Nymphomaniac Fantasia
Astral Romance

by Jin Hayte

Copyright © 2004

Jinhayte@hotmail.com

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles and all the other characters in the syndicated TV-show Buffy The Vampire Slayer belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy etc, etc. I do NOT own any of the official characters, their names or their backgrounds. This story, however, is mine.
Distribution:  The Mystic Muse:  http://mysticmuse.net
Ask first please.
Feedback: Hell yeah! I LOVE feedback! Good or bad, I don't mind, as long as it's constructive.
Spoilers: None.
Author's Notes: This is the first part of three short stories. While my other fics are relatively huge, this is my little kid :) It could be argued that this is PWP, and as a stand alone part, that would be true. But since it's the first part in a series that has a plot, I shun from calling it PWP.
Pairing: Willow/Buffy

It had started innocently enough; Willow had woken up in the middle of the night by someone moaning and rustling around. Her years on the Hellmouth as a friend of the Slayer had shaped her instincts, so naturally she assumed that the sounds were coming from some kind of demon, having made its way into their dorm room to do god knows what kinds of horrible things.

However, even through her sleepy daze, Willow reasoned that a demon would've woken them up coming in, or at least the Slayer. So, it was safe to assume that as long as the Slayer was alive and breathing, no demon would be able to sneak into their room. But what if Buffy wasn't alive?! No, she had woken up when Buffy had come home from patrol. She was alive. Still, the redhead felt that unreasonable, or on the Hellmouth NOT so unreasonable, late night fear crawl into her system.

She lay completely still, barely breathing and clutching the cover tight to her chin, trying to identify where the sounds were coming from. As she took time to more closely analyze the sounds, the moans were accompanied by gasps and groans, as well as the sound of a bed cover shuffling. She exhaled relieved. Buffy was having a nightmare again.

Buffy had never told anyone about her nightmares, and Willow hadn't known about them until moving in together with the Slayer here at Stevenson Hall. She had woken up numerous times from the Slayer's trashing and mumbling, and the first time she had woken her up. That had been a mistake. Buffy had been utterly mortified, and had distanced herself slightly from the redhead for a few days. That was something Willow didn't understand. After all, it was only a nightmare. Everyone has nightmares. She had tried several times to get Buffy to talk about it, but Buffy had just skirted the issue, saying 'it's nothing, I'm fine'.

After that first nightmare, the Slayer's behavior had changed slightly. Before, coming home from patrol, she would barge into the room no matter how late it was, seemingly oblivious to the fact that her roommate was asleep. Before, Willow would almost always wake up and be welcomed with a cheery 'Hi, Will!', which she in turn met with an annoyed grumble. But she rarely woke up any more, at least not from the Slayer's return. Now it was her friend's groaning and trashing that woke her up, although not as often, and while it pained her to listen to it, she resisted the urge to wake her friend.

This time, though, the Slayer was just too loud for comfort. With a sigh, Willow pushed the covers down and, shivering from the sudden cold, she made her way over to Buffy's bed.

At first the Slayer was barely visible, but as Willow's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw Buffy lying on her back in a tank and panties, the covers tossed to the side. Her hands were clenching the sheet tightly, and her back was arching slightly.

"Buffy," she said, her voice not much more than a whisper. She reached out and shook her friend gently. "Buffy!" she repeated, louder this time. The only response she got were a shuddering intake of breath and then an outdrawn moan of pleasure. Willow frowned. These sounds were not caused by a nightmare.

Willow swiftly pulled back her hand as the Slayer suddenly screamed "Willllllowwwww!" lustfully.

The redhead's eyes almost fell out of her head, her eyes were so wide. She dashed back to her bed, quickly pulling the covers over her, hoping Buffy hadn't noticed her standing by her bed a few seconds ago.

She lay there, staring into the wall, her heart racing a mile a minute, holding her breath, afraid Buffy would be able to see if she made the slightest movement. She could hear Buffy sighing on the other side of the room.

Willow was, of course, shocked. Her best friend had just had a...sexual, erotic dream about HER. What did this mean? Was Buffy gay? Was she in love with her? No, was she? Then why hadn't she said anything? Willow almost snorted at that. She if anyone knew how hard it was to admit your feelings to someone. She had, after all, spent most of her life in love with her oblivious best, and only, friend.

