Title: A Girl Like You
Author: Ped (sturdevk@calweb.com)
Series: You couldn't pay me enough
Couple: Willow/Graham
Rating: R (Because I revel in nudity at one point)
Disclaimer: Sadly, all things B:TVS belong to Joss Whedon. If they was
mine, Forrest wouldn't have become the *complete* schmuck he became, and
he would still be among the living. The song belongs to Edwyn Collins
(listen for it in "Empire Records"!).
Spoilers: Season Four Stuff, set between "The I in Team" and "New Moon
Rising"
Summary: Graham's got a girl... Willow's got a guy... neither group of
friends realize it.
Distribution: List archives, Charity, Temptation embraced, Triad, My
Site (any other bidders? Let me know, and the silent auction can
continue.)
Note: I transcribed the song myself, but parts of it were hard to
decipher, and well, I made my best educated guess.
Note 2: Yes, *another* one-off W/Gr songfic from me! I swear these
things help me with overcoming my writer's block! Really, they do!
Note 3: As always, thoughts are within the <>
Note 4: Song lyrics are between the // //
Dedication: To my friend Sara, who hired me as a web developer last
week!


//I've never known a girl like you before,
Now just like in a song from days of yore,
Here you come a knockin', knocking on my door,
And, I've never met a girl like you before.//

A flash of red across the room drew his attention to her first. His jaw
dropped, and he just stared, totally enraptured, as he watched her on
the dance floor. While normally his stoicism would not be noticed by
his friend, Forrest Gates, the way he was just staring at something...
did.

"You alright man?" Forrest looked in the direction Graham was, and
nearly spat out the beer he had just drank. "Holy shit! I thought she
was the mousy one."

Graham managed to drag his gaze back to his friend. "What?"

"The red head, you know the one you've been staring at?"

"Yeah, what about her?"

"She's tight with the *Slayer*. You know, the woman responsible for all
the troubles at the Initiative," Forrest's voice was laced with venom
for the blond freshman as he talked about her.

"You've really got a hard-on about Buffy, don't you Forrest?" Graham
grinned when Forrest shot him a deadly glare. "Besides, I thought that
was Riley's department."

"What's my department?" Riley's voice came from behind Graham, and both
occupants at the table turned to stare at their commanding officer. He
sat in the empty chair at the table and looked at Graham. "I repeat,
what's my department?"

Forrest, being Forrest, decided to insult his friend. < Bastard deserves
it. He chose a *girl* over us! He grinned maniacally and said, "Silent
boy here," he shot a thumb at Graham, then he continued. "Claimed that
*I* was attracted to Buffy."

Graham merely raised an eyebrow at Forrest, then he turned to look at
Riley. "Actually, I accused him of having a *hard-on* for Buffy. Only
way I can think of to explain his hatred of her. I'll leave you two
here to discuss it. I've got to see about a girl," Graham said as he
rose from his seat.

Riley looked over at Forrest, his face showing his confusion. "What
girl?"

"The red head that hangs out with your girl."

"Willow?!?"

"I guess. There isn't another one, is there?"

"No." Riley got a thoughtful look on his face. "Huh, I never would
have pictured them together. Willow might be a bit too intense for
Graham."

Forrest did not respond verbally, but raised an eyebrow as if
questioning his commanding officer's mental health.

//You gave me just a taste, so I want more,
Now my hands are bleeding, and my knees are raw.
'Cause now you've got me crawlin', crawling on the floor
And, I've never known a girl like you before.//

Graham walked up directly behind the red head, and pulled her against
him. "I thought you weren't going to be here tonight. What changed
your mind?" He asked as they began to dance to song together.

"Slutty."

Graham closed his eyes and then opened them, still dancing to the music
pounding through the club. "What'd she do now?"

"She thinks that I've been pining over Oz too long, and that I should
let her set me up with 'one of those nice commando guys Riley knows'. I
told her to stay out of my business, and that I had honestly been over
mutt-boy for awhile."

Graham turned Willow around so he could look into her eyes. "But,
doesn't she still miss that ex of hers... Angel?" He waited for Willow
to nod, and then continued. "So what makes her think that *she* should
have the opportunity to wallow in misery, over six months later, when
you've had, what two?"

Willow placed her head on his chest and sighed happily as a string of
ballads began to play. < Yummy! Graham arms! Can't get enough of
those. > She nuzzled her cheek into right pectoral muscle, enjoying the
slight groan he released at her action. "Yeah, but this is *Buffy*
we're talking about. She's a great friend most of the time, but she's
been real dense recently. I mean she didn't even notice that I haven't
slept in my bed at the dorms anytime during the last week."

Graham began to trace small circles on her back, and Willow arched into
his ministrations. Graham hissed as her action caused her to rub
against him. He leaned down and whispered, "You want to get out of
here?"

