Disclaimer: Okay, so I don't actually own Buffy, but who could blame me for wishing? Joss, they're yours on paper, but they're the worlds in spirit. I also don't own any of the games mentioned, or The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.
Author's Note: As of right now, I'm still writing my first fic, Not Just Oz Anymore. But after reading way too much fic, I felt like writing this. Be warned, it may not be what you're expecting if you've read my other story. I have various styles and appreciate diverse pairings. Like it or not, it's about to get a little girl-on-girl up in here.
A/N 2: I'm going to tweak things a bit, because it suits this story better. At the end of "Beauty and the Beasts" Willow is present when Angel makes his "grand" entrance. Thus, all the Scoobies, including Faith, know of Angels reappearance. Mostly the same reactions, except no one's pissed at the Buffster. Mk?
Feedback: Why not? I don't especially care. Not really expecting it either. Up to you guys.
Spoilers: Season 3, "Homecoming" will be on it's way. Chances are I may screw with everything that's happened after "Beauty and the Beasts"
Thanks to:
lil_brit_52
PhoenixJay27
Charmed Lassie
Pleasant Awakenings
The light of day shown through the windows in Buffy's room. It was around six-thirty in the morning, and the two girls entwined in bed would have school in an hour and a half. During the night, Buffy and Willow had twisted and turned rather close to each other, every now and then one would kick the other, but not hard enough to wake. At present time Buffy had one hand under the back of Willow's shirt, the other resting on the redhead's hip and a leg between her knee's. Willow in turn, was nuzzled into the crook of Buffy's neck.
Willow was the first to awaken. She was, to say the least, slightly surprised with her position next to, or rather on Buffy. After several tries of pulling away, Willow realized that even in her sleep, the slayer had a killer hold. 'Okay, plan B,' Willow thought to herself. Willow began to call out the blonde, trying to wake her, without startling the ever dangerous Buffy, "Buffy? Come on, Buff, time to get up…face the day. Carpe Deum, and whatnot," the redhead began poking her friend lightly in the side, "Buffy, get up. Now."
"How is it that I know you're doing the 'Resolve Face' with my eyes closed," asked a sleepy Buffy, now wearing the smallest of grins on her face. Willow smiled too, and poked the slayer on more time for good measure, the blonde yelped.
"Because you know me, now can get out of the death grip you have on me?" Willow questioned. Buffy opened her eyes to see just what the redhead was talking about, she was immediately mortified after doing so.
"Oh, sorry Will," she mumbled, extracting her arm from under the other girls shirt, and removing her other arm, and leg as well. Willow gave Buffy a reassuring smile.
"Don't be embarrassed," Willow said, slightly blushing herself, "I was cuddling with you before I woke up, so there's enough humiliation to go around." Buffy laughed, feeling a bit better. That is until she remembered the night before, and slumped back onto the bed. This act caused Willow to recall her own unpleasant evening, and she joined her friend in moping.
This "life sucks" feeling was still dancing about when Joyce, Buffy's mother, entered her daughter's room. "Okay girls rise and…Oh, Willow, Buffy. Come on girls, come down stairs and I'll make you both breakfast. Lot's of waffles and syrup. The things that hips are made of."
Simultaneously, the two girls shook their heads, continuing deeper into their foul moods. "Okay," Ms. Summers started again, "that's it, get your sorry buts out of bed. I will have no moping in my house. And if you keep it up, well, I'm making you go to school Buffy, and Willow, I'm making you stay here." Willow and Buffy's jaws dropped in shock, how could she do such a thing? Keep them separate, as well as keeping them from the things they loved? For Buffy this was her bed, and for Willow it was her education.
"All right," Buffy sighed, "we'll get up, but I'm not going to school." Willow got up too, not saying anything. Though, the redhead now wished to stay home as well, not at her house, at Buffy's. Buffy's house was more of a home than the Rosenberg's.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Buffy and Willow sat at the island, neither speaking. Watching as Joyce moved about, cooking them waffles, and sausage, throwing the occasional worried glance in their direction. Both girls had the teen angst down to a T. When the plates of food and the glasses of juice were placed in front of them, they began to eat. Still silent, eerily for that matter. Pouring syrup over the waffles, drowning them as much as she could, Buffy then handed the bottle to Willow, who accepted drenching her own. Joyce stared at the girls, looking from one to the other, searching for anything that may help her to break them from their melancholy.
