1 Year Later
Cleveland, Ohio 2024
Harris Residence
Master Bathroom
The silence was welcomed.
Buffy laid back in the perfect temperate hot water in the large jacuzzi bathtub filled with her favourite bath salts and bubbles.
Her eyes were closed, basking in the relaxing silence that is her empty house. Josh and Sarah were both back to college after being home on winter break for two and half weeks. Xander was downstairs, doing what?—Buffy had no idea nor did she care at this particular moment.
She could fall asleep right there in the bathtub—or at least until the water had gotten cold. Oh, then just empty the cold water and refill it with hot water. Buffy decided with a dreamy smile tugging at her heart-shaped lips.
This was the perfect way to spend her birthday. She turned forty-three this year. Since she was seven months older than Faith, this made Buffy the longest living Slayer, ever. Buffy was somewhat still in a state of denial but she wasn't nearly as bad as when she had turned thirty.
On her thirtieth birthday, Buffy didn't want gifts, she didn't want anyone to say the word 'thirty' or 'birthday' or 'happy'. Xander tried his very best to bring her spirits up but failed. She almost sobbed when her kids gave her a hand-crafted birthday card. Her tears weren't from a feeling of a sentimental warm heart. It was because there was a giant '3-0' written on the card and an old lady that was supposed to be Buffy drawn in inside.
It wasn't until Willow that had finally convinced the blonde that thirty was great and there were many great things in store for her, and thirty wasn't considered old—Suddenly, everything was right as rain again. Xander didn't try to understand it but he was happy his wife was smiling again. That birthday card crafted by her children hung on the refrigerator for months afterwards.
Buffy didn't realise how much she loved her thirties until she turned forty; which she was still getting used to. Her thirties had been a very good decade for her; it was spent mostly with her children, watching them grow, going to baseball games and student art shows.
She didn't feel like a woman in her forties. It was like a pair of brand new Manolo Blahnik pumps that were still a bit tight and needed to be walked around in for just a little while longer.
Xander didn't seem to care when he turned thirty or when he turned forty. Buffy did notice that as he ages, Xander seemed more inclined to play with his facial hair for reasons unknown to her. For a month he wore a thick moustache just so he could twirl the ends. He thought it made him look cool like Daniel Day-Lewis in Gangs of New York. Buffy had teased him unrelentingly until one night, he surprised her with an elegant dinner and he wore a fitted black suit, his greying dark hair was stylishly slicked back, and his overwhelming victorian-styled moustache was neatly combed and twirled, Buffy found herself completely attracted to him.
She was somewhat disappointed when he decided to shave his grand moustache and sport his usual look of a rugged 5 o'clock shadow.
Buffy's ears twitched to the footsteps shuffling across the tile floor in the bathroom, disturbing her relaxing quiet.
She did not open her eyes.
Listening to the rustling of a zipper being pulled down, then a clank of a belt hitting the ground, and still, Buffy did not open her eyes.
It wasn't until she felt a shift in the still hot water of someone stepping into the bathtub did Buffy finally peek one eye open. She was immediately met with the familiar sight of curly think dark hair surrounding a semi-erect cock. Squeezing her eyes closed, trying again to get back into her place of zen.
After a minute, Buffy felt a splash of water gently hit her chest, trying to get her attention.
Her eyes flew open and glared at Xander sitting in the bubble bath across from her.
She paused and stared at her husband. Xander stared back, wearing a pointy party hat on the top of his head that read in big colourful letters: Happy Birthday! There was a multi-coloured party blower in his mouth.
Buffy silently raised her brows never letting her eyes drift from his eye as a yellow rubber ducky floated in the bubbles between them.
After a long silence, Xander blew the party whistle which made Buffy's unsmiling face crack into a laugh, finding him absolutely ridiculously adorable.
"I thought you would have presents." She pouted.
Xander frowned "I'm your present." He gestured to himself, "Aren't I enough?"
Buffy shrugged, "I mean, yeah, sure," she shifted, unafraid to show him her disappointment. "I was, uh, hoping for something…?"
"Something…?" Xander's comical frown deepened.
She looked at him, "Shiny and sparkly."
Xander slowly nodded his head, "Oh. I see…" he leaned over the bathtub rim, letting some of the water splash out.
He glided over to her holding an identical party conical hat and placed it on the top of her head, fixing the elastic string around her chin. Buffy stared at him partly hating every moment of this and partly loving every moment of this ridiculousness. He gave her another party blower. He blew into it making the party blower sing an obnoxious horn-like sound. He then placed it into Buffy's mouth and reached back over the rim of the bathtub for something else.
