Good evening, All,
Well, concussion and Percoset and all, I managed to eek out a chapter. Thanks to a wonderful team of betas, I'm bringing it to you, gentle reader, just in the nick of time.
For you Spuffy diehards, of which I am admittedly one, this has some yummy lovin' and a little tenderness. I hope it was worth the wait.
Provided I decide to avoid tripping over my own appendages and striking large porcelain objects with my head in the next week, I hope to have the next chapter out a week from today.
Thanks for your patience, and, as always, let me know what you think!
*Cheery Vibes*, Nimue
~~~~~
Title: Coming Home (Chapter Four of Meant to Be)
Author: Nimue
Rating: PG -13 (some insinuated adult scenes, but no worse than on the show:))
Pairing Buffy/Spike. Most major characters included.
Feedback: Yes, please
For instant notification of fic releases, straight to your mailbox, please visit Always_Everyday@yahoogroups.com
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, Fox... Just Borrowing. (With, of course, the exception of Emma and William, who belong to Buffy and Spike)
Summary: Emma sneaks out of her uncle's care and makes a wish to her other family. Buffy and Spike, unaware of their daughter's journey, reap the benefits.
Coming Home
She waited until the lights were out in the hall. River and Will were long since asleep tucked between Xander and Takina in the master bedroom. There was no more shuffling. No more rumble of pipes. Not even a mouse.
Emma sat up quietly, pulling the blankets on the small bed to her ankles. She was a big girl now and got to sleep in the guest room sometimes. Mostly, she liked it. But sometimes, she wanted to be the one curled up in the big bed. An involuntary sigh escaped her lips. Growing up.
The little girl swung her legs over the side of the bed, her flannel nightgown almost brushing her ankles as she hit the floor in utter silence. She had told Uncle Xander that she liked the breeze and asked him to keep the window open for her. He'd always been a little gullible, she thought, as she crept towards the opening. She made her way over the frame and out onto the flat part of the roof beneath the guest room window.
At first, she thought the sound of a shingle loosening under her feet was about as loud as an atomic blast as she climbed the pitch to the highest point. But there wasn't a movement in the house below. Either they slept like daddy, she thought, or it wasn't really all that loud.
Finally, the summit. She pulled herself carefully up to the apex of the roof, pressed her back against the chimney for balance and looked up at the sky. The moon was the Maiden. A perfect crescent, shining in the sky. Beckoning to her. Welcoming her. Emma closed her eyes and memories she didn't remember having flashed through her mind. Horses. Long dresses. Daggers and swords. Fighting. Always fighting. But when your eternal mission is Peace, there must be conflict everywhere you go.
"Take me home," she whispered to the sky, her eyes squeezed shut and her hands reaching up toward the Heavens like a toddler waiting to be picked up. "Home," she repeated. ~~~~~
"You're so beautiful," he whispered, letting his fingers slip inside hers. She smiled up at him, her eyes shining in the pale light of the moon.
"Bet you say that to all the girls," Buffy answered, her hand reaching up to touch his handsome face.
"Only my girls," Spike answered, lowering to plant a soft kiss on her nose. "And one or two down at the Bronze. Right crop of stunning coeds this year, Pet," he snarked, cringing even before the gentle palm on his cheek whipped away and cracked back at him. But her giggles underneath him told him she knew it wasn't true. His chuckle confirmed it.
"No one as beautiful as you," he whispered again, his lips pressing softly to hers, tasting the sugared nectar of her mouth. Drinking her in. Feeling her nude body captured underneath of him, making his body hot again, wanting more. Always wanting more of her.
"I love you," Buffy said quietly as their lips parted. "No matter what happens, I'm always proud of you. Always glad for you."
His heart nearly burst out of his chest as the long forgotten Victorian poet inside of him jumped for joy. This was the moment. This was what he lived for. Those tiny fragments of time when everything is perfect. When Emma first fell asleep in his arms. When William wrapped his little arms around his father's neck and pressed their cheeks together.
And when Buffy looked at him like that. When she said she loved him. She needed him. She was *proud* of him.
"Mind if we skip another go on that contraption, Love?" Spike asked, nodding towards a black nylon swing that was hanging from a pull up bar against the wall.
She quirked her eyebrows and pouted. "No more swing? No . no more yummy research?"
Again, his lips met hers and he tensed his body against her hot skin. "Always more, Pet. Much as you want. Just... I want.I."