Willow slowly let out the breath she had held in and started calming down. She needed to be calm to properly analyze this, and analyze it she would. She couldn't not. Not as long as her name was Willow Rosenberg.

'Ok, let's see. Buffy just had an erotic dream about me. I know this because she screamed my name while she...' Willow felt her face getting warmer. 'God, I should at least be able to THINK it!' She mentally scolded herself. 'I know because she screamed my name while having an orgasm! There.'

She knew she should be bothered by the fact that she had the leading role in her friend's sex dreams, and while it DID feel a bit uncomfortable, she didn't really mind. Everyone had erotic dreams, it's not like you could control them.

'Ok, so, maybe it's not "normal" to dream that way about a person of the same sex. Unless you're...what is Buffy? Gay? Bi? Bi seems most likely, with Angel and all.' The fact that Buffy was gay or bi didn't bother Willow either, she found. Then again, why should it? She liked to think of herself as very open-minded, and she would love Buffy no matter what. And Willow knew better than anyone what it was like to be different.

'Does Buffy love me?' she thought. 'Like, lovers-love, not best friend-love?' As she thought about it, Willow realized that not only did it not bother her, it made her sorta...tingly. 'Why am I getting excited?!' Willow frowned. As far as she was aware, she didn't feel that way about Buffy, or any other woman for that matter. Sure, there had been glances, the occasional fleeting look, perhaps some lasted a little too long? And there had been thoughts. But everyone had thoughts, right? It didn't mean anything...did it?

Willow lay awake all night, her only thoughts circling around the fact that it was possible that her best, female, friend was in love with her, and that it excited her. Aroused her?

'Does Buffy love me?'

That had been a little over two weeks ago, and Willow hadn't gotten any further in understanding her own feelings. She hadn't talked about this with Buffy, because it would be extremely humiliating for her, she knew. If Buffy wanted to say anything, then it was her choice. Besides that, Willow was afraid what it would do to their friendship. She knew that she never wanted to lose her friend, but Buffy might get too embarrassed. Or worse; angry.

So, she hadn't said anything. Instead, she had lain awake every night, waiting for the Slayer to return home. She didn't know what she was feeling, if she could love Buffy or even another woman. But the fact that just the thought of Buffy screaming her name in ecstasy got her extremely aroused made her believe it was possible. She wasn't sure though. Perhaps she was just channeling Buffy's feelings, or maybe she was frustrated.

When the Slayer got home and finally went to sleep, Willow would wait until she heard the telltale moans and gasps, mostly not much louder than whimpers and soft breaths. At first, she hadn't done anything, just laid there in the dark listening to the sweet sounds her best friend was making. But after a few nights, a hand had slipped down her body, and she had started to slowly caress herself. As the nights went by, she got bolder and bolder, until after one week she'd lay with her legs spread eagle, one hand working on her clit and the other clasped over her mouth in attempt to muffle her own moans, groans and finally screams, as she came in time with Buffy.

Even though she got an instant smile, accompanied by a blush, whenever she saw Buffy and just the thought of the upcoming night made her wet on the spot, Willow still couldn't bring herself to really believe that she could want, not to mention love, another woman. Willow had never been attracted to another woman, at least not consciously.

As much as she enjoyed their nightly adventures, Willow needed to find out more about Buffy's feelings, not to mention her own. She thought that if she entered Buffy's dreams somehow, then she'd be able to better see what the blonde felt for her, and perhaps even find out what she felt herself.

So for the last few days, she had been looking for a way to enter another person's dream. Since her own "library" of books was limited to five books, and she knew neither of them held the answer, she had looked for other sources. The new magic shop in town, The Magic Box, had an impressive collection of books, but most seemed to be focused on glamours and other beginner spells. She had asked if they had what she was looking for, but the cashier, a woman in her late 20s, had given her a lecture in the true ways of Wicca, and that she shouldn't use spells on other people against their will. As if Willow wanted to do this to HARM Buffy. Her "My Will Be Done" spell not nearly forgotten, Willow didn't want to do anything that could be potentially dangerous.

