Part twelve.....

Hot Summer Night

     ~~~~~

Part Thirteen.....

No Matter What

~~~~~

"No matter what they tell us
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach us
What we believe is true..."

~~~~~

Three weeks passed, and they were together nearly every night.

The hours Buffy spent in school dragged on endlessly. When the final bell went off, her
stomach would tighten with nerves as she wondered if he would come to her when the
sun went down, or if this was night that Drusilla would reclaim him.

Would he come to her bed, or had he had enough of her naive teenage self?

She found herself praying under her breath,calling in favors from God. She'd saved a fair
amount of his children here on Spaceship Earth. Shouldn't that count for something?

Yes, it should. So, she prayed. Made bargains. Offered deals.

And every night, for the past three weeks, her prayer had been answered.

She would watch the sunset anxiously, prowling the house like a caged tiger, until the doorbell
rang.

Literally flying across the room, she would throw open the door to him with a welcoming smile, and
he would cross the threshold, kicking the door closed behind him, then reach for her and kiss her
until she felt faint.

Some nights, he would take her out to dinner and a movie, or to a jazz club where she was unknown.
They would slow dance, clinging close to each other as the music moved through them.

In the back row of a movie theater, he would feed her popcorn, and would let her do the same
to him, although he spent more time licking the butter off her fingers than he did eating the pop-
corn. Halfway through whatever movie they were seeing, they would start making out so intensely
that they were nearly ejected from the theater twice.

Some nights, they would stay at her house and spend the evening with her phone off the hook. He
cooked dinner for her, amazing her with his talent in the kitchen. He'd give her some chore to do...
chopping vegetables or making salad, and would entertain her with the cooking pans, tossing things
he was sauteeing up in the air and catching them.

She would sit on the counter and applaud every thing he did, rewarding him with kisses.

He was endlessly inventive when it came to romance.

Sometimes he would read poetry to her, sometimes he would tell her dirty jokes that made her blush
from head to toe.

He would light candles and run hot baths,dumping in a goodly amount of bubble bath, and
plopping her down in front of him. Then, with his hands slick with bath oil, he would move them over her body, not missing an inch, lingering on her breasts and between her legs.

And one night, he brought her champagne....

~~~~~

"No matter what they call us
However they attack
No matter where they take us
We'll find our own way back.."

~~~~~

"Is that...."

"It's champagne, the finest there is. And it's for you...my bride."

Buffy was almost jumping up and down in excitement. The only alcohol she'd ever tasted had
been the sips of champagne she'd had on their first dinner out, and the couple of beers Xander
had smuggled into the basement for her and Willow during one of their all night movie marathons.

The beer, she despised. The taste was nasty and it made her feel fat seconds after she drank it. But,
she never admitted this to her friends, although she suspected that they felt the same way.

The champagne from the restaurant William had taken her to, she hadn't really tasted. She'd been
too nervous about being caught at first, and then she'd been in too much of a hurry to get to the
ladies room after their impulsive encounter beneath the tablecloth.

Tonight though, she was determined to enjoy the experience to it's absolute fullest measure.

She swept through the living room, turning the lights down low, while William took the bottle into
the kitchen. It had already been chilled, but he wanted it perfect, so he placed it in the refrigerator
for a few minutes.

Buffy searched the back of her mom's china cabinet, drawing out two crystal champagne flutes. She took
them into the kitchen, nearly dropping them on the floor when he followed her and snagged her around
the waist, hauling her body against for a long, wet, deeply penetrating kiss.

He took the glasses out of her hand and set them on the counter, then pushed her up against it.

"Maybe we should save the champagne for later," he whispered in her ear, nibbling the lobe and teasing
her gold hoop earring with his tongue. "I want you now!"

Buffy pushed him away and laughed. "I want you, too." Calling up the memory of one of her romance novels, she selected a proper quotation. "But wouldn't it be delicious to trickle the champagne over me and drink it from between my thighs?"