~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~
It was nine, Joyce had left an hour ago after calling Willow's parents to tell them she was there. They weren't home, Joyce left a message, though Willow was sure that she would be the only one to hear it. Neither girl was up for school, Willow had at first planned to go, and through herself into school, but the idea of leaving Buffy alone to brood quickly changed the redhead's mind. Buffy was extremely glad that her friend had decided to stay, even if she didn't show it.
"What do you wanna do?" Willow asked from her place nest to Buffy on the couch. The blonde shrugged her shoulders. Then abruptly became a lot more determined.
"I don't want to do this," the slayer said, turning to her best friend, "I don't want to sit around here feeling sorry for myself. And I don't want you to do that either." Willow contained her smile, needing a little more information before she relented her mope-age.
"Why?" the redhead asked trying to sound very depressed. She was sad that Oz left, but after giving it some thought, she realized that everything he had said was true. Willow deserved to be happy, and so did Buffy. Now it was up to Buffy to figure that out.
Apparently, she already had, "Because this is exactly what Angel didn't want me to do. I can't get on with my life and meet someone new if I sit at home crying all day. You can't either. I may not know what I want, but I know what I don't. With me Will?"
Willow nodded her head, letting out the smile she had been holding, "Always." They were like that for a minute, Buffy standing, having gotten up during her little speech, and Willow still seated on the couch. The silence stretched out once more. Buffy's shoulder's slumped again.
"So much for invigorating talks when nothing comes from them," Buffy mumbled, sitting down next to Willow again, and resting her head on the redhead's shoulder.
"Well, it's only nine, we have the rest of the day to do something. We don't even have to do anything. We could just talk, it's been awhile since we talked," Willow said with the smallest hint of sadness.
"I'm sorry Will, but we both got pretty caught up in our lives, y'know? Dealing with Faith and Angel and…Scott," Buffy trailed off, thinking about the boy who had taken an interest in her, but she couldn't show much in return. 'Why was that?' Buffy pondered, 'He was cute, maybe a little gay, but cute. Not the best time for inner dialogue, got Willow.' Buffy snapped out of her thoughts, realizing the Willow was now talking.
"…thought you guys were doing okay. I guess Angel showing up screwed things up," it took Buffy a second to figure out what her friend was talking about, but it eventually clicked. She shook her head and let out a small laugh.
"Oh, Will, he was great and all, but…How do I say this?" Buffy asked herself out loud. Willow looked at her with curiosity, causing the blonde just to spit it out, "Scott's gayest thing since 'The Birdcage.'"
"No!" Willow gasped, covering her mouth to keep in the surge of giggle's making their way up her throat. Buffy nodded, laughter coming over her as well.
"I caught him checking out Xander so many times," Buffy managed say through her guffawing, "When I called him on it he told me I was crazy. Then Xander walked by and Scott turned to look at his ass! It was priceless. I'm thinking of setting him up with Larry."
"Oh Buffy, that's mean! How could you do that to Larry?" Willow questioned in mock-horror. This lead to more giggles which went on for several minutes.
When the laughing had stopped, Buffy had found herself with her head in Willow's lap. Neither said anything about the position, but rather enjoyed the closeness they felt. Feeling's that hadn't been recognized were starting to surface, begging to be realized. It was too soon, no matter how much each girl subconsciously wanted the other, it would take time. Healing was needed, there were issues of trust that needed to be settled.
At that moment, Willow decided, it didn't matter, none of it did. The only thing that was important, was the girl resting her in lap. And when the time came about, Willow planned on showing Buffy just how much the slayer meant to her.
~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~
Someone was pounding on the Summer's door, and Buffy didn't like it. She was, after all, trying to enjoy her time with Willow. They had eventually gotten up from the couch that morning, and went into Buffy's room to have the "all-time greatest board game day" ever. There was Monopoly, Clue, Life, Scrabble, Sorry and Trivial Pursuit. Willow had whipped Buffy's butt in everything except Sorry, and that was only because of moral dilemmas.