When she hadn't found what she was searching for, she had considered going to Giles, but quickly decided against it. Of course, she wasn't about to tell him what she was going to do. Not just because she didn't have any idea how she would explain wanting to enter Buffy's dreams, but also because he wasn't very happy with her since her last spell had made him blind.

So, her next step was going online, and while she had gotten some results, all of them were of the darker sort, and didn't seem very safe. Since she had already decided that potentially harmful magic was not an option, she wasn't going to use any of those spells.

Finally, she had asked her new friend Tara. She was a really powerful witch who knew lots of stuff about witchcraft, and if there was a way to do this, a "good" way, then Tara would know. And since Willow was out of options, Tara was the only choice. But still, despite the fact that she talked to Tara about almost every and anything, she didn't want to tell her about Buffy. She felt...strangely guilty, and didn't think Tara would be happy to hear that Willow had...feelings? for another woman. She knew that Tara was gay, but that didn't necessarily mean that she felt something for Willow. The redhead was definitely confused.

Though she felt bad for lying to her friend, she had told Tara that Buffy thought that she was having a series of prophetic dreams but didn't understand them, and that she thought Willow should take a look. Tara had known the answer without having to look through any books.

Willow had almost kicked herself when she realized how easy the answer was. It was a simple, and harmless, spell to cast. She simply had to light a candle, say a short prayer to the Goddess, ending with the name of the person whose dream she wished to enter. Then all she had to do was go to bed and wait for the other person to go to sleep. When that happened, a part of her mind would project itself out of her body, and gently "knock" on the other person's sub-conscious, asking for entrance. If it was allowed, then she'd be able to enter the dream as a spectator. She wouldn't be able to do anything unless the person dreaming allowed it, and she'd be under complete control of the person's sub-conscious.

So here she was, lying in her bed after having said the prayer, waiting for Buffy to return home. And despite her nervousness, she soon felt herself drifting off.

At first, Willow didn't feel anything at all, she was simply unaware, her mind and body sleeping. But after what was in reality two hours, she felt as if she was waking up. Disgruntled, she tried to open her eyes, but found that she couldn't. In fact, she couldn't move anything. And yet, she was aware of her surroundings; the way the sheets felt against her skin, the light fragrance of her rose scented shampoo, the sound of her own breathing. It felt like she had been separated from her body, and yet a part of her remained inside, connected to the detached part of her mind. As if her sub-conscious was no longer a part of her body. It felt odd to say the least.

Her mind drifted further and further away, until she touched something. Something warm and...fuzzy. As she reached out and pushed against it gently, she could feel warmth embrace her entire being, her soul. With a bright flash, her mind was pulled inside. Before her eyes could recover from the intense light, Willow was greeted by Buffy's voice.

"-rry I missed it. Dawn needed a ride to school and with mom in LA..." She sounded apologetic. "But you took notes, right?"

'Took notes? For what? And Dawn? Who's Dawn?' Willow thought, but before she knew it, she heard her own voice answering.

"There was note-taking, yes."

With that, Willow got her eyesight back, and she found herself walking down a street, looking at Buffy next to her. She tried to turn her head to take in her surroundings, but found she had no control of her body. It was light outside though, so she was fairly certain this wasn't a patrol.

"And would those notes perhaps find their way to a certain Buffy Summers?" Buffy inquired with a glint in her eyes.

Her body sighed. "Yes, but you owe me!" she said mock seriously.

Buffy leaned in a little TOO closely and whispered in her ear "I'll think of some way to make it up to you, I'm sure." Before she pulled away, she nibbled on Willow's earlobe before sucking on it for a second.

If Willow had any control of her body what so ever, her jaw would drop to the ground, landing right next to her eyeballs. 'Did she just suck on my earlobe?! It did feel kinda...nice though.'

But once again, her mouth moved by itself. "I bet you can, you little minx."

"Yup, and you love me for it!" Buffy gushed with a smirk before quickly pressing her lips against Willow's.

'Ok, so not something we usually do. I could get used to it though...wait, can I? Am I enjoying this? I guess I am.' Willow's inner-ramblings went on until they stopped outside the Espresso Pump. After ordering their mochas, iced with cinnamon, they sat down at the usual table.

"Who knew drama would require you to take notes, though? I thought it would be a pretty note-free class," Buffy pondered.

