Title: Here's To The Beginning
Author: Ped (sturdevk@calweb.com)
Series: Prequel to "Songs for Secret Lovers"
Couple: Willow/Graham
Category: B:TVS
Rating: R (Because some situations are inappropriate for young readers)
Disclaimer: Everything B:TVS and A:TS related is owned and copyrighted
to Joss Whedon and his many minions. I own a really jazzy timer (it's
shaped like a chicken!) and some gruvy crochet-topped towels (that my
mom makes every year at Xmas)... anyone thinking I own these characters
had *way* too much chocolate this holiday season.
Spoilers: Season Four stuff, set after "Something Blue..." but before
the main action in "Hush"
Summary: You should pay attention to your surroundings at night in
Sunnydale...
Distribution: List archives, Charity, Temptation Embraced, Triad, My
Site, Jesmin, Sammer, Mara (Just ask me about archiving this series...
and I'll probably say yes.)
Note: This started out as a prequel to my series "Songs For Secret
Lovers", but I'm was not so sure it fit that description. But my Beta
readers *both* told me that it was, and now that I've had the time to
sit and think about it, I agree. So here it is, the *only* part of this
series that isn't a songfic!
Note 2: The title comes from the final line spoken by Dolly Parton's
character, Doralee Rhodes, in "Nine to Five"
Note 3: As always, thoughts are within the [ ]
Dedication: To my apartment complex manager, Mary Nelson, and her
husband, who rescued me at 5 AM Friday, December 22, when my toilet
broke and so did the water shut-off valve.


Graham stared after the red head leaving Walsh's "Intro to Psych"
class. [Where do I know her from?] He shook his head as he watched her
part company with the blond girl walking with her and... [Riley! About
damn time!] He ran over to his friend and commanding officer.

Riley turned at the running footsteps and shook his head at his friend.
"Hey, Graham."

"Riley." Graham nodded his head once, in greeting. Without speaking
again, he turned his eyes towards the blond and then looked back at
Riley. He waited until the blond and red head were out of earshot.
"The Canadian?"

Riley snorted at his friend's reference and shook his head. "One and
the same. But her name is Buffy, and she's actually from LA."

"We've got a situation, sir."

"Report." Riley and Graham then strode out of the building, heading for
Lowell House and the Initiative compound.

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

A few days later, Graham was walking back to Lowell House from the
library, when he heard the sounds of a struggle. He ran towards it,
hoping it was something he *could* help with. [Where's a blaster when
you *really* need one?]

Rounding a corner he was struck dumb. The red head he had seen earlier
in the week was fighting hostiles! And she was yelling insults at them
as she did so!

"Why the hell did you people pick me? And why tonight? Isn't enough
that I gave at the blood bank, last month?"

A vamp managed to slip past her defenses and she turned an angry white
gaze at him. "You'll regret that, Minion."

Graham remained hidden in the shadows as she smiled evilly at the
remaining vamps. "Dark Lady, Earth Goddess, I seek thy aid! Help me to
defend myself from these dark foes!"

A flash of light occurred and Graham had to shield his eyes from it.
When he lowered his arms, he noticed that none of the vampires were
around anymore. He also noticed that the red head was dancing in
circles, kicking up piles of dirt and mumbling to herself.

When the piles of dirt had been spread to the wind, she turned to face
him. "You can come out of the shadows, Warrior. I have sensed your
presence for quite some time."

Graham came into the light, panicking. [She was busy fighting like
eight hostiles but was *still* able to know I was here. Who is she,
Supergirl?]

Willow's head cocked and a smile crossed her face. "Nothing so droll,
Warrior. I'm simply a woman with powerful connections." Her eyes
changed from pure white to green and she began to sway. "Goddess! I
thank you for your help tonight. And it harm none, so mote it be!"
Then she passed out.

Graham caught her just before she hit the ground. [What the hell was
*that*?!? She was confident and powerful, then she went normal and
passed out. I have *no* idea who she is, and I just *know* if I take
her back to the compound without having someone else to corroborate my
story, I'll be brought up on charges of some kind.]

Willow came around just then, moaning and cradling her head. [Okay,
ow. Dark Lady, I thank you for your help. But *please*, next time
remove yourself a little less forcefully, okay?] The only answer to
Willow's thoughts was the slight musical laughter that she always
associated with her goddess' presence. She turned her attention to her
surroundings. [This is new. When did the ground become warm and human
shaped? Oh Goddess! Someone saw me summon. And it's male!] Her eyes
popped open and she stared up into the best looking face she'd bothered
to notice in a while.