"It just seems so wrong," Willow had said, when it was her turn to knock one of Buffy's piece's back to START.
"But it's the whole point of the game Will," Buffy nudged, even though she found it incredibly cute how distressed the redhead was by all this.
"Look it the little guy," the witch said, referring to the red game piece, "he just wants to go home. Who am I to keep him from his home, and all his red plastic family?"
But that was several hours ago, now there was a knocking on the Slayer's chamber door, and if Buffy had it her way this would happen never more. On the other side of said door stood an overly cheerful Faith, Buffy groaned and let the other Slayer inside.
"What up, B? You and Red weren't in school, and after yesterday, well I was sorta worried," Faith mumbled that last part, and took a sudden interest in her shoes.
"Aww, F, I didn't know you cared," Buffy mocked the brunette, who immediately switched to the offensive.
"Hey I didn't say nothin' bout caring, I was just…."Faith trailed off trying to find the least humiliating word.
"Worried? Stop trying to play the badass Faith, it doesn't look right on you," Buffy said, turning to go upstairs, and assuming that Faith would follow. Just to continue their argument, if nothing else.
"I am a badass, B. You wanna have a go? I'll take you right here, right now. Game?"
"Yea, but not for this. I have Monopoly to get back to," the blonde replied walking into her room, where Willow was stretched out on the floor, awaiting the older slayer's return. She smiled at Buffy, and gave Faith a small wave, scooting over to make room for the other girl.
"Hi Faith, what brings you to Buffy's humble abode?" Willow asked, bouncing a bit, clearly hyper from all the soda Buffy had given her. Faith looked at the redhead oddly.
"Like I was sayin' to B here, Neither of you guys were in school. So I decided to scope out the sitch. And yea, I was worried, so what?" Faith challenged the girl, though her irritation was towards Buffy.
"Well that's very nice of you Faith. Isn't it Buffy?" Willow asked her friend with a pointed look. Buffy cowered a little under the gaze of Willow. That girl could be very intimidating when she wanted to be.
"Yea, it's just peachy," Buffy mumbled, then plastered on a fake smile, "So Faith, would you like to join us in a game of Monopoly?"
Faith was taken aback, sure she had played the game as a kid, but it had been awhile. And why was Buffy being nice to her? Uber-creepy came to the mind of the younger slayer. With a question look she answered, "Sure, I'd love to. Can I be the dog? It was always my favorite."
"Not a problem," Willow said, reorganizing everything that was left from the prior game, "Buffy's the car, and I'm the thimble, so the dog is up for grabs." They played for a couple of hours as Monopoly is one of the longest games there ever was. Surprising the other two, Faith won. Apparently she had spent many days at the Boys and Girls club in South Boston playing Monopoly and basketball.
"You think I'm good at this, wait till you see me shoot hoops," Faith said. Of course never one to let a challenge go undone, Buffy grabbed her ball, and the three girls walked to the park. Willow, not being much with the athletics, opted out of the game to watch the Slayers go at it in an intense one-on-one match.
It got heated, very heated even for a half court game. Right off the bat Faith proved her abilities, dunking on Buffy from the foul line. The blonde slayer wasn't ready to be shut out, and quickly brought the score back up to even.
"All you got, B?" Faith asked as she ran past Buffy, going another lay-up shot.
"Just getting started," Buffy shot back, as she chased after the brunette, but failed to keep Faith from scoring.
They went back and forth, each becoming more defense than offense, slapping the ball away on a shot, or stealing it from the other. Putting on the show they were grasped the attention of more than just Willow, there were at least a dozen other's watching the game, mostly guys. The younger slayer got fed up, and schooled Buffy, bringing their 12 to 10 (Faith) game quickly to 20 points.
"Game over," Faith yelled to Buffy after coming down from the rim, "Wanna go again?"
Buffy laughed and shook her head, "You were holding out on me Faith, and no thanks, I don't need to get my ass kicked twice in one night."
"You already did, you forgot my amazing Monopoly talents," Faith added in as she sat next to Willow on the bench.
"I didn't forget," Buffy responded, "I'm just not convinced that you didn't cheat."
"Sore loser," Faith mumbled, and Willow nodded her head in agreement.