'Drama? Wait, I'm not taking drama, and neither is Buffy. When is this?'

"Me neither, actually. But there are all kinds of techniques and theories that you have to remember. Not as much as psychology, of course, but still." She heard herself say before she felt a familiar taste of the cinnamon-mocha in her mouth.

Buffy pouted. "So much for breezing. Good thing I have you though," she added with a wink.

"Just cos I'm your girlfriend doesn't mean I'm gonna slave away taking care of your school work," she answered humorously. "Did that enough in high school."

'Girlfriends, huh? She wants us to be together like that?'

"Aww, my poor Willow," Buffy comforted, taking her left hand in her own and giving it a squeeze. "Want Buffy to kiss it better?" she asked with a sly smile.

"Depends on where you kiss," Willow teased back.

Buffy did a quick intake of air. Before she could respond, though, Willow continued.

"So, we're still on for tonight?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Buffy answered, shaking her head slightly. "I'll do a quick sweep after dinner and then-"

A white light erupted around them, and Willow felt herself fading out.

"Mmm."

"Feels good?"

"Mmm." Willow was in paradise. The only thing that existed was her, Buffy and Buffy's strong hands, working on her tired muscles.

"Oh, here's a big one," Buffy said and started kneading on a particular stiff knot on Willow's left, where her shoulder met her neck.

Willow could only moan. She loved it when Buffy massaged her. Those small, strong hands, two lethal weapons, could really work a healing magic from heaven. The tiredness she had felt twenty minutes ago was quickly dissipating.

"If you think THAT feels good..." Buffy said, working her hands lower down Willow's back.

"More...goodness?" Willow breathed out.

"Oh yeah," Buffy leaned forward and kissed Willow on her cheek. "Close your eyes," she whispered.

The redhead did as she was told, and tried to hold in the disgruntled groan as the warmth of Buffy's legs left their straddling position and let the slightly chillier air of their dorm room hit her skin.

"Patience, love," Buffy gently admonished and ran the back of her hand down Willow's back, over her butt and down the inside of her legs.

Willow shivered but stayed quiet, extending her senses, listening to the sounds of her lover moving around in the room. A matchstick igniting, and soon after the familiar scent of apple scented candles. A closet opening, a metallic clinking sound. Buffy's warm hands on her body, guiding her around so that she's lying on her back. Something fuzzy around her wrists. More metallic clinking. Her arms pulled upwards, first the right, then the left.

"B-Buffy?" Willow asked tentatively, even though she could feel her arousal building.

"Yes?" her lover purred.

"Is today Friday?"

"No." Still the purr.

"Then why the shackles?" Willow squeaked as one of her nipples was pinched. "Aaahhh...I mean, don't get me wrong, you know I love them, it's ju-" Her babbling was interrupted by two fingers being placed on her lips.

"Shh," The Slayer pushed gently on her lips, and Willow allowed her access, eagerly sucking on the two digits. The Slayer pulled her hand away shortly, and there was a popping sound as they left the redhead's greedy mouth.

"Geez, Red, never thought you'd be shackle-girl."

Willow frowned at the familiar, yet strange voice.

"Buffy?" she asked, still not opening her eyes.

"She's here," answered the same voice.

Willow opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw. Before her stood the dark Slayer, in her usual leather pants and jacket, standing with her arms crossed, her legs wide apart and a cocky grin on her face.

"Faith!" she hissed.

"Hey Red!" The Slayer almost chirped. "Looking good. The shackles? Definitely an improvement," she smirked.

"What are you doing here? Where's Buffy?" Willow asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I'm just having a little fun. I've been still for so long, time I got moving, you know? As for B..." Faith chuckled. "Well, let's just say she's finally seeing things my way."

Willow frowned. "W-what do you mean? What have you done?!"

"Oh, don't you worry about ol' B, she can take care of herself. Just relax, and enjoy." The Slayer said and reached behind her back.

"W-what are you gonna do?" Willow stammered.

"Like I said, I'm just gonna have some fun." With that, she pulled out a large knife, sliding it through the air, watching as it reflected the candlelight.

