“. . .at all?”

“No.  She hasn’t moved at all.  I’m so sorry, Willow.  I really thought it would work.”  Giles looked at her apologetically.

The were sitting in Spikes room where the still form of the slayer lay in the middle of the bed.  She looked so tiny, so frail. . .nothing like the girl she’d once been.

Willow stood up.  “I need to get out of here. . .I need to think.”  With that, she walked out of the room and out the door.

She walked around for most of the day, going no where in particular.  It had been almost two months since Buffy stepped of the plane and this entire mess began.  As if by instinct she made her way to the hill by the tree where she’d watched the sun set for almost the past four years.  She slipped off her shoes, gathered her dress up and sat down against the welcoming trunk.  There was a distinct breeze in the air. . .it was the beginnings of the first frost and a preview of the winter to come.

“What’s happened to us?  How did we get here?”  She ran her fingers through silky red hair.  “ It’s so beautiful tonight.  Such a contrast to the dark pit my life’s been lately.”  She chuckled to her self silently.

“I wouldn’t say it’s been so bad.”

She was shaken from her thoughts by the familiar voice behind her.  She turned slowly and saw Buffy standing there.  Shocked was the least of all the emotions she was feeling.  “Buffy?”

“In the undead flesh.  What’s wrong, Will?  You look paler than usual?  Almost as pale as me.”   A smile played across her lips.

Willow scrambled to her feet.  Cautiously, she reached out her hand to touch her and Buffy grabbed it.  “What’s with you Will?”

“You, your in the bed, hurt and I couldn’t, I didn’t fix. . the Oracles didn’t and there was gold dust and Angel, the bright light, Giles and Spike then there was slime, not Spike slime ‘cause that would be gross and this is all so confusing.  Ugh.”

“Sooo, the Oracles got you with some Angel dust and Spike slimed Giles?  I can see how that would make you go ish but your still not making any sense, Will.”

“This is all just so confusing.”  She shook her head in the attempt to jog all the images into order.

Buffy pulled her closer.  “Here. . .lemme clear it up for you.”  In one fluid motion Buffy pulled Willow to the ground and was on top of her.  She smiled her best sinister smile and shifted into game-face.  “I want you. . .I can take you. . therefore, I will have you forever.  Comments?  Questions?”

She was struggling and shaking her head.  <No, this can’t be happening!>  “Buffy . .w-what are you doing?”  The words past her lips but the answer was firmly imprinted in her brain.  She knew full well what the answer would be.

“Taking what I want.”

<Just like the dream.>

She bent down and licked the nape of her neck and slowly made her way up to her earlobe.  “Mmm, you taste as good as I always thought you would . . .maybe even better.”  She pulled back and licked her lips.

“Buffy, you don’t want to do this. . .y-you don’t want to hurt me.  Please.”  She was pleading for her life as well as Buffy’s.  She knew, the instant that her life was taken and replaced by the demon, Buffy would lose her soul.  <Oh God, it is the dream . . .the dream is coming true.>

She leaned down and whispered.  “I don’t want to hurt you, lover.  I want you to be with me. . .forever.”  She shifted and Willow could feel the creeping of her skin as the fangs danced lightly across her flesh.  She clamped down and began to feed.

A darkness suddenly rolled in over the sky.  Clouds gathered and not a star could be seen in the sky.  Somewhere in the distance, thunder rolled and a streak of lightening cut across the sky and landed firmly between the shoulders of the slayer.

Her body shuddered as the electricity shot through her.  She let go of Willow’s neck and let out a piercing scream, throwing herself back against the tree.  Willow scrambled to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.  They looked into each other’s eyes as another bolt flew from the sky and branched off, hitting them both.  They screamed into the night in unison as the pain and electricity and light streamed through their veins.  Then all went black.

Thu-thump . . .thu-thump. . .thu-thump. . .thu-thump. . .

Willow awoke to what she thought was they rhythmic beating of her heart.  She lay there with her eyes closed for a moment, doing a mental ‘body check’ list in her head.  <Arms, there. . .legs, there. . .torso, fingers, toes, nose . . nose in breast. . .? . . .Oh, no this can’t be good.>  Slowly she shifted only to find there was a distinctly beating heart under her ear and a warm body covering her form.  Not wanting to get her hopes up, she reached up with her hand and felt around.  <Slender waist, shoulder length hair. . . leather pants!>  She opened her eyes.  “Buffy?”