A small smile broke across her face. Those occasional moments of shyness in her love were nearly as endearing as his vast physical abilities and near perfect fathering skills. His endless blue gaze stared down at her, wanting her to understand. Wanting her to say it. Say it, Buffy.
"Make love to me, William," she whispered, arching underneath him, kissing his lips as softly as butterfly wings. "Make love to me." ~~~~~
When she opened her eyes, all she could see was a beautiful misty white. Looking closer, she could see all of the colours imaginable swirling in that mist. Reflecting from one spot to another. A beautiful spectrum of time and place and light.
Home.
Emma smiled as she walked the lighted stepping stones along the familiar path. The world was smaller now. No, she thought, stretching her arms out in front of her, she was larger. The Peacemaker in her true form. Lithe, young woman, strong and mighty and beautiful. The way she was meant to be.
The door lie ahead of her and she ran at it like her Earth-self might have. Like an over-enthusiastic child greeting her daddy at the door. She loved her life below. But it was just this one life. This one duty. *This* is the place she would come back to. This is the place that, once her parents down below had finished their missions, she would bring them back to. The place among the Gods. The Kings and the Queens. And they would take their rightful thrones.
One day. When they were done.
Emma pushed the door open gently, and then genuflected before even looking ahead. Her Mistress sometimes stood on ceremony. But not this time. Not this visit.
"Peac. Emma," the Queen announced, delighted to see her daughter. "Come to me, child. Don't waste your time on such gestures."
Slowly, Emma looked up to see the beauty of the Queen of the Sky. The radiant, perfect woman. Long and lean, golden locks cascading down her shoulders. Huge, reflecting eyes filled with compassion and love. Love of the World. Love of the Universe. Love of her emissary. Emma smiled. She had missed this place.
"Your highness," Emma answered, barely concealing a smile as she stood and stepped carefully towards the throne. The Queen was standing now, a smile as bright as the sun across her pale, perfect skin.
She was.effulgent.
"What brings you here, my sweet?" The Queen asked, taking Emma's hands and pulling the girl into an embrace that made her feel almost as safe as her father's down below. A sweet, kind, loving feeling. Like coming home again.
Emma smiled again and took a step back. "It is not for me, My Lady. Nor is it for my Mission."
The Queen quirked an eyebrow and her smile faded to concern. "Is everything all right with your Earth family? Is there something you need from us?"
Just as she said the word 'us', her handsome King walked through the mist behind the throne and glided up next to his mate, planting a kiss on her cheek and wrapping one strong arm around her. He leaned forward, kissing Emma's nose and touching her hair. "As beautiful as always," he whispered to her in his best paternal tone, smiling. "Nearly as beautiful as my Queen."
Emma blushed. "Never, my Lord."
"We created your physical form," the Queen corrected, smiling again. "So, suffice it to say that we think we did quite well."
Emma's blushed deepened. "Thank you," she answered, nodding politely.
"Now about your visit," The Queen said, backing towards the throne, Emma's hands still in hers. "Tell me why you came back so suddenly. If it is not the Mission and not your family below."
The King and Queen sat in their golden thrones and Emma slid gracefully onto a pale blue velvet pillow at their feet, pulling what was once her little girl flannel nightgown, and was now a flowing dress of white silk, under her legs. "It is," Emma stuttered. "Well, it's . it's complicated, my Lady."
The King raised an eyebrow. "I've never known you to be at a loss for words, Emma. We will not judge you. Say it."
Emma looked from Queen to King and back again. "It is not part of the Mission. Not part of our Destiny."
"Oh?" The King asked, an amused lilt in his voice. "Sounds interesting enough."
"Earthly desire?" The Queen answered, her voice carefully neutral.
Emma nodded slightly. "Yes, My Lady."
The King sighed. "We created a utopia for them down there. Gave them everything they needed to live like kings. But yet they are always wanting.."
"It's not *like* that," Emma pleaded. "I mean, they never asked."
"You come voicing their wants for them?" The Queen answered, a little annoyed. The flushed, desperate look on her child's face made her soften. "What is it that they want, my sweet?"
"They never said anything," Emma repeated, looking down at her knees. "But I know they want it. And for what they do, what they will do, for Humanity, it seems a small price to pay."
"Well," the King said, his tone more jovial now. "Out with it."