Graham noticed her awake and smiled at her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. What about you?" She pushed out of his arms and stood up,
inspecting herself for any damage. She turned when he remained silent
and checked him out. [Well, unfortunately his eyes aren't glazing over
like a normal Sunnydale resident's would. Great! Just my luck to find
an observant one on the first night I've ventured out since that stupid
'My Will Be Done' spell.] She crossed her arms over her chest and
glared at him. "Well?"

Graham was shocked into speaking by her tone. "I'm fine. What happened
to you?"

"Too much coffee, I tend to get hyper. Now, I have to get back to my
dorm room, or my best friend will start to worry. Good night," she
turned to leave.

Graham grabbed her by the arm and stopped her forward movement. She
glanced at him with a curious look on her face. "What name should I
assign your face in my 'spank bank'."

She smirked at his forthrightness. "Let's just stick with Scarlett.
That good for you, inquisitive boy?"

He grinned at her answer, but spoke again. "As in O'Hara?"

"As in deep red. *If* we meet again, you *might* earn a nickname from
me. Now, goodnight!" Willow ran away then.

[That was interesting. I'll have to stop by Walsh's class more often.]

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

The next day, Willow was rushing to her Wiccan group when she collided
with a solid body. Her books and his went flying, and the pair of them
landed on the ground, a mass of tangled arms and legs. Willow finally
managed to push herself off the man's chest and stared down into his
blue eyes. Her eyes widened and she eeped at their closeness.

Graham watched in bemusement as the little red head rolled off his chest
and began to collect her books. He dusted himself off and stopped her
movements by standing *on* one of her notebooks. She glared at him and
then looked down at her notebook.

"I need my notebook. I'm gonna be late."

"Class?"

"Religious meeting." She managed to fake him out enough to get the book
he was standing near, but the one he was standing on still eluded her.
[Damn it! This *had* to happen today, of all days. Deal with the
studly and move on.] She blew air at her bangs and looked at the guy
again. "Would you *please* get off my notebook? I apologize for
knocking us down, but I *really* am going to be late."

Graham held out his hand to her, waiting for her to grip it. When she
finally did, he said, "We weren't properly introduced the other night,
Scarlett. Graham Miller. And you are?"

"Still running late." Willow checked her watch again, and then looked
back at the *dude* still standing on her psych notebook. "But the
name's Willow Rosenberg. Most people I know rarely call me that
though. Can I have my book, now?"

Graham stepped off the notebook and, with a flourish, bowed to her. "It
is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Rosenberg. I wish you
luck in your religious experiences."

Willow rolled her eyes as Graham began to collect his books, and she
cocked her hip as she waited for him to finish. "This meeting *wasn't*
entirely accidental, was it, Graham?"

"Actually, it was. If I'd really wanted to meet you, I would have had
my friend Riley introduce us."

Willow's eyes widened as she caught the implications to his statement.
"Have you been following me?"

"What? No! I just remember you hanging with the girl he's dating now.
Bitty?"

"Buffy. And yeah, she's my best friend and roomie. I've really got to
go." She grabbed his hand and wrote a number on his palm. "That's my
voice mail number, call me sometime."

Graham stared after the red head, then back to his palm. [Now, the big
question is: Did she give me a real number or not? Guess I'll have to
call to find out.]

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

Willow lunged for her door as the phone began to ring. She slammed the
door shut behind her and managed to get the phone before it kicked over
to the answering machine. "Buffy and Willow's room, Willow speaking."

"Really? I was trying to reach Attila the Hun. Damn! Guess I'll have
to check the phone number next time."

Willow snorted at the comment from the other person and sat on her bed,
getting comfortable with the phone. "So how's the big, bad, City of
Angels?"

"Angel-y. Have I mentioned how fun it's *not* to be here with no
money?"

"A time or two. So is this business or personal? 'Cause I really need
it to be personal, I've got some gripes I need to air."

"You too? Well, how about *I* go first, as it's my dime?"

"*Fine*, be that way!"

"Okay! I will!"

Both women laughed, and Willow threw her shoes into her closet, getting
even more comfortable on her bed. "So, to what do I owe the dubious
pleasure of your call, Queen C?"

The woman on the other end started sobbing and once she had quieted that
down, the hiccups started. "Oh God, War. It's bad."

