Part Six
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Buffy and Spike arrived back at Giles' house shortly before Xander and Giles got back, and on the tail end of Anya and Willow's conversation which they were assured was "nothing". By the time they had all gathered in the house again it was getting late and Buffy and Willow decided that it would probably be best to head on back home. Xander and Anya also had to catch up on the some quality time before Giles brought Spike over to Xander's, so they left at the same time as the Slayer and hacker.
Buffy and Willow were now back in their dorm rooms lying on their respective beds staring up at the ceiling thinking about the completely bizarre conversations they had had with their respective partners.
"Will?" Buffy asked finally.
"Yeah," Willow answered.
"I don't think that I'm going to take Spike for anymore walks," Buffy said decisively.
"I don't want to bond with Anya," Willow said in response.
"It's been a peculiar couple of days," Buffy continued still staring at the ceiling.
"Very peculiar," Willow repeated.
"Yep," Buffy said.
"What were you and Anya talking about anyway?" Buffy asked tilting her head to the side.
"The Book of Levitain, I thought that it was a well-written worthwhile piece of literature, and Anya thought that it was unadulterated crap," Willow responded thinking quickly.
"Don't you hate it when that happens?" Buffy asked.
"What about you and Spike?" Willow asked. "You two seem to be at each others throats even more than usual."
"He's just really, really, irritating," Buffy responded. "Really."
"Really?" Willow asked turning her head so that she was looking at Buffy.
"Cute," Buffy responded in a dry tone even though she was smiling.
'As always," Willow responded grinning before returning her gaze to the ceiling.
"You know coming from anyone else that would have sounded impudent," Buffy said still watching Willow. "But coming from you...it's a statement of absolute truth," she continued in a soft almost reverent tone.
When Buffy had finished speaking Willow turned her head back around so that she was looking directly into Buffy's eyes. They held each others gaze for what felt like an eternity, drowning in the depths of each others eyes, longing to be closer. They continued this until Buffy finally broke the contact by returning her gaze to the ceiling with a soft, inaudible sigh. She couldn't trust herself to continue looking at Willow, and remain only looking. She wasn't stoic, but she wasn't exactly an open book either. Yet, despite her median disposition Willow had always been able to tell how she was feeling, just from looking at her. Even when Buffy was beyond confident that her face showed no emotion at all, somehow Willow still knew. That's why she had to look away, because Willow couldn't know this, not yet, maybe even not ever.
"Did you notice something going on with Xander today?" Willow asked a few moments after Buffy had looked away from her. As she asked she shifting her position a little trying to get comfortable. The look that they had shared, it had touched her in some deep place and she was feeling nervous. It had left her with this craving to hear Buffy's voice, to be close to her.
"He seemed kind of agitated...but he's always like that so..." Buffy just left the sentence hanging. She had really said all that she planned on saying so there was no reason to continue. "Why?" she asked as an afterthought.
"Anya said that he was distracted about something," Willow responded.
"That what you two were talking about? Xander?" Buffy asked. She knew that Willow was lying when she had answered earlier. The book of Levitain had been burned down along with the school in June.
"At first," Willow said. "But then..."
"Then what?" Buffy asked encouragingly.
"She...you really don't need to hear this," Willow said. "I didn't need to hear this. If there was a way that I could possibly undo hearing it, I would do it, but I can't so I suffer."
"Come on, tell me," Buffy said. "It'll make you feel better."
"She...well she...she started talking about how she had to make her own orgasm's," Willow said in a rush.
"Oh," was all Buffy said in response. She wasn't expecting that, she thought that it was going to be some demon thing, a curse or something like that.
"Yeah," Willow said nodding knowingly. This kind of thing had a way of leaving one speechless.
"On that note..." Buffy started to say slowly.
"We should probably just go to sleep," Willow finished for her.
"Yeah," Buffy responded nodding even though she wasn't really very tired.
"Okay then," Willow said. She sounded like she was trying to talk herself into it.
"Sleep it is," Buffy said in response.
"Goodnight Buff," Willow said turning out her light.
"Night Red," Buffy said turning out hers.
As they lay there in a comfortable silence, both pretending to be asleep, their thoughts ran along identical paths. It had all started with a rumor, but it had evolved far beyond that in the few days since it all started. The issue had changed from who was speculating what, to the very real emotions that had been growing inside of them both for a very long time. A rumor had changed it all. The creature that-until those fateful days-had been content to stay on the fringes of their consciousness, had now stirred and crept forth into their conscious minds, settling, and allowing them no rest. It all started with a rumor, but it had been far eclipsed by itself. It was ironic although they didn't know it at the time. Two girl, two friends, two souls both with the same secret, same fears, and same love. Both oblivious to the fact that the plight of the other was the same as their own. As they drifted off to sleep they were both aware that something needed to be done, but the question that nagged at them, consumed them, was what? What could be done? What should be done? And of all of the actions or inaction's they could choose, which ones, which one, could they live with? In the end, it all came down to one thing. Love. And the real question that they were asking themselves was, was love worth it? Was it worth it worth risking the single most important thing in their lives-their friendship-for?
The answer...well, the answer whatever it be, would change their lives forever.
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