Twenty-fifth. Yielding to temptation.


The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

I generally avoid temptation... unless I can't resist it.
Mae West, My Little Chickadee, 1940

Temptation rarely comes in working hours.
It is in their leisure time that men are made or marred.
W. N. Taylor

Temptation is a woman's weapon
and man's excuse.
H. L. Mencken



The week passed remarkably smoothly, and quickly, once they’d fallen into a routine. He was up early, locking Kennedy outside before kissing Buffy goodbye. School dragged most days, but Will figured since he was living for the moments outside, it made perfect sense in a surreal way.

Time crawled to a stop while they were apart, only to race when they were together.

There were some not so pleasant moments, the nights when she woke crying, or when she got moody and uncommunicative, almost sulking. But Will believed much of that was not intentionally directed at him, or caused by him.

Buffy had finally broken down, after calling Willow, spending most of Sunday either crying or sleeping. Uncertain at the time of the reasons, he’d waited until Buffy haltingly explained the cause of her upset. It was, as always, her parents. Her conversation with Willow had centered mainly around the increasingly belligerent phone calls from Joyce Summers.

And yet, not once in those two weeks when no one knew where she was, did Joyce file a missing persons report, stubbornly clinging to the belief Buffy was just getting a bit of revenge for their fight that morning. Which broke Buffy’s heart and just infuriated him. He was glad too, Buffy had waited until after her birthday to call Willow, the very last thing she needed was dealing with all that. Instead, they’d driven down to San Diego, which was closer than Los Angeles, for the day and actually spent the day doing coupley things. Out in the open. It was exactly what they both needed.

He supposed it was a good thing then, that they’d gone shopping before the phone call, because he didn’t think she would’ve been up for the challenge. He still had no idea what she’d bought, aside from a couple of pairs of jeans and a bigger bra. And he only knew about that because she was so proud of the size she’d bragged about it. And then modeled it for him.

That had been Monday night.

Tuesday she’d cooked.

Wednesday had been ice cream.

Tonight she was hiding in the bedroom, packing. Their flight was leaving tomorrow, Friday, at five-forty, arriving in Vegas roughly an hour and a half later . . . and she was packing.

Will was attempting to mark his eleventh graders’ midterms, anxious to go see what she was doing, but every time he got close to their bedroom door she yelled at him to go away.

If it wasn’t so adorable, he’d be sorely aggravated. As it was her bossiness had him hard as nails. Will smirked, all at once thankful she was already pregnant and moving into the middle trimester. He grinned wickedly, wondering how soon after this one was born before they could start on another. And who’d have thought you were a neanderthal, wantin’ your woman pregnant all the time?

“What’s with the leer?” Her voice startled him, though he recovered quickly.

“Thinking of you. . . “ his voice was low and seductive, sending waves of want straight to her pussy.

“Oh? What were ya thinking about?” Buffy leaned against the door, one hand unconsciously fiddling with her lower lip.

Will glanced at her, his eyes narrowing at her appearance. Her hair was in pigtails, all she had on was one of his tee-shirts and a pair of his socks, and he hoped, not much else.

“C’mere you.” He growled out, crooking his finger at her.

“Nahuh.” She batted her eyes at him and her lips quivered in mock fear. “You’re gonna make me do bad things.”

“Mmm. Perhaps, I might kitten, but you’ll never know unless you come here.” Will ground out that last bit, his voice deep and commanding. He pushed back away from his desk, methodically stacking the graded and un-graded papers in two neat piles on the file cabinet behind him. “You know, you’ve been a bit distracted. . . Not paying attention to your lessons. Bit of a bad girl.”

He couldn’t look at her as he’d said that, afraid that his raw need would overwhelm her, but he couldn’t resist this little bit of roleplaying – it was close enough to what he’d wanted to do numerous times in his classroom to not indulge. After all, she had been his student. And he had wanted to fuck her silly on his desk more than once. Now he could . . .

It took her a minute, but when she spoke, he knew he wasn’t alone in his fantasy about the classroom and the desk. “Gee, Mr. S. I’ve tried really hard to be good, and to pay attention, but I have been kind of distracted lately.”

Her voice was higher than normal, breathier and he knew she was doing it just to get him riled up. Oh baby, two can play this game. . . . “really? And what has you so distracted? You know your grades are slipping dangerously.”

“I. . . I can’t tell you. You wouldn’t understand.” She stole a glance at him from under her lashes and she internally grinned. He was standing stock still, a pile of papers in his hand and he was trying hard to look at her sternly, but she could just make out the twinkle in his eyes. “Just how bad are my grades?”

“Unless you do some serious studying or something to bring them up, you just might fail this quarter.” He slowly put the pile down, his eyes never leaving her. “Miss Summers, that skirt is entirely too short for school.”

Trying to adopt an innocent look was really hard, especially considering her thoughts weren’t at all innocent, Buffy started to respond, then changed her mind. “What? Its not that short. Not like you can see my panties or anything.”

Her reward was the visible reaction of her soon-to-be husband. A muscle ticked at his temple and his hands fisted at his side. Emboldened by his response, she pressed her advantage. “So, Mr. S., is there anything I can do to make up my grades? I’d be willing to do anything to keep from failing.”

“I don’t know, Miss Summers, you haven’t exactly been deserving of a second chance lately. You never pay attention in my class, you’re always daydreaming and really, why should I give you a chance to make up your grades?” He sat down in his chair, looking at her, waiting to see what she would do next.

She started fiddling with the hem of his tee-shirt, deliberately letting it ride up her thighs and Buffy stood on one leg, her foot resting behind her so that the hem of the shirt rode up even higher. Will was trying not to salivate, but she was driving him insane. In an effort to gain some manner of control, he looked down at his desk, almost dismissing her.

Knowing she was getting to him, Buffy smiled and took a step closer. “Would it help if I . . . there’s this guy and I . . . Never mind. You just wouldn’t understand.”

“Miss Summers, your personal life isn’t, shouldn’t have any bearing on your grades. I’m afraid you’ll have to do better than that to try and gain my sympathy.” His voice was harsh, and Will realized this wasn’t so much a game anymore but the reality of their life.

“Even if the guy is you?” She’d moved so quietly that he never realized she was standing next to him until her words sounded almost in his ear. The hem of his tee-shirt hit the top of the desk and Will was unable to focus on anything but that.

It took him a very long time to compose himself. “Are you insinuating that I’m the cause of your distraction?” He was barely able to get the words out, almost whispering them in his need.

“Ahuh. Its . . .yeah. All your fault.” The playful tone was still there and Will eased up a bit, leaning back in his chair to look at her standing by his desk. Her fingers were back on the hem, rolling it up and down under her fingers, exposing more and more of her thighs.

He blew out a breath, looking at her for signs of her trying to play him, using himself as an excuse to explain away her failing grades, or for any signs she was uncomfortable with this not-game they were playing. “Just what did you have in mind to try and make up your grades?”

“Isn’t that kind of up to you? You are the teacher, aren’t you?” She smiled at him, her eyes purposely wide and he wanted to die when she leaned across his desk, her chin resting on her palm and the tee-shirt riding up so high that he could just about get a glimpse of her bare ass. He gaped at her for a long minute then nearly gave up the game when she smiled and said, “so, what are ya gonna make me do?”

Buffy was having way to much fun with this, tempting him, making him lose his mind. And the looks he was giving her and the things he was trying so hard to hide were turning her on. This was all way too much fun. And so much like what she had sometimes dreamed about, although it was maybe just a little bit more graphic, that she was fighting her own arousal.

Will pushed further away from the desk, no longer willing to hide his erection from her. “Well Miss Summers, I really have to think about that. I’m not really sure you might be capable of performing make-up work.”

She nearly collapsed in giggles at his seriously bad attempt at innuendo, but she managed to keep her face straight. Affecting an itch, she reached back and scratched at her butt, pulling the tee-shirt up even higher. His eyes followed the motion of her hand and his adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he tried to swallow. She knew he was dying to touch her, could feel his hands fisting and she moved her hand, leaving the tee-shirt where it was.

“I’m capable. Look at me, all capability girl. I can do lots of things. I’m really pretty flexible.” She hid her smile behind her hands, afraid she was going to burst out laughing and completely ruin the moment, but she was really having fun. Will is so easy to tease.
“Please, Mr. S. Please, please let me do. . . . Something to make-up the work.”

She watched him struggle to control himself and something within her snapped, she wanted him so badly she couldn’t fight it anymore. He was angled toward her, his erection clearly outlined in his jeans and Buffy couldn’t, and didn’t want to, play any longer. Reaching out, her hand brushed over his thigh, settling on his hard length. “I’d do anything for you Mr. S.”

He groaned, watching as her small hand cupped him through the jeans. “Oh fuck.”

His hips jerked and she popped open the top button, sliding her tiny finger down inside the denim. “Anything to make you happy, Mr. S.”

Oh fuck, the little girl voice. . . The rest of his buttons followed the first in rapid succession and he was lost in the feel of her warm hand sliding up and down his cock. His eyes focused on where she was touching him and he growled low in his throat when she flicked the head, her thumb gathering up the moisture. She gasped and his eyes were drawn to her lips and her tongue was poking out, licking those chewable lips and Will couldn’t not touch her any longer. His hand reached out, exposing all of her backside to his eyes.

“Miss Summers. You aren’t wearing any knickers.” He could hardly speak, the sound of his voice harsh and raspy to his own ears.

She let go of his cock, leaning up on her elbow, almost completely lying on his desk now. The tee-shirt was up over her hip, just barely hiding the coarse curls covering her sex from his view. Buffy brought her other hand up, her eyes steady on his, her little tongue poking out to lick the sticky pre-cum from all of her fingers. Her smile widened at his reaction and she said, “Nope. No panties. Which is why you couldn’t see them under this really short skirt.”

A shaky hand reached out, skimming along the hem, brushing against her. “You are a very bad girl, Miss Summers.“

“But I’m your very bad girl.” She gasped when his fingers tugged on her curls.

“You’re all wet, baby.” Buffy rolled onto her back, spreading her legs for him. Will’s breath caught in his throat and he stumbled to his feet. “You are so fucking gorgeous.”

Brushing her foot over his cock, Buffy hooked her toes into his waistband and tugged Will’s jeans down his hips. “No, you’re the gorgeous one.”

Will couldn’t focus on any one single thought. Thousands of names were running through his head, a thousand thoughts he wanted to share with her. She was wanton, innocent, bitch, angel . . . Irresponsible and determined, broken yet unbowed. . . . vulnerable and formidable. . . and . . . all his.

“Mine. You’re mine kitten. Not letting you go. Now or ever.” His fingers played in her curls, tugging on them gently, circling her heat. “Open up for me baby, lemme see you.”

Buffy spread her legs, draping them over the sides of his desk, causing his tee shirt to cover her pussy from his sight.

With shaky fingers, Will slid his hands over her thighs, then up underneath the soft red cotton. He draped the shirt over her so that her breasts were exposed and the material gathered in the valley between, pointing the way to her pussy. Will leaned over her, his fingers poised to thrust inside her soaking channel and his mouth hovering over one nipple.

“You’re a feast. . . and ‘m gonna eat you all up kitten. . . ‘m gonna drink from your breasts. . . “ he suckled first one then the other. “An’ then ‘m gonna. . . “ his mouth was on her pussy, nibbling and sucking on her clit before Buffy could brace herself.

“Oh god Will.” She cried out, her hands clenching the side of his desk.