She groaned.  “Ungh . . .five more minutes, mom.”  And preceded to snuggled down more comfortably.

<Mmm, this does wonders for my body temperature. . . .no, bad thoughts. . .get her up, get her up.>  “Buffy, come on. . .if you don’t get off of me.”

”Huh?”  The slayer blinked once, twice.  She shifted her gaze and was met with a pair of wide green eyes below her.  “Will. . .what happened?”  She moved over to the side.  “Oh, my aching back. . and my head, uh. . .think headaches measure on the Richter scale?”  She brought her knees up, wrapped her arms around them and put her head down.  “I think I’m having about an 8.4 right about now.”

Willow sat up slowly and touched her friends neck with two fingers.  “Buffy, you. . .you have a  pulse!  You’re breathing. . .and your back hurts!”  She clapped her hands together and bounced up and down on the grass.  “They did it, they kept their promise!”

She lifted her head up and everything Willow just said registered all at once.  “I remember biting you and it was dark and I got hit with alota juice. . .it made my hair stand on end.”  She reached out to Willow and examined her neck.  “Oh, God. . did I bite you?”  Willow flinched.  “No, I did. . .I did bite you.  I’m so sorry, Will. Does it hurt?”

“A little, but. . .” She cupped her face in her hands.  “Buffy, you’re alive.”

“Shh.”  Buffy brought her finger to Willow’s lips.

She tilted her head questioningly but remained silent.

“Do you hear that?”  A small sob escaped from her throat.  “I can hear my heartbeat.”  She smiled and collapsed into her friends arms. . .inhaling and exhaling deeply.  “I can breath, Will. . .I can breath.”

“One be the champion, one the eternal.  One be the savior with struggle internal.  One be the witch with powers for teaching.  A prophesy fulfilled, effects far reaching.  Each one in turn will save this earth, beginning with the slayer’s re-birth.”  He’d read it a hundred times in the past hour.  Looking at it now only made him cross-eyed.  “It’s right here!.  It was a prophesy.  If not for the end of the world then what?”

“You and those books, Giles, I swear.  Can’t you go a day without consulting them. You’re a big boy now you know. . .you can make decisions all by yourself.”

He glanced up then back to the book.  “As much as I appreciate your sense of humor, Buffy . .I”  He looked up and took his glasses off.  “Buffy?  How did you?  Where did you come from?”

“Uh . . little town named Sunnydale?  Ever heard of it?”

Spike stomped through the hallway towards them.  “Bloody hell man. . the slayer’s gone.  She’s in a coma for the love of Pete. . .she was there one minute then the next she was”  He pointed his finger at Buffy.  “Right there.. . .s-she’s right there!”

Giles shook his head and rubbed his eyes.  “I can’t believe it.  Buffy, you’re alive!”

Willow was watching the entire exchange with amused delight.  As if on cue, Angel burst through the door and breezed right past her.  “Not exactly.”

Buffy turned and faced him.  “Oh, great!  The Angel of death.  Aren’t you supposed to blow a horn or something before you announce impending doom?”

“What’s going on?”  Cordelia poked her head around the corner.

Giles stood up.  “Well, since everyone is present and accounted for. . .would you two, er, three care to tell me exactly what’s going on?  When did this happen Willow?”  He turned to the redhead.  “Last I remember, you went out for a walk after you came back from the Oracles.”

“I think we all need to sit down.  This is gonna take a while.”

They all gathered in the living room and Buffy and Willow began.

“I woke up in the bedroom and. . .I don’t know, it was like I felt like a different person.  I knew something was happening and I was feeling really, you know, grr.  I walked out of the bedroom and no one was around so I walked out the front door.  I wandered around a little until sunset and I saw Will.”

”When Buffy didn’t wake up after I went to see the Oracles, I wandered around half of the afternoon.  I just need to bail and clear my head.  So I went to my spot in the park.  You know the one Giles, by the tree?”

“I don’t know how I found her, I just did.  It was like I knew where she was.”