"What?" He took a step back, pleased but still surprised by her question. "Is that my bashful
little bride saying such naughty things to me?" he asked, nudging her thighs apart with his hips as he
pressed her against the counter. "Say something else, love," he begged.

She cleared her throat, happy that she was managing to control her blushing. "Shower me with golden liquid and catch the drops that fall from my breasts on your tongue," she said, running her fingers through his hair, mussing it into unruly curls. "Make my navel your cup and lick...and lick the..." She clicked her tongue impatiently, trying to remember the rest of the sentence. "And lick...the sparkle...the sparkling..."

The harder she tried to think of the right words, the broader his smile became, and when she finally
pushed him away to go in search of the book, he fell into one of the dinette chairs, his shoulders shaking
with helpless laughter.

Buffy stood over him, hands on her hips, ordering him not to snicker at her, whereupon he stood up
and grabbed her around the waist.

"God, I love you, girl," he declared extravagantly, lifting her into the air and spinning her around
and around.

He carried her into the living room and tossed her playfully onto the sofa, then went back into the
kitchen for the champagne and the glasses.

Buffy sat and watched as he pulled the cork effortlessly from the bottle with a festive "pop!"

The champagne sparkled in the dim light, fascinating her with it's fizzing and snapping bubbles.

"Take a sip," he instructed, "and hold it against the roof of your mouth...that's right. Feel the bubbles?"

She nodded, then swallowed the mouthful of wine. He brought the glass back to her lips again
and she took another sip eagerly. "Mmmm...this is good," she said, rolling her eyes up with pleasure. "It's
SO much better than beer."

"Someone's been giving you beer?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. "Care to tell me who?"

She tipped her glass up again and emptied it. Holding it out for him to refill, she giggled. "Xander sneaks
beer down into his bedroom when we spend the night with him."

Busy drinking down the champagne, Buffy missed the brief flash of gold in his eyes. "You spend the night
with...Xander?" he asked quietly.

"Well...me and Willow," she explained, shaking her head a little. "It's just for fun...you know...we watch movies and
we..."

"Drink beer?" he supplied, peeved for some reason. He knew perfectly well that there was nothing between
Buffy and Xander but friendship, but he also couldn't forget the night he'd seen her for the first time.

She had been on the dance floor with the boy, and he remembered well just how her "friend" had looked
at her...tried to touch her.

Recalling the sight of Xander's hand resting on Buffy's hip, he couldn't suppress a slight growl. His jealous
nature was rearing it's unattractive head.

"Well," he said firmly. "You can tell "Xander" that you won't be attending any more slumber parties with
him."

Looking up at him, Buffy blinked slowly, catching his tone. "Whass wrong?" she asked. "Are...are you
mad about me sleeping with Xander?"

"SLEEPING WITH HIM?" William repeated loudly. "You surely don't mean THAT the way it sounds...DO YOU?"

The champagne was confusing her. She was almost certain that he was yelling at her.

"Umm...no, I guess I don't. I mean...sleeping at his room...with him there, too. Thass all I mean...meant."
She smiled at him brightly, holding out her glass. "More champagne?" she asked.

Frowning, he poured her glass half full, then emptied his own in one swallow. "So...where DO you sleep...when you stay at his house?"

She concentrated. "Well....he has a really big bed in the...the basement of his house...and Willow and I
use that and...and...um..." She snapped her fingers and giggled. "Xander! Thass his name...he uses a
sleeping bag...a Charlie Brown sleepy bag...and iss so funny cause Willow always teases him and asks
him to Snoopy dance...iss funny."

Now, he was beginning to feel a little embarrassed. There was no way he could be jealous of some teenage boy who slept in a room with two girls, and did it in a sleeping bag decorated with cartoons.

Buffy squinted at him. "Are you...are you jealous?" she asked suddenly. "Cause you should NOT be!"

William smiled. "No, darling...I'm not jealous. I know you love me, and not this...Xander."

