Title: Love Squared (3/9)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say R.
Spoilers: Up to Normal Again.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Sequel to Dancing Around Love. The Scooby Gang comes to grips with the recent events and deals with the Trio.
Author's Note: B/W/T/X, along with hints of X/Amy.
* * *
Buffy let out a sigh and began tracing random patterns on Xander's chest.
He looked down at the blonde and frowned. That sigh wasn't quite one of contentment. "What is it, Buffy?"
"Hmm?" she blinked at him in surprise. "What's what?"
"What's bothering you, Buff?"
She shook her head, "It's nothing."
He looked at her skeptically but let it pass. He wasn't going to press the issue. "All right. Just remember, you can talk to me. If there's anything I can do to help..." he left the statement unfinished.
"Well..." she said, her face twisting into an impish grin, "there _is_ something you can do to make me feel better."
"What?"
"Ravish me, Xander," she said, putting as much excessive melodrama in her voice as she could. "Have your wicked way with this poor helpless little waif."
Playing along, Xander tried to turn his goofy grin into a more sinister smile, but his genuine amusement proved too great an obstacle for his limited acting skills to overcome. "Gladly, my sweet."
* * *
"Amy?" Willow called into the bathroom. "Are you all right?"
The other witch opened the door and said shakily, "I'm... not feeling too good. I think I just threw up everything since last year's Thanksgiving dinner."
Ever since Amy had come to their rescue last week, she had been getting better at dealing with her ordeals as a rat and possessed host, but she'd also been getting quite ill.
Willow smiled sympathetically and asked, "Feel up to some breakfast?"
"Uhm..." Amy paused. "Maybe."
* * *
Yawning, Xander trotted sleepily into the kitchen.
With the workout Buffy had just given him, he was _really_ glad he didn't have to work Sundays.
He blinked at the two people who were sitting at the table and staring at him.
"'Morning," he said with a wave. "How you feeling, Aims?"
"Uh, Xander...?" Willow said, pointing. Amy was still frozen in shock, her face beet red.
He looked down and found to his embarrassment that his bathrobe was hanging open, giving the two women a clear view of his "assets." He quickly gathered the robe around him and coughed, "Ahem. Right. Thanks, Wills."
Doing his best to be nonchalant, he headed to the fridge and grabbed a box of Eggos from the freezer. Setting the waffles in the toaster, he leaned on the counter and said, "So, again, how are you feeling, Amy?"
"Um, better," she said, somewhat distracted. "Still a little nauseous, but I'll be okay." She coughed, "Um... I think I could use a little air..." That said, she got up and stumbled out.
Xander looked at her strangely, "She's acting kinda weird."
"I'll go talk to her," Willow said in a rush, getting up and following.
He blinked, then shrugged as he heard the toaster ding, signaling that his waffles were ready.
* * *
"Amy."
She whirled, "Willow! What is it?"
"You tell me," the redhead said.
Amy's face colored, "Well, i-it's just... that's the first time I saw a... and I remember when I cast that love spell for him... are they _all_ that big?"
Willow felt her cheeks burn and thought back to Oz. "Well, ye-..." she froze. Wait. Xander wasn't... "No. No, they're not," she said distantly, her eyes glazing over.
She really regretted missing her night with Xander and Tara to go after the geeks.
Maybe she should have paid more attention to that when Amy's mom had kidnapped him...
* * *
"Hey, Buffy?"
"Willow, hey," the Slayer replied. "What's up?"
"I-I just... wanted to ask you something."
"Could you make it quick?" Buffy requested. "Xander's gonna be here any minute."
"That's... sorta what I wanted to ask about."
Buffy's face darkened, "He's mine this week, Willow."
"I know that!" the redhead said defensively. "I just... I was wondering if... maybe... I could join in?"
Buffy stared. "Excuse me. What?"
"I want to join in tonight."
"Oh," she blinked. "Why?"
"Well," Willow said, "two reasons. I missed my turn with him and Tara when that demon drugged me. I've known him longer than anyone who isn't blood-related, and I _still_ haven't... well... y'know... with him yet. It's not fair."
Buffy bit her lip, "Oh. I-I just... I dunno..."
"What's wrong?"
"Well... it's just...," Buffy sighed, "you and Xander... you've got something with him I can't begin to match. It bothers me sometimes."
"Oh, Buffy, don't think that," Willow said. "He loves you; you know that. I love you too."
Buffy recoiled at that, and Willow said hurriedly, "No, no! Not like _that_!" She paused, "Well... mostly not."
"Uh, right..." Buffy tried desperately to keep from panicking. She wasn't a homophobe. She wasn't! But she didn't swing that way, either.
*This isn't working,* Willow concluded. *I've wigged her out.*
She decided to try a more direct approach.