“I was really shocked to see her.  She was acting all wiggy and all of a sudden she grabbed me and we were on the ground.”

”I don’t know what came over me.  I just had this overwhelming urge to bite her.  I couldn’t stop myself even if I wanted to. . .and believe me, right then I didn’t want to.  It was like I HAD to have her blood in me. . .I had to feed off of her.”

”She bit down on me and I heard some thunder then the sky lit up.  A split second later I felt a shock go through my body and Buffy was thrown back against the tree.”

“I couldn’t think I couldn’t see. . .all I could do was scream.  I didn’t even know she was there. . .”

”I grabbed her and tried to see if she was alright then the sky lit up again and I don’t remember anything.  After that when we woke up in the park.”

Spike snickered in the corner.  “And they say lightening never strikes twice in the same place.”

”Angel?”  Giles shook him out of his thoughts.

“I went to see the Oracles.  Willow’s dream . . .the prophesy has been fulfilled.”  He closed the gap between him and Buffy.  “You’re not human.”

“Care to explain soul-man. . .this cryptic routine is getting quite tiresome.”  Spike snapped at him.

He nodded his head.  “The Oracles.  They granted Willow’s request and spared your life, but not without a cost.”

Willow nodded her head.  “Yes.  I offered them something in return for her getting better.  They agreed. . .they said they’d do it.”

He smiled at her.  “And they did.  You offered them your Immortality.”

Buffy turned to her.  “You gave that up?  For me?  Will, you shouldn’t have.”  She placed her hand on Willow’s.

“I had to, Buffy.  I tried to make you better but.”  She shrugged. “It was the only way.”

Angel offered an explanation.  “The Oracles are notoriously self involved.  You’d think that since they’re the direct link to the Powers That Be they’d be more aware of what goes on in the world.  They took your immortality from you and gave it to Buffy.  They thought that was what you wanted.  When Buffy bit you, she was struck by the lightening at the same time.  That was the beginning of the transformation.  Both of you weren’t supposed to be struck. . . “

“I’m alive but Immortal?  Sounds like an upside to me.”  She grinned.

Angel nodded in agreement.  “I’d agree. . .only there’s a catch.”

She put her head down on the table.  “A catch. . .there’s ALWAYS a catch.”

”What is it Angel?”  Giles pushed on.

“The transformation actually started the moment she woke up.  She lost her soul.  We all know what a soulless vampire has on it’s mind.  She went in search of the one person she loved the most, the one that mattered most when she was alive.  I did it when I was first turned.  The first person I killed was my mother.”  He sighed, the memory weighing down on his soul.  “When she was struck, she received immortality. . .the second time she was struck, she regained her soul.  Because she and Willow were, um, connected at the time. . .they’re now connected forever.  As long as Buffy lives, so does Willow.  A part of Buffy’s immortality was passed to Willow in the bite and some residual of Buffy’s soul now resides in her.  With the prophesy about the Immortal Watcher being diverted, the amount of years between Immortal Watchers rising has been converted to the amount of miles they can be apart.  If they’re more than one thousand miles apart, even for an instant, they’ll both die.”

Giles stood and grabbed a book from the far end of the table.  “Yes, yes. . .why didn’t I see it before.”  He flipped through and settled on one page.  “One be the champion, one the eternal. . . .That’s Willow and Buffy respectfully, not the other way around.    One be the savior with struggle internal. . . that’s wrong.   If you translate it into old Latin you get the word ‘one’ instead of ‘with’ and ‘struggles’ instead of ‘struggle’.  One be the savior, one struggles internal.  Buffy is the Chosen one and with the attack Willow went through, I’d say it qualifies as and internal struggle.  One be the witch with powers for teaching. . . .That’s obvious now.  Willow, in a round about way, has taught Buffy how to be Immortal.    A prophesy fulfilled, effects far reaching. . .another obvious one . . .With Buffy being immortal and the Council being a non-issue, then another slayer cannot be called. . .this effects the entire dynamic of Good versus Evil.    Each one in turn will save this earth. . .Willow saved us all by killing the demon and putting a stop to them inhabiting this world and with Buffy, it’s her sacred duty to save on a daily basis.  Finally, beginning with the slayer’s re-birth . . .Buffy’s re-birth as a vampire was the catalyst for all of this happening.”  He snapped the book shut and looked very pleased with himself.