In his soaked hand, he presented Buffy with a small robin egg blue colour box wrapped in a white bow. Her green eyes lit up.
With a smile, she took the small box from his hand and untied the white bow then carefully lifted the lid from the box.
She took out a sterling silver necklace with two interlocking circles on an 18-inch chain. Engraved in the delicate silver was 'Joshua' on one circle, and 'Sarah' engraved on the other circle.
Looking at the necklace, Buffy lifted her eyes to his, "Xander, this is gorgeous." She smiled lovingly at him. "I love it. Thank you, honey."
"Happy Birthday," his forefinger and thumb touched her chin. He leaned forward and gently brushed his mouth against her lips. "Let me help you," Xander took the necklace clasp it around her neck.
When he was finished, Xander leaned forward brushing his lips against the column of her neck then over her naked shoulder. Buffy held her hand against his cheek, shifting his attention back to her. She shifted closer, wanting his kiss again and show him how much she loved this expensive and thoughtful piece of jewellery.
Xander was always very good at getting her gifts. He was lucky that he had improved his jewellery taste by the time he and Buffy had gotten together. So Xander knew if he bought her anything that was shiny and sparkly from three particular stores; Tiffany and Co., Cartier or Bulgari, then she'd love it. It cost him a pretty penny but luckily, money wasn't much of an issue anymore. The Council took care of them generously and still, Buffy and Xander had always lived quite modestly.
Buffy, on the other hand, was an 'unpredictable' gift giver, which was a surprise for Xander when they spent their first birthday and Christmas together as a married couple. In his mind, Xander thought she'd be an excellent gift giver—and she was but not in the way he was expecting.
At first, for every major holiday, birthday, and anniversary she would get him clothing—more precisely, Buffy got him clothing that she wanted him to wear. Xander wore the clothes, of course, because firstly, she took the time to buy it for him and secondly, she's always had impeccable taste in clothes.
One year, Xander was 95% sure, Buffy had forgotten his birthday because she re-gifted a present someone had given to them on Christmas. She completely forgot this and rewrapped the gift for Xander. Xander found it too funny to tell her that he knew all along.
He was extremely impressed with his birthday two years ago when she tracked down—with Josh and Andrew's help and bought at an auction the comic book debut 1963 issue of X-Men. Xander put this comic in a frame never to be unsealed from its protective plastic. It was hanging up in his workshop. Buffy had scored major 'awesome wife' points that birthday.
For most of their birthday's or anniversaries, and holiday's her gift to him was her living out his fantasies. She'd do whatever he wanted. What he usually wanted, involved Buffy wearing skimpy outfits and expensive lingerie.
Their ten year anniversary was a day Xander particularly enjoyed. While their children were nestled under the covers, sound asleep, Xander sat on the bottom steps of the stairs with clenching anticipation. He was pretty sure he drooled at the sight of Buffy when she appeared from around the corner into the foyer dressed for him. As usual, Buffy dressed for him, but instead of lace, leather, and a girdle, she wore a black raincoat and its belt tied around her slim waist and a pair of black pumps. Xander did not reject her seductive advances as he had years before; when they weren't together and she was under a love spell. Xander gladly opened his present and he was pleasantly surprised that she wore nothing underneath—just as he fantasied about.
Xander had bruises on his lower back for days after from the wild sex they had on the stairs.
Holding her hand against his cheek, Buffy ran the tip of her tongue over the roof of his mouth then sucked on his tongue when she felt his smile.
"I love when you kiss me like that," Xander muttered against her mouth, then kissed her again.
Buffy returned his smile as she broke the kiss to touch her forehead against his, "Well, I love kissing you like that."
He touched the tip of her chin with his thumb and forefinger, "That's good to know."
Nuzzling her nose against his, she closed the millimetre amount of space between their mouths. She shifted the party hat on the top of his head a little further back as it drifted forward. They laughed into their kiss, taking amusement in their silly party hats.
4 Months Later
Morning
Master Bedroom
Buffy laid flat on her back in bed, staring up at the ceiling waiting for the alarm clock to sound off.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
She turned her head and looked at the time. It was early. The sun hadn't risen yet.
She took a deep breath and sat up in the bed. Her eyes turned to Xander sleeping beside her on his stomach and his head partially under the pillow. She stared at his back thoughtfully for a minute then pushed the blankets off of her taking the first steps out of bed.