"What happened? Cordelia! What happened?" Willow sat up straight and
clutched the phone tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"He's dead, War! That stupid Irishman gives me like the best kiss in my
life, and then kills himself!"

"WHAT?!?"

"He jumped on this thing that kills anything with human blood and
stopped it from killing this bunch of other demons, but it killed
*him*! He's not allowed to die! Not until I finally accept his dinner
invitation!"

Willow breathed a slight sigh of relief, but immediately regretted it.
"How's Angel taking it?"

"He's, well, he's brooding, a lot. More so than right after the Buffy
incident, which is really bad. I didn't think that was possible. What
am I gonna do, War?"

"Well, first you're going remind yourself to breath in and out. You're
going to keep doing it, until you no longer have to remind yourself to
breath in and out..."

"Yeah, yeah, I saw that movie too. But I mean, I *think* he gave me his
visions."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he did. He kissed me before he jumped, and that's when the
transfer occurred. Or at least I think so."

"Have you had a vision yet?"

"No, but Doyle told me to expect them."

"But Lia?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought Doyle sacrificed himself to save others."

"Well, he *did*. But this was in my dreams."

"You're dreaming about a man you were just beginning to admit to
yourself that you liked while awake, now that he's dead?"

"Pretty fucked up, I know."

"No, I bet it's one of the things keeping him near this plane. Spirits
have to finish their work on this plane before they can go to the next
one you know."

"I did attend the exorcism of Grace and James junior year, remember?"

"Yeah and? It was Buffy and Angelus who got them out of school."

"So? It's totally *not* my fault that Slutty and the evil twin of my
boss were the only ones able to survive that little escapade and send
the ghosts on their way. But back to *my* problems." Cordelia smiled
for the first time in days when she heard her friend chuckle at her last
comment. "What should I do, seriously?"

"Well, my first piece of advice is to make sure you actually have the
visions before you start panicking. Then *if* it turns out you are
Angel's new link to the PTBs, lemme know and I'll make some pain potion
for you."

"Magic? But you *swore* off magic for awhile."

"That was before I was attacked by like nine vamps and the only thing
standing between me and certain death was my magic. The Dark Lady has
graced me with her presence, Lia."

"Oh my..."

"Exactly. It was weird. I was there, watching her fight and insult the
vamps, but it wasn't really me. Then I said a prayer and the vamps
dissolved in this flash of light. And well, some really attractive
friend of Riley's saw me. I *think* the Dark Lady teased him."

"Is he worthy of attention?"

"Oh yeah. Total lollipop. Can I have one of those for my Solstice
present this year?"

Cordelia laughed at the way her friend had gone from being depressed
with her, to cheering them both up with her lusty thoughts. "Only if
you can find one for me too. So, dish! What's he look like?"

"Oh, man, he's big. And I'm not just talking tall, we're talking fully
ripped. When I was lying on his chest..."

"WHAT! When did *this* happen?"

"When we collided earlier today as I was running to the organizational
meeting for the on-campus Wiccan group. You want me to describe him
*or* talk about our meetings? 'Cause I can only do one at a time."

"Description first. Start over, I want this guy's name."

"Graham Miller. He's a friend of Riley's I assume, as he recognized me
as a friend of Buffy's. Anyway, he's totally ripped, and tan. Remind
me again why I never dated big guys in High school."

"Because it wouldn't have fit in with your image as a computer geek.
Although, I *still* think you should have let Percy West dangle for
awhile before he left for training camp."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Graham has blue eyes, like heart of a glacier
blue. And his hair? Spiky and brown, I think it's called a buzz cut.
Plus, he didn't seem that phased by the vamps I was fighting."

"Does he know your name?"

"Yeah, but I think he's probably going to call me, 'Scarlett'."

"You go, War! You thought up a naughty nickname for *him* yet?"

"Nope. I was leaning towards something not very polite, but I'll
reserve my judgment for our next meeting."

"You think he's going to seek you out again?"

"Lia, the first time we met I was fighting off nine vamps by myself.
The second time we collided and fell to the ground. Both times I was in
a rush to leave him to his own devices and *he* managed to find a way to
keep me talking to him. You do the math."

"But I hate math!"

Both women laugh again, and Willow glanced over at the clock by her
bed. Her eyes widened and she sat up on her bed. "Lia?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to get over to Giles' before sunset. I *hate* having to wait on
Buffy's escorts."

"Okay, I get the hint. The brooding one should be making his way up
from 'The Batcave' any time now. Oh! Don't forget, you promised to
send me detailed instructions on coffee making soon."

