Who, What, Why, Where, When?

CHAPTER 13

Willow was the first to wake on Sunday morning and she kept as still as she could to avoid disturbing him. The sun was struggling to shine through the dark curtains and she gazed in wonder at his relaxed face as he slept. She was having trouble remembering what it was like to be alone and was amazed that this was her first time waking up next to him. Already it felt as if this was a return to normal service after his injury, yet so much had happened in the last few weeks to change their lives irrevocably.

After ten minutes or so he started to rouse from the deep sleep he had been in. She smiled as she watched his eyes crinkle slightly at the daylight then the slow smile move across his face as he realised he wasn't alone in bed. He was lying on his stomach and she laughed at the groan that sounded as if it came from his toes as he tried to turn over.

"It's not bloody funny, I think I've dislocated something" he murmured in a grumpy voice as he finally opened his eyes and blinked the sleepiness away.

She grinned at him. "I think I owe Fraser $10" she laughed and kissed him.

He ran his fingers down her back as he returned the kiss. "It doesn't do a man's soul any good to have his lover mention another man's name first thing in the morning" he said sadly as he finally managed to turn ovomplompletely and lie on his back.

She snuggled into his side and draped one leg over his groin. "He said you always woke up grumpy and I bet him $10 that you wouldn't with me!" she said with some indignation.

"I guess I'll just have to find some way to make it up to you?" he said archly and tried to roll over onto his side to hold her.

She couldn't help the laughter that shook her as he groaned and slumped back onto the bed. "That's OK" she finally managed. "I knew the risks when I took on an older man"

He sighed and tried to stretch but even this appeared to cause him discomfort. She finally realised that he wasn't kidding around and got out of bed, pulling on his dressing gown.

"I'll sort out some breakfast" she said gently. "Will the usual painkillers help?"

"Yes please" he said through gritted teeth. "It's an old injury from the time before I realised that telling Buffy not to hold back was a mistake"


She moved round to his side of the bed and leaned down to kiss him gently. "You should have said something last night" she said softly. "We could have tried something else"

He smiled back at her. "I wasn't really thinking about future consequences by the time you got me on my back" he laughed and held her hand in his for a moment.

An hour later, after breakfast in bed with painkillers and some judicious massage he finally made it into the shower.

Willow, who had already showered and dressed, was completing the translation on one of the supporting manuscripts when he finally came downstairs. She turned to look at him and smiled. "You seem to be moving a little easier?"

He nodded and came to read over her shoulder. "Yes, the painkillers and hot shower usually work. Did you find anything else?" he asked as he noticed what she was working on.

"Not really" she shrugged. "To be honest I'd forgotten all about it and was just checking to make sure there wasn't anything we'd missed yesterday"

"I don't think there is anything else we can do until we hit the library tomorrow" he shrugged. "Unless you want to find someone with keys who can let us in to the restricted section today?" he checked his watch.

"No" she looked up at him. "Tomorrow will be soon enough if we're right so far and I don't want to wait any more for your surprise!"

He laughed. "OK" he smiled hugging her as she stood up. "Let's put together a picnic and then we can stop by the dorm to let you change before we head out"

They quickly made up some sandwiches and put them into a hamper. Within fifteen minutes they were ready to go and she insisted on carrying the hamper to the car. He watched her carry it up the stairs and checked his pockets once more before leaving - wallear kar keys, stake, cross, holy water, condoms and painkillers. He smiled as he imagined the awkward questions if he was ever asked to empty his pockets!


When he reached the car Willow had her back to him and was chatting to someone. He groaned and tried to remember that he was supposed to be the grown up who didn't sulk when things didn't go to plan. He plastered a grin on his face as he reached them and tried not to sigh when he saw it was one of his neighbours who was animatedly explaining to Willow something about trash collection.

Willow was enthusiastically agreeing with everything that was said and didn't appear to hear him arriving behind her. When he gently goosed her she jumped and spun round "Rupert!" she cried. "Behave yourself" she scowled. "Mrs Leech was just telling me about the wild dog that's been ripping up the garbage bags recently"

He looked suitably chastened andlogilogised. "Sorry Mrs Leech, I didn't see you there. What's this about wild dogs?"