Buffy walked into the large master bathroom and turned on the light and routinely forgot how bright that light was at 5:30 AM.
She lined the toothpaste over the toothbrush and began to brush her teeth.
Her eyes lifted to the mirror and stared at herself as if she was contemplating something but she wasn't yet sure how to put into words.
Needing a break from her mind, Buffy walked back into the bedroom still brushing her teeth where Xander laid in bed, unmoving.
Just like every morning for the last twenty-one years, Buffy stepped to his bedside and tugged on his earlobe.
"Mm," he grunted and pinched his brows together. He waved away her hand tugging his earlobe and buried his head further under the pillow.
Buffy turned back into the bathroom and spat out the toothpaste as the faucet ran.
She reentered the bedroom and Xander hadn't moved a muscle. Buffy walked over to him and smacked her hand flat over his comforter blanket covered bottom and removed the pillow covering his head. "Wake up." She said sharply into his ear, not letting him ease into the day.
Xander's eye flew open and he immediately sat up in bed startled. "I'm up." He rubbed his hand into his good eye and forced open his eyelid to see Buffy stepping out of the walk-in closet zippering the side of her knee-length pencil skirt.
Running a hand through his messy greying bedhead, Xander forced himself out of the bed. He dragged his bare feet into the bathroom, heading straight to the toilet. He never bothered to close the door behind him.
As she moved around the bedroom, getting ready for the day ahead, Buffy fixed the front of her chic blouse top then reached for a pair of diamond white gold stud earrings and walked past Xander, who was still standing at the toilet with his head hanging low, possibly asleep again.
Buffy sighed heavily. She loved her husband dearly but he was such a groggy mess in the morning. It took him a good fifteen to twenty minutes to gain a bit of life.
Buffy watched with a small smile as he started to kick back into life. He shook his head tucked himself back into his pyjama pants then flushed the toilet.
Brushing his teeth, Xander glanced into the bedroom to see Buffy putting on her designer pumps. He let his eye run up her tanned smooth legs, then over her shapely hips sculpted by the pencil skirt she wore. His eye lifted all the way to her face and watched her tuck a piece of her curled hair behind her ear.
His semi-functioning brain sparked to life, mesmerised by her beauty.
She felt his eye on her. Buffy glanced over her shoulder at him tossed him a half smile. She stood straight, letting him look at her for a moment before she headed out of the bedroom.
Xander leaned out of the bathroom, his toothbrush hung in his mouth. He caught a glimpse of Buffy's round backside as she walked out of the bedroom and headed down the stairs to make the morning coffee.
N.C.W Academy
Buffy's Office
Bored out of her mind. Buffy leaned back in her large leather chair, balancing a cup of pens on her forehead, and spinning around ever-so-slowly.
She was avoiding her actual work which was dreadfully unexciting.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Buffy flew forward, letting the cup of pens crash to the floor. With overexcitement for a distraction, she reached for the telephone and held it against her ear.
"Hello?" She frowned wondering if she sounded too eager.
"Hi, mom!"
Buffy's smile grew at the sound of her daughter's voice. "Hi, sweetheart! How is everythi—"
"—Sorry what!" Sarah interrupted. "I'm headed to the caf for a coffee then headed to my Illustration 200 class. Then I'm headed to Boston for the weekend to hang out with Jules and Josh."
Buffy strained to hear her daughter's voice, wherever she was it was very noisy with loud chatter.
"Hey! I'll catch up with you in a minute!" Sarah called out to someone. "I'm on the phone! Hold on! Sorry, Mom, what were you saying?"
With a slight frown, Buffy held her chin in her hand, "I didn't say anything. You sound busy. Call me later."
"Okay, love you!"
"I love you—too…" Buffy looked at the telephone when she was abruptly hung up on. She sighed heavily and hung up the telephone then sat back in her chair. She was so happy that her kids seemed to love college and they've made friends, but she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. There was so much they haven't done yet in their young lives, Buffy envied the amount of 'firsts' they'll have.
Night
Harris Residence
Master Bedroom
In bed with her husband, who was between her knees, thrusting in and out of her body, Buffy laid flat on her back. One arm was wrapped loosely around his neck and her other hand was threaded in his hair.
She turned her eyes from the ceiling to Braxton laying on the rugged floor near the cracked open door. The greying German Shepard didn't seem phased one bit by the on-goings in the bedroom.