"I'll send them tomorrow. Who knows what kind of coffee he's getting
out of you?"

"Bite me!" Her tone changed, and she ended the conversation as they
always did. "I love you, War."

"And I love you, Lia. Talk to you next week, same time?"

"Yup! It's your turn to call *me* though."

"Nag, nag, nag. Later Gator."

"Later."

Willow heard the click of the phone line, and hung her own phone up.
With a small smile, she picked the phone back up and checked her voice
mail messages. [One from Mom and Dad, probably telling me that they
*won't* be home for the holidays. Oh! One from Cousin Amy, wonder if
she got that new job she wanted. No more messages. Darn! Oh well.]
She got off her bed and began getting ready for her night of researching
at Giles'.

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

Willow stopped all her forward motion and held her breath as she checked
her surroundings. [I *know* I heard something. It was to my left, and
most normal people would have just let the noise go and walked faster to
their destination. But when one is prowling through a moonless forest,
at night, in Sunnydale, one can't exactly be classified as normal, now
can one?] She heard the noise again and she turned her eyes in that
direction.

Listening carefully she heard a distinctive cloth on cloth sound, she
slid her hand into her jacket and grabbed her stake. Gripping it
tightly, she got into her fighting stance and stared directly into the
bushes she'd heard the sound come from. Raising her voice, she called
out, "You may as well come out now. I heard you following me."

Graham stepped into the slight clearing and lowered his gun. He stared
in confusion at the stake gripped in her hand, then up to her face.
"You forgot to mention the fact that you were armed, Scarlett."

Willow took in his appearance, and grinned. "So did you, *Tiger*,"
glaring at his blaster in response. She slid her stake back into her
pocket, then she leisurely let her eyes glide down his body, carefully
noting the way he filled out the camouflage he was wearing.

"Tiger?"

"Well, it was either that, or asshole. I thought you'd prefer Tiger,
Graham."

Graham grinned at her and slung his blaster rifle over his shoulder. He
removed his radio from the small of his back, and activated it. "Agent
Scarlett to Agent Lilac."

Willow snorted at his call sign and just shook her head. [The odds of
*that* happening are astronomical, but now I understand his grin that
first night.] Her eyes widened when she heard the voice that crackled
back over his radio. "Agent Lilac. Report, Scarlett."

[*That* was Riley! Oh my Goddess! He's part of the commandos that have
been terrorizing the demons, which duh, means so is Graham. Oh
Goddess! This is bad. *Real* bad! And now I'm sounding like a
character in "Hudson Hawk"!]

Graham smiled as he watched Willow pace around him, obviously having an
internal conversation with herself. He turned his attention back to his
commanding officer. "Nothing to report Agent Lilac. It was just a
co-ed wandering back to her dorm. I'm going to trail her and make sure
she's safe. Agent Scarlett, out." He put the radio back into its
hiding place and turned to stop Willow. "You okay, Scarlett?"

Willow grinned up at him. "Oh, I'm fine, Commando Boy. How's Riley?"
She stepped forward and cupped him, obviously trying to imply that his
*penis* was named Riley. "Don't question and follow my lead. Then we'll
both get out of this alive, Tiger," she whispered to him.

Graham shot her a confused look and opened his mouth to speak. But
Willow cut him off by placing her lips over his. Graham fought her
intentions for all of a heartbeat, then he drew her to his chest and
deepened the kiss.

Willow could feel her head getting light from the kiss, sighed against
his lips and drew away. She put her head on his chest and panted a
little. [Okay, this is *way* better than kissing Oz ever was. Heck,
it's better than kissing Xander was.] She reached up and kissed him
again, rubbing off more of his camo paint as she did so.

Graham didn't question the reasoning behind Willow's actions, but kissed
her with enthusiasm. [Okay, if this is how Sunnydale girls react to the
uniform, I can *so* see why Forrest regrets not being able to talk about
it. But somehow, I get this feeling that not all Sunnydale girls are
like Scarlett.]

Willow pulled back from the kiss and smiled up at him. [Good, the camo
paint is gone. Now, how to hide the blaster and vest from the
hunters?] Willow shoved Graham's blaster off his shoulder, and let his
vest follow it. She ran her hands up his chest and around his neck,
leaning up to kiss his neck and jaw. "There are three beings watching
us, and if we can't convince them we're just a couple of university
students meeting up in secret, we are *so* dead. So run your hands down
my back and cup my butt. *Then* I want you to start nuzzling my neck."