"Face it Buff, you aren't the best at everything," the redhead added.
Buffy looked put-off, "I don't want to be the best," she insisted, "I just want to be better that Faith.
"Fat chance," Faith exclaimed, "Now let's get outta here, I'm starving'."
~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~
By the time the three girls reached Buffy's house, Joyce was already home and making dinner. Being the ever magnificent mother she was, Ms. Summers invited Faith to stay for the meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn.
Faith took off after two plates of food and a piece of pie, leaving Willow, Buffy and Joyce alone in the house for the second night in a row.
"Girls, I know it's still early, but I had a rough day at the gallery, so I'm going to head upstairs," Joyce said as she stood up from the couch. "Am I right in assuming you'll be staying the night again, Willow?"
The pair looked away from the new episode of 'Friends' as Willow answered, "If it's okay with you Ms. Summers? My parents are still away, and well, it gets kind of lonely."
"Of course it's okay, I didn't know you're parents were out of town," Joyce remarked.
"They are quite frequently, it's no big deal. Ever since I was eight they've left me alone," the redhead explained. Joyce looked appalled.
"Well, no more of that," she replied shaking her head, "from now on you stay with us when your parents aren't home."
"I don't know if that's a good idea, I'd practically have to move in," at Willow's comment Buffy's face gained a big smile.
"Sounds good to me, how bout you mom?" the blonde asked her mother hopefully.
"Absolutely, we'll have to clear out that middle room," Joyce added thoughtfully, "until then you'll just have to room with Buffy, dear." And with that Ms. Summers went upstairs, leaving no room for further discussion on the topic. Willow, however, was still very confused.
"I'm moving in?" the girl asked in disbelief.
"Yup," Buffy replied happily, "and now I've got you all to myself." The slayer pulled her friend off of the couch and dragged the redhead upstairs to her room.
"Remind me to thank my mom." Buffy said as she turned off the light and slipped into bed. Without waiting for the other girl to ask, the slayer slipped an arm around Willow's middle, and snuggled closer.
Willow smiled into the dimness of the room, "I will, and I'll thank her as well. Goodnight, Buffy."
"G'night Will," Buffy replied in a sleepy voice.
Author's Note: As of right now, I'm still writing my first fic, Not Just Oz Anymore. But after reading way too much fic, I felt like writing this. Be warned, it may not be what you're expecting if you've read my other story. I have various styles and appreciate diverse pairings. Like it or not, it's about to get a little girl-on-girl up in here.
A/N 2: I'm going to tweak things a bit, because it suits this story better. At the end of "Beauty and the Beasts" Willow is present when Angel makes his "grand" entrance. Thus, all the Scoobies, including Faith, know of Angels reappearance. Mostly the same reactions, except no one's pissed at the Buffster. Mk?
Feedback: Why not? I don't especially care. Not really expecting it either. Up to you guys.
Spoilers: Season 3, "Homecoming" will be on it's way. Chances are I may screw with everything that's happened after "Beauty and the Beasts"
Thanks to:
lil_brit_52
PhoenixJay27
Charmed Lassie
Pleasant Awakenings
The light of day shown through the windows in Buffy's room. It was around six-thirty in the morning, and the two girls entwined in bed would have school in an hour and a half. During the night, Buffy and Willow had twisted and turned rather close to each other, every now and then one would kick the other, but not hard enough to wake. At present time Buffy had one hand under the back of Willow's shirt, the other resting on the redhead's hip and a leg between her knee's. Willow in turn, was nuzzled into the crook of Buffy's neck.
Willow was the first to awaken. She was, to say the least, slightly surprised with her position next to, or rather on Buffy. After several tries of pulling away, Willow realized that even in her sleep, the slayer had a killer hold. 'Okay, plan B,' Willow thought to herself. Willow began to call out the blonde, trying to wake her, without startling the ever dangerous Buffy, "Buffy? Come on, Buff, time to get up…face the day. Carpe Deum, and whatnot," the redhead began poking her friend lightly in the side, "Buffy, get up. Now."
"How is it that I know you're doing the 'Resolve Face' with my eyes closed," asked a sleepy Buffy, now wearing the smallest of grins on her face. Willow smiled too, and poked the slayer on more time for good measure, the blonde yelped.