Emma looked up, dewy eyes staring at her Mistress and Master. "Lady. Lord. They would like another child."
The Queen laughed at first, then slowly chuckled her way back to a more serious tone. "And here you had me thinking that this was some crisis of faith in the One. Some cosmic confluence that would interrupt their duty. Yours. But another child? For Stars sake, why? We gave them you. We even gave them back William. "
Emma sighed, looking down again. "Because they miss us when we were smaller. Mum, I mean the Slayer. you can feel her emptiness. That feeling like your body, your soul, is missing a piece. And Spike. he won't admit it, but he wants that too. He loves us. He loves us so much, my Lady. But they have more to give."
The Queen sighed. The King chuckled, watching the Queen's resolve break for her favourite emissary. Her child, of sorts. "Are they good parents, Emma? Not do they feed and clothe you and teach you and protect you, but..."
"They love us. All the time, we know they love us. Always. " Emma smiled to herself as her father's words ran through her mind. 'Everyday', she could hear him say. To her. To her mum. To Will.
Another dramatic sigh escaped the Queen's pouty lips. "Do they have a choice of whom?"
Emma thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I mean, I know the Slayer misses her mum. But I mean. I didn't ask."
"You've got time," the King answered. He looked over at his Queen. "They are equipped to take care of more."
"I don't remember asking you for your opinion," the Queen snapped, and then grinned. It was fun exercising her power when she could. The King grinned back at her, loving that powerful streak in his chosen partner. The Queen then looked down at Emma. "Do *you* want this? Will this interrupt your Duty?"
Emma shook her head vehemently. "No, My Lady. They didn't love me any less when Will came. They didn't protect me less. If anything, it was more."
One last long sigh from the Queen. "Very well." Her hand raised in the air. "But don't come back in a few years asking for another. We don't need an army. " She paused, thinking. "Well, we do. But we also need the One in fighting form. We have time yet before then. Time."
"Yes, My Lady." Emma answered smiling.
"Now, come tell us about your life," the King said, standing, helping his Queen and Emma to her feet. "I always love the crude tales of Humanity."
~~~~~~
Her eyes were caught in his. Blue mixing with green as they slowly moved. Danced. It was always a dance. It started as a heavy metal mosh pit and was now the most elegant waltz the world had ever seen.
"Love," Spike whispered, his eyes closing as he felt his body become one with hers in every way. Mind, spirit, heart, soul, body. Felt her around him, beneath him. One. One.
"William," she whispered back, sliding her eyes closed as well, letting their minds mingle as their bodies moved on their own. "I love you, always."
"Everyday, Pet," he whispered, finding her mouth instinctively with his.
It was warm. Different. Like a white light wrapped around them and it was as white as day. Their minds wove through their spirits and their hearts burst with joy. Everything about them became fast and slow, light and heavy and perfect and perfect and perfect.
They'd never felt it before. Maybe because they'd never. they'd never paid attention. But both of them did this time. Their eyes shot open as their bodies exploded and their hearts bled warmth into each other. That second when life occurs. That tingle. That blessing. That one moment in time when it all comes together and the World is suddenly only what is happening inside of you.
She stared at him in awe and wonder, feeling it. That void being erased. That empty spot in their lives suddenly becoming full again. His head tilted, wondering if she knew as well. A fragile, tentative smile broke on her face and his arms relaxed, settling down onto her, resting his head against her chest.
Buffy stroked his hair, feeling whole, content, amazed. Her heart thudded under his ear like a drum. Spike put his hand over it, just to feel the rhythm of its race.
It took a long time for either of them to speak.
"Did you feel...?" Buffy stuttered.
Spike slid down her body, resting his head on her flat stomach. "I did, Pet."
"Do you think.?" She asked, her voice wavering between fear and excitement.
Slowly, he looked up at her, tousled hair and sparkling blue eyes. "No, Pet," he answered quietly.
Her face dropped, her heart slowing for a moment. Watching the disappointment wrap around her like a blanket, he decided this wasn't the best time to play word games. He crawled up the length of her body and stretched out next to her, pulling her small, nude body into his arms. "I know."
Suddenly, her face brightened. "You know? What, could you hear something?"
He shook his head. "Too early for that, really. But I know all the same."
Buffy thought about that for a moment, remembering that. indescribable feeling. "Yeah," she whispered, nuzzling his cheek softly. "I know."