Graham followed her directions and began placing soft kisses up her
jugular vein towards her jaw. [Never had a girl tell me exactly how to
seduce her before. Ooh! I *like* that sound. Wonder if I can coax it
from her again.] Graham kissed then bite the same spot just behind her
right ear and Willow moaned again.

Willow closed her eyes and had to focus on the fact that what she and
Graham were doing was just to throw off the beings hunting them. She
plunged her fingers into his hair and pulled his lips back up to meet
hers. [I might just have to keep him around, providing we get out of
this alive. Why the hell haven't those three left? I mean, big yay to
the not killing thing, but they can't possibly be waiting for us to
actually have sex here in the forest, can they?]

Graham pulled back from Willow and smiled down into her glazed and
dilated eyes. "Scarlett?"

"Yes, my Tiger?" She sighed dreamily up at him.

"Don't you think we should move this to somewhere a little more private
than the forest?"

Willow pouted and ran a fingernail up his neck, circling his Adam's
apple. "Must we?"

"Unless you want to wake up, achy *and* damp tomorrow morning. You
*know* how you hate that."

"That I do." She didn't step away, but instead began running her tongue
in the same pattern her fingernail had just taken.

Graham gasped and had to close his eyes, grasping for his legendary
control. "Willow!"

Willow finally pulled back and cocked her head at him. "Yes?"

"We're moving this to a *real* bed this time. I'm tired of taking you
where ever we happen to met up."

"Well... my parents aren't at home this week. And that is *way* closer
than either my dorm or your frat house." She leapt up, wrapping her
arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and smiled at him.
"So, want to do it at my parents' house, Tiger?"

"I'd be willing to do it in *my* parents' house, with my parents there
at this point, Scarlett."

Willow ground into his obvious erection and grinned up at him. "So I
can tell."

Graham turned at pinned her between himself and a nearby tree. He
gripped her thighs, and noted in the back of his mind that she was going
to bruise the next day; some part of him was positively happy that was
going to occur. "You keep that up, and we won't make it more than a few
feet, Scarlett."

"You can't make it more than a few feet, with *it* up like that!"
Willow pulled him into another kiss, and she began rocking into him at
the same time.

Just as Graham was about to throw out twelve years of Catechism and two
years of chastity, Willow pulled out of the kiss and smiled at him. He
blinked in surprise at her, since she had stopped all rocking and was
just staring at him, as if waiting for something.

"You can let me down anytime now, Tiger. They're gone. They left right
about the time you slammed me into the tree."

Graham growled down at her, and gripped her thighs harder. "I'm not
letting you down any time soon, Willow. Not until you tell me what the
*hell* that was all about."

"Pushy!" Willow grinned at her tone and smiled at the man still pinning
her to the tree. She began rocking her pelvis again, and noticed the
way his eyelids flickered. "Three hunters were watching us. And no, I
only noticed them in that, 'Oh my Goddess, my life is in danger' way, so
I couldn't tell you what kind they were. Fortunately for us they
weren't after amorous couples meeting up in the forest late at night. I
think they *might* have been after you commando types, though."

Graham began counter rocking against her, trying to get her to keep her
rhythm up and knowing that he'd probably have to explain the stain on
his uniform tomorrow. "What do you mean, 'you commando types'?"

"The blaster was a major clue. A bunch of you broke into my dorm room,
trying to re-apprehend the vampire that was in there at the time. Kinda
a dead give away that there's commando types in Sunnydale. Plus,
camouflage on a Wednesday night in December? Puh-leaze."

"I could be playing paint ball."

Willow snorted and began rocking faster, knowing they both needed to get
a release or ignite from the sexual heat between them. "Not during the
week, and *not* during the off-season. The paint ball place is only
open March to September, and the city council made it illegal for
private groups to engage in the activity the rest of the year."

"What makes you think I would let something like *that* stop me?"
Graham asked, his voice tight.

Willow's hands crept up into his hair and she pulled his lips towards
hers. She felt herself reach orgasm and she bit down on Graham's bottom
lip, drawing blood. Graham groaned into her mouth and his hands
tightened on her thighs again. His head slumped onto her shoulder and
the pair lay panting against each other for a few minutes.

Eventually, Graham raised his head and looked into her face. "That's
the first time I've ever managed to have sex with my clothes *on*."

"Really? I thought it was like required of all guys in High School."