She shook her head. "THASS not what I meant!" she announced, pointing one finger at him. "YOU can't be
jealous of what I do...who are YOU spending the nights with...when you're not spending them with...me? Huh? Answer THAT one!"

He stared at the glass in his hand, wondering how in the hell the evening had taken this wrong turn.

"Buffy...I haven't slept in the same bed with Drusilla since the night I made love to you for the first time," he said quietly. "And I haven't had sex with her in months."

"Ohh," she sighed, holding her glass against her breast. "Really?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Really. I love YOU, angelface." He set his glass down on the table and pulled her into his arms. "You're MY girl," he said, kissing her cheeks, and the tip of her nose. "My beautiful little slayer."

Buffy pulled her arms free and flung them around him, dropping her empty glass on the carpet. "I love you, too," she said, holding on tightly and hoping the room would stop spinning soon.

~~~~~

"I can't deny what I believe
I can't be what I'm not
I know I'll love forever
I know, no matter what..."

~~~~~

His hands on her body were gentle and bold at the same time. He easily found all the pleasure points, making soft sounds of approval when she sighed agreeably.

Unbuttoning her blouse, he trailed his lips down her throat and over the beginning swell of her breasts, his tongue going on daring little forays beneath her lacy bra.

Buffy tilted her head back, sinking into the plush sofa cushions with little moans and gasps.

When he sat up suddenly, she whined her disapproval.

"Unfasten your bra," he demanded.

The champagne had definitely made her a little loopy, and she grinned devilishly. "No!"

His eyebrows arched in amazement at her tone. "No?" he repeated, his own hands moving to accomplish the task.

But she swatted his hands away. "You heard me," she said, pointing one finger at him. "Now...I'm in charge."

Grinning, he sat back. "Well, please...order me around."

She closed her eyes briefly, wanting the slight fuzziness to clear up. "Umm...unbutton your
shirt," she requested, trying to sound as determined as he always did. "And..um..take your shoes off."

Removing the shoes first, he looked up at her for her approval. "Socks as well?"

"Of course," she said, waving her hand about grandly. "Hurry..." she hiccuped. "...up!"

Trying to hide his smile, he did as he was told.

He left his shirt on after it was unbuttoned, exposing a narrow patch of skin from his neck to his beltline.

Buffy sighed, staring at his very attractive chest and the hard muscle ridges on his abdomen.

"What next?" he prompted her.

"Hmmm? Oh! Uh...well, I guess...your belt?"

He held out his hands questioningly. "What about it?"

"Undo it!" she waved her hand airily. "Undo it!"

"Yes ma'am." He brought his hands slowly up to his waist, watching the way her eyes followed every movement. Unfastening the buckle, he left it hanging open. "And now?"

Buffy licked her lips. Without taking her eyes off him, she reached for the champagne bottle. "Unzip!"

Controlling his urge to laugh out loud, he did so, then waited again.

Buffy poured champagne onto the table. When he pointed at it, she dragged her eyes away from his body and saw what she was doing.

Emitting a small "yikes!" she corrected her aim. Once the glass was full, she picked it up and took a sip, then carefully placed it back on the table and reached for the sides of his trousers. With a firm yank, she pulled them down and let them slip to the floor.

"Now," she said, swallowing hard and laying back on the sofa. "Please me."

He stepped out of his pants and shrugged his shirt off, then knelt beside the sofa and removed her skirt. "Allow me."

Leaning forward, he kissed her inner thighs and tugged off her underwear. "Does that please you?"

Buffy nodded shakily. "Yep."

Smiling, he lifted one of her legs until it rested on the back of the sofa. He trailed his fingers down her thigh, tickling her slightly.

"Tickling doesn't please," she stated.

"Yes, it does." He did it again, then followed the path of his fingers with his tongue.

"Oh! I was wrong," Buffy gasped, caressing his hair.

He kissed her along the neatly trimmed edge of light brown curls. "Mmm...so sweet and soft."

Her eyes drifted closed as she lifted her hips slightly. "More," she moaned.