To be contd.
Well, concussion and Percoset and all, I managed to eek out a chapter. Thanks to a wonderful team of betas, I'm bringing it to you, gentle reader, just in the nick of time.
For you Spuffy diehards, of which I am admittedly one, this has some yummy lovin' and a little tenderness. I hope it was worth the wait.
Provided I decide to avoid tripping over my own appendages and striking large porcelain objects with my head in the next week, I hope to have the next chapter out a week from today.
Thanks for your patience, and, as always, let me know what you think!
*Cheery Vibes*, Nimue
~~~~~
Title: Coming Home (Chapter Four of Meant to Be)
Author: Nimue
Rating: PG -13 (some insinuated adult scenes, but no worse than on the show:))
Pairing Buffy/Spike. Most major characters included.
Feedback: Yes, please
For instant notification of fic releases, straight to your mailbox, please visit Always_Everyday@yahoogroups.com
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, Fox... Just Borrowing. (With, of course, the exception of Emma and William, who belong to Buffy and Spike)
Summary: Emma sneaks out of her uncle's care and makes a wish to her other family. Buffy and Spike, unaware of their daughter's journey, reap the benefits.
Coming Home
She waited until the lights were out in the hall. River and Will were long since asleep tucked between Xander and Takina in the master bedroom. There was no more shuffling. No more rumble of pipes. Not even a mouse.
Emma sat up quietly, pulling the blankets on the small bed to her ankles. She was a big girl now and got to sleep in the guest room sometimes. Mostly, she liked it. But sometimes, she wanted to be the one curled up in the big bed. An involuntary sigh escaped her lips. Growing up.
The little girl swung her legs over the side of the bed, her flannel nightgown almost brushing her ankles as she hit the floor in utter silence. She had told Uncle Xander that she liked the breeze and asked him to keep the window open for her. He'd always been a little gullible, she thought, as she crept towards the opening. She made her way over the frame and out onto the flat part of the roof beneath the guest room window.
At first, she thought the sound of a shingle loosening under her feet was about as loud as an atomic blast as she climbed the pitch to the highest point. But there wasn't a movement in the house below. Either they slept like daddy, she thought, or it wasn't really all that loud.
Finally, the summit. She pulled herself carefully up to the apex of the roof, pressed her back against the chimney for balance and looked up at the sky. The moon was the Maiden. A perfect crescent, shining in the sky. Beckoning to her. Welcoming her. Emma closed her eyes and memories she didn't remember having flashed through her mind. Horses. Long dresses. Daggers and swords. Fighting. Always fighting. But when your eternal mission is Peace, there must be conflict everywhere you go.
"Take me home," she whispered to the sky, her eyes squeezed shut and her hands reaching up toward the Heavens like a toddler waiting to be picked up. "Home," she repeated. ~~~~~
"You're so beautiful," he whispered, letting his fingers slip inside hers. She smiled up at him, her eyes shining in the pale light of the moon.
"Bet you say that to all the girls," Buffy answered, her hand reaching up to touch his handsome face.
"Only my girls," Spike answered, lowering to plant a soft kiss on her nose. "And one or two down at the Bronze. Right crop of stunning coeds this year, Pet," he snarked, cringing even before the gentle palm on his cheek whipped away and cracked back at him. But her giggles underneath him told him she knew it wasn't true. His chuckle confirmed it.
"No one as beautiful as you," he whispered again, his lips pressing softly to hers, tasting the sugared nectar of her mouth. Drinking her in. Feeling her nude body captured underneath of him, making his body hot again, wanting more. Always wanting more of her.
"I love you," Buffy said quietly as their lips parted. "No matter what happens, I'm always proud of you. Always glad for you."
His heart nearly burst out of his chest as the long forgotten Victorian poet inside of him jumped for joy. This was the moment. This was what he lived for. Those tiny fragments of time when everything is perfect. When Emma first fell asleep in his arms. When William wrapped his little arms around his father's neck and pressed their cheeks together.
And when Buffy looked at him like that. When she said she loved him. She needed him. She was *proud* of him.
"Mind if we skip another go on that contraption, Love?" Spike asked, nodding towards a black nylon swing that was hanging from a pull up bar against the wall.
She quirked her eyebrows and pouted. "No more swing? No . no more yummy research?"
Again, his lips met hers and he tensed his body against her hot skin. "Always more, Pet. Much as you want. Just... I want.I."