Willow licked her lips and looked up at him through half lowered
eyelids. "I thought you'd never ask." She glanced over at the table of
his friends, and then back to him. "You leave now, and I'll follow you
in ten minutes."

Graham groaned at the raw lust shining at him from her eyes. "Do you
want me to wait for you in the park?" He had to resist the urge to kiss
her breathless when she beamed at him.

"That's very noble of you, Tiger. But I've got all my slaying tools
handy, and it's a very short walk to my parent's house."

"I'd still feel safer having you met me in the park."

"Fine, you big baby!" She stood on her tiptoes and put her lips just
millimeters from his right ear. "I'll see you in ten." She nipped his
earlobe as she pulled away.

"Yes, Ma'am!" He turned and walked back to his table, and soon after
left the Bronze.

< Goddess! I thought for a minute there he was going to salute me or
something. He's got the *best* butt. Why did I avoid the jocks before
now? Duh. Computer Nerd, at least that's better than Band Geek. >
Willow watched him go and smiled as she threw herself back into the
dancing.

//You made me acknowledge the devil in me,
I'd hoped you were talking metaphorically,
Hoped I'm talking allegorically,
Roads I'm taking by the way I feel,
And I've never known a girl like you before.//

Willow happened to glance over in time to see Xander, Buffy, and Anya
enter the Bronze. < Oh Goddess! What are *they* doing here? I thought
they were going to a movie tonight. That's why I came here, so I could
be a little more me. > Willow sighed, left the dance floor, grabbed her
coat, and left by the back entrance. Glancing down at her watch, she
smiled, < Well, it's nearly time to meet Graham anyway. >

Willow arrived in the park a few minutes later and spotted Graham lazily
sitting on the swings, letting his toes drag in the sand. Willow smiled
at him, "It's not safe to be out alone at night, young man. Didn't your
mother teach you anything?" She accused as she placed her fists on her
hips, glaring at him.

Graham chuckled and got up from the swing he was sitting in and moved
towards her. In a lightening quick move, he grabbed her about the waist
and pulled her to his chest. He immediately locked lips with her, and
proceeded to ravish her mouth. < Willow lips. Missed this too much. I
don't understand why she still thinks we can't go public with our
relationship. > He pulled out of the kiss and smiled at the dazed look
on the face of the woman in front of him. "Like I told Forrest and
Riley, 'I've got to see about a girl'."

Willow rolled her eyes, and placed her hands around his face, lightly
caressing his cheekbones. "I *knew* letting you rent 'Good Will
Hunting' was a mistake of phenomenal proportions. Next you'll be
packing up everything you own to follow some girl across the country."

Graham reached up with his own hands, removed hers from his face, and
then held them cradled to his chest, between their bodies. "Not just
*some* girl, but you, Scarlett."

Willow smiled then, and twined her fingers with his. "Good save there,
Miller. I nearly believed you."

Graham suddenly pulled her to him and kissed her once more. Willow felt
her knees almost buckle, then Graham released her from the kiss. Their
foreheads met and between pants for breath, Graham whispered, "What you
do to me, Scarlett, it's just not normal."

Willow looked into his eyes and sees mostly lust and desire, with the
first sparks of love thrown in. < Goddess! He feels the same way about
me as I feel about him. Hard to believe we were virtual strangers a few
weeks ago. > "This is the Hellmouth, Tiger. Nothing is ever really
normal."

Graham caressed her body through her clothing and smirked at her low
moans. "What do you say, Scarlett? Shall we engage in acts of
debauchery, preferably somewhere safe from the things that go bump in
the night?"

Willow smiled up at him, and began leading him to her parent's house.
"Why not. I've already drank and danced, debauchery would just make
this a 3-D night."

Graham wrapped an arm around her waist and began moving her quicker
towards the house. "You and your ways of thinking about life."

She turned up to look at him, her eyes wide with innocence. "I thought
my outlook on life was one of the many things you admired about me,
Tiger."

Graham leaned down and kissed her nose. "It *is* Scarlett... but not
when we're going to your parents' house to become thoroughly debauched."

"Okay. Shag now, talk later?"

"Of course." With that Graham scooped her into his arms, threw her over
his shoulder, and ran the rest of the way to her parents' house. Her
laughter rang out along the empty streets as he did so.

Neither lover noticed the cigarette smoke curling into the sky from the
nearby bushes. And they definitely didn't see the bleach blond that
stepped out from behind them. Spike, Childe of Angelus and formerly
known as William the Bloody, simply watched the two humans as they left
for a night of love. "He better treat you better than the mutt did,
Red. Or I'll find a way to torture him, even with this chip in my
head." He turned for Giles' place and lights another cigarette.
< Wonder if the Watcher has restocked on Whet-a-bix yet? Oh, well, still
get in a chance to annoy the git. >

//Never, never, never, never,
Never known a girl like you before.//

Willow felt the morning rays warm her back as she woke up. She just
relaxed into her pillows, enjoying the sunlight. < Sunlight?!? Oh
Goddess! > Her eyes sprang open and she sat up, clutching the sheet to
her chest. < My *naked* chest! Oh Goddess! > She turned to look into
the amused face of her lover and she glared at him. "I suppose you
think *this* is funny?"