"Because you know me, now can get out of the death grip you have on me?" Willow questioned. Buffy opened her eyes to see just what the redhead was talking about, she was immediately mortified after doing so.
"Oh, sorry Will," she mumbled, extracting her arm from under the other girls shirt, and removing her other arm, and leg as well. Willow gave Buffy a reassuring smile.
"Don't be embarrassed," Willow said, slightly blushing herself, "I was cuddling with you before I woke up, so there's enough humiliation to go around." Buffy laughed, feeling a bit better. That is until she remembered the night before, and slumped back onto the bed. This act caused Willow to recall her own unpleasant evening, and she joined her friend in moping.
This "life sucks" feeling was still dancing about when Joyce, Buffy's mother, entered her daughter's room. "Okay girls rise and…Oh, Willow, Buffy. Come on girls, come down stairs and I'll make you both breakfast. Lot's of waffles and syrup. The things that hips are made of."
Simultaneously, the two girls shook their heads, continuing deeper into their foul moods. "Okay," Ms. Summers started again, "that's it, get your sorry buts out of bed. I will have no moping in my house. And if you keep it up, well, I'm making you go to school Buffy, and Willow, I'm making you stay here." Willow and Buffy's jaws dropped in shock, how could she do such a thing? Keep them separate, as well as keeping them from the things they loved? For Buffy this was her bed, and for Willow it was her education.
"All right," Buffy sighed, "we'll get up, but I'm not going to school." Willow got up too, not saying anything. Though, the redhead now wished to stay home as well, not at her house, at Buffy's. Buffy's house was more of a home than the Rosenberg's.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Buffy and Willow sat at the island, neither speaking. Watching as Joyce moved about, cooking them waffles, and sausage, throwing the occasional worried glance in their direction. Both girls had the teen angst down to a T. When the plates of food and the glasses of juice were placed in front of them, they began to eat. Still silent, eerily for that matter. Pouring syrup over the waffles, drowning them as much as she could, Buffy then handed the bottle to Willow, who accepted drenching her own. Joyce stared at the girls, looking from one to the other, searching for anything that may help her to break them from their melancholy.
~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~
It was nine, Joyce had left an hour ago after calling Willow's parents to tell them she was there. They weren't home, Joyce left a message, though Willow was sure that she would be the only one to hear it. Neither girl was up for school, Willow had at first planned to go, and through herself into school, but the idea of leaving Buffy alone to brood quickly changed the redhead's mind. Buffy was extremely glad that her friend had decided to stay, even if she didn't show it.
"What do you wanna do?" Willow asked from her place nest to Buffy on the couch. The blonde shrugged her shoulders. Then abruptly became a lot more determined.
"I don't want to do this," the slayer said, turning to her best friend, "I don't want to sit around here feeling sorry for myself. And I don't want you to do that either." Willow contained her smile, needing a little more information before she relented her mope-age.
"Why?" the redhead asked trying to sound very depressed. She was sad that Oz left, but after giving it some thought, she realized that everything he had said was true. Willow deserved to be happy, and so did Buffy. Now it was up to Buffy to figure that out.
Apparently, she already had, "Because this is exactly what Angel didn't want me to do. I can't get on with my life and meet someone new if I sit at home crying all day. You can't either. I may not know what I want, but I know what I don't. With me Will?"
Willow nodded her head, letting out the smile she had been holding, "Always." They were like that for a minute, Buffy standing, having gotten up during her little speech, and Willow still seated on the couch. The silence stretched out once more. Buffy's shoulder's slumped again.
"So much for invigorating talks when nothing comes from them," Buffy mumbled, sitting down next to Willow again, and resting her head on the redhead's shoulder.
"Well, it's only nine, we have the rest of the day to do something. We don't even have to do anything. We could just talk, it's been awhile since we talked," Willow said with the smallest hint of sadness.
"I'm sorry Will, but we both got pretty caught up in our lives, y'know? Dealing with Faith and Angel and…Scott," Buffy trailed off, thinking about the boy who had taken an interest in her, but she couldn't show much in return. 'Why was that?' Buffy pondered, 'He was cute, maybe a little gay, but cute. Not the best time for inner dialogue, got Willow.' Buffy snapped out of her thoughts, realizing the Willow was now talking.