Will bit down gently on her clit, thrust two fingers inside and groaned. “Love you. . . “

He got to his feet, watching her face darken with need, her eyes wide open and focused on his. “Cum for me baby girl. . . show me what you’re feelin’ . . . lemme feel you.” Will rotated his fingers, curling them up, brushing them over that spongy spot within her and Buffy whimpered out his name, convulsing around his hand.

Sliding his fngers out of her, Will gripped her thighs and pulled her down to the edge of the desk. “Lemme in, little girl . . . lemme take you.”

Buffy lifted her shaking legs to wrap them around his waist. “Now Will. . . “

His growl of completion as he slid his cock into her warmth was equaled by a shuddering gasp from her. A tiny playful smile lit her face and Buffy reached up to grab his arms, pulling his face toward hers.

“Love you. . . but . . next time? Need faster.” And then she softly screamed out his name as her orgasm ripped through her.

**********************************************************************************

Will checked the hallways and the office before he snuck into the registrar’s office. He’d waited until the last minute to sneak in and “borrow” Buffy’s birth certificate. He’d thought about just getting another original, but this had seemed easier, since it might take over a week to get a second one from Los Angeles.

There was no one in the office and Will headed directly for the student’s records. He had a short period of time when the office was normally unoccupied. Sliding open the drawer labeled Su – Sz, Will quicly located her records. Flipping through the piles of papers, he didn’t find her birth certificate, growing frantic, Will went through them again, finding it the second time around.

Quickly replacing her file and closing the drawer, Will slipped from the office as the secretary came back from lunch. He checked his watch. Two forty-five. In three hours they’d be on their way to Vegas. Will headed for his car, the necessary documents in his jacket pocket.

**********************************************************************************

Everything was packed. Their clothes for the weekend, her dress and his suit in hanging bags, with their dress shoes weighing down the bottoms. It was just the waiting now. Buffy tried buttoning up her jeans, frowning when the closure wouldn’t meet over the slight bulge of her barely protruding belly. Already? No way. She thought about laying down on the bed to button them, then thought again about the long flight and how much worse she was going to feel when she actually had to pee on the plane and she wouldn’t be able to get fully dressed again. Easier to just wear something else. Looking through the meager pile of her belongings, she realized sooner or later, hopefully later, she was either going to have to break down and call her mother or she was going to talk Will into buying her a completely new wardrobe. Isn’t much here, but I’m so not calling my mother . . .

She’d only talked to Willow a couple of times since she’d started living here with Will, and in fact had only admitted to her best friend on Wednesday where she actually was. No use in hiding it, not that she wanted to, but it would be better for Will if they didn’t advertise anything at all. Especially their living arrangements. Looking at the bigger pair of jeans in what was now her drawer, Buffy quickly stripped out of smaller pair. Yup. Much easier doing this than asking Willow to sneak into my house and get some of my clothes. Not fair to make her face the mom-monster when even I don’t wanna do it.

Glancing over the alarm clock by the side of the bed, Buffy sighed. Only two forty-five. Good news is Will’s on his way home. . Bad news? . . . . bad news. . . Buffy sighed again. The doubts and fears that had been plaguing her for the last two days came back to haunt her again. Am I insane? I’m going to marry my English teacher. . . . okay, so technically not in school anymore, but still. . .

She flopped back on the bed, lying cross-wise, staring up at the ceiling. Am I doing the right thing? Am I just using him to run away from my other problems? The real ones . . . . Mom. Riley. Baby. Buffy curled up on her side, facing the headboard and their pillows. She’d mentioned to Will, in passing, while they were shopping that she liked feather pillows instead of foam – and as a surprise he’d bought her three of them. A wistful smile crossed her features, and she smoothed down the comforter that had bunched up when she’d fallen backwards. There was no sense fooling herself. She hadn’t really ever loved Riley, holding a part of herself back from him all the time, but then he hadn’t really tried to get to know her beyond the bouncy Buffy cheerleader facade that she showed everyone. He’d been in love with the idea of her – he’d never read her poetry, never knew she climbed out of her window at night to go talk to her dead grandmother – or any other dead people. Didn’t want to know about how scared she sometimes was when her mother was away for days, weeks at a time. And how sometimes she dreaded her mother being around – especially when she was drinking. . . no, he’d never wanted to know about all that.

But Will. . . . . he read her poetry – okay so some of it had to be turned in for a grade – but he hadn’t dismissed it or belittled her efforts – and he’d found out pretty quickly that she talked to her dead grandmother. Funny thing was – he didn’t mind it at all – in fact, they’d gone together on Wednesday night after she’d talked to Willow. He knew she was scared to be alone – again, because he’d pushed and found out. He hadn’t once been willing to take her at face value, to allow her to pretend. And she hadn’t wanted to, not with him.

She wanted him to see her. Really, truly see her.

Funniest thing of all – he had. Seen that is. From the beginning he’d been able to really see her. And Buffy knew he wasn’t afraid of her seeing the real him either.

Another smile crossed her features, this one tinged with tears. No one had ever really done that for her – really seen her and still loved her. And suddenly, all the doubts she’d been having – well, weren’t completely gone – but they weren’t so real.

Resting her head on his pillow, Buffy inhaled deeply, getting a noseful of his scent and the tears abruptly became breathless giggles.

Yeah, so what am I doing tomorrow? I’m marrying someone I love. The only someone I love. . . . and its all gonna be okay. Coz, I’m not gonna ever stop loving him.

**********************************************************************************

She was sleeping on the bed when he got home, less than a half hour from the time he’d snuck into the registrar’s office. Will stopped at the door to their bedroom, his eyes drinking in the sight of her. Buffy was so tiny, barely hitting five feet tall, and just. . . all around petite. Just a little bit of a thing she was, but his whole world was encompassed in her form. She held the power to break him – destroy his life, his world, crumble everything to dust and yet none of that gave him pause. He was hers and he was willing to do anything to keep her safe.

He hated like hell to wake her, but they had to get moving, since they had to drive to San Diego to catch their flight. The luggage was already in the DeSoto, all he had to do was wake her.

On soft feet he approached the bed, a genuine smile playing about his lips. Drusilla had given him hell about this, running off to Vegas to get married – but when he’d mentioned that it had been good enough for her and Liam, she’d had no room to keep on it. Someday, princess, I promise, we’ll do a whole big thing . . . . church, reception, long honeymoon. Although, spring break is in a couple of weeks. . . Maybe a surprise trip for Valentine’s . . . .

Will laid down on the bed, curling around her, his arms sliding under and over her. “Buffy, c’mon love, time to wake up. Gotta go baby.”

She mewled softly, rocking back against him, but didn’t wake.

He nudged her again, his voice a little louder, mouth just by her ear. “C’mon sweetheart, we need to go.”

Slowly swimming toward wakefulness, Buffy whimpered, asking him in a whisper, “just a little bit longer, please?”

His low chuckle and insistent hands prodded her into action though and Buffy reluctantly opened her eyes. “I’m all comfy now. Don’t wanna get up.”

“We could stay here, if you really want, but the hotel’s all booked, tickets are all paid for . . . “ Buffy rolled over, giving him an evil glare.

“Nope. You woke me up. Now I’m all cranky Buffy.” She pouted at him, which only made him chuckle harder.

“Have I told you how adorable that is?”

“No.” She smiled as he leaned closer, his lips trailing kisses over her face. “But you could tell me again.”

Will rolled over onto his back then sat up. Lifting her up onto his lap, he said, “you’re the most beautiful adorable sight ‘ve ever laid eyes on. . . . an’ we need to go now, if we’re goin’.”

The pout she presented him with was too much for him to resist, so he leaned in, his mouth on hers before she could formulate a thought. The kiss deepened, tongues entwining and her fingers threaded into his curls at the same time his pushed beneath her shirt. Buffy pulled away, gasping for air, resting her forehead against his lips. “We need to go, right?”

“If you wanna get married this weekend, yeah, we do.”

Their eyes met and she smiled softly. “We’ll be able to do this for five or six hundred years then.”

“Definitely. Forever.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek. When he reached her lips she kissed the rough pad, then whispered softly, “then let’s go.”

“After you, kitten.”

Twenty-sixth. No rule but love

Marriage is a fierce battle
before which the two partners
ask heaven for its blessing,
because loving each other is the
most audacious of enterprises;
the battle is not slow to start,
and victory, that is to say freedom,
goes to the cleverest.
Honoré De Balzac, The Physiology of Marriage

My true-love hath my heart, and I have his,
By just exchange, one for the other given:
I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss,
There never was a better bargain driven.
Sir Philip Sidney, Song from Arcadia

Yeah. Look, let me take you away from all this.
Aaah, a marriage made in heaven.
A frog and a pig.
We can have bouncing baby figs.
Kermit to Miss Piggy, The Muppet Show, 1976

When it comes to the marriage,
one man is as good as the next.
And even the least accommodating
is less trouble than a mother.
Marquise de Merteuil, Dangerous Liaisons, 1988

Chains do not hold a marriage together.
It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads
which sew people together through the years.
Simone Signoret

A man's wife has more power over him than the state has.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journals


Between a man and his wife nothing ought to rule but love.
William Penn




Joyce looked up in surprise when her attorney put the papers down between them. “You realize what you’ve signed, right?”

“Given my daughter some hope for a future and . . . . what?”

“Joyce, I’ve been your attorney for years, since your divorce from Hank, now tell me what this is really about.”

She sighed heavily, her eyes on the paperwork in front of her. “I don’t want her to rely on any man. They aren’t trustworthy or worth the aggravation.”

Lilah Morgan watched the anger flicker across Joyce’s face, her own features impassioned. “Have you heard from your daughter at all?”

With a shake of her head, Joyce grabbed the settlement document laying on the table between them. “She’s hiding at Rosenberg’s. Her little friend says otherwise, but I know she’s lying.”

“There’s one stipulation you should know about.” Lilah paused while Joyce signed all the documents. “The Finns insisted on it, and they weren’t willing to budge. I thought the general was a hardass, but his wife. . . . “ Lilah’s voice trailed off, then she gathered herself. “Apparently Maggie Finn insisted on this. Neither you nor Buffy can access the funds without co-signing the checks.”

“What?” Joyce looked flustered, then a flash of anger flared in her eyes. “What is that? What does that mean?”

“It means, Joyce, that neither you nor Buffy can touch the money without the other one knowing about it, until Buffy reaches twenty-one and then the money becomes hers and you’ll have no control over it at all.”

Joyce sat there stunned, her mind trying to grasp this new information. “That’s . . . that’s. . . .”

*****************************************************************************

The flight was too short to be anything but uneventful. By the time he realized he’d forgotten to call his uncle about the dogs, they were about half an hour into the flight to Las Vegas. Will fumbled for his phone, his attention focused on getting at least a message through to Rupert, asking him to watch the dogs until Sunday.

He hadn’t said anything to Rupert all week about Buffy’s return. It was one thing for him to tell Drusilla or Buffy to tell Willow, neither one of them held the power Rupert Giles did. Technically any admission of impropriety on Will’s part could get him into trouble, only the fact of the blood-ties between the two men seemed to be working in his favor.

So far, Giles had held his tongue, kept Will’s secret. That didn’t mean, though, Will was just going to start confiding his every thought. If anything, Rupert’s knowledge of his feelings for Buffy made him more closed-mouthed. Can’t have both of us in hot water. Least this way one of us can escape.

