Chapter 6: A Big Step
*****Later the same Day*****
After enjoying some leisure time with Derek, her belly started rumbling.
"Looks like someone needs to be fed," Derek said, smiling at her.
"It's close to five and lunch was several hours away," Buffy pointed out as she began gathering up her clothes.
Derek got out of bed and slipped on his own clothes. "What are you in the mood for?" he asked.
"I'm not picky," Buffy said with a shrug. "We need to buy some groceries. I'm not much of a cook, though."
"I am," Derek said.
"Really? Sexy, fabulous in bed, and you can cook? I think you might just be the perfect man," Buffy said, raising up on her tippy toes and kissing him.
"Not perfect—not by a long shot," he said. "Most women are annoyed or frustrated with me by this time."
"I must have low standards," Buffy said with a smirk.
Derek laughed and drove her to the nearest grocery store. They argued good-naturedly over what products to buy. Both realized that they had never made it to this point in a relationship. Something as simple as shopping with the person they were dating had never happened. For Buffy, two of her boyfriends had been vampires and didn't eat. With Riley, they'd been too busy with the Initiative and then her mother's sickness to do simple things like shopping together.
"Derek?" a voice said.
Buffy turned and saw an attractive woman close to the age her mother would've been smiling at Derek and coming toward him.
"Hi, Mrs. McCall," Derek said, greeting the woman warmly.
Buffy recognized the name. "Are you related to Scott?" she asked.
The woman nodded. "Yes, that's my son. Do you know him?" she asked.
"This is Buffy Summers," Derek said. He looked at Buffy, hesitating only a moment before adding, "my girlfriend." Buffy gave him a beaming smile at his declaration, so he knew he made the right choice.
The woman's face showed her surprise at his words, but she held out her hand, greeting Buffy in a friendly manner. "It's so nice to meet you, Buffy. I'm Melissa," she said.
"Nice to meet you, too," Buffy said.
"I was happy when Scott told me that you came back to help him out," she said to Derek.
"I was glad I could come," he said. "Buffy helped, too. She's the one who sent her friends to the hospital."
"Your friend that could—" she stopped to see if anyone was around, "stop bullets with the wave of her hand?"
Buffy nodded. "Yep. That's Willow. She's a real witch, and we're both going to be working at the high school," Buffy shared. "Help keep a lid on things."
"Oh, you're the one Scott was referring to when he said that some big guns came to town to stick around, so he could leave without worrying?" she asked. "I thought he meant Derek."
"I am sticking around," Derek said. "Scott should go to school and finish his degree. I did."
Both women looked surprised. "Really? Scott never mentioned that," Melissa said.
"Neither did Derek," Buffy said, giving him a pointed look.
He shrugged, looking sheepish. "It never came up," he said. "But I have a bachelor's in philosophy."
"The type of degree only the really wealthy or cerebral waste time getting," Buffy said, grinning.
"I'm not cerebral," Derek said with a smirk.
"You're wealthy?" Buffy asked in surprise. "Wow, we really need to spend more time talking!"
Melissa laughed when Buffy realized what she was implying and turned red in embarrassment.
"Oh, uh, I didn't mean…well," Buffy fumbled, much to Derek's amusement.
"It's okay," Melissa assured her. "I remember what it's like to date a hot, young stud."
Now it was Derek's turn to look embarrassed while Buffy laughed.
"Didn't I hear that you were dating someone yourself?" Derek said, not letting her go unscathed. "A certain retired hunter?"
"And on that note, I will finish my shopping," Melissa said, pointedly not answering. "It was good to meet you, Buffy. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around. And thanks for coming to town to help. Are you the same as Derek and Scott?"
Buffy shook her head. "No, I'm something different," she said.
"I'll have to have you and your friends over for dinner soon, and you can tell me all about it," she said before walking down the aisle to finish her shopping.
"So that's Scott's mom? She seems really great," Buffy said, watching her go.
"She is. Scott got really lucky," Derek said. "She never flinched when she found out about what he was. Never once did she look at him or me differently."