"See, I can't kill B. Sticking this into my own body would just be weird." Faith put the blade against her cheek and looked into Willow's eyes, grinning madly. Her dark brown eyes seemed to widen until her eyes had almost no white left in them. "But I can kill you." she continued, and her grin widened. "That would kill her, without me having to touch her. Two birds with one stone. Genius, no?"

With that, she lunged into the air, the knife above her head. Willow closed her eyes and screamed for all she was worth, trying to break free from the shackles.

One second passed.

Two.

Three.

Nothing. No stabbing pain, no scream of agony, no maniacal laughter. Only quiet. She didn't dare open her eyes though, terrified that the attack would come only if she saw it coming. Her emotions overcame her, and she started sobbing.

"Shh," someone softly cooed, stroking her hair. "It's alright, love. It's alright."

"Buffy?" Willow cried.

"Yes. I'm here, Will."

Willow finally opened her eyes and was rewarded with the sight of Buffy lying next to her, holding her in her arms. The shackles were gone, and they were lying under the covers.

"What happened? Where's Faith? She told me you..."

"Shh, it's alright. I'm here now."

"Oh, Buffy." Willow whimpered and hugged her lover closer. "I was so scared."

"I know." Buffy said, kissing her on top of her head. "But there's nothing to be scared of, Will. We are who we are. Just cos you're different, doesn't mean it's wrong."

Willow sniffled. "What do you mean?"

Buffy smiled. "We are one."

The morning sun was shining through the bedroom window, bathing the redhead in its warmth. She stood there, her eyes closed, the only sound a bird chirping in the tree on the other side of the glass. It was serene.

"Hey," a voice greeted her.

She turned to see Buffy standing in the doorway, wearing a pair of blue jogging pants with white stripes and a white tank top. "Hi," she said with a smile.

"Deep thoughts?" Buffy wondered, stepping into the room.

"You know me, always a busy mind," Willow said, tapping her temple.

"I do," she said with a smile, but frowned as she looked at the bed.

"What?" Willow stepped up next to the bed.

"I meant to throw that out." she pointed to a poster of The Beatles lying on the bed. "You know, before you came."

"It's no problem," the redhead assured, lying down on the bed, not bothering to remove the poster first. "I want you."

Buffy's smile once again faded into a frown. "I wonder what they're gonna say..."

"Don't worry." Willow smiled, making a come-hither motion with her finger. "It doesn't matter."

Buffy met her smile and started crawling up the bed, straddling her girlfriend. "Do you love me?" she asked, looking straight into her green pools.

"You know I do," Willow said without a doubt, leaning her head up and forging their lips together.

Everything was red; the floor, the drapes, the sofa, Buffy sitting on the sofa, her normally black leather pants and brown peasant top, the small table, Willow standing in the doorway. Even the usually dark walls and the white fairy lights that covered them were red. The settling sun's last rays shining in through the Summers' living room window colored everything a choking crimson. The only variations were the two white lilies lying on the red coffee table. The white lilies and the crystal clear tears.

"Do you love me?" Buffy asked in a flat tone. She was sitting on the sofa, her head resting in her hands. Her usually blonde hair was held back in a tight ponytail, with only a few loose strands, hanging down over her face.

"You know I do," Willow assured her from the doorway. She looked at her girlfriend with tears in her eyes. She wanted to make the pain go away, but she didn't know how. All she seemed to have been able to do was cry. She didn't know if she had any tears left. Except, she did; the tears in her eyes were proof of that.

Buffy looked up at her, her eyes red from crying. "Do you love HER?" she demanded, her voice small.

Willow wrapped her arms around herself and sighed. "Yes," she admitted, not looking away.

Buffy swallowed. Her eyes filled up and her lower lip started trembling.

"Please don't leave me," she begged, her voice cracking. "I can't do this, not now, not when she's..." she couldn't hold the tears back anymore, and started sobbing, crying once again.

Willow rushed to her side, sitting down next to her and taking her in her arms. "Shh," she cooed as she gently rocked her girlfriend. "I'll never leave you, Buffy. I love you." She kissed the top of Buffy's head. "I know this is hard, but she has to stay here. She's needed. And she has no where else to go. Can you understand that?" She asked, taking Buffy's face in her hands, looking into her eyes with a gentle smile.