With a wicked smile, he leaned over and dipped his index finger in the champagne, then painted her with it.

"Eeek!" she squealed at the cold sensation, her eyes opening wide. Prepared to scold, she was thrown completely off kilter when she felt his tongue licking up the champagne.

He grinned at her and winked. "Just trickling it over you and drinking it from between your thighs, love."

His tongue moved over her, darting in and out like the serpent in the garden, tasting her.

Continuing to drink the champagne by annointing her with it first, he lapped and sucked it off and out of her.

Buffy dug her nails into the sofa cushion as his tongue moved faster, soon joined by his probing index finger.

Over and over, he dipped his finger into the wine, then spread it over her yearning sex. Over and over, he drank it from her.

His tongue slid gently back and forth, urging her, pulling at her until she clamped her thighs shut around his head. Panting and sobbing, she ground herself against his hungry mouth and then collapsed in a heap of orgasmic satisfaction.

Then, keeping his gaze locked squarely with hers, he picked up the glass of champagne he'd been dipping his fingers into and drank it down.

"Mmm..." he said, licking his lips. "Nectar of Buffy."

~~~~~

"If only tears were laughter
If only night was day
If only prayers were answered
Then we would hear God say..

No matter what they tell you
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach you
What you believe is true..."

~~~~~

Upstairs in her bed, they moved against each other, rolling all over the mattress.

He nuzzled and licked her breasts, making her squeal, and she fondled and stroked his dick, making him moan.

At one point, she lay stretched out on top of him, grinding her center against his rigid cock and they kissed and deeply, their tongues darting into each others mouths, leaving wet trails of saliva on their faces.

His hands skimmed down over the smooth skin of her back, fingers curving over her rump and squeezing it firmly.

There was nothing gentle or tender in their lovemaking this time. It was wild and rough, and equally demanding on each of them.

"Harder," he begged, pressing her more firmly against his crotch, humping her tightly closed thighs. "Let me in, dammit!"

Buffy's terminal shyness was on vacation, and her slayer persona was peeking through. She shoved him down prone on the bed and lifted her upper body, tempting him with her breasts.

He lunged upwards immediately, his mouth reaching for her flesh, but she teasingly moved back, not allowing a full connection, although she did let him touch her nipple with the very tip of his tongue.

"Temptress," he grinned, redoubling his efforts to capture her in his mouth. "Come on, baby...give me some," he said gruffly.

Buffy smiled. Being in charge was fun...and incredibly arousing. "Give you what?"

One of his hands moved up and tangled in her hair, yanking her head back. "Let me suck on those luscious tits of yours!"

His words almost destroyed her resolve to play the tease...but not quite. She shimmied her shoulders, making her breasts sway alluringly.
"Why should I?"

"William" was trying desperately to keep "Spike" at bay, but it was becoming more and more difficult to do with her behaving in such a way.

"Because...I'll kiss them and lick your nipples until you scream for me to suck them hard. Let me do it, baby...I'm hungry for them..." he panted.

Placing one hand beneath his jaw, she teased his lips with her thumb, giggling when he took it into his mouth and sucked it thoroughly.

Grinning up at her, he bit down on her thumb, shaking it like a dog with a bone. "Not good enough, babe...I want your tits."

Unwilling to wait another moment, he flipped her over onto her back and took her right breast in his hand, lifting it to his mouth.

"Mmmmm.." he moaned, covering her flesh with his tongue. "Come on, baby," He nuzzled her, opening his mouth over her nipple. "Feed me."

The pleasure rocketing through her body finally relaxed the tight clamp of her thighs, and his lean hips fell into that cradle made just for him. He ground his hard dick against her wetness as he continued to feast at her breast, grunting and panting lustily.

She plunged her fingers into his silky curls, forcing his mouth down harder on her needy flesh.

"Please," she whispered, wanting him inside of her in the worst way. "Oh...William...please love me....love me big...."