A small smile broke across her face. Those occasional moments of shyness in her love were nearly as endearing as his vast physical abilities and near perfect fathering skills. His endless blue gaze stared down at her, wanting her to understand. Wanting her to say it. Say it, Buffy.
"Make love to me, William," she whispered, arching underneath him, kissing his lips as softly as butterfly wings. "Make love to me." ~~~~~
When she opened her eyes, all she could see was a beautiful misty white. Looking closer, she could see all of the colours imaginable swirling in that mist. Reflecting from one spot to another. A beautiful spectrum of time and place and light.
Home.
Emma smiled as she walked the lighted stepping stones along the familiar path. The world was smaller now. No, she thought, stretching her arms out in front of her, she was larger. The Peacemaker in her true form. Lithe, young woman, strong and mighty and beautiful. The way she was meant to be.
The door lie ahead of her and she ran at it like her Earth-self might have. Like an over-enthusiastic child greeting her daddy at the door. She loved her life below. But it was just this one life. This one duty. *This* is the place she would come back to. This is the place that, once her parents down below had finished their missions, she would bring them back to. The place among the Gods. The Kings and the Queens. And they would take their rightful thrones.
One day. When they were done.
Emma pushed the door open gently, and then genuflected before even looking ahead. Her Mistress sometimes stood on ceremony. But not this time. Not this visit.
"Peac. Emma," the Queen announced, delighted to see her daughter. "Come to me, child. Don't waste your time on such gestures."
Slowly, Emma looked up to see the beauty of the Queen of the Sky. The radiant, perfect woman. Long and lean, golden locks cascading down her shoulders. Huge, reflecting eyes filled with compassion and love. Love of the World. Love of the Universe. Love of her emissary. Emma smiled. She had missed this place.
"Your highness," Emma answered, barely concealing a smile as she stood and stepped carefully towards the throne. The Queen was standing now, a smile as bright as the sun across her pale, perfect skin.
She was.effulgent.
"What brings you here, my sweet?" The Queen asked, taking Emma's hands and pulling the girl into an embrace that made her feel almost as safe as her father's down below. A sweet, kind, loving feeling. Like coming home again.
Emma smiled again and took a step back. "It is not for me, My Lady. Nor is it for my Mission."
The Queen quirked an eyebrow and her smile faded to concern. "Is everything all right with your Earth family? Is there something you need from us?"
Just as she said the word 'us', her handsome King walked through the mist behind the throne and glided up next to his mate, planting a kiss on her cheek and wrapping one strong arm around her. He leaned forward, kissing Emma's nose and touching her hair. "As beautiful as always," he whispered to her in his best paternal tone, smiling. "Nearly as beautiful as my Queen."
Emma blushed. "Never, my Lord."
"We created your physical form," the Queen corrected, smiling again. "So, suffice it to say that we think we did quite well."
Emma's blushed deepened. "Thank you," she answered, nodding politely.
"Now about your visit," The Queen said, backing towards the throne, Emma's hands still in hers. "Tell me why you came back so suddenly. If it is not the Mission and not your family below."
The King and Queen sat in their golden thrones and Emma slid gracefully onto a pale blue velvet pillow at their feet, pulling what was once her little girl flannel nightgown, and was now a flowing dress of white silk, under her legs. "It is," Emma stuttered. "Well, it's . it's complicated, my Lady."
The King raised an eyebrow. "I've never known you to be at a loss for words, Emma. We will not judge you. Say it."
Emma looked from Queen to King and back again. "It is not part of the Mission. Not part of our Destiny."
"Oh?" The King asked, an amused lilt in his voice. "Sounds interesting enough."
"Earthly desire?" The Queen answered, her voice carefully neutral.
Emma nodded slightly. "Yes, My Lady."
The King sighed. "We created a utopia for them down there. Gave them everything they needed to live like kings. But yet they are always wanting.."
"It's not *like* that," Emma pleaded. "I mean, they never asked."
"You come voicing their wants for them?" The Queen answered, a little annoyed. The flushed, desperate look on her child's face made her soften. "What is it that they want, my sweet?"
"They never said anything," Emma repeated, looking down at her knees. "But I know they want it. And for what they do, what they will do, for Humanity, it seems a small price to pay."
"Well," the King said, his tone more jovial now. "Out with it."
