A/N- I just want to take a minute to thank anyone who was a reader the first time I started this story, for your patience and loyalty. Anyway here's chapter 5. And it only took like 3 years!!

Standing in Doorways

Willow stood in the doorway of her new room at Buffy's, smiling to herself. She still couldn't believe how generous Buffy's mom was being. To hive Willow a room, a bed, and most importantly, a home. The affection she felt from Joyce and Buffy was so overwhelming and foreign. The redhead knew that her family life was far better than most, that her parents loved her. On the other hand, she also knew that the didn't care enough to take time out of their own lives to talk to her, to see how she was doing. Willow let out a long shaky sigh, and thought to herself, 'Well there's nothing like a pity party to christen a newly finished bedroom.

"Hey," Willow felt a hand on her shoulder, turning around she saw a confused, frowning Buffy, "You okay, Will," the blonde asked.

Willow shot a crooked smile at Buffy, "Oh, you know me. Just wallowing in a little self-pity." Off Buffy's concerned look she continued, "It's just that the last two weeks I've spent here with you and your mom have opened my eyes to my parents neglect. I never really thought there was anything wrong with them leaving for weeks at a time." Willow broke off eye contact wit the slayer, she didn't want her friend to see the tears spilling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I-"

She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence, as she was abruptly pulled into a tight embrace by Buffy. Willow rested her head against the smaller girls shoulder, and felt Buffy's warm breath whisper in her ear, "Hey now, there will be no crying, not over them. Not if they can't see how lucky they are to have a daughter like you." The blonde pulled her head back to get a better look at her friend, "I could beat them up if you want. Nothing too bad, maybe slap your dad around a bit."

Willow giggled at the offer, pulled away from the embrace, but making sure to grab Buffy's hand as she did. "Thanks, but no thanks," she said, leading the slayer into the room and sitting them both down on her bed.

"Well the offer stands," Buffy smiled at the redhead.

Shaking her head at the blonde, Willow said, "I'm gonna take a shower and get ready for bed."

Buffy groaned internally as she watched the other girl bounce happily out of the room. Ithad been about a week since the slayer had uncovered her feelings for her best friend, then decided to pursue those emotions. It had been a long, excruciating week of "accidental" touches, hugs that lasted too long, and, of course, late night snuggles. The slayer thought she was going to pop an artery from all the pent up sexual frustration. Even her subconscious had turned against her, filling the blonde's dreams with Willow. Holding Willow, kissing her, making her moan Buffy's name.

'Who am I kidding,' Buffy thought to herself, 'I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't know how to hit on a girl, especially if that girl is Willow. She's so sweet and innocent…and less than fifteen feet away from me, naked and wet.'

Buffy was dragged from her semi-erotic fantasies by a light tap on the door. She looked up, her mother was standing in the doorway, and a questioning look in her eyes.

Joyce stepped into the room, "Where's Willow?"

Buffy nodded towards the bathroom, "Shower."

"Ahh," Joyce sat down on the edge of the bed, with a look of concern. She reached out to tuck a stray hair behind her daughter's ear, "Want to tell me what's been going on with you lately?"

Buffy stared back at her mother, forehead wrinkled in confusion, "What do you mean, the Angel thing? Barely even a deal anymore."

"No, I know that," Joyce smiled, "and I'm happy to see how quickly you bounced back, but that isn't what I'm asking." She paused, steeling herself for what she was about to say, "I want to know what's going on between you and Willow, honey."

Buffy's eyes widened in shock, and her breathing was becoming erratic. "I-" she starts, "I don't…" and trails off. She's suddenly she's crying, hard, and her chest is tight. She wasn't prepared for this, this "coming out" thing. Buffy had only just realized this herself, she hadn't even told Willow yet, but her mother? This was too much.

Joyce quickly wraps an arm around the distraught slayer, rocking her gently until she feels her daughter's breathing stabilize. "Buffy," she whispers, "Honey, listen to me. I would never, ever stop loving you over something like sexual orientation. You love who you love, and that's not for me to judge."

Buffy smiles at her mother, "Thank you, but I don't understand. How did you know?"

"You're my daughter," Joyce says, the gives her daughter a sly smile. "Oh, and I have eyes. The two of you have been following each other around like lovesick puppies for days," she offers her daughter a warm smile. "I know how hard this must be for you, and I just wanted to make things a little easier on you. Let you know, that I know. And I couldn't be happier for you both."