"Wish I could say that about my mother," Buffy said with a sigh. "She was amazing and wonderful in so many ways, but the first time I told her about being a slayer, she and my dad had me committed. The second time, she told me if I left the house to stop an apocalypse, not to come back."
Derek looked incredulous a moment before hugging her. "I'm sorry," he said.
"But she came around," Buffy said. "The last years of her life, she was the best. We worked it out."
"That's good," he said. They resumed their shopping. "How about we get some sandwiches and chips? Have a picnic."
"There's only about an hour left of daylight," Buffy pointed out.
"I know. It's enough time," Derek said. "I want to show you something."
They went to the deli and selected some pre-made sandwiches and paid for their purchases.
Derek drove her pass the city limits and down a dirt road.
"We're going to a lake?" Buffy asked.
"Nope," he said. He drove the car up to a very large two-story house. There were no cars in the drive, but he pulled up. "This is it."
"Whose house is this?" Buffy asked as she opened up the car door.
"Actually, it's mine," Derek said, looking more nervous than Buffy had ever seen him look.
"What do you mean? I thought the loft was yours," Buffy said.
"This is my childhood home. The hunters burned it down. I had contractors rebuilding the past year that I was gone," he explained. "It's finally done."
"Wow, Derek, it's so nice," Buffy said, looking at the house with a more critical eye. It had a nice porch and was painted a pale blue with trim. "I love the color."
"It was my mother's favorite color," Derek said. "That wasn't the original color. I wanted it to look different."
Buffy could tell that the house held a lot of painful memories for him. "We don't have to go in if it's too hard on you," she said.
"No, it's time I moved pass this. It was long ago," he said. "One day my sister Cora might want to live here, but it won't be anytime soon." He used a key to open the door.
It opened it into a large foyer. There was a closet there, and the floor was all hardwood.
"The floors are nice," she said.
"Carpet burns faster," he said. "There's carpet in the bedrooms upstairs, though."
"How many bedrooms are there?" Buffy asked as they walked into the large living room. It had a ceiling fan and a large bay window. "This is so beautiful! I don't think I've ever been in a new house before. I visited some in England that were gorgeous but very old."
"I didn't make it exactly the same," he said. "I thought it'd be easier if there were differences."
"That makes sense," Buffy said. "It was hard for me when I came back, and Willow and Tara had moved into my mother's room. It looked so different. At the same time, it made things easier for me to be in a house without my mother."
Derek nodded, enjoying learning about her. There was an intimacy between them that he'd never experienced with another woman before. "There's six bedrooms. The large master bedroom is downstairs that way." He pointed down a hall on the other side of the living room. "I decided to go that way instead of having a separate den or study. There's a full bath in there. Another bath in the second room on the other side of the kitchen." She followed him into the large kitchen.
"This is incredible!" she gushed, her eyes wide. It had all black stainless-steel appliances with black marble countertop. The cabinets were a dark wood. "This is a cook's kitchen."
He looked shy. "I like to cook, and so did my mother," he admitted. "I don't know if I'll ever live here, but it was important that it have the kitchen like the old one. It's really the only thing that's almost exactly the same."
Buffy put their bag of sandwiches on the counter top. "Do you want to eat? We're about to lose the sunlight," she said.
"I need to get the power on," he said. He took the sandwich that she offered and the drink.
"How about we come again on Monday and get the power on? See the second floor?" Buffy suggested. "We have to get the groceries back to your other house soon."
He nodded. "I know. I just wanted to show you this," Derek said. "I thought maybe it'd be a good place for your friends to stay."
Buffy was surprised. "Really? You want us to stay here?" she asked.
"Well, I wasn't hoping you'd continue to stay with me," he admitted.
Buffy's heart beat so loud that she knew he could tell because he grinned. "You want us to live together? Like together-together?" she asked.
"I don't see any reason why you should move out of my bed," he said with a smug look.
"Sex isn't a reason to move into together," Buffy said. She totally had to talk to Willow and Giles. Maybe even Dawn and Xander.
"Sex isn't the reason. Although it's convenient," he said, giving her a wolfish grin. "But we're getting along really well, and I think living together will let us know if this is real."