Willow was staring at him wide-eyed.  “Wow.”

Spike shook his head.  “Well, this is a bit disappointing, now isn’t it.  I’ve bagged at least three slayers in my time.  A little thunder here, some well placed lightening there. . .and my bloody reign of terror is over!”

Buffy looked up at him.  “Don’t worry, Spike, with my being a lifer now, I’m sure I’ll find you some more little green nasties to kill.”

He smirked a little.  “You promise?”  She nodded and it seemed to satisfy him.

Giles cleared his throat.  “Well, seeing as we’ve gotten a lot accomplished tonight, why don’t we retire and decide what we’ll do from here tomorrow?”

“It’s not much, but at least it’s a bed.”  Buffy and Willow were standing in the attic.  As far as most attics go, it was surprisingly clean.  Since Spike rarely had any visitors, almost every pillow in the house was carried upstairs and arranged into a little nest in the corner.

Willow tilted her head.  “At least it kinda looks like one.”  She walked over to her bags and grabbed some toiletries.  “I’m gonna run down and go to the bathroom.  Be right back.”

Buffy stood there a few seconds and tried to clear her head.  Finally, she decided that sleep was definitely in order and began to get changed.  <God, has it really been two months since I’ve gotten here?>  It was unusually warm in the attic, Spike had supplied them with an electric heater.  She changed then decided to go downstairs to see what was taking Willow so long.
 
 

Willow was leaving the bathroom when she heard a voice behind her.  “Hey, Red.”

”Cordy.  Hey!  I was just heading upstairs.”  She smiled.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I think I’m going to leave in the morning.  One world destruction averted and there’s no reason for me to stick around anymore.”

”No, Cordy.  You have to stay.  I think Giles is going to suggest we all go back tomorrow anyway.  There isn’t anything for any of us to do.  Please stay so we can at least leave together.”  She took her hand.  “Wait, what about Angel?”

She smiled sadly.  “We decided that we need some time apart. We had a long talk last night while you were with Buffy and Giles and Spike were standing vigil outside the door.   He’s going to stay here with Spike for a while and I’ll go back to LA and take care of the business.  He’s already called Wesley and he agreed to stand in as Angel’s replacement until he returns.”

”Oh, Cordy . . .I’m sorry.  Are you going to be alright?”

“I’ll be fine, Will.  We agreed together.  He’s feeling really guilty about the whole torture thing and I feel like I just need to sort some stuff out. . . .maybe even go see one of those really expensive therapists the Council sent you to.  I’ll be fine.”

She pulled her into a hug.  “I’m so sorry, I just feel like this is all my fault.”

Cordelia pulled away.  “No, it’s not.  You know that as well as I do.  You couldn’t have stopped it, Red.  None of us could.”

“I still feel responsible. . . no matter what you say.”  She pouted a little and looked down at the floor.

Cordelia reached over and lifted her head with one finger.  “You’re responsible for a lot of things . . .this not being one of them.  You taught me how to be a better person, you taught me how to love people other than myself. . .and you’ve given me a terrific gift.  You’re friendship and love.  Those are the only things I hold you responsible for.”  She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

“Cordy. . .”

”That was a thank-you and a goodbye.”  She took a step back.  “Now don’t you have an immortal slayer waiting for you upstairs?”  She turned on her heel and walked back to her bedroom.

Buffy stepped out of the shadows.  “I was wondering what was taking so long.”

Willow turned around and shades of red crept up her neck and settled in her face.  “Buffy, I. . uh, didn’t see you standing there, I wasn’t”

”Kissing Cordelia?”  Her arms were crossed and she studied her a  moment.  Finally she walked over to Willow.  “Don’t worry, Will. . .as much as I would have like to jump out of the shadows and rip her head off, I understand why she did it.”

“You do?”  Her voice had a hint of hope in it.

“Yes.  Other than you being quite kissable, I think she just needed closure.  Kind of a one last kiss thing.”