Graham tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as he smiled at her. "Of
course I do, Scarlett. You've reacted almost exactly the same way every
morning. It's fun to watch you panic a little."

She whacked him on the chest as he began to laugh. "It's not that
funny, Tiger!"

"Yes, yes it is. You *demanded* that I stay last night, then you wake
up panicky this morning." He lay on his back and wrapped his arms
around her, dragging her to lie partially on top of him.

She traced patterns on his chest with her fingertips, and the two
remained quiet for a few minutes. Finally, Willow spoke, "What time is
it, anyway?"

"A little after 0600 hours. I *should* be running with the guys."

Willow moved until she was lying completely on top of him, her legs on
either side of his hips. "You want to run with them? I wouldn't be
offended if you did."

Graham cradled her face between his hands and ran a thumb along her
cheekbone. "Yes, you would, Scarlett. You'd just be a little more
quiet than usual the next time we met up."

Willow made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. "I would
*not*!" She thumped him on the chest, satisfied when he grunted. "I'd
just flirt outrageously with Forrest, and then claim to be possessed for
the night. Maybe a succubi..."

Her voice trailed off as he suddenly reversed their positions, and she
is pinned beneath him. "There will be no talk of *Forrest* or any other
man while we are in bed together. Do you understand, Scarlett?" He
lowered his head and began to assault her lips with his own.

When he finally allowed her to come up for air, he had to shake his head
at the slightly glazed, yet triumphant look on her face. He lay fully
on top of her, cradling her face between his hands again. "You said
that on purpose, didn't you?"

Willow wrapped her arms around his neck, and nibbled her way up his jaw
to his ear. Once there, she whispered, "Of course I did. You get all
possessive, which I have to admit turns me on quite a bit." She thrust
into him and pulled back to look into his eyes. "It seems to have the
same effect on you."

Graham lowered his head and nipped at her lips. "Yeah, I guess it
does. You ready for a little morning *exercise*?"

Willow's left eyebrow arched up her forehead and she smirked at him.
"Always, Tiger."

Graham's head swooped down and captured her lips. Before they can get
further than that, his beeper sounded and they pull apart, groaning.
Willow sat up to admire his lithe form stalk across her room to his
jeans, and the pager in them. He checked the number and silently
groaned at who was paging him. He moved to sit on the bed, grabbing the
phone from Willow's bedside table. As he began to dial in the numbers,
she moved behind him and began to lightly caress his chest with both her
fingers and teasing kisses.

"This is Agent Miller. I just got a page." He's silent as he listened
to what the other person has to say. "That's fine. I can be there in
an hour." He waited for the other person to hang up first, and turned
to look at Willow. "I'd have to say our plans for spending the day
together in bed, or even out of it, are not going to happen."

She let herself be pulled onto his lap, not caring that they were both
naked and both were still semi-aroused. "What happened?"

"The new Commander arrived. He wants to inspect us all at 0800 hours."

"How are you going to explain arriving back at the house at *this* time
of the day?" She cocked her head slightly, while waiting for his
answer.

"Both Riley and Forrest knew I was probably going to meet up with some
girl last night. But I think that only Riley realized when I left that
I was going to meet up with you."

Willow moaned and placed her head on his chest. "Make sure you threaten
them both a *lot* if they say anything to Buffy. I don't want to have
to share you with my friends yet. That's what Tara is for."

Graham rolled his eyes at her statement. "I can't believe you! You
*do* know that Tara is attracted to you, right?"

"Yeah, I do. Plus, I can honestly claim that if you and I hadn't met
just before that whole Gentlemen thing, I *might* have considered her.
But we did, so the whole point is kinda moot now. Don't you think?"

"I think your brain moves to fast for this time of the morning, without
my first cup of coffee to deal with your patented Willow-babbles." He
leaned forward and kissed her again, pulling back before it could
deepen. "How about we conserve the water and then get some breakfast?"

"Sounds good, Tiger. But I wouldn't be too sure that us showering
together conserves water," her green eyes twinkled at him, revealing her
amusement.

Graham stood up and marched into her bathroom, still holding her in his
arms. He lowered her to the ground and leaned past her to turn on the
shower. She began to collect towels and her bath stuff as the water
warmed up. Once he was sure the water was warm enough, he pulled her
into the shower stall with him.