Buffy stopped sobbing, but the tears still fell. "Yes," she nodded.

"Good," Willow said, kissing the salty trails of tears on Buffy's cheeks.

The campus area of UC Sunnydale was almost always crowded with people, even after dark. It was as if the concentrated amount of youth brought out the brave, or perhaps one could say stupid, side of every person in their late teens going through their college years in the city above the Hellmouth.

Tonight, however, it was deserted. Empty but for two young women; one blonde, one redhead. It was dead silent. All the insects that usually inhabited the night had taken the night off. The air was still, not a single breeze moved through the leaves of the trees. The monsters and demons of the Hellmouth were no where to be seen. Absolute quiet.

In a large grassy area, tinted blue in the dark, on the west side of campus, Buffy was lying on a bed of fine, dry earth. Surrounded by headstones and crosses, she was the center of a macabre version of an otherwise perfect Circle. Dressed in a light yellow summer dress, she was lying on her stomach, leaning on her elbows and playing with something shiny in her hands, rolling it back and forth.

A few feet away, Willow was sitting cross-legged, facing the blonde. She took in the soft features of Buffy's face. Soft, yet hardened by years of battling the creatures of the Hellmouth. The way her eyes sparkled as they reflected the light that the object in her hand bathed her in. The way they seemed to sparkle even more as she tore her eyes away from her toy to look up at the redhead.

"Come closer, silly," Buffy said with a smile. "You can't see from all the way over there."

Willow crawled closer until she sat well within arms reach. "See what, Buffy?" she asked, looking directly into the blonde's eyes.

"See all the pretty colors?" Buffy answered with her own question, holding her hands open for Willow to see what was inside.

With some effort, Willow tore her eyes away from Buffy's deep hazel eyes, and looked at what was displayed in front of her. In Buffy's hands was a small flame, barely the size of a fist. It danced over her skin, rolling around as if alive, showing off a large specter of colors. Willow's first reaction was to reach for the blonde's hands, but she realized that the fire couldn't hurt her.

"I see," Willow nodded, looking up into Buffy's eyes, and couldn't help but smile when they looked at each other.

Buffy smiled shyly and lifted her legs up, kicking the air playfully. She seemed almost giddy, on the verge of laughter.

"What?" Willow chuckled, the blonde's mood almost infectious.

"It's nothing, really. I'm just-" she trailed off looking up at the redhead quickly before looking back down at the ball of fire.

"Just what?" Willow pushed.

"It's just, I'm so happy. Being with you," she said, looking up once more, but this time looking straight into Willow's eyes and not breaking eye contact.

Willow's insides turned to mush as she saw the innocence, honesty and gentleness in those eyes. They hadn't been so alive since...she couldn't remember them ever being this full of life. Buffy's eyes always had a shield over them, as if the long years of duty had forced her to put up walls. This was Buffy, before her calling, before meeting her first Watcher or seeing her first vampire. This was Buffy Anne Summers, an innocent girl who just wanted to live life.

Willow's face was split into by a big grin she couldn't hold back. But then, why should she? With Buffy, she could be herself; she didn't have to hold anything back. Her happy expression faltered, however, when Buffy broke their eye contact to look down at her flame.

"Do you love me?" she asked in a whisper, her legs lowering themselves down to lie on the ground again.

Willow smiled again and without doubt, she answered: "You know I do."

Buffy didn't respond, but merely repositioned herself so that she was sitting cross-legged facing the redhead. She put the orb gently in her lap and crossed her arms over her chest. As her eyes once again met Willow's they were cold, hard, almost gray.

Willow frowned. The sudden mood change of the blonde confused her, hurt her.

"Do you love ME?" Buffy asked in a voice void of emotions.

As Willow heard the question and taking in her current expression, everything fell into place. She understood what it was all about. She understood, and with that understanding, she was also given control over her body.

'Oh, Buffy,' Willow's eyes welled up with tears.

"We are one," the Slayer stated in a cold voice. "Do you love me, Willow?" she demanded, her jaw clenching.

Willow didn't answer. Instead, she reached out and gently cupped Buffy's cheek, looking straight into her eyes with a small smile. Her hand then traveled to Buffy's shoulder, down her arm and gently unhooked the Slayer's arms from each other.