"I think it's real," Buffy said softly. "I just think my mother would say, 'Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?'"
Derek laughed. "I haven't heard that saying in a very long time!" he said. "Are you the cow in this analogy?"
Buffy returned his grin. "I guess so," she said. "You don't think it's too soon?"
He moved around the island to stand next to her, reaching for her hand. "How about this? We give it a try, and if it starts to seem too much, you can move in here with your friends," he said.
"But that will sour what we have. If we do it and it doesn't work, I don't think we'll move pass it," Buffy pointed out, feeling anxious. She liked him so much and didn't want it to be over too soon.
"Hey, if you tell me that you're sick of seeing my sour face so much, I'll be a bit hurt, but I can't imagine not wanting to be with you," he admitted. He bent his head down and kissed her.
Buffy allowed herself to get lost in his embrace for a very long moment, and then she pulled back for air. "Okay," she said softly. "I'll stay with you and tell my friends about this place. Thank you." She leaned up to give him light kiss.
Derek gave her a warm smile, relieved that she said yes. He knew it was soon, but now that he met her, he just didn't want to allow any distance between them. "We better finish our food and head out before we lose all the light," Derek said.
Buffy finished her sandwich and took a drink. "Okay. I'm done," she said.
Derek wasn't half finished with his, but he wrapped it. "I'll finish it in the car," he said. "Let's get home."
"I gotta call Will and tell her the good news," she said. "Tomorrow, we're supposed to meet up with your pack and do some training. Do you think we should just have everyone meet here?" They walked out to his car.
"Probably. This place is more private than my loft. The loft is in the center of town," he said.
"Great!" Buffy said, happy.
After she made back to his loft, she helped him put away the food. Then she and Derek went to see her friends.
Willow and Oz were in the living room of the bed and breakfast playing with the baby.
"Buffy, Will took a step!" Willow said excitedly.
"Oz named his baby after his ex-girlfriend?" Derek asked in whispered surprise. He hadn't been told the baby's name.
Oz, of course, heard his question. "His name is William, which is or was his maternal grandfather's name," Oz said. "But I don't mind thinking he is named after the sweetest and smartest witch I know."
Willow blushed at the compliment. "He's a very good baby," she said.
Buffy smiled at the picture they presented. She knew that Oz was too traumatized to be thinking of romance, but she would be very happy if the two exes found their way back to one another. If not, it was great that they could be so close even after all this time.
"I have some news," Buffy said, sitting on the sofa. Derek sat next to her as they were on the floor with the baby.
"What's up?" Willow asked.
"Derek has a place for you guys," she said. "He's got a six-bedroom house. Oz and the baby can take the master bedroom downstairs. Will, you can take the other. The four upstairs can be for Xander and the other slayers who want to be based here permanently. Maybe Dawn if she wants to leave Giles."
"What about you?" Willow asked. She glanced at Derek. "Are you not going to stay there with us?" She gave Buffy an impish smile.
Buffy's face felt warm as she looked at Derek. Then she said, "No, I'm going to stay with Derek."
"Until she gets sick of me," Derek added, grinning.
"That's great!" Willow said excitedly.
"I'm going to call Scott and have him meet us at two at Derek's house instead of the loft. The place is outside of the city and more private," Buffy said.
Willow became even more excited. "That sounds perfect! With all the noise the girls make sometimes, and the frequent spats, private is good," Willow said. Then she looked at Oz. "You know living with slayers isn't exactly peaceful."
He shrugged. "Babysitters who never get tired," he said. "I can deal. Living with a werewolf pack isn't exactly restful either."
"I remember," Derek said with a bittersweet smile. "There was normally around a dozen or so living or staying at my house growing up. That's how the hunters were able to kill so many of my family at once."
"I will most definitely be putting all kinds of wards on the house," Willow said grimly. "Nothing like that will ever happen again—not in a house we're staying in. I can do it in your loft, too."
"That'd be great," Derek acknowledged. "My Uncle Peter might appreciate it, too. Of course, he is a total ass, but he is Malia's father."
"I'll do it to everyone's house," Willow said. "We lived with Spike for a few months, so we know how to deal with the difficult."