He released her nipple with a loud "pop" and smiled into her dazed eyes. "I do love you," he said. "And I have something very big to show you how much."

And with no more warning than that...he reached down and aimed, then fired himself into her like a missle searching for her hot, wet core.

No gentle preliminaries were needed or given, and he began thrusting into her hard and fast, eliciting soft "oofs" from her every time he slammed his hips between her legs.

"So good, baby...." he panted. "So hot and wet...the tightest little pussy...creamy and sticky and warm...I want to stay in you forever, lover...forever...yeah, that's my girl...do it back, baby...fuck me hard...show me who you love...who's your man...."

Buffy was incapable of responding coherently. All she could do was push up every time he pushed down, meeting each one of his thrusts with her own strong response.

"Gonna make you come hard, little girl," he said, licking her ear. "Gonna make you give up all that cream, pussycat...sweet kitty cat...you wanna come, kitty? Huh? Want me to make you come?"

"Yah-huh" she nodded convulsively, her nails digging into the churning muscle of his ass.

He shifted upwards a fraction, changing the angle of his entry. "Gotta rub it against you right there...ohh, that's good...so tight...feel it rub your clit, love? Feel me rubbing my cock against it?"

'Yes," she said on a ragged breath. "I'm gonna...do it. I am...I really am....oh God...."

"Do what?" he asked harshly. "What are you gonna do, kitten? Tell me...tell me...ohh, FUCK!...say it!"

"Come," she moaned, feeling it begin down deep in her vitals. "Right now...now...now...oh...oh...."

Clutching at him, she lifted her hips one final time, soaking him with her creamy essence, as her face contorted with agonizing pleasure.

Her hands caressed his shoulders and the small of his back, touching him lightly as she told him how much she loved him.

As her body relaxed beneath his, she thanked whoever was responsible for making this beautiful creature her lover...her mate. She didn't care about anything else in the world right now except for him.

And, as always, he was completely in a like frame of mind. He was just able to articulate it better than she was.

"Oh, sweetheart....I love you so much. No matter what happens..I'll always love you. Promise me that whatever else you think of me...don't ever believe for a moment that I don't love you completely. Promise me that...and tell me you love me."

"I promise....and I love you. Forever...."

~~~~~

"And I will keep you safe and strong
And sheltered from the storm
No matter where it's barren
Our dream is being born..."

~~~~~

Part Fourteen.....

No Matter What (cont..)

~~~~~

"No matter who they follow
No matter where they lead
No matter how they judge us
I'll be everyone you need.."

~~~~~

"Hold still."

Buffy sighed, trying to lean back in the bathtub, but two hands buried in her mass of lathered up hair were preventing it.

"I don't want to hear you complaining when you have soap in your eyes."

"Well, hurry up. My hair wasn't dirty to begin with, you know."

William chuckled. "I know...I just like playing around with it. Besides, doesn't it feel good?"

"Yeah, it feels great. Can I rinse it now?"

Extricating his hands from her hair, he reached for the shower attachment and spun the knobs to start the
warm water.

When all the shampoo was out of her hair, he turned the water off and pulled her back until she was re-
clining in his embrace.

Picking up a soft sponge, he squirted some bath gel on it and worked up a lather, then began to spread it
over her shoulders and down to her breasts and abdomen.

Buffy lay quietly docile under his touch, her eyes half closed as she listened to the music playing on her mom's
CD player.

"Do you ever think about the future?" she asked.

He stopped in his ministrations for a moment. "How do you mean?"

"Well...like what's gonna be happening in your life five years from now. Do you ever wonder?"

He shrugged dismissively. "Not really. I prefer to sit back and see what comes about."

"Oh..."

"Why?" he asked. "Do you?"

She hesitated. "I used to...when I was a little kid."

"But you don't anymore?"

Buffy shook her head. "I'm not thinking that I'm gonna have a real long lifespan."

He stiffened and frowned. "Don't say that," he muttered curtly.

"It's true, though," she said. "Slayers don't have a long shelf life."

