Riley Finn had arrived in back in town on February thirteenth the day before Valentine's Day. Perfect timing, tomorrow he was going to try his damndest to make Buffy Summers see that they could make it work. His time in Belize had given him time to think and decide a few things. His major decision was that he couldn't let Buffy go.

This, this was his last chance, he was still at a loss as how to impress her but Valentines Day was tomorrow and he thought maybe simple was the way to go. Maybe this time she would realize how he felt. If not he simply did not know what to do - he'd never loved anyone like her before.

He had called Joyce Summers and surprisingly enough she had been helpful to him. She let him know that she and Dawn were headed to LA for a few days, gallery business for her and a couple of inservice days for the teachers at Dawn's school had allowed her to tag along. Buffy would be alone on Valentine's Day.

February 14

Riley had let himself into the Summer's house through the backdoor that Joyce had left unlocked for him that morning.

He sat at the island in the kitchen attaching strings to his cutouts. He began to suspend each cutout from the ceiling with a tack. Soon the cutouts were fluttering lightly he moved down the hall attaching some to the wall and then hanging more from the living room ceiling working his way up the stairs he stuck more on the walls hung a few from the hallway ceiling and then made his way into her bedroom. He suspended the remaining cutouts from her ceiling so many that you could barely walk into the room through them.

The last and largest cutout he lay on her pillow. He left the room smiling at his work and praying this would work.

"So do you have plans tonight?" Buffy sighed.

Willow spoke hesitantly, "Umm... yes, it is Valentines Day."

Buffy sighed again, "I know and everyone is busy except me. You and Tara, Xander and Anya, even Giles, Olivia came into town last night. I guess it will just be me and a sappy romantic movie tonight."

Willow patted her best friend on the back, "I'm sorry Buffy, but someday the right guy will come along. Do you want to have dinner with Tara and I?"

Buffy shook her head, "No, I think I'd rather go home and mope." She smiled a small smile at Willow, "Don't worry about me, Will. I'll be fine, have a good time."

Buffy walked home wondering if there was any popcorn at the house and if there was a good tearjerker on tv. She wanted to stuff herself and have a small pity party. She opened the kitchen door and was shocked to find little pink construction paper hearts hanging from the ceiling. What? Who? She thought as she plucked one of the hearts down from it's string.

She gasped out loud when she read the writing on the heart. It said in very red letters "Riley loves Buffy." She pulled down several more hearts as she made her way to the living room each one proclaimed the same thing. There were more in the living room and up the stairs. Who had done this? Dawn maybe, thinking it would make her feel better.

She had to smile as she saw more in the hallway and she was softly giggling when she opened the door to her room there were so many hearts in there she could barely walk. She pulled down a few more and sat down on her bed, one finger tracing the words "Riley loves Buffy." She sighed as she noticed the large heart on her pillow it's message read, "Please call me!" A phone number scrawled underneath the message. Her heart jumped to her throat, could it be? Was Riley really in town?

She stared at the number as she picked up the phone. She dialed nervously not sure what she would say.

The phone rang once before he answered. "Hello." Buffy sighed at the sound of his voice.

"Riley, is that you?" She asked her voice shaking slightly.

"Yes" He answered softly.

"You're here, you did all of this?" Still not believing she was actually talking to him.

"Yes, I'm here and I'm guilty as charged." He laughed softly, "Can I come up?"

"Come up?" She asked him confused.

"Yes, look out your window."

Buffy looked out the window and was surprised to see Riley waving at her. She motioned for him to come in. "Come on up."

She was waiting at her bedroom door when he bounded up the stairs. They stood face to face among the little pink hearts both unsure what to say to the other. In unison the words "I'm sorry." left both their mouths at the same instant.

Then silence and smiles as he reached for a golden curl of her hair and held it between his thumb and forefinger. "I missed you." He told her as he hesitantly placed his arms around her.

She leaned into the hug savoring the feel of his arms around her, the scent of his cologne. "I missed you, too." She told him.

"I'm so sorry, Buffy. I shouldn't have left that way." He told her stroking her hair.

Buffy pulled away from him, "No, you shouldn't have, but I think I understand why you did. I'm sorry too, Riley."

"I want to try again, Buffy. If you'll have me." He asked fear of rejection in his voice.

She looked into his eyes, "It will be different this time though."

"Yeah, it will be. I'll be more honest about my feelings instead of bottling them up." He told her as he took her hand in his.

"And I'll try not to always be supergirl and let you be there for me." She gave his hand a squeeze."So you cut out all of these hearts by yourself?"

"Yes mam." He answered with a grin. "I tried to think of all the special and important times we shared as I cut them out."

He stood and pulled a heart from the ceiling, "Like this one is for the picnic we had." He lay the heart on the bed next to her.

"And this one is for that drive we took by the lake, remember I let you take the wheel for a whole five minutes." He grinned as she gave him a mock glare.

"And this one is for your birthday party." He lay the two hearts on the bed.

He went around the room removing hearts and naming important moments in their lives for each one. Soon Buffy was laughing at the huge pile of pink hearts spread all over her bed.

When there was one heart left hanging he removed it with an almost reverance. "What does that one stand for?" Buffy asked him curiously.

"This one, this heart stands for the first time we made love. The best day of my life." He told her as lay the heart on top of the others and sat down beside her.

She leaned forward and kissed him, a full deep kiss. Her small hands unbuttoning his shirt.

"Buffy we dont' have to rush this... " Riley started but was quickly quieted by a another kiss.

Her hands continued to work on the buttons of his shirt off while her mouth hungrily devoured his. He gave up any resistance as she helped him out of his shirt and started on the fly of his jeans.

She giggled when she felt the bulge in his jeans, "So you did miss me?"

He laughed softly, "More then I've ever missed anyone." He helped her out of her clothes then.

First they explored each other slowly, raining soft kisses and caresses up and down each others body. Then joined together with a fierce passion, the pent up emotion from the past months fueling their want, their need for each other.

When it was over they lay in a sated heap of tangled sheets and entwined limbs amidst a bed of little pink hearts.

The End

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