"Huh?" Oz asked, surprised.
"I'll tell you later," Willow said.
"I think I'm going to put this little guy to bed," Oz said, standing. "Good to see you again, Derek."
"Will we see you tomorrow?" Derek asked.
"Probably not," Oz said before turning to go to his room with his son.
Derek stood, knowing Buffy would like to speak to her best friend in private. "Buffy, I'll wait for you in the car and let the two of you talk about me behind me back," he said with a wink.
"Only good things," Buffy said, blowing him a kiss as he headed for the front door.
"So moving in? That's a big step," Willow said.
"I know it's fast," Buffy said, a bit defensively.
"No, it's not," Willow said. "I mean it would be with a normal couple—one that didn't face death as much as you and Derek do. Life is too short to waste time. If you feel like he could be the one, then you owe it to yourself to find out."
Buffy felt relieved that her best friend thought that and hugged her. "Thanks, Willow. I was going to talk to you before deciding, but he kissed me senseless," she admitted.
Willow giggled. "I bet," she said with a smirk.
"So catch Xander up, okay?" Buffy said. "Where is he?"
"I think he's with the Sheriff," Willow said. "Due to all the ugly stuff that went down, the sheriff is having trouble covering shifts. He had to fire several of his deputies."
"He better. I can't believe they turned on him like that!" Buffy said.
"Yea, right? Well, Xander is answering phones for the sheriff," Willow said.
"Isn't that a waste of his talents?" Buffy asked.
"He said it was a way to get a feel for the place," Willow said. "He might decide to be a deputy part-time. He said it'd be a way to keep his pulse on the community. Give him a legitimate cover."
Buffy was surprised but nodded. "I can see how that might be a good idea. From what I've heard from Derek, Sheriff Stilinski is honorable and willing to do whatever it takes to keep people safe," Buffy said. She stood up. "Well, I better go since Derek's waiting. I'll come pick you and Xander up tomorrow around one thirty, okay? Scott and them know where Derek's place is, so they'll be able to meet us there."
"Sounds good," Willow said. "Good night."
Buffy left feeling really great about her decision. When she got into Derek's car, he was putting away his phone.
"I called Scott and told him the change of location. He said he'd tell the others," Derek said.
"Good. I told Will that we'd come by and get her and Xander tomorrow," Buffy said.
Derek nodded and drove them back to his loft without talking. When he pulled into his garage, he turned off the car and looked at her. "So you're not going to tell me?" he asked.
"Tell you what?" she asked.
"What your best friend really thinks about us moving into together?" Derek said.
Buffy smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know!"
"You're not going to tell me?" he asked, surprised.
"Maybe," she said, playing coy.
Derek leaned in close. "I bet I can make you talk," he said.
"Meaner creatures than you have tried," she replied.
He placed his lips on her neck, satisfied when a low moan came from her mouth.
"No fair!" she protested but didn't pull away.
"I told you I could make you talk," he said as his lips trailed down her throat. His lips stopped at the scar she told him was from two vampire bites. Instinctively, he sucked hard on the spot, causing her to reach out and pull him close.
"Don't stop," she ordered.
He pulled away and grinned. "Tell me what she said," Derek said.
Buffy's eyebrow went up. "You honestly think you can seduce me into doing what you want?" she asked. "I bet I can be meaner." Without preamble, she pushed her hand under his waistline and wrapped her hand around his dick, making him gasp. "What do you think?"
"Okay! I give up!" he said. "Let's go inside where we have more room to play."
He opened the car and practically ran into the house, making Buffy giggle as she followed after him.
As soon as they were inside, he pulled her closed for a hot kiss. When she broke off for breath—he seemed to need less air than she did, she said, "Will thinks me living with you is great. Life is too short to waste time."
Derek smiled in satisfaction. "I couldn't agree more, so let's stop wasting time," he said as he stripped off his clothes.
Laughing, Buffy followed him into his bedroom.
*****Chapter End*****
I thought some sweet Derek/Buffy time would be nice. I hope you enjoyed it. The Teen Wolf pack will show up in the next chapter. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! I do judge enthusiasm for a story by the reviews.