He was still here. He hadn't left her while she slept. She had woken up in his arms, his body still pressed to hers, his breath warm on the back of her neck. Her last fear, held out in the light of day, turned to mist and evaporated. She pulled free from his grip and gently turned over to facehim. Her movements had woken him, and he blinked sleepily, an adorably happy grin appearing on his face the moment he focused on her. She couldn't help but grin back.

"Morning," she whispered.

"Morning," he answered, slowly moving his head to sweep his lips along hers. His eyes opened wider and he seemed to focus a little more clearly. "You okay?" The question was gentle and tactful and covered a multitude of uncomfortable subjects.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Green eyes gazed unblinkingly up into blue ones. She continued, trying to reassure him. "Honest. You'd know if I wasn't." The edges of her mouth quirked upwards as a large hand started to tuck errant strands of blond hair behind her upturned ear.

"That's good. I just wanted to make sure..." he trailed off, unsure how to continue.

"Yeah." A pause. "I've just got... associations with this that aren't of the good."

"If you want to talk about it..." he offered, one hand coming up to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

"Some other time."

They looked at each other and sighed in relief at the same time. Buffy giggled and Riley smiled. "So," she began, a little grin still on her lips, "What are your plans for today?"

He rolled onto his back, stretching his arms out to the side before folding them underneath his head. She propped herself up one elbow and looked down at his face. He had stubble on his cheeks and chin, and his eyes were still a little squinty from sleep. There was a little scar to the side of his nose that she hadn't noticed before, and his hair, devoid of its usual gel, fell straight back towards the pillow. Her hand lighted gently on the side of his face before stroking down, rasping over facial hair. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand, a beatific expression on his face.

"Your plans?" she whispered again, reminding him.

"What plans?" he murmured, eyes still closed.

"Got any?" she asked, a slight note of amusement creeping into her voice.

"Not anymore." He opened his eyes and grinned at her.

"Good." The last was whispered and barely got out before her mouth captured his in a kiss that was blatantly carnal. She sucked his lower lip into her mouth, nibbling and licking at the skin, before gently slipping her tongue in and out of his mouth in a parody of lovemaking. He turned his body back to face hers, his hand came up to hold the back of her head steady, and he began to pour himself into her. His tongue swept her mouth with a bruising familiarity, exploring all the planes and textures with unpracticed skill and an abundance of passion. He felt like he could lose himself inside of her and never find his way out, never be able to breath completely unless he was inside her. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss and smoothed his hand down the side of her face.

"I love you, Buffy Summers," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

His fingers trailed gently over her face, committing every angle and curve to memory.

She didn't answer, but merely tucked her elbows in and snuggled up to his chest, causing his arms to enfold her naturally. She slid one leg between his and nuzzled her face up into his neck, kissing the skin in delicate pecks that tickled and aroused. He pulled the blankets up to waist height and they fell asleep again, enjoying the opportunity to relax.

And that was the way Graham and Forrest found them when they barged into Riley's room, as was usual on a Sunday morning. Forrest, in front, skidded to a halt at the sight, a loud greeting dying on his lips. Riley, used to his friends' entrances, came awake quickly, but noticed that Buffy had, miraculously, stayed asleep. Graham smiled at the couple, obviously happy for his friend's good fortune, while the expression on Forrest's face was a mixture of amusement and amazement. He looked about ready to open his mouth until he caught the expression that had fallen across his superior officer's features. Wisely, he closed his mouth and backed out of the room, Graham following.

Sighing and shaking his head, Riley lightly kissed the slight girl in his arms, running his tongue across her lips and starting to work off the corner of her mouth and down her chin. Odd, that she hadn't woken up yet... He pulled back to look at her face and noticed the wide grin that had settled across her mouth. A sneaking suspicion rose up in the back of his mind.

She opened her eyes and giggled. "Aren't you glad you pulled the sheets up?"

Riley threw an arm across his face and groaned.

The End

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