She kissed her.
* * *
Willow stirred her coffee absently, her mind on other things. She had gotten Buffy to loosen up and... experiment.
There were _good_ things to be said about the direct approach.
She still hadn't gone all the way with Xander, though. She was saving that for tonight, when she'd have him all to herself...
"'Morning!" she chirped as Dawn entered the kitchen.
"'Morning," Dawn replied with a yawn. She took a closer look at Willow and asked, "Where'd you get that shirt?"
"Huh?" Willow looked down at the oversized shirt which was the only article of clothing she was wearing, then smiled. "It's Xander's. I, uh, kinda got it from him a few years back."
"He gave you one of his shirts?" Dawn asked, genuinely puzzled.
Willow felt her face turn scarlet, "Actually... no. Um, remember that love spell he cast that one Valentine's?"
"Yeah?" Realization struck, and Dawn nodded in understanding, "Oh. Ohhhh..." She wrinkled her nose in puzzlement, "So why...? I thought it was Buffy's turn."
"It is. It was," Willow said, her smile broadening.
Dawn's jaw suddenly dropped open. "Oh. My. God. You seduced my sister."
"I wouldn't say 'seduce'..." Willow said defensively.
"Hey!" Buffy said cheerfully as she stepped in. "'Morning, all!"
Willow smiled and waved, "Hi, Buffy."
The Slayer pulled the redhead into a hug and turned to hug Dawn, who scrambled to her feet and said, "Uh,yknow,Igottagotoschoolnow.Bye!"
Buffy frowned, "Dawnie?" She turned to Willow, "What was that all about?"
"Uhh..." Willow bit her lip, "I kinda hinted to her about last night."
"Oh," Buffy said, "I guess... she doesn't..."
"Hey, it's okay," Willow said, pulling her into another hug. "She just needs to adjust. You kinda freaked too when you found out about Tara, remember?"
"Yeah, you're right," Buffy smiled. "I guess I'm over _that_, though, don't you think?"
"_Way_ over," Willow smiled back, leaning in to kiss the blonde Slayer.
* * *
Tara tried to calm herself but found the task a little beyond her.
Why hadn't they invited her? This whole arrangement had been her idea, after all. This was manifestly unfair! She should...!
*No,* she thought when she saw her eyes flash dark in the mirror. She closed them and steadied her breathing, *Calm down. Mustn't... lose control.*
* * *
Xander juggled the grocery bags and fumbled for his keys.
"Damn it!" he swore when they tumbled to the ground at his feet.
He considered his options. He could put the groceries down and get his keys... but that would defeat the purpose of balancing all these bags and bringing it in one go in the first place. He could try to balance the groceries and get it... but that came with a sizeable risk of dropping them all. Or he could try ringing the doorbell.
He twisted around and prodded the doorbell button with his nose... but his nose pressed flat, and the stiff button stubbornly refused to depress.
So he kicked the door. There was probably someone within earshot and he _refused_ to put these groceries down until he was in the kitchen.
His face brightened when he heard footsteps approach from inside the house, but when the door opened to reveal Amy, his good humor faded a little.
He was no Sherlock Holmes, but he didn't have to be to figure out what Amy -- or, rather, Amy's mom (*And may I just say 'eww' to that?* he thought) -- had done to him while he was unconscious.
"Hey."
"Hi, Xander." She beamed at him, "Need a hand?"
"Sure," he said. "Thanks, Aims."
"No problem," she said, taking some of the load from him and carrying it to the kitchen, Xander a step behind her.
"So, how've you been?" he asked. "I see you haven't locked yourself back up again."
Amy blushed as they began sorting through the groceries, "I'm doing fine. Getting better. Thanks for asking."
"Good to hear."
"Although..." she added thoughtfully, "...it's a bit hard to get any sleep with what you and your harem do every night, though."
His jaw dropped, and he squeaked out, "_What_?"
"Just kidding!" she admitted with a mischievous grin.
He mock scowled, "Amy, I got enough of that from the work crew even _before_ we wound up in this weird setup. Don't you start." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and added, "Unless, of course, you'd like to join my little 'harem'?"
Amy flushed and snapped, "You wish!" She spun on her heel and stormed off angrily.
He blinked in surprise, "What'd I say? It was just a _joke_, jeez."
Shaking his head, he put away the groceries and headed to Willow's room, where he would be staying for the next week. He blinked in surprise when the door swung open ahead of him.
"Buffy?"
The blonde Slayer was grinning stupidly and said, "Ah, hi, Xander. I was... just leaving. Willow's really looking forward to tonight."
*Okay...* he thought, *sweaty... stupid grin... the smell of... ohmygod, she just got laid -- with Willow -- and I wasn't there. I guess they _really_ enjoyed last night.*
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Things are just getting more and more complicated...