"You'll be different."

She turned as best she could to look at him. "How will I be different?" She wasn't sure how she expected him to
respond. The best thing he could say would be something along the lines of, "You'll be different because I'll
never let anything happen to you. I'll take you far away from here and we'll spend the rest of our lives together
making love on a moonlit beach."

That would be nice. That was a plan she could get behind.

But all he said was, "You just will be."

~~~~~

"No matter if the sun don't shine
Or if the skies are blue
No matter what the end is
My life began with you..."

~~~~~

The firelight painted her body with golden splashes of color as she moved up and down.

Her lover lay beneath her, his body stretched out on the plush carpeting in front of the hearth,
gazing up at the girl riding him.

His hands moved up her sides and around in front to hold her breasts. The full mounds overflowed in his fingers, soft and pliable, with tight rose nipples.

His cock was lodged firmly inside of her, an iron bar clasped in a wet velvet glove. Buffy's strong legs
propelled her up and down as she supported herself with hands splayed over William's chest.

Her eyes were closed, and her head was tipped slightly back. He had never seen anyone so overwhelmingly sensual. She was such an enticing mixture of an innocent child and a seductive woman.

He began to pump his hips up to meet her downstrokes, harder and faster as he listened to the
music of her panting breath.

Squeezing her breasts harder, he strained beneath her, pounding up into her until he felt her tighten
around him and heard her soft cry of completion.

She collapsed on his chest, snuggling up to him like a sleepy kitten.

Looking up at him curiously, she said, "Um...you didn't..."

He smiled. "No. I didn't."

"Well...how come?"

"Because I have something else in mind."

She narrowed her eyes. "Like what?" she asked, nervously.

He answered her by rolling over until she was beneath him.

"Oh," she said. "You wanted to be on top?"

He smiled mysteriously. "In a manner of speaking."

Buffy waited for him to re-connect with her. When he made no immediate attempt to do so, she was con-
fused.

Before she could say anything, he sat up between her outspread legs. "Have I told you tonight how beautiful you are?"

She smiled. "A hundred times or so. But that doesn't mean you have to stop."

"You have such lovely breasts," he murmured, capturing them in his hands. "I can't get enough of them.
They're so full, and firm...soft."

"Thank you."

He chuckled. "You're welcome," he said seriously, winking at her.

Leaning down, he began to kiss her breasts. Starting with the full undercurves, he worked his way up and over,
leaving a moist path behind him as he centered his attention on her nipples.

Buffy took a ragged breath and arched her back, thrusting her breasts more fully forward for his eager mouth.

Moving his lips to her ear, he whispered. "Want to learn something new?"

"Sure," she said softly.

Levering himself up, he grabbed a fat throw pillow from the sofa and arranged it beneath her back. This gave
her the right amount of support from beneath.

When he had her the way he wanted her, he straddled her rib cage and slowly moved up.

Noticing the direction he was heading in, she opened her mouth and waited. But instead of sliding his erection between her lips, he raised himself on his knees and placed it in the hollow between her breasts.

Buffy's eyes widened. This was very..VERY new. She hadn't even read about this sort of thing.

"Is this okay, love?" he asked, his voice soft and low pitched.

"Yes...I guess...what do you want me to do?"

"Put your hands on the sides of your breasts," he said, "and push them together until they're all around me."

She did as he asked, and he groaned at the unbelievable sensation of her soft breasts pillowing his rigid cock.

Buffy watched as his eyes closed and his jaw clenched. She looked down, fascinated by the sight of his penis sliding up and down. It was so big and hard, that when it slid up, it nearly touched her.....

A light bulb burst in her head, and she gathered up her nerve, waiting for his next thrust up.

When the head of his erection appeared again, she extended her tongue and licked it.

His eyes flew open. "Oh, FUCK!!" he shouted, then stared at her in shock, completely amazed that she would take such initiative.

"Did...did you like that?" she asked timidly.

"God....sweetheart, YES," he said. "Do it again."