Managing to leave a voice-mail on Rupert’s cell phone, Will breathed a little easier. His eyes settled on Buffy, who was taking advantage of their enforced stillness by sleeping. The pounds she’d lost, ones she really shouldn’t have, were slowly coming back, little bit by little bit. Between his encouragement and concern, she’d called her doctor, asking for advice and requesting a check-up appointment, since she’d missed her last one. They were going to see the doctor on Thursday, and hopefully, they’d be able to convince her to eat more. Her head fell against his shoulder, and Will shifted, easing her forward, then lifted the arm rest. She started to wake up as he moved them around but his murmured “go back to sleep”, was enough for her.

Buffy was now laying across his lap, her head cradled in the crook of his elbow, her face against his chest. Will leaned in to kiss the end of her nose just as the flight attendant walked by. Glancing down at them, she smiled a bit. “Long week?”

Will grinned, sparing her a quick glance before focusing on Buffy again. “Been a really rough month.”

“Well the good news is it’s almost over.” She paused for a second, then opened the hatch over their heads. “Shouldn’t really do this, since we only have about an hour more flying time, but she looks exhausted.”

Unfolding the blanket, she spread it over them, a smile playing about her lips.

“Thanks, pet. ‘M sure she’ll appreciate it.” Will settled back, closing his own eyes.

With a soft, “you’re welcome,” the flight attendant left them alone.

**********************************************************************************

Her first glimpse of the Las Vegas strip was a blur of lights and noise and people out walking around everywhere. So very different from sleepy old Sunnydale. Buffy wasn’t sure if it was because she’d just woken up or because she was very much out of her element, but she wasn’t exactly comfortable.

It was sensory overload.

The blinking flashing neon was giving her a headache and doing nothing for the nausea currently making her feel sea-sick. “Will? Can you pull over?”

“What’s wrong?” Checking the road, Will eased over to the curb, his eyes, for once, not on his girlfriend.

The second the car stopped, Buffy was out, her head between her knees, fighting against the urge to vomit. Her head was swimming, bile rising up in her throat, threatening to make an appearance at any moment. Strong hands wrapped around her and she collapsed into them.

“I’ve got you kitten, relax.”

“I don’t feel so good.” Her face nuzzled against his chest, their arms instinctively wrapping around each other. They both remained silent, while she tried to get her belly to agree to moving again. A deep sigh broke through her.

Will kissed the top of her head, running his fingers through her hair. “Think you can go now?”

“Yeah.”

“Right then, back in you go.” Will waited while she sat in the rental, closing the door behind her.

“Thanks Will.” Her tiny hand reached out to him as he sat down behind the wheel. He took hold of it, raising it to his mouth.

Not letting go after he placed a tender kiss on the back, Will smiled and drove toward their hotel.

**********************************************************************************

He could’ve booked a whole big thing in the Bellagio; an entire hugely expensive over-the-top wedding package, including huge cake and all the other stuff. They’d talked about it, just a little bit, and Buffy had said she didn’t want any of that, she just wanted something small without anyone else being around. Which is why he didn’t book the expensive package.

Will had gotten them the smaller of the two chapels, had gotten the smallest of the wedding packages, then paid for an up-grade so that Buffy could have a spa treatment in the morning, with pictures and dinner for the two of them. They weren’t having any guests, the only people on earth other than the two of them who knew where they were going to be and more importantly, what they were doing, were Willow and Drusilla.

Buffy had been utterly adorable when she was on the phone with Willow Thursday night and despite her earlier promise and decision she wasn’t going to tell her best friend about their plans for the weekend, she’d been unable to hold back. The mutual squeals of excitement had been hard to miss and even though he knew the potential existed for them to be caught, he couldn’t in all good conscience give her a hard time about confiding in Willow. He was glad she’d started opening up to her, because Buffy needed to know he wasn’t the only one that loved her – she needed the support of her best friend if she was going to make it through the next couple of months with her sanity intact.

When he’d told Dru, after she’d yelled at him for a bit, she’d merely asked “which hotel?”

His response had gotten her approval and he then told her about the other surprise he was planning for spring break, which was around Valentine’s day. Her delight had been infectious, and Will was basking in the glow of her approval when she lowered the boom on him and asked about Buffy’s mother. That had been enough to sour his whole mood and Will had almost hung up on her; but she’d managed to calm him down and get him to open up about that also.

Buffy was standing behind him, her jacket around her as she stared around at the lobby of the hotel. He could tell by her stiff posture she was a bit uncomfortable and he guessed too, she was still feeling a bit off from nausea. The morning sickness struck at the oddest times and Will sometimes wondered if stress also played a part in her continued inability to eat. Check-in was progressing smoothly though and he figured they’d be up in their suite shortly.

“Will? How much longer?” Her voice sounded next to him and he looked down at her to find tears pooling in her sad looking eyes.

“What’s wrong, kitten?” The concierge helping them took one look at the couple, attention caught by the concern in the man’s voice and prepared to step in if they needed her assistance.

She sniffled a bit, then leaned closer to him, pitching her voice low. “My belly’s all wonky and I wanna lie down.”

He turned away from the concierge, his attention fully on her. “You gonna get sick again?”

She shook her head, making a face. “Don’t think so.”

“Mr. Stevenson? Is everything okay?” The concierge interrupted, pulling his attention away for a moment. “If necessary we can have someone escort your fiance upstairs and you can check in while she’s resting.”

All it took for him to agree was a look back down at Buffy and he was agreeing with the concierge’s suggestion. “Go on up, kitten, I’ll be up shortly.”

**********************************************************************************

Amazingly enough, she was asleep when he got upstairs, the remains of their complimentary basket on the table in their living room. Deciding against disturbing her, Will looked around for his luggage, realizing she’d hung up his suit and unpacked for both of them, and managed to fall asleep in the time it took for him to finalize all the arrangements for the morning. Buffy had an appointment for ten at the spa, he had a meeting with the officiant at eleven and the ceremony was taking place at two.

At loose ends, Will decided against going downstairs to gamble or shop and opted instead to settle himself in front of the television. We can always order room service or hit one of the restaurants later if either one of us is hungry.

With that thought in mind, Will stripped out of his jeans and, with all the lights out, slid into bed beside Buffy.

**********************************************************************************

The phone ringing their wake-up call was the first thing either of them heard the next morning. Will had requested a nine o’clock wake-up call, and as he opened his blurry eyes, he realized they’d slept through the night. Must’ve been exhausted, don’t remember much beyond settling in to watch television.

Buffy stirred beside him as he was hanging up the phone, a sleepy, “what time is it? emerging from her.

“Just nine.” He laid back flat on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “Scheduled a surprise for you at ten.”

Her barely opened eyes stared at him. “What kind of surprise?”

“Good kind, sweets. Girly stuff, spa . . . Make-up and fun stuff.” She squealed a little bit, sounding very squeaky. “For me?”

“Yeah. So you’ll be all primped for this afternoon.” He rolled over onto his side, his eyes on her. “Not that I don’t already think you’re perfect, sweetness, but you deserve the spoiling.”

Surprising him a little, she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him soundly. “And you wonder why I love you. You’re the best, Will.”

He moved to slide her into his arms, his lips seeking hers. Again, she surprised him by holding him off, her hands pushing him away. “No way buddy. Next time you kiss me. . . . “

Took him a minute to realize what she was talking about and once he did, a gleam entered his eyes and a leer played about his lips. “Right then. . . . “

“All right, sweetheart, we’ll play by your rules.” He brushed a quick kiss on her forehead and rolled from the bed. “Time to get movin’, princess.”

Buffy got up, listening as Will called the concierge to find out if someone could come up to get her dress and everything else she would need for the afternoon. Ducking into her bathroom, she got into the shower, determined to be out quickly.

Today is important.

**********************************************************************************

The day passed in heartbeats.

One minute she was just getting out of bed, the next she was being pampered, leg and under-arm waxing, a light massage, pedi- and manicure, and the next . . . .

Buffy stared at herself in the full length mirror, her eyes sweeping up and down. Wow. . . I look pretty good. . . .

The dress was simple, thin spaghetti straps held up the soft vee-neck, flowing down to a straight white dress, a three-quarter length tissue hem over a floor length skirt. The neckline and the hemline had delicate beadwork forming trellis leaves and the matching wrap was of the same chiffon material. Her pretty pink toes barely peeked out from under the hem, while the wrap felt good against her shoulders. She smiled wistfully at her reflection, hardly able to believe she was actually, here, now, about to marry Will Stevenson. Her school-girl crush was long gone, replaced with a deep and consuming love between them. He loved her, proving it every day, giving her everything she needed.

Her hair was pulled back, baby wisps framing her face, making her eyes appear very luminous. Inhaling deeply, Buffy stepped away from the mirror, searching for her bouquet. Will’s thought of everything. . . .

There was a small disturbance at the door and the concierge who was assisting her opened the door. A soft feminine voice sounded and Buffy heard the unmistakable sound of little girl giggles. “Hush now. Mustn’t make noise. . . we’re a surprise, my beauties.”

Buffy turned to stare at the dark-haired woman, brushing past the startled girl. “Hello sunshine. . . surprised?”

“Drusilla?”

She swept further into the room, two little girls trailing behind her, both dressed in beautiful, frilly little party dresses. “The one and only, darling.”

“Oh. Oh my god!” Buffy couldn’t believe they’d managed to come. . . and she was so very glad they had. “Oh!”

A little voice perked up then, asking, “are you gonna be our auntie now?” And the second voice whispered loudly, “she’s pretty Mommy.”

Drusilla cupped their shoulders, presenting her daughters. “This is Kathleen and Darla.”

Buffy was still in a state of shock. “Hello girls.” Addressing her next words to their mother, she said, “we never expected you.”

“I know dearie, but I managed to convince my Angel we needed to be here.”

“Angel?”

Her infectious laughter filled the small chamber. “He’s not really an angel, far from it. I just call him that. Liam’s outside, hiding from our Will.”

“He doesn’t know you’re here?”

“No dearie. The pixies whispered to me, told me we should come, and,” she giggled and shrugged, “here we are.”

The concierge piped up, “it’s time Miss Summers.”

Clapping her hands, Drusilla got everyone’s attention. “All right girls, come with Mummy now.”

Buffy stopped her, sudden inspiration striking her. “Girls? Would you like to be in my wedding?”

“Can we Mummy?”

“Please Mummy?”

“Are you certain dearie?” Drusilla had a gleam in her eyes though, and Buffy couldn’t resist the joy she saw there.

“Positive.”

**********************************************************************************

Will was standing next to the minister, a short, round fireplug of a woman, who smiled up at him, a twinkle in her eyes. She looked like a real-life version of Mrs. Claus, only slightly miniaturized. Charlotte Walters had set him at ease, and Will had found himself confessing everything to her during their short meeting. She hadn’t judged him, hadn’t said he was wrong for loving Buffy, she’d only shaken her head with a smile, saying, “love’s a gift. We have to learn to accept it no matter when it appears. God doesn’t work on our timelines. . . He’s got his own agenda.”

Coming back to the moment, Will got the surprise of his life when Drusilla and Liam slipped in the chapel doors, taking the first set of seats in front of them. Drusilla’s whole face was brightened by her brilliant and knowing smile and despite the surprise, Will found himself grinning back. That smile just widened even more when first Darla and then Kathleen walked down the short aisle toward him. The smiles broke into outright laughter when Darla exclaimed, “Unca Will, you look pretty!”

When Kathleen piped up, “shush silly, boys can’t be pretty,” Will nearly lost it.

Buffy, who was hiding just behind the doorway, heard the entire exchange and fought her own giggles. Listening to everyone’s happy laughter, she quickly addressed a plea toward the sanctuary – let this be how it’s gonna be for the rest of our lives, please?

With that thought, Buffy stepped out from behind the doorway.