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say R.
Spoilers: Up to Normal Again.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Sequel to Dancing Around Love. The Scooby Gang comes to grips with the recent events and deals with the Trio.
Author's Note: B/W/T/X, along with hints of X/Amy.
* * *
Buffy let out a sigh and began tracing random patterns on Xander's chest.
He looked down at the blonde and frowned. That sigh wasn't quite one of contentment. "What is it, Buffy?"
"Hmm?" she blinked at him in surprise. "What's what?"
"What's bothering you, Buff?"
She shook her head, "It's nothing."
He looked at her skeptically but let it pass. He wasn't going to press the issue. "All right. Just remember, you can talk to me. If there's anything I can do to help..." he left the statement unfinished.
"Well..." she said, her face twisting into an impish grin, "there _is_ something you can do to make me feel better."
"What?"
"Ravish me, Xander," she said, putting as much excessive melodrama in her voice as she could. "Have your wicked way with this poor helpless little waif."
Playing along, Xander tried to turn his goofy grin into a more sinister smile, but his genuine amusement proved too great an obstacle for his limited acting skills to overcome. "Gladly, my sweet."
* * *
"Amy?" Willow called into the bathroom. "Are you all right?"
The other witch opened the door and said shakily, "I'm... not feeling too good. I think I just threw up everything since last year's Thanksgiving dinner."
Ever since Amy had come to their rescue last week, she had been getting better at dealing with her ordeals as a rat and possessed host, but she'd also been getting quite ill.
Willow smiled sympathetically and asked, "Feel up to some breakfast?"
"Uhm..." Amy paused. "Maybe."
* * *
Yawning, Xander trotted sleepily into the kitchen.
With the workout Buffy had just given him, he was _really_ glad he didn't have to work Sundays.
He blinked at the two people who were sitting at the table and staring at him.
"'Morning," he said with a wave. "How you feeling, Aims?"
"Uh, Xander...?" Willow said, pointing. Amy was still frozen in shock, her face beet red.
He looked down and found to his embarrassment that his bathrobe was hanging open, giving the two women a clear view of his "assets." He quickly gathered the robe around him and coughed, "Ahem. Right. Thanks, Wills."
Doing his best to be nonchalant, he headed to the fridge and grabbed a box of Eggos from the freezer. Setting the waffles in the toaster, he leaned on the counter and said, "So, again, how are you feeling, Amy?"
"Um, better," she said, somewhat distracted. "Still a little nauseous, but I'll be okay." She coughed, "Um... I think I could use a little air..." That said, she got up and stumbled out.
Xander looked at her strangely, "She's acting kinda weird."
"I'll go talk to her," Willow said in a rush, getting up and following.
He blinked, then shrugged as he heard the toaster ding, signaling that his waffles were ready.
* * *
"Amy."
She whirled, "Willow! What is it?"
"You tell me," the redhead said.
Amy's face colored, "Well, i-it's just... that's the first time I saw a... and I remember when I cast that love spell for him... are they _all_ that big?"
Willow felt her cheeks burn and thought back to Oz. "Well, ye-..." she froze. Wait. Xander wasn't... "No. No, they're not," she said distantly, her eyes glazing over.
She really regretted missing her night with Xander and Tara to go after the geeks.
Maybe she should have paid more attention to that when Amy's mom had kidnapped him...
* * *
"Hey, Buffy?"
"Willow, hey," the Slayer replied. "What's up?"
"I-I just... wanted to ask you something."
"Could you make it quick?" Buffy requested. "Xander's gonna be here any minute."
"That's... sorta what I wanted to ask about."
Buffy's face darkened, "He's mine this week, Willow."
"I know that!" the redhead said defensively. "I just... I was wondering if... maybe... I could join in?"
Buffy stared. "Excuse me. What?"
"I want to join in tonight."
"Oh," she blinked. "Why?"
"Well," Willow said, "two reasons. I missed my turn with him and Tara when that demon drugged me. I've known him longer than anyone who isn't blood-related, and I _still_ haven't... well... y'know... with him yet. It's not fair."
Buffy bit her lip, "Oh. I-I just... I dunno..."
"What's wrong?"
"Well... it's just...," Buffy sighed, "you and Xander... you've got something with him I can't begin to match. It bothers me sometimes."
"Oh, Buffy, don't think that," Willow said. "He loves you; you know that. I love you too."
Buffy recoiled at that, and Willow said hurriedly, "No, no! Not like _that_!" She paused, "Well... mostly not."
"Uh, right..." Buffy tried desperately to keep from panicking. She wasn't a homophobe. She wasn't! But she didn't swing that way, either.
*This isn't working,* Willow concluded. *I've wigged her out.*
She decided to try a more direct approach.
She kissed her.