"…thought you guys were doing okay. I guess Angel showing up screwed things up," it took Buffy a second to figure out what her friend was talking about, but it eventually clicked. She shook her head and let out a small laugh.
"Oh, Will, he was great and all, but…How do I say this?" Buffy asked herself out loud. Willow looked at her with curiosity, causing the blonde just to spit it out, "Scott's gayest thing since 'The Birdcage.'"
"No!" Willow gasped, covering her mouth to keep in the surge of giggle's making their way up her throat. Buffy nodded, laughter coming over her as well.
"I caught him checking out Xander so many times," Buffy managed say through her guffawing, "When I called him on it he told me I was crazy. Then Xander walked by and Scott turned to look at his ass! It was priceless. I'm thinking of setting him up with Larry."
"Oh Buffy, that's mean! How could you do that to Larry?" Willow questioned in mock-horror. This lead to more giggles which went on for several minutes.
When the laughing had stopped, Buffy had found herself with her head in Willow's lap. Neither said anything about the position, but rather enjoyed the closeness they felt. Feeling's that hadn't been recognized were starting to surface, begging to be realized. It was too soon, no matter how much each girl subconsciously wanted the other, it would take time. Healing was needed, there were issues of trust that needed to be settled.
At that moment, Willow decided, it didn't matter, none of it did. The only thing that was important, was the girl resting her in lap. And when the time came about, Willow planned on showing Buffy just how much the slayer meant to her.
~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~
Someone was pounding on the Summer's door, and Buffy didn't like it. She was, after all, trying to enjoy her time with Willow. They had eventually gotten up from the couch that morning, and went into Buffy's room to have the "all-time greatest board game day" ever. There was Monopoly, Clue, Life, Scrabble, Sorry and Trivial Pursuit. Willow had whipped Buffy's butt in everything except Sorry, and that was only because of moral dilemmas.
"It just seems so wrong," Willow had said, when it was her turn to knock one of Buffy's piece's back to START.
"But it's the whole point of the game Will," Buffy nudged, even though she found it incredibly cute how distressed the redhead was by all this.
"Look it the little guy," the witch said, referring to the red game piece, "he just wants to go home. Who am I to keep him from his home, and all his red plastic family?"
But that was several hours ago, now there was a knocking on the Slayer's chamber door, and if Buffy had it her way this would happen never more. On the other side of said door stood an overly cheerful Faith, Buffy groaned and let the other Slayer inside.
"What up, B? You and Red weren't in school, and after yesterday, well I was sorta worried," Faith mumbled that last part, and took a sudden interest in her shoes.
"Aww, F, I didn't know you cared," Buffy mocked the brunette, who immediately switched to the offensive.
"Hey I didn't say nothin' bout caring, I was just…."Faith trailed off trying to find the least humiliating word.
"Worried? Stop trying to play the badass Faith, it doesn't look right on you," Buffy said, turning to go upstairs, and assuming that Faith would follow. Just to continue their argument, if nothing else.
"I am a badass, B. You wanna have a go? I'll take you right here, right now. Game?"
"Yea, but not for this. I have Monopoly to get back to," the blonde replied walking into her room, where Willow was stretched out on the floor, awaiting the older slayer's return. She smiled at Buffy, and gave Faith a small wave, scooting over to make room for the other girl.
"Hi Faith, what brings you to Buffy's humble abode?" Willow asked, bouncing a bit, clearly hyper from all the soda Buffy had given her. Faith looked at the redhead oddly.
"Like I was sayin' to B here, Neither of you guys were in school. So I decided to scope out the sitch. And yea, I was worried, so what?" Faith challenged the girl, though her irritation was towards Buffy.
"Well that's very nice of you Faith. Isn't it Buffy?" Willow asked her friend with a pointed look. Buffy cowered a little under the gaze of Willow. That girl could be very intimidating when she wanted to be.
"Yea, it's just peachy," Buffy mumbled, then plastered on a fake smile, "So Faith, would you like to join us in a game of Monopoly?"