**********************************************************************************

He’d never expected Drusilla to act on her knowledge – or move so fast to get her, Liam and the girls here. Still shaking his head, Will barely had time to register their presence when their two little sprites were coming down the aisle toward him.

Their little faces were lit with excitement and Darla’s artless exclamation, coupled with Kathy’s admonishment had him, and everyone else, laughing.

Until Buffy stepped into his line of sight.

The laughter drained from his face, exchanged with a look of absolute awe.

She’s beautiful . . . . an’ all yours, mate.

Her smile never faltered.

His never wavered.

Suddenly she was at his side, her small hand sliding into his, her touch warming him from inside.

The minister’s words washed over him, her clipped tones softening as she watched the couple in front of her. Will heard every word, none of them truly registering until, “do you take this woman, Buffy, as your lawfully wedded wife?”

Will stared down into her eyes, a smile on his lips. “I do. For always.”

Buffy smiled back at him, a tiny smile playing about her lips. The same question was posed to her and her answer, “I do. For five or six hundred years,” made him smile widely.

**********************************************************************************

His laughter faded the moment his eyes locked with hers, but Buffy didn’t care, because the awe and love was clearly written on his face.

Those butterflies started beating their wings, fluttering wildly in her belly. Hello there. . .

Buffy felt the blush cross her cheeks, accompanied by the increased pounding of her heart.

The walk toward him took forever, and for long heartbeats she thought she was never going to reach his side.

He had a wide grin on his face, one she couldn’t hid her response to.

His hand reached for hers as she stood next to him and when their fingers meshed, Buffy breathed a sigh of relief.

The words of the ceremony binding them together filled her head and the enormity of what they were doing scared her, but only for a moment, because in the next, Will was intoning, “I do, for always.”

She couldn’t stop the smile from blooming on her face, nor the crazy thoughts in her head. . . “Do you, Buffy, take Will to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do. For five or six hundred years.” She couldn’t help the words of their private joke from surfacing.

The minute the words were passed her lips, his grin widened and he softly growled, “mine.”

“By the powers vested in me, by God and the State of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now. . . . “

The minister’s voice stopped before the sentence was finished because Will had jumped the gun, his arms around Buffy and his mouth on hers.

They broke apart when the girls started making kissing noises and giggling.

Will rested his forehead against hers. Buffy held onto him, her fingers lightly brushing his nape.

Her soft breath whispered “I love you, Will.”

His lips brushed over hers again. “Love you too, kitten. So damn much.”

They stayed locked in an embrace until Darla’s voice piped up again, “Mummy? Are they marrieded yet?”

When Drusilla laughingly answered, “yes.” Darla shrieked in happiness, exclaiming, “Unca Will! Auntie Buffy! You’re marrieded!”

Even the minister had to laugh.

“I know sweetness. Are you happy?”

“So cited! I wanna be married!” Darla was practically bouncing.

“Not for a long time, princess, not for a very long time.” Liam’s wry tone cut through the mirth and Buffy stared at the taciturn man as he approached them. “Congratulations, Will. Never thought you’d do this.”

The two men shook hands, while the girls circled around Buffy.

“Can we call you Auntie?”

“You’re pretty like a princess. Are you a princess?”

“Do you love Unca Will?”

“Are you gonna gets a baby like Mummy?”

Helpless against the barrage of questions, Buffy just let them ramble, but when Kathy’s innocent query rang through the chapel, Buffy froze.

Will’s attention was caught by the question also, though he chose to ignore the first part. “Like Mummy, pet?”

His raised eyebrow spoke volumes about Dru keeping secrets, Will smiled down at the girls, “well, poppets, the truth is Buffy is going to have a baby.”

“Yeah! Now we both can have one to play with!”

Grabbing Buffy’s hand, Will kissed the back of it. Darla pulled on his pants leg. “Unca Will? I don’t has to be your bestest girl anymores. Auntie Buffy’s new baby can be, okay?”

“Oh poppet. . . “ Will didn’t know what to say to that.

Buffy bent down to talk to the concerned four year old. “Sweetie, I think your Uncle Will has enough room in his heart for a couple of best girls. You can be his best four year old.”

“Darla sniffled a little, then nodded, “I love you Auntie Buffy. You’re nice.”

“Love you too, sweetie.”

Will reached for her hand, the other one sweeping Darla up into the crook of his arm. “C’mon Mrs. Stevenson, we need to clear out of here.”

**********************************************************************************

They went upstairs to change, and on a whim, Will picked up Buffy as they were exiting the elevator, carrying her slight form down the hallway to their suite, the giggling misses trailing behind them. He’d dubbed the two girls the giggling misses on their way out of the chapel, since every time he kissed Buffy they thought it was funny, pointing and laughing at the newly married couple.

Will and Buffy were in the bedroom, the girls in the living room, curiously searching around when Buffy motioned Will to the door, her head tilted so she could listen at the opening.

One of them sighed, then whispered not so softly to the other. “I wanted to grown up and marry Unca Will.”

“Can’t do that silly. He’s old. Older than Mummy even.”

“He’s not older than Daddy.”

“No one’s older than Daddy.”

“Do you fink Mummy’s new baby will love us?”

“Ahuh. That’s a stupid question. He’s gonna be our brother. He has to love us.”

“Not stupid.”

“Yes you are. You wanted to marry Unca Will.”

“Amn’t stupid.” There was absolute quiet, then, “take it back or I’ll tell Mummy on you.”

More quiet. Buffy shared a look with Will, her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles.

“Sorry Kaffy. Not stupid.” Darla paused, then asked her sister, “is Unca Will’s new baby gonna love us?”

“Prolly. You’re opposed to love people that loves you.”

“So we love Unca Will’s new baby?”

“I love it. You should too. It’s better than Mummy’s new baby. It’s a girl.”

“Girls are better than boys.”

“Unless they’re Daddy. Or Unca Will.”

“Boys are yucky.”

“Kaffy? Don’t be mean to Auntie Buffy caused she married Unca Will, kay?”

There was a very long pause, while Kathleen obviously thought this one over. Finally, her voice sounding very small, she answered. “Okay.”

Buffy was hard pressed to stifle her laughter and Will was shaking his head. “Those two are gonna be a handful when they’re older.”

“They’re very smart little girls.”

“Daddy sayed Unca Will should be caryful, cos of the old man. Who’s old man?”

“Dunno. Are we gonna get ice cream?”

The two adults shared a look, knowing which old man Kathy was talking about. “Dru must’ve told him.”

“Is he. . . would he say something?” Buffy grabbed Will’s forearm, sudden fear clutching at her.

Will shrugged. “If he was, he wouldn’t have come. Peaches isn’t smart enough to be that subtle.”

A sigh of relief broke from her and Will gathered her into his arms. “We’re okay now, sweets. We’re together and no one can break us apart.”

Twenty-seventh. Someone you can’t live without.

I'll take you to the highest mountain
To the depths of the deepest sea
We won't need a map, believe me
Now let my body do the moving
And let my hands do the soothing
Let me show you the world in my eyes
That's all there is
Nothing more than you can feel now
That's all there is
Depeche Mode, World In My Eyes, from the album Violator

Passion crashes into obstacles;
Reason peers around them.
Mason Cooley, City Aphorisms, Sixth Selection

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.
Confucius

Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without.
If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with?
Fall head over heels.
I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back.
And how do you find him?
Forget your head and listen to your heart.
I'm not hearing any heart.
Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back.
Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this.
To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all.
You have to try.
Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived.
Meet Joe Black, 1998


The certainty in Will’s voice carried her through the remainder of the night. Because of the surprise arrival of Liam, Dru and the girls, Will had changed the reservations for their romantic dinner to Sunday night, though they kept the plans to see the Cirque du Soleil. Instead they ate dinner in one of the more family-friendly restaurants, entertained by the antics of the giggle misses.

After dinner and then stopping to watch the fountains, they’d all trooped over to the Cirque and the girls, from Buffy and Drusilla to the little ones, had been entranced by the beauty and artistry of the Canadian troupe.

When the house lights went up, Darla whirled in her seat and said very seriously, “Daddy. I’m gonna do that when I gets bigger.”

Liam just smiled, saying, “Takes a lot of practice, sweetpea.”

“I’m gonna do it.” Darla crossed her little arms and got a very serious look on her face. Catching sight of her father’s grin, she said, “Don’t laugh at me. I mean it.”

His hands raised up and he tried soothing her, “I’m not laughing, princess. If you say you wanna do it, I believe you.”

A huge yawn split her features and Liam took the opportunity to gather up his family and leave the newlyweds alone. “Right now, though, princess, it’s time for all little girls to be in bed.”

“Night Unca Will and Auntie Buffy.” The girls chorused together, then sped down the corridor toward the elevators. With quick kisses and whispered congratulations, the O’Malley’s were gone.

“Alone at last. . . . what do you wanna do, wife?” Will asked as he watched them go, a fond smile on his face.

Buffy leaned into his embrace, “Gee husband, I dunno. . . what do you wanna do?”

Thinking about it for a moment, Will leered at her, his tongue behind his teeth. “Dunno kitten. . . we could go out dancin’. . . or we could. . . . dance.”

There was no doubt in either of their minds what he meant and Buffy blushed beautifully, thinking about it. “Maybe . . . .we could do both?”

“Right then.” Gripping her hand, Will headed toward the nightclub. Gotta love these all inclusive places. . . .

**********************************************************************************

“Hey Willow.”

Her name spoken by that voice startled her and Willow blinked a couple of times, uncertain of her vision. His dopey half-grin covered his features and she got the feeling he was trying too hard to be nice.

“Riley.”

There was no warmth in her tone and he winced, hearing it. Willow had absolutely no sympathy for him.

“Hey.” He tried again, obviously looking for something.

Well, not gonna give him any help. . . Just gonna wait until he spills those beans. Yup, gonna wait. Willow stared up at Riley, waiting patiently for him to bring up why he’d interrupted her in the bookstore.

“So. How you’ve been?” Riley couldn’t believe his own stupidity and he could tell, by the look on Willow’s face, she couldn’t believe he’d asked such a stupid question.

Everyone knew – well the rumors all over the school were saying, Buffy had run away after being suspended by Snyder. Riley figured Willow knew more than she was telling, because she was the only one not talking about it. She and Xander hadn’t said a word about Buffy in weeks and Riley was beginning to get worried. He was also beginning to think he’d made a horrible mistake – well, sort of. . . .

Maybe if he hadn’t reacted the way he did – maybe Buffy would have been willing to take care of things differently.

Willow was staring at him again, the incredulous look still on her face. With a shake of her head, Willow answered him. “I’ve been good.”

She didn’t offer any more and once again he was floundering, trying to come up with some way to ask the questions that had popped into his head when he spied Willow on her way into the bookstore.

“Um. . . so Will, have you seen Buffy at all?”

She was so not going to make this any easier on him. “Nope.”

Willow turned to put the book back, scanning the shelf for others. Without turning to look at him she said, “I don’t have anything to say to you, Riley. We aren’t friends.” She paused, relenting a little. “I gotta go.”

“Wait.” He touched her arm, holding her in place. “Have you talked to her? Is she okay?”

“Riley, just go away. Forget about Buffy. . . . that’s what you wanted anyway. You dumped her, remember?” She pulled away from his grasp, stepping back.

“Please. . . just. . . tell me if she’s okay. Can you give me that much?”

“Wills? You okay?” Xander’s voice broke into their conversation, and Willow glanced over her shoulder to see him and Cordy watching them, concerned looks on both their faces.