<Buffy thinks I’m kissable?>  She looked like Buffy, dressed like Buffy, but Willow wasn’t sure if it was the real deal Buffy or a look-alike standing in front of her.  All she could do is stand there with her  mouth open and blink a few times.  Then she poked at her with her finger.  “You look like my Buffy-shaped friend.”

Buffy laughed at the odd expression on her face.  She reached out and grabbed her hand.  “Come on upstairs already.  I’m beat.”

Willow could do nothing but comply.

They were laying in bed looking at the ceiling.  “You know, I just realized something, Will.”

”You figured out why there’s glow in the dark stars on the ceiling?”

They noticed it as soon as they turned the lights off and a discussion on just how quirky Spike was ensued for about ten minutes.

“No, I still don’t have a handle on that one.”  She turned to face her.  “For the first time in about two months, we don’t have anything to do tomorrow.”  She reached up and brushed some stray red hair from her face.

“Yeah.  Feels kinda nice.”  It was a response to both the sentence and the action.

“. . .and I’m human again.  Well, sorta.”  She outlined Willow’s lips with her finger.

“That’s a really big plus.”

“. . .and you’re not the big IW.”  She leaned down and kissed her shoulder lightly.

“Can’t find a downside with that one.”

“There’s no real fear in me dying anymore either.”  She kissed the nape of her neck.

“Mmm, that’s a load off my shoulders.”

“I really don’t see it happening, but, the only way it would happen is if we were separated.”  She nibbled on her earlobe.

“No, I don’t like that.”

Buffy froze and looked up at her, eyebrows firmly in ‘huh?’ mode.

Willow giggled.  “No, I meant the separation thing.”  She cleared her throat and smirked.  “The whole earlobe thing you had going on there was really nice.”

She  managed a brief ‘Oh’ before planting her face in the pillow.

Willow tugged on her arm.  “Hey, where’d ya go?”

“Mp urm brasng mr e.”

“Didn’t I warn you about talking in tongues?”  She shook her shoulder.

Buffy turned her head slightly.  “Stop, you’re embarrassing me.”  Then back to the pillow.

“Well, from what your ears are telling me, it didn’t suck for you.”

She pushed up on her arms. “Will!  You’re not supposed to know that!”

The hacker shrugged.  “I know you and your ears well enough to know that.”  She slid over closer to her.  “You were gettin all toasty.”

“Was not.  I was just being playful.  That’s all.”  She settled down again on her back.

Willow reached up and outlined her ear.  “Liar.  I happen to be good friends with your ears and they’re singing an entirely different tune.”

Buffy swatted her hand away.  “Yeah, well. . .your hands are all sweaty.”

“They are not!”  It was her turn to be embarrassed.

“Are too!  Just like they were every time you kissed Oz goodbye before we went on patrol.”

She quirked her head to the side.  “You noticed my sweaty palms?”

Buffy thought for a moment.  “Yeah.  We’d always go on patrol together. . .you, me, and Xander.  You guys were arguing about something constantly and I’d grab your hand to pull you along. . . vampires to dust and all. . .and your hands would be all sweaty.  So I thought to myself, hmm, must be Oz.”  She reached over and took her hand, entwining their fingers together.  “And now your hands are all sweaty.”

”. . .and your ears are red.”  Willow switched to her side and places some strands of blonde hair behind Buffy’s ear.  “I don’t know what I would have done if”

”Shh. . .don’t think about it.”  Her finger pressed against Willow’s lips.

She opened her mouth slightly and kissed the skin pressing on her lips.  Little kisses fluttered down slightly callused fingers and she licked tiny circles in an upturned palm.  Her lips worked their way back up the backside of a slender hand.  She whispered.  “I like your hands.”

Buffy hooked the back of her neck and drew her closer.  She nipped and licked her way sensually up Willow’s neck then she sucked her earlobe in quickly.  “Yeah, well, I like your ears.”  She whispered huskily.  She turned her head slightly and kissed her on the lips and slowly drew away.  “but I think I like your lips better.”

She nodded in agreement.  Willow grew bold and pressed her lips to Buffy’s more firmly.  Caution and embarrassment were thrown to the wind and replaced by a growing, smokey passion.  Buffy deepened the kiss and a low moan escaped from her throat.  She reached down and danced her fingers across the exposed flesh of Willow’s hip, rubbing sensual circles in the crook there with the tips of her fingers.