Emma looked up, dewy eyes staring at her Mistress and Master. "Lady. Lord. They would like another child."
The Queen laughed at first, then slowly chuckled her way back to a more serious tone. "And here you had me thinking that this was some crisis of faith in the One. Some cosmic confluence that would interrupt their duty. Yours. But another child? For Stars sake, why? We gave them you. We even gave them back William. "
Emma sighed, looking down again. "Because they miss us when we were smaller. Mum, I mean the Slayer. you can feel her emptiness. That feeling like your body, your soul, is missing a piece. And Spike. he won't admit it, but he wants that too. He loves us. He loves us so much, my Lady. But they have more to give."
The Queen sighed. The King chuckled, watching the Queen's resolve break for her favourite emissary. Her child, of sorts. "Are they good parents, Emma? Not do they feed and clothe you and teach you and protect you, but..."
"They love us. All the time, we know they love us. Always. " Emma smiled to herself as her father's words ran through her mind. 'Everyday', she could hear him say. To her. To her mum. To Will.
Another dramatic sigh escaped the Queen's pouty lips. "Do they have a choice of whom?"
Emma thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I mean, I know the Slayer misses her mum. But I mean. I didn't ask."
"You've got time," the King answered. He looked over at his Queen. "They are equipped to take care of more."
"I don't remember asking you for your opinion," the Queen snapped, and then grinned. It was fun exercising her power when she could. The King grinned back at her, loving that powerful streak in his chosen partner. The Queen then looked down at Emma. "Do *you* want this? Will this interrupt your Duty?"
Emma shook her head vehemently. "No, My Lady. They didn't love me any less when Will came. They didn't protect me less. If anything, it was more."
One last long sigh from the Queen. "Very well." Her hand raised in the air. "But don't come back in a few years asking for another. We don't need an army. " She paused, thinking. "Well, we do. But we also need the One in fighting form. We have time yet before then. Time."
"Yes, My Lady." Emma answered smiling.
"Now, come tell us about your life," the King said, standing, helping his Queen and Emma to her feet. "I always love the crude tales of Humanity."
~~~~~~
Her eyes were caught in his. Blue mixing with green as they slowly moved. Danced. It was always a dance. It started as a heavy metal mosh pit and was now the most elegant waltz the world had ever seen.
"Love," Spike whispered, his eyes closing as he felt his body become one with hers in every way. Mind, spirit, heart, soul, body. Felt her around him, beneath him. One. One.
"William," she whispered back, sliding her eyes closed as well, letting their minds mingle as their bodies moved on their own. "I love you, always."
"Everyday, Pet," he whispered, finding her mouth instinctively with his.
It was warm. Different. Like a white light wrapped around them and it was as white as day. Their minds wove through their spirits and their hearts burst with joy. Everything about them became fast and slow, light and heavy and perfect and perfect and perfect.
They'd never felt it before. Maybe because they'd never. they'd never paid attention. But both of them did this time. Their eyes shot open as their bodies exploded and their hearts bled warmth into each other. That second when life occurs. That tingle. That blessing. That one moment in time when it all comes together and the World is suddenly only what is happening inside of you.
She stared at him in awe and wonder, feeling it. That void being erased. That empty spot in their lives suddenly becoming full again. His head tilted, wondering if she knew as well. A fragile, tentative smile broke on her face and his arms relaxed, settling down onto her, resting his head against her chest.
Buffy stroked his hair, feeling whole, content, amazed. Her heart thudded under his ear like a drum. Spike put his hand over it, just to feel the rhythm of its race.
It took a long time for either of them to speak.
"Did you feel...?" Buffy stuttered.
Spike slid down her body, resting his head on her flat stomach. "I did, Pet."
"Do you think.?" She asked, her voice wavering between fear and excitement.
Slowly, he looked up at her, tousled hair and sparkling blue eyes. "No, Pet," he answered quietly.
Her face dropped, her heart slowing for a moment. Watching the disappointment wrap around her like a blanket, he decided this wasn't the best time to play word games. He crawled up the length of her body and stretched out next to her, pulling her small, nude body into his arms. "I know."
Suddenly, her face brightened. "You know? What, could you hear something?"
He shook his head. "Too early for that, really. But I know all the same."
Buffy thought about that for a moment, remembering that. indescribable feeling. "Yeah," she whispered, nuzzling his cheek softly. "I know."
To be contd.