“Yeah. I’m okay.” She smiled at them, grateful for their presence. Turning her back on Riley Finn, Willow said, “Let’s blow this taco stand.”

*****************************************************************************

The music was loud and pulsing, the beat infectious and despite the tables scattered about the sides of the club, the place was hopping, packed nearly to the rafters. It took them more than a little while to make their way to the dance floor through the clumps of people. Will had a hold of Buffy’s hand and when the crowd thinned he pulled her close, his arm circling her shoulders. He leaned into her, his mouth close to her ear. “Do you want a drink?”

She shook her head negatively, her body already responding to the music.

Her hand fisted in his shirt, fingers tugging on his belt loop, pulling him forward as she backed away from him out onto the dance floor.

A small wanton smile played about her lips and Will found himself responding in kind. His grip on her shoulder loosened, his hand sliding down, brushing over the side of her breast, resting on her hip. She slid closer, body brushing against his, then she was dancing back, teasing him.

The beat changed and a low crooning voice filled the dance floor, echoing off the walls.

“Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, leave in silence. . . .”

Will grinned, pulling her close, his fingers splayed around her hips. He sang along with the words, watching as her eyes got impossibly wider.

“Let me take you on a trip . . . . around the world and back . . . And you won’t have to move you just sit still. . . .”

The deejay expertly wove the songs together, the music pulsing in time with Will’s heart and he could feel Buffy responding, her body moving in sync with his.

“Let my body do the moving. . . . Let my hands do the soothing. . . let me show you the world in my eyes. . . .”

Will pulled her closer, until there was nothing between them. His hand cupped her ass, her heat scorching him.

“Like we stand this emotion of violence. . . leave in silence. . . . “

Buffy threw her head back, as his lips found the skin of her neck, her pelvis grinding against him. Tiny fingers dug into his shoulder, others scrabbling for purchase on his ass.

Sweat dripped at his temples, pooled beneath her breasts, fusing them together. Will’s hand slid down her hips, inching up under her skirt, pushing it up higher. His thumb brushed up against the garter holding up her stocking, then slid between it and her skin.

“Let my body do the moving. . . . let my hands do the soothing. . . . let me show you the world in my eyes. . . . “

His lips parted, letting his teeth nip at the pulse point throbbing in her neck.

“That’s all there is. . . . Nothing more than you can touch now. . . that’s all there is. . . “

Buffy’s breasts brushed across his chest, nipples pebble hard, teasing him. His fingers curved around her ass, holding her against his erection as they writhed to the beat.

The beat changed slightly, though neither of them noticed, save for the words ringing in the air.

“I’m hanging on your words. . . . living on your breath. . . . feeling with your skin. . . . “

Her hand slid over his face, thumb resting against his lips. Will bit down gently and her body shuddered.

“All the heavens in the motion. . . . Let me show you the world in my eyes. . . . “

He gazed into her eyes, barely inches away, want and need blazing brightly in dark sapphire eyes. “Baby. . . “

She bit her lower lip, her eyes staring into his. “Will. . . “

He moved, both arms around her, riding low on her hips, holding her against his raging erection. “Need you.”

“In your room. . . . Your burning eyes . . . Cause flames to arise . . . . “

Buffy moved forward, her arms resting now on his shoulders, fingers unconsciously playing with his curls. Her lips brushed against his, her tongue sliding across his lower lip, teeth nibbling softly.

Will pulled away, grasping her hand in his. He spun back, when she playfully resisted his tugging hand. “What?”

Her pout was very nearly his undoing. She turned her back on him, their hands still clasped and wriggled her ass into his crotch. Throwing a coy look over her shoulder, Buffy whispered, “I wanna dance.”

“That’s all there is. . . . Nothing more than you can touch now. . . that’s all there is. . . “

The low growl against her nape made the gooseflesh rise. His free hand once more slid beneath her skirt, teasing her with fleeting touches.

“Will . . . “

“I’m hanging on your words. . . . living on your breath. . . . feeling with your skin. . . . “

“Shh. . . . wife.” He rumbled low in her ear. “Can you feel me?”

It took her a minute to gasp out a breathy yes and he nipped her ear, then scored her neck with his teeth. “Want you . . . need you . . . . love you.”

“Your burning eyes Cause flames to arise . . . . .”

His finger slid beneath the silk of her panties, stroking her, sliding between her pussy lips. She gasped louder, grinding harder against him. “Please, Will . . . now.”

“Ready baby? Wanna feel you. . . . wanna be inside you.”

“That’s all there is. . . . Nothing more than you can touch now. . . that’s all there is. . . “

Buffy pulled away, dislodging his fingers, turning in his arms. “Will, let’s go.”

Her only answer was his hand reaching for her and the insistent feel of his hand at the small of her back as he propelled her from the club.

*************************************************************************

Buffy smiled over her shoulder at her new husband, her eyes roving over his handsome face, noting the lines of tension bracketing his mouth. His eyes were twinkling though and she hid the blush his wandering hands were invoking. The elevator was crowded, couples of varying ages waiting to get to their different destinations. Buffy was pressed against Will, their right hands clasped together, his left arm snaked around her waist. Will’s mouth was against her neck, low, nearly impossible to hear whispers causing shivers to chase themselves up and down her spine. Their clasped hands kept sneaking beneath her skirt, his thumb hooking around her garter. The couples on either side of them were smiling, casting sly, knowing glances in their direction.

Will could feel the blush spread across his wife’s face and his grin got impossibly broader. She hissed a little at him when his hand slipped from hers and slithered further beneath her skirt.

She wriggled against him, squirming away from his touch. “Will, stop it.”

Buffy lifted her left hand to slap his and her eye caught the glint of the diamond and platinum on her finger. She held it out and giggled. “Look, honey, I’ve got wedding rings.”

His deep chuckle filled the small glass cabin and Will raised his hand to grasp hers. Her breathy gasp sounded in the air and everyone in the cabin laughed in response. “Oh look! You have one too.”

Throwing his head back in a deep laugh, then dropping a kiss on her shoulder, Will said, “Yes I do baby.”

The couple to their left smiled and the woman asked, “May I see please?”

Buffy happily showed off her rings and congratulations sounded in the air.

Her smile was blinding, illuminating the small area, warming his heart. God damn, I love her smile. “I love you so much sweetheart.”

“Love you, love you, Will, always.” She turned in his arms, throwing hers around his neck, kissing him quickly on the lips.

*****************************************************************************

He carried her from the elevator to their suite, her legs wrapped around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder. Every sense was attuned to her, every nerve-ending seeking more contact with her. “Gotta have you, baby, love you so much.”

Soft lips brushed over his neck, tiny teeth nibbling on his ear. ‘Will. . . I love you.”

Fumbling for the card key in his pocket, Will almost lost her when the sides of his shirt fell open. “You tease.”

“Ahuh.” Buffy gazed at him with half closed eyes, hiding her intentions from him. Their door clicked open as her fingernails scraped gently over his nipple. “Oh hell.”

“Mmmm. . . . you love it.” She licked a path from his ear to his mouth, panting lightly when his hands slid up the back of her skirt, cupping her ass.

“You’re killing me baby.”

“Love you.” His lips brushed hers, once, twice, and on the last swipe his tongue sought entry into her mouth.

The kiss was soft, gentle, belying the urgency they were both feeling. Buffy pushed his shirt down, off his shoulders, almost handcuffing him against her.

“Need you Will, so much.” Her voice was a bare whisper between them, her luminous eyes boring into his.

Shifting her closer, Will slid both hands beneath her skirt, fingers snagging on the garters she was wearing. His voice rolled through her, his words making her squirm. “You did this just for me, didn’t you sweets?”

A teasing look crossed her features, making him growl in response. No one turned him on the way she did with a mere look, no one. He’d never been so affected by any woman until her – not even Drusilla had had this effect on him.

His fingers dug into her flesh and he walked toward their bedroom, Buffy clinging to him tightly. Her mouth was at his ear, the soft exhalations of her breath sending shivers straight to his groin. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”

“Oh god, Buffy. . . . you can’t say that.”

“Its true. Anything you wanted.” She gently bit down on his ear lobe. “Anything you need. All you have to do is ask.”

“I need. . . . . I need you.” His eyes closed and Will could feel his control slipping, escaping him with every word she whispered into his ear. “Need to be inside you, kitten. Now.”

He reached the edge of the bed, then dropped his hands as Buffy let go. She bounced onto the mattress, a throaty giggle escaping her. A small hand reached up to undo his belt and he could feel the warmth of her brushing over his erection. Her other hand cupped his ass, pulling him down toward her. His hands braced his body over hers and their lips met in a deep searing kiss.

Buffy kicked off her shoes, sliding away from him, her hands pushing the dress pants down his slim hips. “Did I tell you how good you looked today?”

“No.” His hands reached for her shirt, undoing the delicate buttons before sliding it off her torso. Will dropped a kiss on her belly, then flicked open her bra. “Gonna tell me?”

“Nope. You’re already way to full of yourself.” Buffy wriggled away from him, demurely covering her breasts.

Will stared down at her, a sly grin on his face. “Gonna make you full of me.”

She giggled softly, the giggle morphing into a breathless gasp when his hands slid beneath her skirt, untying the sides of her panties.

“Will. . . . . You are . . . . oh.” He lifted her half off the bed, stripping the black skirt from her, leaving her only covered by stockings and the white lacy garter belt he’d been intrigued by while they were dancing.

“You are a vision.” His breathing hitched as he watched her, his eyes sweeping over her.
Buffy reached for him, her small hand softly grazing the side of his face, falling down to brush over his hard chest. She was on her knees in the middle of the bed and Will could see the fullness of her breasts and the curve of her pregnant belly and a low growl erupted form his throat. “God, kitten, you are perfect.”

Moving onto the bed with her, Will cupped her hip, bringing her close to him. His mouth ghosted over hers, their breaths mingling as their kisses deepened.

He dropped down onto the bed, pulling Buffy onto his hips, sliding her over his erection. “That’s it baby, take me inside. . . . .yeah. . . . . like that.”

Slowly, savoring the moment, Buffy dropped down, her pussy enveloping his hardness. They both groaned at the contact, her hands digging into his forearms when his gripped her hips, his hands helping her move.

She was curled over him, her breasts pointed at his face and Will leaned up, taking one into his mouth. His tongue on her nipple sent tremors straight through her, centering on her pussy. “Oh god Will.”

He pulled hard, nibbling first then licking a soothing arc around her distended nipple. Violent trembles coursed through her, and Buffy gasped, her movements growing frantic. “Can’t. . . . oh god Will. . . . oh god. . . Oh my . . . . gonna. . . . “

Her orgasm ripped through her, her pussy tightening impossibly around his throbbing cock and Buffy’s response drove him over the edge. Will let go, her name a litany on his lips and she slumped down, her head nestled in the crook of his neck.

Their breathing slowly returned to normal and Will rearranged the blankets over them, pulling her back almost on top of him. A soft kiss landed somewhere near his heart and Will smiled. “You okay, baby?”

“Mmmmmmhhhhmm.” She ran a languid hand down his torso, and he could feel the slow smile burgeoning on her lips. “Gimme a couple minutes, kay?”

“Sure kitten, anything you want.”

The lace of her garter was scratching against his hip, rubbing up against his raw cock. Reaching around her, Will unhooked the stockings from the garter, preparing to take it off. “Will?”

“Just making sure you’re comfy, that’s all, just relax.” He moved out from underneath her, leaving her face down on the pillow. She watched him from behind half-opened eyes, curiosity clear on her expression. The stockings slid down her legs as he moved them, pooling around her knees. “Lift up baby.”