Willow didn't know why she was doing this instead of just saying 'I love you', or how she knew how to do it. She just knew, somehow, that she had to do it exactly like this.

She interlaced her fingers with Buffy's and squeezed, still looking her straight in the eyes.

"Give me the flame," she said, holding out her left hand.

Buffy frowned at first, but at Willow's encouraging nod, she picked it up and gently placed it in Willow's palm.

Knowing it wouldn't burn her, she was still surprised when the fire touched her skin and it only felt like slightly warmer air. She placed the orb on the soft earth and smiled as it slowly sunk below.

"Watch this," she said with a wink, and placed her hand, palm down, on the spot where the orb had disappeared. The moment her skin made contact with the ground, the earth erupted into a sea of light blue fire, engulfing them both without scourging them.

Buffy looked around them, first panicked, then confused. She raised a questioning eyebrow and opened her mouth as if to ask what was going on, but Willow interrupted her.

"Go ahead," she nodded at the ground.

Buffy looked dubious, but slowly placed her right hand on top of Willow's left. A warmth immediately washed over them both, and the blue flames flickered once, twice, then died down, spreading outwards, blowing the headstones, crosses and the darkness away. The dark, blue tinted grass changed into a dazzling green, the black night sky gave way for a deep blue and the bed of earth was transformed into a crystal clear pond, its surface solid, yet soft, like cotton.

"Buffy," Willow said, pulling the wide-eyed Slayer's attention away from the scenery that had just appeared. She scooted closer, sitting back on her haunches, her lips inches away from Buffy's. "We ARE one," she said, smiling as Buffy's features softened, her eyes lost their shields and a smile appeared on her lips. "I love you, ALL of you." she reassured, taking Buffy's other hand in her own and entwining their fingers, giving both hands a squeeze.

"I love you too," Buffy smiled, breathing in deeply, as if relieved. No, definitely relieved. But she seemed apprehensive, as if she still had some lingering doubts that just wouldn't disappear.

Willow, determined to make Buffy's fears and doubts go away, leaned forward and fused their lips together, squeezed her hands tighter and pushed her breasts up against Buffy's, causing both girls to moan into the kiss.

Willow let go of Buffy's hands and they wrapped their arms around each other, clutching tightly to the other as if afraid they'd drift apart.

Buffy broke the kiss and laid her head on Willow's shoulder, hugging her close. "God, I love you so much, Willow. I've loved you, wanted you for...so long."

The redhead turned her head to look into Buffy's eyes. "I love you too, Buffy. We're together now. Forever." She leaned forward and kissed her softly. "I promise".

Teary eyed and with a sappy grin on her face, Buffy kissed her passionately. Almost growling, Buffy's assault on her love caused them both to fall to the ground and sink below the surface, the warm blue engulfing them. The clear warm water sent bolts of energy through their bodies, electricity dancing between them as they fell deeper and deeper into oblivion, together.

Willow opened her eyes with a gasp, her back arching slightly. She was covered in sweat, her breathing was labored and she couldn't see a thing; it was pitch black in their dorm room.

On the other side of the room she heard the same intense breathing coming from Buffy.

'What now?' she thought. The spell had worked, she had gotten the answers she had looked for; not only did Buffy love her, she loved Buffy. Not only did Buffy want her, she wanted Buffy, in a sexual-let's-make-hot-monkey-love way. It all became so clear, all these feelings that she had felt over the years, but had ignored, scared of what they meant. She was definitely attracted to women, it was so obvious Willow almost felt like laughing. What now, though?

'Do I say something? Explain? Is she even awake? Does she remember anything? Oh God, what if she doesn't? What if I have to- wait, what's the problem here? So you'll tell her how you feel, what's the big? You KNOW what she feels, you know that she loves you. Nothing to be scared of. Ok, so first thing in the morning: Tell Buffy how I feel. So, do I sleep now, or? Doubt I could get any sleep now, though.'

On the other bed, Buffy's breathing hadn't calmed down noticeably. "Willow?" she gasped, sounding both hopeful and fearful at the same time.

'Guess I didn't have to worry about taking the first step' Willow thought and took a deep breath. "Yeah, Buffy?"

The End

Read the Sequel...

Send Feedback to Author