Braxton lifted his dark brown eyes to Buffy. He broke their gaze and buried his snout into his paws. He looked at bored as she.
Buffy turned her eyes away from the dog and felt Xander's mouth kissing her skin as he moaned. She responded to his moan with her own moan.
His mouth moved across her collarbone, up the column of her neck heading towards her mouth when Buffy let out a yawn.
Suddenly, Xander's thrusting movements halted. He lifted his head staring at her with a shocked wide-eye. "You yawned." He pointed his finger at her accusingly.
Buffy comically frowned, "N-no I didn't."
"Yes-yes, you did. You yawned." He stared at her in completely dumbfounded.
"No…" Buffy unleashed another yawn, "… I didn't…"
Insulted by her yawns, Xander sat up in the bed, shifting the blankets around his waist. "I can't believe you yawned." He looked at her in disbelief. In all of their years together, she never yawned during sex. She was always a hundred and ten per cent invested whenever they made love.
Xander wasn't completely clueless, he's noticed her melancholy state, ever since the kids went back to school in January. He figured it was that time of the month but now she was yawning… that certainly set off ringing bells that there was something else bothering her entirely.
Buffy sat up, "It's not a big deal, Xander." She rested back against the backboard of the bed and covered her naked body with the thin bedsheet. "I yawned."
"Ah-ha! So you admit that you yawned," he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her. "You never yawn."
"I'm sorry, I'm just… distracted…" she said pushing her hair back.
Xander's frown deepened as he thought harder about the situation when suddenly his eye widened and his handsome face twisted with hurt. "Were you distracted the entire time?"
Buffy swallowed and looked away from him.
"Were you faking it?"
She looked at him again and said, "No. I wasn't 'faking it.'"
"You were just faking it now."
"No, I was yawning," Buffy argued.
"But you would've faked it eventually. Am I right?" His jaw dropped by her lack of a quick reply. "I'm right? Buffy Anne, I am appalled!" He stared at her in disbelief.
Unable to take his hurt puppy face, Buffy reached out and took his hand into her own, "No, babe, I have never ever faked it with you." She told him with genuine honesty. "Never. With you… its good—really good," Buffy gave his hand a squeeze.
"Then what's going on?" Xander asked, somewhat apprehensively.
Buffy removed her hand from his, clearly uncomfortable as she hugged her knees tighter into her chest and twisted the set of platinum wedding rings around her finger, which made Xander uneasily nervous. "Is this it?" She asked with a small meek voice. "We wake up, get dressed, go to work, come home, eat dinner, make love, sleep… Then the next day, wake up, get dressed, go to work… Are we just gonna do the same thing day after day, for the rest of our lives?"
Frowning trying his damnedest to understand, Xander ran a hand through his short hair trying to understand where he might've gone wrong. He thought they were happy and everything was fine and dandy.
What did I do? He wondered.
Lost for words, he looked at her and said, "I thought this is what you wanted… Is it not? Am I missing something? I thought you wanted normal."
Buffy shifted hating how terrible she was making Xander feel. She could see him blaming himself and wondering what he did wrong, which was nothing, he's done absolutely nothing wrong.
"It is what I want…" she assured him but then added, "… for the kids."
As if a lightbulb went off in his brain, Xander slowly nodded his head in perfect understanding. Oh, I get it… he looked at her and tossed her a lopsided smile, "But you don't want us to be normal."
"Normal-ish," she shrugged.
"Then what do you want, Buffy?" He tenderly asked her. "I'd do anything to make you happy. Whatever you need, I'll do it. Whatever you want, I'll give you. You just have to tell me." He gave her a kind half smile.
Buffy knew he would. Her husband, her love would do anything for her.
What do I want?… What do I want?… Buffy thought to herself for a moment, carefully contemplating what could possibly get her out of this stupor she's found herself in.
Lifting her eyes to her devoted husband, patiently waiting for her response, she crossed her legs in a pretzel under the bedsheet and leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees. "I wanna go on patrols more. Like I used to."
"Done," he nodded his head in agreement.
"And with you—I wanna go on patrols more with you."
"I like that even better," he agreed. "What else?"
Buffy thought for a moment then said, "I want to go on vacations more."
"Like to Disneyland?"
She gave him a look that suggested 'no'. "We've been there before with the kids. I'm thinking like… Italy or something." There was a spark of excitement in her green eyes.
Xander raised a brow, "'Cause you're just so interested in Italy's rich history?"