She did, and the temptation was more than he could ignore. Will placed tender kisses up and down the backs of both legs, gently rolling the stockings off her. Buffy laughed softly as his lips tickled over her, her lower body writhing with renewed arousal.

Will moved higher, leaving a trail of kisses up the middle of her back, and he grinned when she whined out his name. His cock nudged against her from behind, his body covering hers, held up only by the strength of his arms. Using his nose, Will pushed aside her hair so he could nuzzle against her. Buffy wriggled beneath him, and he groaned into the nape of her neck.

“Will.” She drew out the sounds of his name in a husky whisper. “You promised.”

Groaning deeply, Will rolled over onto his back, cupping his left hand around her breast, bringing her with him. Buffy was on her side, and Will eased up behind her, curling his body around hers. “I did. I just need to be near you.”

His fingers toyed with her nipple and Buffy covered his hand with her own, edging back into him. “I feel the same way.”

Another kiss brushed over her shoulder and Buffy sighed, letting her eyes drift closed. She was asleep within moments, worn out by the day. It took Will longer to settle down, but having her in his arms, his rings on her finger did much to ease the worry and anxiety he’d been fighting. His last thought before he too, slipped into sleep, was of her and how much he loved her.

Twenty-eighth. Mad dogs and Englishmen

This dog and man at first were friends;
But when a pique began,
The dog, to gain some private ends,
Went mad and bit the man.
Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield

It’s dogs that bite that do not show their teeth.
Chinese proverb




Will woke slowly, the feel of warm teasing fingers circling over his erection and nibbling kisses trailing over his chest. His eyes opened and he barely noticed the darkness surrounding them, his vision caught by the sight of his new wife’s hair barely hiding eyes lit with an impish fire.

“Oh god Buffy.” Her mouth closed around one of his nipples as her hand tightened fractionally around his cock.

“You woke me up.”

“I woke you up?” Will lifted his head from the pillow, bemused confusion swimming in his eyes. “Seems like you’ve got that backwards, pet. You woke me up.”

“Nahuh. You woke me.”

“How on earth did I do that?”

Her teeth closed around his nipple then and a moment later she let go, blowing her warm breath over it. “Well, part of you woke me up.”

“Ahuh. Which part of me was that?” Will reached for her, brushing the hair back, then running his hand down her flank.

Buffy blushed, squeezing her hand rhythmically around his cock, twirling up and down. “You were poking me.”

“Was I now?” Will flipped them over trapping her beneath him. “Guess I’ll just have to make it up to you.”

It was his turn to rain kisses over her face, down her neck and over her collarbone, licking and nibbling as he went. “You’re gonna have to try really hard, Will, coz I was sound asleep.”

Will eased up, wedging his legs between hers, his cock nudging at the folds of her pussy. Looking down at her, he was struck almost speechless at her expression and he leaned down to kiss her.

“I love you.” His whispered admission made her smile and his genuine grin changed into a leer, as he pushed further into her welcoming depths. “I really, really do, even though I’m pretty damn sure you woke me up.”

It took her a moment, but when she realized what he’d said, her pout made him laugh, forcing him even deeper.

Buffy’s hips arched up and the mood went from playful to serious in an instant. “Oh god. . . oh Will!”

Lifting her hips up further, Will drove into her, fingers digging into her soft flesh. His panting breaths broke over her and Buffy could feel every flex of him within her, every flick and twist of his hips against hers. Buffy braced her hands up over her head, pushing into him. His thrusts gained speed, pounding into her.

“Fuck. . . . gonna. . . . ready?”

She mewled out something in response, gasping and panting for air. “Please, Will. . . . please.”

“Come with me baby . .. . . c’mon.” She stiffened beneath him, and he could feel her tighten around him and Will froze, his back arching. The rush hit them simultaneously and Will growled out her name.

Sweat pooled between them and mindful of her gravid state, Will rolled to the side, pulling her into his arms.

Buffy murmured softly, brushing a kiss on his jaw, then curled into his side.

Before long they were both asleep.

*****************************************************************************

Dinner was romantic and wonderful and everything Buffy had imagined after a long day of sightseeing and shopping. She hadn’t really been paying attention when they’d ordered, her mind on her husband and their return home.

“I wish we didn’t have to go back.”

Will chewed slowly, his eyes watching her carefully. “Any particular reason?”

Her sigh was deep and she paused before answering him. “I don’t wanna go back and have to face everything there just yet.” Buffy avoided his eyes for a second, staring down at her plate. “It’s been easier, you know, just us, and going back means dealing with reality.”

Composing his thoughts, Will continued eating, wondering if she was going to elaborate more. Before he had a reply, she was speaking again.

“I wanna finish school, but I don’t want to go back there. I’m worried about my Mom coz she hasn’t even tried to find me, and I’m scared too, Will, that someone’s going to try and break us apart.” She finally looked up at him, crystal tears pooling in her eyes. “I can’t let that happen. I can’t. I don’t wanna be without you.”

He was out of his chair before her tears fell, crouching down beside her. “Oh baby. Don’t cry, please. I can’t stand it when you cry.”

Will’s arms encircled her and he pulled her close. Buffy sniffled a bit, letting her head drop onto his shoulder. “Baby, you don’t have to worry about school. You can get your GED and enroll at UC Sunnydale if you want. That’s easy.”

He brushed his hand down her back, laying kisses on the top of her head. Thinking quickly, Will pulled back a little, lifting her head from his shoulder.

Buffy stared into his eyes while he wiped away her tears. “Sooner or later, kitten, we’re gonna have to face your mother. But I promise, you, it won’t be alone, we’ll do it together. I’ll be with you for everything.” Taking a deep breath, Will said, “An’ if it looks like we’re in trouble, we’ll head to England.”

“England?” Confusion filled her eyes and Will knew he needed to explain.

“Won’t have any problems there, or not the same ones, anyway. Seventeen is legal there, sweets, and we’d already be married, so I doubt anyone would care.”

She stared at him for a few moments, processing his reasoning. “You’ve thought about this a lot, haven’t you?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her how close he’d been to switching plans completely and just leaving permanently, but Will held his tongue. Instead he told her about the other thing he’d done. “Thought about this a lot. In fact, I’ve already sent out my resume to a couple of different schools.”

“You did?” Buffy rested her hand on his shoulder, fiddling with the collar of his shirt. “I thought you liked it there?”

“It was the first place I could get hired and that only happened because Giles put in a good word. Had a bit of a past to get over and some schools weren’t as eager to deal with what looked like could have been anger management issues.” He shrugged, not hiding any of his past from her. “I spent a year of university doing nothing but drinking and fighting.“

“When your mother died.” It wasn’t a question and they both knew it.

“Yeah, then.” He wasn’t ashamed of it, that had been a rough time for him, his only lifeline Drusilla and sometimes contact with his uncle Rupert; it had come back to haunt him when he’d settled down and gotten his act together.

“What about the house?”

“It’s just a house, sweetheart. We can always buy another.” He paused, his eyes scanning her features. “Made you a promise, kitten, an’ I’m not breaking it. You’re my wife and I’m not letting you go.”

“Hey, possesso-guy, that’s kinda caveman, isn’t it?” She had a teasing glint in her eye, lightening the mood a bit.

His low chuckle eased the aching pain in her chest, which occurred whenever she thought about them being separated. Will made a fist and thumped his chest twice, growling low under his breath, and his posturing brought a smile to her face, which was his aim. The soft giggles let him know his ploy had worked.

With a quick kiss on her forehead, Will returned to his seat.

One crisis averted. . . . . But how many more are we gonna have to deal with before this is over?

*****************************************************************************

“Bloody hell. What is this mess?”

Giles had dropped Jenny off at her house before heading over to Will’s to take care of the dogs. Upon his arrival, only the basset hound had met him at the door, waiting patiently to be let outside. Making his way through to the kitchen, Giles understood why the other one was hiding. Garbage was strewn all over the floor, half eaten foodstuffs, papers, napkins and other debris all over the place. Stepping inside the room lightly, Giles headed for the backdoor first, in order to let out Clem. He didn’t bother looking for Kennedy, knowing the destruction was all the work of the high-strung terrier.

Muttering curses under his breath, Giles set about cleaning the mess up.

******************************************************************************

Both flight and drive home were problem free, even Buffy’s stomach behaving. Long before she was ready to be back home, Will was pulling into the driveway, nudging her into full wakefulness. “C’mon sweets, we’re home.”

“Can we leave it til morning to unpack?” She didn’t bother to hide the yawn and dropped her head down onto Will’s shoulder as she fought against getting out of the car.

“Sure. I’ll get the bags in the morning.” He opened his car door, pausing when he caught sight of Giles’ car parked at the curb. “Buffy? M’uncle is here.”

Her eyes popped open and she gaped at him. “Giles? He’s here? Why is he here?”

“My guess is he’s here taking care of the dogs.” Will got out and closed the door behind him. Moving around to her side of the car, he held the door opened for her. “I did ask him to do that.”

“What are we gonna tell him?” There was real fear in her eyes and she gripped his hand tightly.

He stared down at her for a few seconds, lost in thought. He could brazen it out, lie to his uncle, telling him he’d been out looking for her all weekend and he’d finally found her, but he didn’t want to do that. His uncle, his only blood relative alive, deserved to know the truth – even if it came back to hurt him. Besides, she was old enough and they had been married. Leaning down toward her, Will said firmly, “I’m gonna tell him the truth.”

“We are.” She gave him a half smile, then got out of the car. “Together, right?”

His smile was crooked, but genuine. “Yeah.”

They were halfway to the door when she remembered something. “Oh, gotta get the cheesecake.”

She turned back to the car, grabbing that and one of the other bags, then turned once more to face her husband. “You sure we can leave the bags out here tonight?”

He cocked his head to the side, watching her fidget with the bags, realizing she was making a poor attempt to avoid going inside the house. “Buffy. . . it’s gonna be okay. Rupes won’t get too upset.”

“You sure about that? I mean, really, really sure? He’s not gonna wig on us is he?” Despite the seriousness of her questions and her fears, Will found himself smiling at her childlike expression.

“He’ll probably lecture me about taking advantage of a young girl and whatnot, but none of that is really gonna matter, kitten.”

“Why?”

“Because,” he stepped close to her, close enough to pull her into his arms and leer down at her. “You’re mine, kitten, signed and sealed by the State of Nevada, an’ nothing short of the world ending is gonna take me from you.”

By way of response, Buffy wrapped her arms around his waist, stretching up to give him a soft kiss.

“Right then, in we go “

He hugged her tight, taking the packages from her hands. Shifting them into his right hand, Will grabbed her with his left, pulling her toward the front door.

*****************************************************************************

“What the fuck?”

As prepared as he was to see his uncle, Will was not prepared to find him on his hands and knees scrubbing the living room rug.

“Hello Will.” Rupert lurched upwards, almost knocking over the bucket of water at his side. His glasses slipped down his nose, and as he pushed them back up with a sweaty forearm, he caught sight of the figure behind his nephew. “Buffy? Is that you?”

With a nervous glance up at William, the girl stepped out from behind him, smiling warily. “Hello Mr. Giles.”

“Oh dear god. Are you well?”

Struggling to his feet, Giles dropped the rag into the bucket, uncaring of the dirty water splashing up and over the sides.

“I’m okay.”

Before he could ask anything further, Will’s voice broke the awkward silence. “What happened?”

With a look of extreme distaste, Giles indicated the spot on the floor. “Evidently, Kennedy was displeased with your disappearance. She got into the garbage and managed to knock over the dry dog food as well.”