"Maybe for those that didn't attend a strict Catholic school like I
did."

Willow smiled at him, and traced his ear with her fingertips. "I always
thought that Catholic school boys were sex hounds."

"No, that would be Catholic school *girls*. Although, if you try and
tell my sisters that, they'll probably wail on you for implying that the
stereotype might be true."

"Mmmmm." She arched her back and rolled her shoulders. "Not that this
position isn't warm and cozy, but do you think you could let me down
now, Tiger?"

Graham looked chagrined for a moment and lowered her legs from around
his waist, then he stepped away from the tree. He kept Willow within
the circle of his arms and smiled at her. "So, what happens now?"

"Now, I take you back to my parents house so that we can both change
into some cleaner clothes while we wash these. I am *way* not going
back to my dorm room smelling like I had sex. Buffy would wonder about
that, especially since my boyfriend left me only a few weeks ago."

Graham stepped back from her and grabbed his vest and blaster form the
ground. "Your boyfriend left you? And you're having raunchy sex in the
forest with a perfect stranger? Trying to prove your attraction to the
male species?"

Willow snorted at his comment and headed in the direction of her parents
house. "Hardly. If I just wanted a fuck buddy I could probably ask my
friend Spike. He'd agree to it, especially if I let him get in some
blood play too."

"Blood play?"

"Yeah, some breaking of the skin to taste the other person's blood.
It's usually done with some real sharp knives." She turned at his gasp
of surprise and placed her hands on her hips. "What? Does it shock you
that I know about the kinkier side to sex, Graham? Don't think someone
as *sweet* and *innocent* as me could know about it?"

Graham shoved Willow up against another tree and kissed her again. When
she began to respond he pulled back at looked down into her face.
"Don't assume anything, Scarlett. I was just surprised that you were so
nonchalant about things like knives and blood letting."

"I grew up in Sunnydale, Tiger. There's a lot I know about." She
pushed him away and stalked in the direction of her parents' house.

"So it seems," Graham let his voice trail off as he followed her.

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

Willow stalked across campus, angry at every member of her Wiccan
group. "Bunch of wanna-blessed bes. The whole lot of them wouldn't
know the Dark Lady if she was performing the Beltane ceremony in front
of them, fully sky clad."

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into a darkened
classroom, and just before she started to scream, a pair of warm lips
planted a kiss just behind her right ear. She sighed and relaxed into
the embrace. "Good afternoon, Scarlett."

She leaned her head back onto his left shoulder and let him have more
access to her neck. "Hey, Tiger. And I'll take your word for it."

"Wiccan group not working out the way you'd hoped?"

Willow snorted and turned to face him. She rose to her tiptoes and
kissed him on the lips. "Hardly. They're all a bunch of new wave
crazies who are embracing the Dark Lady and her religion as a means to
piss off their parents. Well, I take that back, this one girl, Tara
might be a fellow practitioner."

"My girlfriend, the witch." He lowered his head and kissed her again,
bringing his tongue into play.

Willow sighed into his mouth and let him distract her for a little
while. Then she got a hold of her hormones and pushed away from him a
little. "Not that it's not fun to see you, but aren't you supposed to
be in Walsh's psych class right now? Something about behavior
modification."

"I skipped my class. Wanted to see you more." He nipped her lips
lightly.

"I thought we agreed that we wouldn't alter our schedules so that others
would get suspicious. I think missing a Walsh lecture qualifies as a
suspicious action."

"Not when she knows I *hate* the ideas behind it, but am so well versed
in it already from my Initiative work I could probably be a guest
speaker on the topic."

"Oh! So that explains why a normally stoic and chaste man would
suddenly come to Sunnydale and start having sex with the first witch he
sees."

"It was *just* the one time, Scarlett, as you well know. Not that I
wouldn't mind a repeat performance, with less clothing."

Willow kissed him again and pulled away, licking his lips as she did
so. "Soon, Tiger. Real soon. But I've got this feeling that I need
some more 'grieving time' first."

"What?"

"I start floating around with a happy and contented look on my face and
everyone will know about us. I want to keep you to myself for a *long*
while yet."

"So, you're saying having sex with me would inspire a contented look on
your face?"

Willow spun and pinned Graham against the wall, then she leapt onto him,
wrapping him in her limbs again. She plunged her fingers into his hair,
angling his head for her kiss. "I'm saying it'd cause me to be
absolutely *giddy* with happiness." Then she silenced him with a kiss.


The End