Unable to stop herself from a tugging smile, "I like the food. And… go somewhere tropical."
Xander nodded and leaned forward copying her pretzel-style sitting, "Travel for Italian food and margaritas. Check. What else?"
Buffy frowned, sadden by a thought, "I miss going to Josh's baseball games…"
"Fine, I'll get us season passes to the Indians."
She raised her brows high up her forehead, "Really?"
"Yes," Xander strained and reached out for her hands, bringing them to his mouth, "Buf, I'd do anything for you."
Buffy looked at him suspiciously. "Anything?"
Xander knew that look, she was going to test him somehow and he was sure as hell gonna pass it. "Anything," he cautiously replied.
She sat a bit straighter, signifying that whatever she was going to 'request' next, Xander might have to go back on his vow to do 'anything' for her.
"What?—What is it?" He was eager to know her ticking thoughts.
Buffy looked at him and said, "I want to you to talk to Willow about your eye."
Xander clenched his jaw and dropped her hands, visibly irritated by her 'request'. They've had this conversation a few times before and Xander had thought he'd made himself very clear on his stance about using that sort of magic.
"Buffy, we've talked about this." He said. "I thought I've made myself very clear."
"Yeah, but that was years ago." She argued. "Hasn't it been long enough? You don't need to live like this if there is a solution—a safe solution to fix your—"
"—Buffy," he said her name firmly, "those magicks are too powerful and too dangerous. Who knows what it would do to Willow. I'm not doing it. I'm risking her or Tara. Not for something like my eye." He shook his head. "No, I'm not doing it."
Buffy huffed, not willing to give up yet. "They found a safe way that wouldn't shift the balance or make Willow all black-eyed-pea'ed. Honey, they found a way."
"I'm fine the way I am." He told her. "Why is this suddenly so important to you? Are you tired of being married to a pirate?—A handicap?"
Shocked by his accusation, Buffy glared at him, now getting mad at his reaction, which she had seen coming. "I can't believe you asked me that." She was at a loss for words.
"I can't believe that you brought this up again." Wanting to desperately erase that look of angst from her face, Xander reached out to her, taking her hands once more. "Baby, I'm happy."
Her eyes lifted to his. "But you could be happier."
Xander paused.
Buffy scooted closer to him, removing her hands from his and held his face between her palms. "Xander, I love you. You know how much I love you. I love every part of you." She told him. "But there is something missing… It's small—minuscule in the scheme of things, but I know you… and I know you'll never say it. You won't even let those thoughts cross your mind but, I'll say it and I'll think it. I know how happy you would be to have your eye back." She ran the pad of her thumb under his dark eye, "I miss looking into your eyes. And I miss them looking at me with the same amount of love that I feel for you."
Close his eye, Xander rested his forehead against hers, revelling in their closeness. His hands wrapped around her wrists, keeping her close and touching his face.
"All am I asking is for you to talk to Willow," Buffy said in a whispering breathless voice, filled with emotion. "Let her explain the spell to you, that's it."
He drew back his head to look at her. "That's it?"
"Yes," she told him truthfully.
Xander sat silently for a long minute. He reminded himself about his vow to do whatever she wanted for her happiness. It would make her happy. Xander slowly nodded his head and said, "Okay, I'll talk to her."
Letting a small smile curve at her mouth, Buffy leaned forward and tenderly kissed him as a 'thank you'. She let her fingers slide into his hair as she deepened the kiss for a moment longer, before breaking the kiss.
"I'm ready to make love to you now," Buffy whispered against his mouth.
Xander smirked then leaned forward to continue kissing her, picking up where they had left off. But before he closed the small space between then mouths, he looked at her, cocking his chin high, "You're not gonna yawn again are you?"
Buffy shook her head, "No. But if I do…" she sat up on her knees, letting the bedsheet drop from around her body. Buffy straddled her knees across his lap and circled her arms around his neck. "… I'll let you punish me."
Xander's mouth dropped, "Holy shi—" Buffy's mouth crushing against his interrupted him. His arms wrapped around her slim waist. He sat up, kicking away the bedsheet and laid Buffy down on her back, settling between her legs.
Their tongues duelled a friendly battle of dominance. Xander's hand dropped to her hip then ran down her thigh to the back of her knee, drawing her knee higher as he entered her welcoming body. Her arm loosely hooked around his neck, keeping him close as they kissed passionately.
The feel of her smile made his heart soar.