The older woman smiled at him and saw through his apology. It seemed that he had finally found someone to look after him, perhaps now he wouldn't look like the walking wounded so often. "I was just explaining to Willow here" she nodded in Willow's direction. "The past few nights Mr Leech and I have heard something knocking over the trash cans and ripping the bags open and we wondered if you had seen anything?"

"I'm sorry" he said shaking his head. He was frantically trying to remember if there had been a full moon last night. "In'tn't hear anything last night"

"No" she smiled indulgently at them both. "I don’t suppose you would". Funny, she thought to herself, I've seen this young girl going in and out of his house for years but she's blushing as if she was a new bride.

Giles squirmed in embarrassment but Willow laughed lightly. "We'll keep an ear out for it tonight" she promised and squeezed the older woman's arm. "I wouldn't worry about it, these wild dogs usually move on after a few days" she said in a reassuring tone.

"Enjoy your picnic" she nodded and left them alone. Later she would explain to an uninterested Mr Leech that the nice English gentleman downstairs had looked as if he was limping again but he would shrug and mumble something about the football game and she would sigh before going back to her knitting.

Willow smiled as hversversed the car out of the parking space. "She seemed nice" and laughed as he grunted. "She wasn't being nosy and it's your own fault if you're going to go around goosing people"


"Was it a full moon last night?" he asked as he ignored her laughter. She shook her head and he relaxed a little. "I didn't think so, it probably is just a wild dog"

She nodded and settled back into the seat. "Remind me to pick up my sunglasses at the dorm" she murmured as she closed her eyes and rested her hand on his thigh. She liked it when he wore jeans but the chinos he had put on today were a bit smarter and incredibly soft to touch. Without being aware of her actions she started to rub her hand on his thigh and sighed contentedly.

Half way to the dorm he cleared his throat. "Will Buffy be in your room?" he tried to affect an unconcerned tone but she laughed throatily without opening her eyes.

"I'm not sure if she stayed there or at Ri's l's last night but we're just stopping for clothes and nothing else" she finished with a definite nod of her head and finalpenepened her eyes to squint up at him. "I think you should give your back a bit of a rest after last night"

"I'm not a cripple" he observed dryly. "Anyway I was only asking in case yant ant me to wait in the car so you can give her all the la gos gossip"

She sat up in her seat and shielded her eyes with her hand. "This really bothers you doesn't it?" she asked. "I mean you've heard us talk about this stuff before and it's not as if we draw diagrams or anything"

He shook his head. "Most of the time you might as well have" he laughed. "I'm not really bothered and I should be used to Xander's teasing by now but I just want this to be…." He searched for the right word.

He drew the car into a parking space near her dorm and she turned to face him with a serious look on her face. "Buffy and Xander know how important this is to both of us and they won't do anything to upset it"

He wouldn't meet her gaze. "I know" he said quietly. After a few seconds he seemed to reach a decision. "It's not that I mind them knowing about us but I just feel uncomfortable at being one of the gang in that sense and not the indulgent adult any more."

She reached across and held his hand. "First of all you were never that indulgent as the token adult!" she shook her head to prevent him interrupting. "Secondly you have nothing to worry about, you'll still be our Watcher and business will always come first "


He sighed. "I'm sorry it's just a long time since I've been an insecure teenager. I promise I'll shake myself out of this mood while you collect your things" he squeezed her hand and watched her walk towards the dorm. "Where the hell did that come from?" he asked himself and ran his fingers through his hair. He decided that he desperately needed to pace and walked up and down beside the car for five minutes before he started to feel the tension leaving his body. By the time Willow returned ten minutes later he was lounging against the side of the car, watching her walk across the grass towards him.

"Do you have any idea how sexy you look doing that" she murmured and handed him her overnight bag.

"What" he asked, feigninnocenocence.

"Just standing there, doing nothing, exuding British, sports car sexiness" she chuckled at his injured look. "You should have a government health warning when you're in this mood" she whispered in his ear as she hugged him.

He smiled and held her door open for her before leaning in and kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry about earlier, I don't know what came over me"

"It's OK" she sighed and put her sunglasses on. "So where are we goingshe she asked, pleased to change the subject.