Buffy gives her mother a loving a squeeze before getting up from the bed and rambling, "That's the thing though, Willow and I…we aren't…there isn't a 'both' for you to be happy about yet." The slayer looks pleadingly at her mother, "I haven't told her how I feel. I'm pretty sure she likes me, but I don't know how to do this."

Buffy slowly paces the length of the room, "How do you tell your best friend, best girl friend, that you're in love with her? That all you want to do is hold her, and…" Buffy pauses, feeling like she's on some kind of emotional rollercoaster. "How do I tell my best friend that I want to spend the rest of my life with her?"

"I might be biased," a voice whispered from the doorway. Buffy whips around, and sees Willow standing there in a fluffy robe, hair still wet from a shower that had ended several minutes ago. Her eyes wide and loving, "but I'd say that's a good start."

"You know what I just remembered," Joyce slid off the bed, making a bee-line for the door, "I left the lights on downst- down at the gallery. So I'm just gonna go…turn them off." she shuts the door behind her as she leaves, while failing miserably at covering up a great, big smile.

"So," Buffy starts, awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to the other, "how was the shower?"

Willow smiles shyly as she walks slowly toward the slayer, "Oh, you know. Hot, steamy, wet, all in all very shower-like. Thanks for asking."

Buffy returns the redheads smile, "Somehow I feel that you're slightly more interested in what happened after the shower." Willow nods, stopping about a foot short of the slayer. Buffy rolls her eyes, "You're not gonna help me out at all with this are you?" Not waiting for an answer she takes a step forward.

There is barely room for air to pass between them as they stare into each others eyes, not touching. Buffy found herself searching Willow's eyes for something, some sign that this was what she wanted. And then finally she found it, not from the eyes like she had expected, but from her nose. The slayers enhanced senses had picked up the scent, underneath the soap and shampoo, it was there pulsing out of the witch. Arousal. Buffy's eyes darkened and she licked her lips. Willow moaned the blonde's name, her voice thick with desire.

And suddenly they're kissing. Lips crashing together like cars on a highway pile-up. Buffy's hands were in willow's hair, while the redhead was busy exploring the skin under the slayer's shirt. Buffy moaned at the contact, which granted the witch's tongue access to the other girls mouth.

It occurs to Buffy, after a few minutes, that Willow is wearing nothing underneath that fluffy robe. That all it would take was one soft tug on the loosely tied belt. she breaks off the kiss and takes a step back.

"Mmm," Willow moans, taking a step closer to the blonde, "Why'd you stop?"

Buffy takes another step back, "Because if I hadn't you would have been very naked, very quickly," she explained, " and I don't think that either of us are ready for that."

Willow looks down at her robe, blushing fiercely, and pulls it tighter across her chest. Buffy lets out an aggravated growl, disappointed that she could no longer see the beginnings of cleavage. The redhead looked up in surprise.

"Sorry," Buffy apologized. "I'm feeling very conflicted right now."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Willow sits down on the bed, and let out a shaky sigh very different from the one earlier that night. "Is this… are we…" she trails off, not able to finish a thought, or put words to what she was feeling.

Buffy joins her on the bed, and snatches a hand out of the other girls lap. Waiting until she was sure she had Willow's attention, Buffy asks, "Is this what you want? To be with me?"

Willow nods vigorously, "Yes. In a big way, yes. I think, somehow, you always were… what I want."

Buffy smiles, in a big way, "I know what you mean." She leans in to capture the other's lips once more, this time for a shorter, but more tender kiss. Pulling back she sighs, "I could get used to that."

Jumping off the bed and heading for the door, the slayer calls over her shoulder, "I'm going to put on my jammies. I suggest you do the same. Because in a few minutes I'll be in my bed," Buffy pauses in doorway to look back at the redhead, "and I expect a fully dressed Willow in my arms when I do."

Willow flashes a goofy grin as the slayer shuts the door, and gets up to do just that.

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A few hours later the door to Buffy's room creaks open, and Joyce pokes her head in.

Buffy and Willow are in bed, peacefully asleep and completely wrapped up in each other. Shaking her head as she shuts the door once more, Joyce speaks softly to herself.

"Well, I guess I can give the spare room to Faith after all."