“Oh no.”

“Where is she?”

“She hasn’t. . . I haven’t seen her since my arrival,” he looked down at his watch. “About two hours ago.”

Will let loose an ear piercing whistle and yelled out the dog’s name half a second later.

He handed off the bags to Buffy then moved into the dining room, calling for the dog.

Rupert was staring at her, a thoughtful look on his face, which was beginning to make her a bit uncomfortable. Trying to direct his attention away from her, Buffy spoke. “How bad was it?”

Shaking his head visibly, Giles knelt on the floor again. “The entire kitchen was a mess. She gorged herself more than once and threw up a couple of times.”

They could both hear Will walking through the house, his voice preceding him as he searched for the dog.

Fixing the older man with a semi-smile, Buffy picked up one of the bags and headed toward the kitchen. “I’ll be right back. Gotta put the cheesecake in the fridge.”

Just nodding his head in acknowledgment, Giles turned back to his self-appointed task.

Something was going on, Rupert wasn’t that dense – he just wanted clarification of what it was before he commenced with the lecture.

*****************************************************************************

The evidence of Kennedy’s displeasure was strewn in places throughout the house. Will had collected dirty napkins and paper towels and the remains of whatever other garbage in his trek through the rooms, but when he found the first set of Buffy’s panties chewed to bits, his temper frayed.

Wandering into the kitchen, he could hear the low murmur of their voices, the two people he cared most about conversing too softly for him to discern their words. He strained for a moment, but when neither the volume nor the flow changed, he relaxed and went back to his original task. Grabbing a garbage bag and some rags, Will headed toward the hallway, almost afraid to look into the bathroom and bedrooms.


*****************************************************************************

Giles was surprised when she returned, a fresh bucket of warm soapy water and several rags in hand, more than prepared to help him finish. Her smile took him by surprise and he found himself returning it.

She looked remarkably well rested, the stress and strain almost gone from her eyes and he hoped it had everything to do with her being here with Will. Her presence hadn’t been expected at all, thought he should have at least entertained the possibility. Will was, when he put his mind to it, an incredibly persistent person, and fairly stubborn to boot.

Watching her from the corner of his eye, Giles held back all the questions that were dancing on the tip of his tongue, wanting to have them both in the room when he heard the story of their whereabouts.

*****************************************************************************

It was as bad as he thought it would be. Kennedy had gotten into the bathroom and there was dog poop and pee on the floor. Will grit his teeth, muttering under his breath, while he cleaned up the mess.

Damned dog is gonna spend the next week outside. Not gonna put up with this shite, even if the bitch belonged to Mum.

He was wiping up the last of the smelly urine, preparing to bleach the floor when he spotted the damage done to the shower curtain. The entire bottom of the white linen panel was shredded, parts of it hanging by mere threads, and Will felt his temper rising higher. Getting quickly to his feet, he stripped the curtain down, rolling it into a ball and tossed it into the garbage bag just outside the door.

Dumping some undiluted bleach onto the floor, Will headed into their bedroom.

And promptly roared.

*****************************************************************************

They both jumped at the sound of sheer, unadulterated rage echoing through the house. Buffy was the first to her feet, heading for the source, with Giles close at her heels. She stopped short when Will wheeled into the hallway, his fists clenched at his sides.

“Will?”

“I’m gonna kill that fuckin’ dog.”

“What happened?”

She moved to go around him, but his hand on her arm stopped her. “Don’t sweetheart.”

“Will? What’s going on?” Rupert’s voice reminded Will they had an audience, one that didn’t know everything going on, but he could at least get his assistance.

“Need your help, Rupes. Have to move the mattress out.”

Taking advantage of Will’s momentary distraction, Buffy snuck around him and darted into the bedroom.

Her groaned “oh no” brought both men into the room behind her.

Kennedy had attacked the bed, ripping the mattress and blankets to shreds, destroying pillows and sheets and everything else on the bed in the process. Feathers were all over the floor, covering the dark rug in a wash of white.

“Oh my.”

“Not exactly what ‘d hoped we’d come home too, pet.”

Buffy spared him a glance, noting the ticking muscles in his cheek and the wild look in his eyes. She sighed and his attention focused on her. “Sorry kitten. If I’d known, I. . . . “

“So not your fault. Neither of us figured she’d do this.” She picked up one of the destroyed pillows, a sad smile on her features. “I really wanted to crawl into bed.”

“We can sleep in the other room.” His answer was quick, forgetting they had an audience.

“I’ll get the vacuum.”

“You will not.” Giles realized his tone was harsh when she flinched and he relented somewhat. “It’s too heavy for you to lift up the stairs. I’ll get it. Will, we’re going to need garbage bags.”

“On it.”

Buffy started stripping the linens from the bed while the two men headed off to their appointed tasks.

She was shaking her head, trying not to cry at the destruction of their bedroom – and her brand new pillows. This wasn’t how she wanted their homecoming to go. Buffy wanted to snuggle up in Will’s arms recuperating from their whirlwind weekend and just bask in the glow of togetherness until he had to go to work in the morning.

Instead – they had to face Giles – and deal with this mess. Sniffling hard, Buffy fought off the tears unsuccessfully.

Giles was back in the room quickly, trailing vacuum parts behind him. He stopped in the doorway, watching Buffy quietly. It was obvious, by the set of her shoulders she was crying and Giles was moved to pity.

“Buffy?”

Her head whipped up and she furtively wiped away her tears. “Yeah?”

“Are you all right?”

She tried to lie, but the turmoil and her hormones caught up with her. “Yeah. . . “ and when her breathing hitched she shook her head in denial. “No. Not really. I’m tired and I just wanted to go to bed and I wasn’t ready to see you yet . . . . and Will promised. . . . and maybe we should just go to England.”

“Oh dear.” Giles moved into the bedroom, his brain trying to decipher what she’d just said. He had the sinking suspicion Will had done something rash – without thinking everything through. Knowing his nephew, he’d set his mind on one path and then been unwilling to see any alternatives.

Regardless of his personal opinions on the matter, Will and Buffy had done something – Giles was loathe to admit what exactly – and he would do his best to wait before he unloaded harsh realities on them.

He rounded the bed, coming to Buffy’s side as he made the decision to wait, his hand lightly touching her shoulder. The poor girl crumpled before his eyes, leaning into his awkward embrace heavily. “There, there, dear. Everything will work out.”

“Buffy?”

Will’s concerned voice sounded seconds before he almost charged into the room, prepared to rescue her from his uncle. Her face was covered with streaky tears and Will fought against the pounding of his heart.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay, no more tears, please, kitten. You know what that does to me.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on tightly, afraid to look up and see the disapproval she felt coming off his uncle in waves.

“Will, perhaps it’s time you told me what was going on.”

Twenty-Ninth. Only keeping an animal


A dog in desperation will leap over a wall.
Chinese proverb

If a dog doesn’t put you first where are you both?
In what relation? A dog needs God.
It lives by your glances, your wishes.
It even shares your humour.
This happens about the fifth year.
If it doesn’t happen you are only keeping an animal.
Enid Bagnold

Corner a dog in a dead-end street and it will turn and bite.
Chinese proverb.




With a deep sigh, Will hugged Buffy close, then let her go. “All right. Let’s get this mess taken care of an’ then we’ll talk, okay?”

“Fine.”

Making quick work of stripping off the mattress, Buffy stepped back when the two men lifted it from the box spring and out into the hallway. Scooping up the linens, she stuffed them into the bags, fighting tears the whole time.

Other than a few comments regarding the removal of the mattress and full bags, they worked in silence, punctuated with Will’s occasional expletives.

Collecting the feathers was proving to be a bit of a problem, until Buffy hit upon the idea of using the vacuum to blow them into a pile before gathering them up. Neither man would allow her to operate the vacuum, so she was relegated to holding the garbage bag while Giles wielded the nozzle and Will picked up the piled feathers.

When the last handful of feathers was dropped into the bag, Will scanned around the room for signs of other damage, blowing out a deep sigh when he discovered none. Catching sight of Buffy’s wary expression, he smiled at her, steeling his shoulders for the coming discussion.

“All done?”

“Appears so.” Rupert picked a couple of loose feathers off his shirt, frowning at nothing in particular.

“Let’s get something to drink, before we start this.”

Without any further comment, his uncle unplugged the vacuum, hit the recoil switch for the plug and heft it in his hand. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Feeling like they were about to head into the lion’s den and face their first executioner, Buffy gripped Will’s hand tightly and tried to fight the apprehension flooding her belly.

*****************************************************************************

There was an awkward silence when the three of them finally sat down in the living room, Buffy and Will sitting side by side on the couch and Rupert on one of the overstuffed chairs. She hadn’t let go of her husband’s hand the entire time they’d been sitting, which was more than a few minutes. She could feel Will’s tension increasing as he struggled to find the words, which was ironic considering how gifted he was normally, her eyes never leaving Giles. The older man was wrapped up in his own thoughts, not really looking at the two of them, memories of a similar situation rising.

It had been a long time, a very long time since he’d thought of Will’s father and his sister, returning home to face two sets of disapproving parents over their quick marriage. Anne was just 17 when they met, and James just 19; though they’d waited until James was done with university, Anne hadn’t ever finished, because by the time they were getting settled into their first – and only house - she was already pregnant with Will. A soft smile crossed his features, remembering how happy they were, despite the opposition from both families. He schooled his expression quickly, but Will must have seen it, because he started talking.

“Buffy came back two weeks ago. Found her sleeping in the driveway, curled up next to the DeSoto. Was damned near at the end of m’rope. . . . wasn’t sleeping, or eating. Nearly stumbled over her on my way out to look again, after trying to rest and. . . . an’ there she was.” Will squeezed her hand, looking down at their meshed fingers.

Rupert raised his eyes to look at Will, struck by the expression on his face. “I remember.”

“Yeah. So do I. Wasn’t going to let her escape again, even though she said she was coming to say one last goodbye before she cleared out of this place.”

Buffy’s voice was low and very soft, hearing this Will’s description of how he found her for the first time. “Hey, I’m right here, ya know.”

A half smile crossed his features, and Will let out a low nervous chuckle. “I know.”

Sneaking a glance up at his face, she reached out with her left hand, stroking his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, either. Remember that?”

“Yeah.”

Giles ignored their byplay, his eyes caught by the glitter of diamonds on her ring finger. The suspicions he’d been harboring for the last couple of hours were confirmed. Deciding he didn’t need the details at the moment, he cut right to the heart of the matter and asked outright. “Where were you this weekend?”

“In Vegas.”

“Doing?”

“We got married yesterday.”


He stared at them for a few moments, unsure of how to formulate the response. His first reaction was to yell, as was his second. But catching sight of the expression on Buffy’s face and the pool of tears in her eyes threatening to overspill, Giles curbed his anger.

“It’s not legal, you do know that.”

Buffy’s grip on Will’s hand tightened, and she turned that fearful gaze on him. “What? How can that be?”

“It is legal, Rupert. Buffy’s over eighteen.” A muscle ticked in his temple, heralding an epic explosion.

“Are you?” He looked at her and when she shook her head affirmatively, he released the breath he was holding. “Well then I stand corrected.”

Once more silence filled the room, each one of the occupants lost in though. Buffy leaned into Will, and in response he wrapped his arm around her, hugging her close. He was brushing a kiss on her temple when Rupert’s voice broke the silence.

“You do realize getting married isn’t going to solve everything once the school – once administration gets wind of this you could still lose your job. There will be questions about when your involvement began.”