Willow broke a moment to gasp for air.  She breathed lightly into Buffy’s neck.  “Mmm, still loving your hands.”

She smiled and ran her fingernails up her back and then back down again.  Gently she pushed her down on her back and began to slowly unbutton Willow’s top.

“Want some help?”  She smiled.

Buffy shook her head.  “I think I’ve got it covered . . .”  She pushed the fabric back slowly and placed a kiss on her newly exposed collarbone.  “. . .or uncovered.” She began to kiss slowly down her chest.

“Depends on how you looungh”  She passed all point of coherent thought.  Buffy had it covered all right.

She kissed and licked the hardness she’d found there instinctively.  Nip, kiss. . lick.  She felt Willow arch into her and smiled.  With her other hand she was caressing the side of her face then she slowly brought it down to increase the sensations twofold in the girl below her.

She arched into the form on top of her and shut her eyes tight.  A low moan escaped from her lips when Buffy’s hand trailed down.  Never in all her life had she realized exactly how many nerve endings could be alert and at attention all at once.  Soon a slick sheen of sweat covered her brow and she reached down and brought the slayer up so they were face to face.

“Something wrong?”  Buffy almost had the chance to switch into concerned mode.  Almost.

Willow pushed her down on her back with a little ‘fwump’ from the pillows.  She knelt next to the slayer and wasted no time by pressing their lips together.  While running a feather light touch up and down the slayer’s arm, she seductively poked her tongue out to run it along the inside of Buffy’s bottom lip.   Buffy’s own tongue met her there and soon they were wrestling back and forth, each meeting the other stroke for stroke.

Buffy reached up and ran her hand down the heated skin of Willow’s side.  Mustering all the courage she had, and some instinct, she continued on and ran a phantom touch down the stomach and between the legs of the woman above her.  Instantly, she heard a strangled moan. . .then realized it was her own.  Willow moved closer to her hand, her body begging for more contact.  Buffy pulled away and planted sweet kisses on her neck as she sat up and moved behind the redhead.

Sitting up, Willow reached for her hips and drew her closer as Buffy increased the pressure and frequency of the kisses.  She reached up and pulled off one of the last pieces of clothing that barred complete access.  Continuing in that fashion, she rubbed then pressed her chest against Willows back and reached up to knead and massage two perfect mounds of flesh, never removing her lips from a slender neck.

In one of the most sensual acts she’d ever taken part in, Buffy felt Willow’s hands join her own.  It didn’t last too long as Willow guided one of Buffy’s hands firmly down her chest, across her stomach to the silky, warm cloth of her bikini underwear.  Sensing some hesitation, Willow let go and let her own fingers finish the short trip.

Buffy heard and felt Willow moan in pleasure.  Taking the hint, her hand joined Willows and soon they were both rubbing circles into silky wet folds of thin fabric.  Buffy increased the pressure and felt Willow’s arms go to her hips to steady herself.  Fumbling with the the cloth, Willow managed to pull Buffy’s underwear down to the bend in her knees.  With a feather light touch, she ran her fingers through the coarse patch of hair and dipped her fingers to the core of moist flesh.

The shudder of first contact made both girls sway a little.  Willow turned around to face her, amazingly never breaking rhythmic contact.  “You okay?” She whispered in her ear.

She didn’t nod, didn’t speak.  She answered with sweet touches of her own.  Her fingers crept into the wet folds of flesh and as she applied tender pressure, both of them let out a moan of ecstasy.  Buffy reached up and clung to the form in front of her.  “So close.” She whispered. Willow nodded her head in acknowledgement.

It started as a warm feeling in the pits of their stomachs then suddenly flared out to every inch of flesh, every last follicle, on their bodies.  Willow tightened her grasp as the first wave flooded her senses.  She shook in the arms of her lover as every nerve ending and every muscle twitched with enough electricity to light up all of Times Square.  Just as she started to come to her senses, she felt Buffy’s grip tighten.  She held on to her as her entire body shuttered.  She felt nails dig into her back and she let out a moan of pleasure and pain. . .and as Buffy reached to peak of her release she let out short, moaning gasps that made even the stars blush in the still night sky.