Kennedy was still lying on the couch. She had heard Buffy and Spike come back around three. Xander, Andrew, Anya, and Dawn had all come back at around five. Giles was still on his outing with the other potentials.
It had been a long night. She hadn't really slept much. It had taken all of her restraint just to keep herself downstairs. She had said she would wait for Willow. Wait until the end of time if she had to, but the waiting was going to be harder than she had anticipated.
Not being able to touch the woman was going to be difficult. Just being around her and inhaling her wonderful scent would be intoxicating. Just the thought of the beautiful red head sent shivers up and down her spine. It made her breath catch in her throat. It was going to be a very difficult time. But the woman was definitely worth it.
She had never met anyone like Willow. She was weak and strong at the same time. She was definitely smart and had an interesting sense of humor. And her beauty wasn't just on the surface. Her heart was what made her beautiful. And now, that heart was scarred for life because of the loss of Tara. It was so unfair. Why had she been hurt so badly. It seemed that all she cared about was making others happy and fighting the good fight.
She sighed heavily as she looked at the clock. It was going on seven. That meant that she had pretty much gotten zero sleep. Just still too much going through her mind. What was it that she had done. Willow said that she had done something for her. That it was basically a gift. What exactly had she done?
It finally hit her. She sat straight up on the couch. What she had done was made Willow realize that she hadn't really been living. That she had been holding on to the pain surrounding Tara's death and the aftermath. Kennedy realized that she would always be in love with Tara. There was no question that Willow loved her more than ever. And she should always keep her in her heart. But that was the gift that Kennedy had given her. She had made her realize that she could hold on to Tara, but let go of all the pain and hate that also surrounded her death.
She smiled to herself. She had just wanted to get to know the witch. And yes, spend a little one on one time with her. She hadn't realized that by doing that, she had opened up Willow's eyes to the world she was missing out on. And maybe, just maybe, the two of them could have a chance. But only if she herself kept in mind that Willow would always love Tara and Tara would always be in her heart. The blonde witch was a part of her. And always would be. There was no changing that.
Slowly, she stretched. Her first thought was to go upstairs and see how Willow was doing. But she might still be asleep. It was best if she let the woman alone. Willow would come to her when she was ready. That was such a big change for Kennedy. Usually, she would pursue the other woman at any cost. She would not take no for an answer. That meant something. That meant that this woman could very well be the woman she had been looking for all this time. Granted, she was still young, but if the right woman was there, she'd be stupid not to try and forge a relationship with her.
She was about to get up and make herself some coffee, when she heard soft steps coming down the stairs. She saw a radiant looking red headed witch coming down the stairs. Her smile was huge. "Morning."
The voice was almost chipper. Kennedy stared for a moment. It took a while for her to find her voice. "Morning." That was all she could say. She hadn't expected that Willow would be looking this good. She had assumed that she would still be having a hard time. And maybe she was. Maybe this was to coverup how she was really feeling. "You seem to be in a good mood this morning."
The red head smiled even larger. "I had a really good night. I'll tell you some time about it, if you want." Kennedy's eyes widened as the witch slowly came at her. From her body language, the potential slayer would have sworn that she was going to kiss her. Her eyes widened even more as the red head did indeed swoop in for a kiss. "Now that's the way to say morning."
Kennedy stared at the other woman. She couldn't believe what was going on. Was she really asleep and dreaming all of this? That was one possibility. Or maybe the red head was trying too hard. Maybe she was trying to prove something. She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. She realized she hadn't said anything and looked at the witch. Her eyes had a hurt look in them. "Sorry, I do agree. It's just..."
She watched the red head take her hand. It sent a thousand messages going throughout her body. No one's simple touch had ever affected her like this. It was so unreal. "You think that I'm not dealing with what happened. You think that I'm blocking. I'm here to tell you, that's just not true. I think you need to hear what happened last night. I think you need to hear everything that has happened."
Kennedy looked at her curiously. "Something else happened? After you went to bed?" The red head nodded, smiling ever so brightly at her. "You saw her again, didn't you?" There was a realization dawning on her. That would be the reason that the red head was in such a good mood. That would be why she was happy. Not because she was happy to see her. But what about the kiss?
"Uh-huh." Willow smiled. "And it was just what I needed. And again, I have you to thank for that. Tara explained that I needed something to give me a push. Something that would allow me to heal. That something was you."
Kennedy straightened. But than she smiled. "You're not saying that you're ready to move on, are you? It's only been a night since you went all guy on me. That's not a whole lot of time to sort through things. I'm not even sure what's going on."
She felt Willow pull her closer. "Listen, I'm not saying that I'm ready for a physical relationship, not yet. But I want to start to get to know you. I want to know you. Let's face it, we still have a lot to learn about each other. And we still have to face this big baddie. But it will be an interesting ride."
Kennedy smiled. She was ready. She had never been one for a committed relationship. But Willow was definitely different. And she was definitely worth the time. Only time would tell if they were truly meant for one another. But she was definitely looking forward to the journey. Bad guys and all.