Scooting down just a bit, she moistened her lips and pressed a lingering kiss against the head of his shaft when it popped up, then licked it with her tongue.

Semen leaked from the tiny slit, further lubricating his movements. He slid himself easily up and down, squeezing her breasts more firmly together, and rubbing his thumbs over her nipples.

He began to move faster, sliding himself in and out of the warm cradle of her flesh. It felt so incredibly good that he couldn't hold back.

Bracing himself on his knees, he began to pump faster and faster, shouting his pleasure out loud, telling her how good it felt to fuck her between her tits.

When he felt the onset of orgasm, he pulled himself out of her enveloping mounds and pumped his hand up and down rapidly. Releasing one last, loud cry, he splattered a copious gush of semen all over her tender breasts.

All his strength gave out, and he fell over to one side, laying on his back and staring at the ceiling.

As soon as he found some vocal control, he turned and looked at her. "You're wonderful."

"Thank you." Buffy smiled gamely. "Could you go and get me a towel?"

~~~~~

"I can't deny what I believe
I can't be what I'm not.."

~~~~~

"Goodnight, angel."

Buffy clung to him longer than she normally would have. It was almost 5:00 a.m., and she knew he had to leave, but for some reason she was afraid to let him go.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked softly, rubbing her back.

She shook her head. "I don't know. Something..."

Wrapping his arms more tightly around her, he stood there in the doorway with her. She was actually
trembling, and it concerned him. "Don't you feel good?"

Buffy buried her face against his shirt front. "I feel okay."

As much as he wanted to just pick her up and carry her upstairs, he knew he couldn't give in to that
temptation tonight. He'd already gotten three text messages from Luke wanting to know when he was
coming back to the house he'd rented on the far north side of Sunnydale.

For Luke to pester him in such a way, something big had to be going down.

"Sweetheart," he began hesitantly. "I have to go now."

Buffy nodded. "I know."

He could tell by her wobbly voice that she was on the verge of tears. Feeling like he was cutting his heart
out of his chest, he loosened his hold on her. "I'll call you tomorrow, angel. We'll make some plans,"
he said, trying to cheer her up. "How about I take you shopping? I'll buy you anything your little heart desires. That sound like fun?"

"Yes," she sniffled. "But, I can't. My mother's coming home tomorrow."

"Oh." He looked down at the top of her head. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah. She called me this morning. Her plane's getting in at four-thirty."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, perplexed.

"Well...I meant to," she said. "But we were busy."

He smiled. "I remember."

Buffy squeezed him tighter around the waist.

"Would you..." she spoke haltingly. "I'd like for you to meet her. I've sort of been telling her about you."

"Not everything, I hope," he teased, looking suitably scandalized.

The remark finally got a soft giggle out of her.

"No, not everything," she admitted. "Just that we're...dating."

He shrugged. "Technically, that's not a lie."

"I told her I met you at school."

"Okay, now THAT'S a lie."

"Well...telling the truth won't work."

He couldn't refute the logic.

"No, I suppose it won't"

"And it's just that she's really...sticky..about meeting the guys I go out with."

"Good for her," he said. "She can fend off all the dogs that'll come sniffing around my girl."

"She says that...that if a boy can't be bothered to come to the door and introduce himself to her that he's only after
one thing."

"Guarding your innocence" he approved. "Remind me to bring her some flowers tomorrow night. What?" he added, seeing the look on her face. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't want to meet her?"

Pleased by his comment, Buffy forced herself to ease her hold on him and step back.

"I'm not sure I can pass for a high school student," he said. "But I'll try."

She rewarded him with her knock-out smile, and pulled him down into a long, lingering kiss. "Thank you," she whispered.

"I'll see you tonight, angel," he said. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied, releasing him from the death grip she had on his arms. "I'll always love you...I promise."

After one last kiss, he got into his car and drove away.

~~~~~

"I know this love's forever
That's all that matters now
No matter what..."

~~~~~