Faith was taken aback, sure she had played the game as a kid, but it had been awhile. And why was Buffy being nice to her? Uber-creepy came to the mind of the younger slayer. With a question look she answered, "Sure, I'd love to. Can I be the dog? It was always my favorite."
"Not a problem," Willow said, reorganizing everything that was left from the prior game, "Buffy's the car, and I'm the thimble, so the dog is up for grabs." They played for a couple of hours as Monopoly is one of the longest games there ever was. Surprising the other two, Faith won. Apparently she had spent many days at the Boys and Girls club in South Boston playing Monopoly and basketball.
"You think I'm good at this, wait till you see me shoot hoops," Faith said. Of course never one to let a challenge go undone, Buffy grabbed her ball, and the three girls walked to the park. Willow, not being much with the athletics, opted out of the game to watch the Slayers go at it in an intense one-on-one match.
It got heated, very heated even for a half court game. Right off the bat Faith proved her abilities, dunking on Buffy from the foul line. The blonde slayer wasn't ready to be shut out, and quickly brought the score back up to even.
"All you got, B?" Faith asked as she ran past Buffy, going another lay-up shot.
"Just getting started," Buffy shot back, as she chased after the brunette, but failed to keep Faith from scoring.
They went back and forth, each becoming more defense than offense, slapping the ball away on a shot, or stealing it from the other. Putting on the show they were grasped the attention of more than just Willow, there were at least a dozen other's watching the game, mostly guys. The younger slayer got fed up, and schooled Buffy, bringing their 12 to 10 (Faith) game quickly to 20 points.
"Game over," Faith yelled to Buffy after coming down from the rim, "Wanna go again?"
Buffy laughed and shook her head, "You were holding out on me Faith, and no thanks, I don't need to get my ass kicked twice in one night."
"You already did, you forgot my amazing Monopoly talents," Faith added in as she sat next to Willow on the bench.
"I didn't forget," Buffy responded, "I'm just not convinced that you didn't cheat."
"Sore loser," Faith mumbled, and Willow nodded her head in agreement.
"Face it Buff, you aren't the best at everything," the redhead added.
Buffy looked put-off, "I don't want to be the best," she insisted, "I just want to be better that Faith.
"Fat chance," Faith exclaimed, "Now let's get outta here, I'm starving'."
~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~
By the time the three girls reached Buffy's house, Joyce was already home and making dinner. Being the ever magnificent mother she was, Ms. Summers invited Faith to stay for the meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn.
Faith took off after two plates of food and a piece of pie, leaving Willow, Buffy and Joyce alone in the house for the second night in a row.
"Girls, I know it's still early, but I had a rough day at the gallery, so I'm going to head upstairs," Joyce said as she stood up from the couch. "Am I right in assuming you'll be staying the night again, Willow?"
The pair looked away from the new episode of 'Friends' as Willow answered, "If it's okay with you Ms. Summers? My parents are still away, and well, it gets kind of lonely."
"Of course it's okay, I didn't know you're parents were out of town," Joyce remarked.
"They are quite frequently, it's no big deal. Ever since I was eight they've left me alone," the redhead explained. Joyce looked appalled.
"Well, no more of that," she replied shaking her head, "from now on you stay with us when your parents aren't home."
"I don't know if that's a good idea, I'd practically have to move in," at Willow's comment Buffy's face gained a big smile.
"Sounds good to me, how bout you mom?" the blonde asked her mother hopefully.
"Absolutely, we'll have to clear out that middle room," Joyce added thoughtfully, "until then you'll just have to room with Buffy, dear." And with that Ms. Summers went upstairs, leaving no room for further discussion on the topic. Willow, however, was still very confused.
"I'm moving in?" the girl asked in disbelief.
"Yup," Buffy replied happily, "and now I've got you all to myself." The slayer pulled her friend off of the couch and dragged the redhead upstairs to her room.
"Remind me to thank my mom." Buffy said as she turned off the light and slipped into bed. Without waiting for the other girl to ask, the slayer slipped an arm around Willow's middle, and snuggled closer.
Willow smiled into the dimness of the room, "I will, and I'll thank her as well. Goodnight, Buffy."
"G'night Will," Buffy replied in a sleepy voice.