rubbed her old friend's arm "Hey, Will."
"Buffy." Willow let go of Xander to hug her best friend. "I've missed you all so much."
"We've missed you too."
One by one they stepped up to greet her: Giles, Dawn, William, and finally Anya. "I'm not going to hug you Willow." She informed her. "We haven't been especially close in the past, and I'm afraid of you."
"That's OK Anya, I understand. I'm a little afraid of me too."
"Willow, how are you feeling?" Giles didn't mask his concern.
"I'm fine. Really." She noticed the shop "Wow! Major redecorating."
"And we have you to thank for that!" Xander threw his arm around her. "Come on over. We were just having dinner."
"Pizza! Is this heaven?"
"No, it's just Sunnydale" Dawn answered lightly. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming back?"
Willow picked up a slice of pizza and bit in. She rolled her eyes in ecstasy. "Umm. Oh that is so good." She swallowed and licked her top lip. "I knew that everyone would be busy here, and I didn't want a big scene at the airport either. Plus," she looked around shyly, "I wanted to take some time to get my nerve up before I walked back in here."
"And you did walk, right?" Anya asked pointedly.
"Oh, absolutely!" Willow assured them. "No swoosh and pop for me."
"So you're off magic again?" Xander passed her a cup of soda.
"Completely." Willow took a sip. "I'm off magic forever."
Buffy reached out to touch her friend's arm. "Can you be sure of that Will?"
"Yep." She reached out and wiggled her fingers. "See, no light displays. I'm clean." She noted their concerned expressions. "Really everyone. I've been stripped of every last trace of power. I couldn't do a pencil levitation if my life depended on it."
"Stripped, Willow? That sounds extreme." Buffy commented.
"It's OK, really. It's what I wanted. This way I know I can never hurt anyone again. You'll just have to take me as I am: plain old Willow."
Xander hugged her again. "She was always my favorite part anyway."
"Thanks Xander." She glanced around and waved her hands at the table. "Eat everyone! And tell me what's been happening. I want to know everything."
*****
"Thank you for walking me home Giles."
"My pleasure Anya. It's been a big day."
"Yes. And tomorrow is Sunday, so we can sleep in."
"Ah, yes. It was good planning to have the re-opening on a Saturday."
"And all the free help didn't hurt either."
Giles smiled in amusement. "Well then, I'll be off." He stepped away.
"You aren't coming in?" The dismay was clear in her tone.
"It's late dear, and I know you want to go to bed."
"That's right, I do. So come in now and I won't have to wait any longer."
"Anya," he braced his hand against her doorway and leaned over slightly to study her face. "Perhaps tonight is not the best time to get into this, but we probably need to talk about what happened yesterday."
"You mean the kissing."
"Yes, that is what I'm referring to." He adjusted his glasses on his nose. "I'm afraid I didn't use my best judgment when I allowed that to... to continue."
"You didn't like it? You said you liked it."
"Well, yes, it was very nice Anya... but most likely it shouldn't happen again."
"If I were to kiss you again, you don't think you'd enjoy it anymore?"
"I'm sure it would be a pleasant experience. You have very nice... lips."
"Thank you. I enjoyed your lips too."
Giles was flattered, in spite of himself. "It's very kind of you to say so." He roused himself from his bemused state. "Now wait, this is not what I intended..."
"What did you intend?"
"We are really not well suited, you and I." As a hurt look crept into her face, he rushed to explain. "Fir... first of all there is the age difference."
"There isn't much I can do about that, silly. Once you're over a thousand years old, the dating pool is narrowed considerably if you restrict yourself to staying inside your age bracket."
"Yes, of course. But that's not quite what I meant. It's just that I represent a sort of authority figure to all of you."
"You quit."
"Excuse me?"
"You quit. You left and went back to England so that Buffy could be her own authority figure. We still respect you, but you're simply not in charge any more."
"I suppose, in a way, that that's true."
"So if you don't have any more objections, come inside and we can kiss some more." Anya reached for his hand and tugged him into her apartment. She shut the door quickly behind him, then loosened his tie with a quick tug of her thumb and index finger. She pressed up against him and nuzzled his neck softly.
"Anya, this isn't right."
"Why not? Do you have a girlfriend back in England?" She kissed him behind his ear and nibbled on his earlobe.
"Um, actually, no."
"Are you gay?"
"Pardon me?"
"Impotent?" She slid her hand down his torso. "No. You're definitely not impotent." She brought her hand back up and removed his glasses. "So tell me why this is wrong."
His hand groped along the wall to find the door. He felt for the knob and tried to twist it. "Is this door locked?"
"Yes."
"Good."
*****
Buffy and Dawn took the long way home, cutting across two cemeteries in a mini-patrol. "Kind of slow tonight." Dawn commented.
"Huh?" Buffy's mind was elsewhere.
"Hello! Patrolling?" Dawn teased her. "Where are all the vamps?"
Buffy paused to consider the observation. "You're right. They've been thick as flies lately, and I haven't even seen one tonight."
The girls resumed walking. "Maybe you scared them off the other night."
"What other night?"
"In our back yard - with my teacher." She grinned.
"You saw that?"
"Oh, yeah!" Dawn smacked her on the arm. "Buffy, you were a freaking animal!"
"Stop it!" Buffy blushed. "It was a good fight, and there he was looking so."
"Terrified?" Now Buffy smacked Dawn's arm. "Ow!"
"So I guess you saw Angel, too?"
"It was better than Days of Our Lives."
"And then you lurked on the stairs and heard the rest?"
"So are you going to tell him?"
Buffy stopped. "I don't know what to say to him. I treated him so badly, I don't know if he would even want to get involved with me now."
"So then why don't you find out?"