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by Chris Kenworthy (scoobyhq@fcmail.com)
Disclaimer: Okay, let's see. I didn't make up the characters of Buffy, Xander, Willow, Faith, etcetera and cannot call them my own. (I can't love them and hug them and call them George, either. :-D )
"Hey, there," Xander said, getting up the courage to speak on the drive home. "Well, I could take straight back to your place, Will, or we could, um," he chuckled self-consciously, "take a little side trip."
"Um, yeah, maybe we had better pull over," Willow said after a few seconds' consideration. "Park for a while. I don't have to be back home yet."
"Your wish is my command," Xander said, turning the car down a pretty road that led into the country. He turned halfway towards Willow and raised his eyebrows suggestively.
"Hey, not like that," Willow said, swatting him on the shoulder. "Well, maybe we could do a little kissing," she allowed, blushing, "but I was thinking of talking. There are things we kinda need to settle out before we call it a night, aren't there?"
"Yeah," Xander whispered softly. Heaving a nervous sigh, he pulled his mother's car off onto the shoulder. "The big question, hanging over our heads. Do we or don't we? Are we, or are we not?" He threw the gearshift into park, turned off the ignition, and turned to face Willow. "So? You go first."
"What? Me??" Willow squeaked. "Why me first? I brought it up first, you should have to say it first."
"Hey, I was the one who actually asked," Xander protested. "And you're the one who has another guy waiting in the wings for you to say you've changed your mind."
"Hmmph," Willow breathed, providing Xander neither a counter-argument nor an answer.
To relieve the tension, Xander turned the radio on, and a funky alternative ballad came on. Willow reached forward to change the station, but Xander said "What? Leave it on."
"Oh, man, this song?" Willow complained. "It's too wild-eyed and whirly. Give me a nice, simple song that rhymes." She turned to look him in the eyes, and Xander shrugged, so Willow switched it over to a light-rock station.
(Across town, in a motel room.)
Faith paced restlessly around her bedroom. She had patrolled for several hours that night, but Sunnydale was dead as far as the undead tonight. Probably the Brotherhood of the Bat had chased away or recruited the more small-time vampires, and all of the Brotherhood had been killed or run out of town.
On the other hand, there was this 'Upriser' who was supposed to be in charge of this whole town. If he was, Faith couldn't tell. Obviously, if the Upriser existed, he was used to operating way underground and keeping his activities secret. Still, Faith and Buffy knew about the Upriser's existence, and somehow or other they would find him.
Sighing unhappily, the brunette Slayer paused near her dresser. A color photograph was sitting on top of it, showing a good-looking young man in leather. Jonny Hardcastle. They had picked up a disposable camera one night during a slow patrol, started fooling around with it.
Now Jonny had left town. Last time, Faith had been the one to leave Jonny, but that didn't make it any easier. With a subvocal growl of anger, Faith dashed away from the dresser, somersaulted over her bed, and started vigorously shadow-kick-boxing, striking out at an unseen enemy with her fists and feet.
(At Giles' apartment.)
"Mmm, this is delightful," Celia praised him, taking a wide sip from a cup of tea. "So, well, now that the hubbub about the Brotherhood of the Bat is done, we should probably talk about what we're to do next?"
"Um?" Giles said distractedly, arranging some scones on a small platter. "Get ready for the holidays??"
"I wasn't meaning that," Celia replied, shaking her head. "As far as training. So far, I haven't been interfering too much with the way you work, with Buffy and Faith. I felt like I should understand your procedures before I started changing them." She sighed. "But I'm here as your partner, and I think the time has come to start trying my own ideas."
"Oh, yes," Giles said, smiling at her. "Whenever you wish, of course."
"Okay," Celia replied.
"Just let me know when and where, and all four of us will get together," Giles said.
"Um, actually," Celia shot back, "I'm afraid you're not in the four that I'm thinking about. No offense, but I think I need to be spending time among the girls without you. Buffy, Faith, and probably Willow too. I'm supposed to be evaluating her as a potential Watcher, though Miss Rosenberg has been rather too busy for that lately." Giles looked back at her in surprise as he carried out the scones.
(Back on the country road.)
"Okay, let's try this," Xander said with a sigh. "We both say it at the same time. On the count of three, the question being 'are we ready to go through with this, become an official, exclusive, couple.' Okay?"
"Okay," Willow said, smiling. "Are you gonna count, or should I?'
"One, two, three," Xander rhymed off, and watched Willow's face as neither of them said anything. Willow smirked, then broke out laughing, and Xander joined her in helpless hysterics for a few moments.
"Okay, okay, 'yes,'" Xander said, once he had calmed down. "Yes, I'd love to be your boyfriend, if you'd have me. So, are you gonna be my girlfriend?" He winked. "Willow Deborah Rosenberg, may I have your hand in teenage romance?" He shook his head. "Oh, man, did I just say that?"
"Yes, you did," Willow said, grinning happily at him. "And yes, I would love to be your girlfriend, Xander Lavelle Harris." She giggled cutely. "Should we seal it with a kiss?"
"Definitely," Xander replied, bringing Willow's head to hers and enthusiastically Frenching her. The kiss went on for a few minutes, getting hotter and more passionate, as Xander slid out of his own seat to kneel on the edge of Willow's, hands rubbing over every part of their bodies. Suddenly, once again, Willow pushed Xander ever so gently away.
"Uh," she chuckled uncertainly, "hi there. Um, I'm kinda wondering if we need to be setting a few ground rules here. I mean, well, no matter how long you and me might have been in coming, I just feel like you're moving a lot too fast for me, here."
"Oh," Xander muttered, slithering back into place. "I'm sorry. It's just, well, kissing you, thinking of actually being with you, it kinda makes me want to lose control. Like I feel tipsy or someting." He took a double-take at that. "Oh, that's a great thing to say - being with you makes me blasted."
"It's not that bad," Willow assured him. "It actually felt kinda sweet."
"Okay," Xander said, taking a deep breath. "Well, anyways, I think I can muster up enough willpower to take things a little slower. We'd probably better get you home now, though." Her turned the car's ignition on again. "Do you want to do something tomorrow, or should we leave each other alone for then and not meet until school on Monday??"
Willow considered that. "You know, that's probably a good idea. Take a day to absorb all of this. I'll see you Monday."
"See you Monday," Xander said with a wry smile.
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