* * *
Willow stirred her coffee absently, her mind on other things. She had gotten Buffy to loosen up and... experiment.
There were _good_ things to be said about the direct approach.
She still hadn't gone all the way with Xander, though. She was saving that for tonight, when she'd have him all to herself...
"'Morning!" she chirped as Dawn entered the kitchen.
"'Morning," Dawn replied with a yawn. She took a closer look at Willow and asked, "Where'd you get that shirt?"
"Huh?" Willow looked down at the oversized shirt which was the only article of clothing she was wearing, then smiled. "It's Xander's. I, uh, kinda got it from him a few years back."
"He gave you one of his shirts?" Dawn asked, genuinely puzzled.
Willow felt her face turn scarlet, "Actually... no. Um, remember that love spell he cast that one Valentine's?"
"Yeah?" Realization struck, and Dawn nodded in understanding, "Oh. Ohhhh..." She wrinkled her nose in puzzlement, "So why...? I thought it was Buffy's turn."
"It is. It was," Willow said, her smile broadening.
Dawn's jaw suddenly dropped open. "Oh. My. God. You seduced my sister."
"I wouldn't say 'seduce'..." Willow said defensively.
"Hey!" Buffy said cheerfully as she stepped in. "'Morning, all!"
Willow smiled and waved, "Hi, Buffy."
The Slayer pulled the redhead into a hug and turned to hug Dawn, who scrambled to her feet and said, "Uh,yknow,Igottagotoschoolnow.Bye!"
Buffy frowned, "Dawnie?" She turned to Willow, "What was that all about?"
"Uhh..." Willow bit her lip, "I kinda hinted to her about last night."
"Oh," Buffy said, "I guess... she doesn't..."
"Hey, it's okay," Willow said, pulling her into another hug. "She just needs to adjust. You kinda freaked too when you found out about Tara, remember?"
"Yeah, you're right," Buffy smiled. "I guess I'm over _that_, though, don't you think?"
"_Way_ over," Willow smiled back, leaning in to kiss the blonde Slayer.
* * *
Tara tried to calm herself but found the task a little beyond her.
Why hadn't they invited her? This whole arrangement had been her idea, after all. This was manifestly unfair! She should...!
*No,* she thought when she saw her eyes flash dark in the mirror. She closed them and steadied her breathing, *Calm down. Mustn't... lose control.*
* * *
Xander juggled the grocery bags and fumbled for his keys.
"Damn it!" he swore when they tumbled to the ground at his feet.
He considered his options. He could put the groceries down and get his keys... but that would defeat the purpose of balancing all these bags and bringing it in one go in the first place. He could try to balance the groceries and get it... but that came with a sizeable risk of dropping them all. Or he could try ringing the doorbell.
He twisted around and prodded the doorbell button with his nose... but his nose pressed flat, and the stiff button stubbornly refused to depress.
So he kicked the door. There was probably someone within earshot and he _refused_ to put these groceries down until he was in the kitchen.
His face brightened when he heard footsteps approach from inside the house, but when the door opened to reveal Amy, his good humor faded a little.
He was no Sherlock Holmes, but he didn't have to be to figure out what Amy -- or, rather, Amy's mom (*And may I just say 'eww' to that?* he thought) -- had done to him while he was unconscious.
"Hey."
"Hi, Xander." She beamed at him, "Need a hand?"
"Sure," he said. "Thanks, Aims."
"No problem," she said, taking some of the load from him and carrying it to the kitchen, Xander a step behind her.
"So, how've you been?" he asked. "I see you haven't locked yourself back up again."
Amy blushed as they began sorting through the groceries, "I'm doing fine. Getting better. Thanks for asking."
"Good to hear."
"Although..." she added thoughtfully, "...it's a bit hard to get any sleep with what you and your harem do every night, though."
His jaw dropped, and he squeaked out, "_What_?"
"Just kidding!" she admitted with a mischievous grin.
He mock scowled, "Amy, I got enough of that from the work crew even _before_ we wound up in this weird setup. Don't you start." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and added, "Unless, of course, you'd like to join my little 'harem'?"
Amy flushed and snapped, "You wish!" She spun on her heel and stormed off angrily.
He blinked in surprise, "What'd I say? It was just a _joke_, jeez."
Shaking his head, he put away the groceries and headed to Willow's room, where he would be staying for the next week. He blinked in surprise when the door swung open ahead of him.
"Buffy?"
The blonde Slayer was grinning stupidly and said, "Ah, hi, Xander. I was... just leaving. Willow's really looking forward to tonight."
*Okay...* he thought, *sweaty... stupid grin... the smell of... ohmygod, she just got laid -- with Willow -- and I wasn't there. I guess they _really_ enjoyed last night.*
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Things are just getting more and more complicated...