“We know all that.” The new couple shared a look which Giles couldn’t interpret.

Surprisingly, it was Buffy who spoke next. “I’m not. . . . DNA testing will prove Riley’s contribution, even if he tries to get out of paying support. And,” she glanced once more at Will, “I’m pretty sure my mom won’t say anything. If the school gives us trouble, we’ll go.”

“Go where?” But before he even asked, his instincts were telling him where – Will would take her home. “You do realize going back to England won’t solve all the problems facing you.”

“I’m not stupid, I know that. Going to England will only go so far too . . . it’ll give us a whole different set of problems. Buffy would be all alone and I’d have to take the first job offered.”

Well. Rupert stared at his nephew, unable to form a complete thought. Apparently Will wasn’t as impulsive as he’d first believed and he had done some thinking on the situation before acting. Addressing his comments to Buffy, he asked, “Are you prepared for that?”

“If I have to be. I don’t wanna be apart from Will. I can’t. . . I . . . .” She started to cry and Rupert felt no small amount of regret for his harsh tones.

Buffy buried her head into Will’s chest, soft sobs wracking her body. Will lifted her up, holding her tightly in his arms. “Shhhh, baby, ‘ve got you. Shhhhh.”

“My apologies. It appears neither of you is being unrealistic about this situation.”

“Can’t afford to be. Once the school knows, it could be all over. They can’t keep us apart since she’s old enough, but they can still fire me, maybe even arrest me. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities since Snyder doesn’t like either of us.”

Rupert stifled a sound that was suspiciously like a snort. “That man doesn’t like anyone.”

“Understatement much?” Buffy lifted her head from Will’s shoulder, brushing a kiss on his cheek. “Need to get up for a minute. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Both men watched her go, heading up the stairs toward the bathroom. Once she was out of earshot, Will turned to his uncle and said, “Don’t hold back, Rupes, I know you’ve got something to say.”

*****************************************************************************

Buffy was tired, drained and almost completely wiped out. She’d been nearly asleep on the ride home, blissfully so, until they’d pulled into the driveway and discovered Mr. Giles still there. Then everything had gone from bad to worse.

Kennedy’s destruction in the kitchen was bad enough, but the damage in the bedroom was ten times worse. I can’t believe the dog would do that.

The upstairs was quiet. Except for the mattress in the hallway, no evidence remained from the mess Kennedy had wrought. Buffy sighed heavily as she washed her face and hands. She had hoped making things legal would have given them just a little bit of breathing space. In one respect it had – so what his uncle was here – they were going to have to deal with him sooner or later. Too bad for them it happened a little bit sooner than they expected. She really didn’t think Mr. Giles would turn his back on Will – they only had each other; her real worry wasn’t about Giles or oddly enough her own mother.

No. Her real worry was whether or not Will would stay out of jail and keep his job. Nothing else was as important.

She leaned against the door, wanting nothing more to crawl into bed and sleep until the morning, Will’s strong arms wrapped tight around her body. Forcing back her fatigue, Buffy straightened up away from the door and bit back a shriek.

*****************************************************************************

They stared at each other for more than a few minutes, neither one of them sure how to break the sudden silence, following Will’s growled statement.

Will was experiencing a sense of profound relief all out of context with the moment. He knew Rupert had hours worth of things to say, more than likely not a one of them positive or supportive and still he felt like a weight had been lifted.

It was irrational and crazy, he knew it. Still it didn’t matter one whit. Relief flooded through him just the same.

For his part, Rupert was of two minds on the situation. The girl looked happy, more content than he’d seen her in months and she looked at Will as if he were her world.

Resting his eyes on his nephew, Giles was forced to admit she fully reciprocated the feelings he’d realized Will had for her.

Which boded well for them – provided they could weather the storms brewing around them.

The administrator part of him was by turns appalled and disgusted; wondering how long they had suppressed their feelings – and the legal ramifications. She had been his student. He was possibly facing some pretty stiff charges, should someone else from the administration discover their circumstances.

Such was the crux of his current moral crisis.

Should he say something to one of his fellow administrators, thereby throwing his only living relative to the wolves, leaving his brand-new wife alone and possibly back under her mother’s roof? Or should he remain quiet, tacitly condoning their illegal activities? And just how illegal were their activities anyway? The girl was eighteen, of legal age in most states; and now that more than a full month had passed, officially AWOL from school and no longer an active student. So just how morally wrong were they?

In England, she was more than past the legal age. A case could be argued in Will’s defense that he was acting on instinct, relying on his English upbringing. However, that line of reasoning posed another set of problems, mostly involving immigration . . . . and really, is this serving any purpose other than muddying the waters?

Buffy was eighteen; Will twenty-nine on his next birthday. She’d come from what he was convinced was an abusive situation at home and was in desperate need of someone to support her in the coming months. Financially she was in a bind, emotionally she was a wreck. Who else would be able to take care of this girl? She was too old for a foster home, the dearth of homes or refuges for un-wed mothers left that option out of the equation. She had, in effect, nowhere to go if Will hadn’t taken her in, hadn’t offered her shelter. He hadn’t coerced her in any way, if he had, Will certainly wouldn’t have married her.

His thoughts were going round and round with no clear-cut solution.

Did he play the Quisling and turncoat to his only family?

Should he leave them be, let fate make its own decision?

He started to open his mouth, fully prepared to give Will a blistering lecture, pinning back his ears. What emerged instead surprised both of them. “You are far too much like your parents.”

“Isn’t exactly an insult.”

“I’m aware of that.” Giles took off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Your father was a very impetuous man and your mother always followed her heart.”

Will cocked his head, watching Giles carefully, waiting for the censure to come. “Not bad traits to have, but William, you have to know this is a potentially precarious situation. You have skirted the edge of legality, dancing on the edge of a precipice you absolutely cannot afford to fall into. That girl is relying on you to protect her, to support her and to be with her through everything.”

Taking a deep breath, Rupert continued. “She loves you unconditionally, and because of that she trusts you. Neither of you can afford any missteps.”

Exhaling loudly, he leaned forward, looking at Will intently. “All that being said, I have been very worried about her and I’m very happy to see she’s some where safe, and that she won’t have undue stress about her living situation. But William,” he put his glasses on the table. “The least you could have done is let me know beforehand.”

Just as he was about open his mouth to speak, a strange noise came from the second floor, one that had them both on their feet instantly.

*****************************************************************************

She tried three times to get around the snarling dog, only to find the dog inching forward every single time. C’mon Buffy, it’s only a little dog, she’s not gonna do anything but snarl and yap at ya. . . . . oohhhkay.

Only that didn’t really work, because Kennedy snapped her jaws at Buffy’s feet catching one of her canines on the loop of Buffy’s bootlace. She tried shaking her foot to dislodge the dog, but instead Kennedy chomped down, pulling back on the lace, putting Buffy off balance.

Maybe not then.

Grabbing onto the door jamb, Buffy barely kept her balance, holding on tightly. Using her other foot, Buffy pushed the dog away, lifting her up a little by the neck. She didn’t dare reach down to force Kennedy away, afraid of catching one of her fingers in the dog’s mouth. Leaning her shoulder onto the door, Buffy tried not to kick hard, but Kennedy was growling and pulling back hard.

“C’mon Kennedy, let go. Be a nice doggy and let me go.” Muttering under her breath, Buffy fought back a little harder, aware of her advantage over the dog.

Somehow she managed to dislodge the terrier, taking the advantage and moving further down the hall. Buffy had only managed a few steps, when Kennedy lunged toward her, pulling hard on the back of her right heel, knocking her off balance completely. She twisted, scrambling for something to hold onto so she could remain upright, but then Kennedy let go of her, and caught her other leg in a bite and tripped her up by scrambling around her.

Twisting again to shield her belly, Buffy tucked into a ball, landing heavily on her butt. A loud thud reverberated in the hallway and she immediately covered her face, blocking Kennedy. The dog was tugging on her shirt, biting at her wrists and forearms, trying to get purchase around and sink her teeth into Buffy’s flesh.

“Ow, go away!“

She was shaking, breathing heavily in fear, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. Buffy was afraid to move, afraid to try and get to her feet, and trying hard to keep Kennedy from biting her arm.

“Stop! Kennedy, stop it! Go away!” Buffy pushed herself away, sliding along the wooden floor, toward the staircase.

They were fighting now, Buffy managing to somehow push the dog’s snout away as she slid further down the hallway. A noise behind her distracted her for a moment and Kennedy took advantage, launching herself up by her hind legs toward Buffy’s exposed face. At the last second, Buffy lifted her right forearm, and Kennedy closed her jaws around Buffy’s wrist, gnawing at the skin.

“Fuck!”

Will shot forward, one hand closing around Kennedy’s neck, his other pushing between her clamped jaws, forcing them open.

“God damned fucking dog!” He growled low, stepping over the huddled form of his wife, forcing the dog away. “Rupert!”


Giles came up behind him, his arms reaching out to shield Buffy in case the dog managed to break free of Will’s hold.

Wedging two more fingers into Kennedy’s mouth, Will finally managed to get the dog to loosen her grip on Buffy’s arm and he squeezed hard around her neck. With barely suppressed rage, he shook the dog, lifting her completely off the floor. Giles pulled Buffy up, holding her against his chest, trying to calm her.

She was crying, panting and gasping for air, her eyes wide with panic. “Oh my god. . . oh my god.”

Kennedy was a snarling, snapping mass of fur and muscle, writhing and wriggling in Will’s grasp. Rupert tried to lead Buffy away, but the fright caught up with her and her entire body started trembling and shaking. Loud hiccupping sobs wracked her frame and she faltered almost slumping to the floor.

Will shook the dog hard, unaware of Buffy collapsing behind him. He managed to get one hand around Kennedy’s snout, holding both sides of her jaws closed. Tucking her small body under his other arm, Will squeezed harder, drawing yelps of pain from the dog. A red haze of anger blinded him to everything else, including the two people close to him. He tightened his hold on Kennedy, until Rupert’s voice calling his name broke through his rage. “Will?! Buffy’s in trouble.”

Without thinking, Will pivoted around, thrusting Kennedy’s subdued body at his uncle, his hands reaching for Buffy as she crumpled on the floor.

She was silent, save for the barely audible whimpers and the sound of her gasping breaths. Kennedy snarled again, fighting against the less secure hold of Giles and Buffy whimpered loudly, jumping when Will reached a hand down to her.

“Jus’ me, kitten, it’s all right.” He crouched down, drawing her into his embrace, holding her close. “Rupert, get that fuckin’ dog out of here.”

Sinking down to his knees, Will pulled Buffy in closer to his strong chest. “It’s okay baby, ‘ve got you. . . . shhhhhhh.”

He ran a quick hand over her, checking for broken bones and bloody bites. “Buffy, did she get you?”

Still unable to form coherent words, all Buffy could do was shake her head negatively.

“C’mon sweetheart, I need to make sure, lemme look.”

Moving back a little, Will ran a shaky hand over her face, wiping away her tears. He brushed a kiss on her forehead, murmuring softly to her. Buffy was cradling her wrist between her breasts and when Will spotted her favoring it, he lifted it away.

Small puncture marks ringed her small wrist, tiny bruises already forming, there was no sign of blood though, something he quickly thanked god for.
“Can you get up?” Getting to his knees, Will helped her up, letting her lean on him. “Its okay baby. Gonna be okay.”

Her fingers were twisted into his shirt, holding on with white knuckles, her head lodged into the crook of his neck. Leaning heavily against him, Buffy tried to calm her breathing and her heartbeat

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