//This old times changed so much,
Don't feel that I belong,
Too many poor day singers,
Not enough poor day songs//

Graham walked out of the elevator after the briefing and inspection from
the new Commander, his ears ringing. < No involvement with the Slayer or
group. No patrols larger than three agents. God! How am I supposed to
break it to Willow that we have to keep our relationship in the secret,
despite me pushing for going public for the last week. > He started
banging his head against the nearby wall.

Riley Finn and Forrest Gates rounded the corner, just in time to observe
Graham beginning his head thumping. Forrest walked up to him and placed
a hand on his shoulder, patting it a little. "Hate to break this to
you, my man, but that is *not* the way to get the knowledge into your
head."

Graham turned his gaze onto his friend, and nearly smirked when his
friends happen to notice the large hickey starting to form on his neck.
< You'd think they'd never seen a hickey before or something. > He rolled
his eyes and looks at Forrest. "I was actually trying to injure myself,
so I wouldn't have to deal with my girl's anger later."

Riley's forehead scrunched up in confusion. "*Your* girl?"

"Yeah, I have a girlfriend, Finn. Get the shocked tone out of your
voice."

Riley's hands shoot up in a conciliatory manner. "Hey, no harm, no
foul. It's just you usually let *us* know when you have a new lady in
your life is all."

Graham closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before he opened them
again. "Yeah, I guess. But she's different than all the others."

Forrest noticed the look on his friend's face, and slapped him on the
back of his head. "Not you too! It's bad enough we've got the Slayer's
whipped boyfriend, now we've got you being all loved starved too!"

Riley turned to Forrest and shoved him against the wall. "What was
that, Agent Gates?"

Graham ducked out of the hallway, knowing that the matter was best left
alone between those two. < If I didn't know they were both *extremely*
straight, I'd say they were experiencing some major UST. > Graham shook
his head and headed out the main door, to locate Willow before she heard
about the latest happenings via Buffy and Riley.

//Now, you've come along,
Yes, you've come along,
And I've never met a girl like you before.//

Willow sat staring into the sunset, not caring that it would be dark
soon. Not even caring that she was in an isolated spot, her blood
singing to those that walked the night. She just admired the beauty of
nature, her head cradled on her knees.

This is how Graham found her, after looking everywhere he could think
of. He sat down beside her, and pulled her into his lap, while keeping
her facing the sunset. "I've been looking for you all day, Willow."

Not looking away from the sunset, she whispered, "I know you have,
Graham. But I wasn't ready to hear what you said just yet."

Graham's forehead scrunched up in confusion and he nuzzles into her
hair, placing his chin on her shoulder. "You know what happened at the
compound?"

"No, but I can guess. Your new Commander probably put a ban on Buffy
and her friends, of which I am one." She turned at his quickly in taken
breath. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yeah, Scarlett, you are. But that won't stop me. I care for you too
much to suddenly stop seeing you now."

Willow twisted around to look at him, a smile crossing her face. "How
long do you think we'd last, Tiger? Especially if we had to sneak
around even more than we do now?"

Graham pulled her into a tight embrace, as if trying to imprint the feel
of her body into himself. "I don't care what Colonel McNamara says, I'm
not giving you up, Willow!"

She manages to extract one hand from his embrace, and places it along
his jaw. "You have to, Graham. At least for a little while."

"I *won't* Willow! This is my personal life, and the government does
*not* own me! I *work* for them, I am not their slave!" His eyes began
to blaze with his anger.

Willow shut her eyes for a moment and reopens them. "Listen to
yourself, Tiger. You're saying stuff you normally wouldn't. You and I
*both* know that being a Marine means too much to you to give it up now,
especially for me."

"Willow... I..."

Willow stopped him with a fingertip across his lips. "No, Graham. I
won't hear those words from you yet. When the time is right, I'll let
you say them and I'll probably reciprocate." She released herself from
his embrace and stood up. She pulled him to his feet and laid her head
on his chest, sighing as he wrapped his arms around her. "I will see
you soon, Tiger. Don't forget to wear that hickey of yours with pride."

Graham tightened his arms around the woman in front of him, nuzzling her
hair with his cheek. "Always, Scarlett. When will I see you again?"

"Next party Lowell House has. Next weekend, right?" She looked up at
him, her eyes filling with tears.

Graham raised her head and kissed her until they were both panting for
breath. "That's to remind you *who* you belong to, Willow Rosenberg!
If I didn't know you'd get crap for it from the *Slayer* I'd give you a
hickey to match mine!"

She smiled up at him then. "I'll always belong to you, Graham. I just
won't always be at your side." She kissed him one last time, then ran
down the hill.

Graham watched as the last rays of the sun seemed to kiss her hair,
giving it molten highlights. < I love you, Willow. And you better
*believe* I'll find a way to get you alone at the party. > He walked
down the hill, remembering the times they'd shared together.

End