"I thought we'd head for the mountains and stop for lunch at this lovely spot that has fantastic views of the valley?" he looked at her to check she was OK with this and continued when she nodded. "Then I thought we could take our time on the return journey and stop for dinner at an Italian restaurant I found a few years ago"

She smiled and put her hand back on his thigh. "That sounds lovely but are thelothlothes smart enough for the restaurant because I haven't packed anything dressy?"

"You look wonderful" he sighed and put his left arm round her shoulders. She snuggled closer to him and pushed her hair out of her eyes.

Later that night they were enjoying their second cup of strong coffee after a superb Italian meal. She was trying to persuade him to speak Italian again and he was objecting that he couldn't possibly order anything else as they were both on the point of bursting. Eventually he relented and asked the waiter for the bill.

"You could just have offered to unblock his drains and it would still sound sexy" she sighed as she gazed into his eyes across the table.


He laughed and took his wallet from his pocket. "Not that I'm complaining but you've heard me speak Italian often, why didn’t it have this effect on you before?"

She smiled at the waiter as he handed Giles the receipt to sign. "Perhaps my ears are the last bit of me to fall madly in love with you?" she giggled and the waiter's grin broadened. He said something in Italian to Giles who laughed and replied. His answer cd mud much merriment among the waiting staff when it was reported back to them and all of the waiters waved as he helped Willow from her chair and put his jacket round her shoulders. "What did you say?" she asked as they walked across the car park.

"He asked me how long we had been seeing each other and I told him six years but, as usual with a woman, it had taken you this long to start listening to me!"

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously and turned to face him.

"He understood what you said about hearing me speaking Italian" he laughed and gathered her into his arms.

"No" she mumbled as she kissed his chest through his shirt. "When you told him we had been seeing each other for six years?"

"Well since it feels as if I have been holding you…" he started as he hugged her tighter to him. "And kissing you…." he continued, kissing her. "And feeling your bum…." he whispered in her ear as he matched his actions to his words. "For as long as I can remember I can only guess that part of me has been madly in love with you since the first time we met" he finished a little breathlessly as she reciprocated by kissing his throat and nibbling on his ear lobe.

"Part of me agrees with you" she said quietly as she gently undid the top buttons on his shirt so she coulds his his chest. "But part of me feels that I've only just found the real you in the last few months"

They kissed for several minutes, until he couldn't stand the increase in tension any longer. "Either I'm going to have to make love to you in this car park or we should stop this now and head home"

"I guess it would be nice to be able to come back here" she nodded at the waiters who were watching them from a window. "And I don't think we could do that if option 'a' wins the vote"


He sighed and held the car door for her, waving at the audience as he walked round the car to get in himself. He headed towards the highway and tuned the radio to some quiet background music as he pointed the car homewards.

"Today has been lovely" she said after several minutes. "Thank you"

"Thank you" he said and turned to smile at her.

"Have you been to that restaurant often, the waiters all seemed to know you?" she asked as she remembered their reception as they had arrived earlier that night.

"I first went several years ago and later I was able to sort out a little problem they were having at the time with a poltergeist so they probably remember me because of that. I haven't been back for a while though" he finished a little uncertainly.

"Who did you take the first time?" she asked quietly. When he didn’t answer she turned slightly to look at him. "I'm sorry it's none of my business"

"It was Olivia" he said so quietly she had to strain to hear him. She leaned across and turned off the radio. "We had just met up again after years and I had driven her out to the mountains to persuade her that the smog didn't cover the entire country!" he smiled at the memory. "When we were driving home we decided to stop here for some dinner"

She smiled at him and rested her hand on top of his. "Did you show off and speak Italian for her as well?"

He laughed and squeezed her hand. "I was not showing off" he protested. "Showing off would have been speaking in Latin, Ancient Greek, Sumerian.." he stopped as she laughed.

"It is so nice to finally meet someone with a brain who isn’t scared to admit to it or use it" she swivelled back round in her seat and read the highway marker they passed. "We should be home in about half an hour?" she asked.

"If you promised not to throw up I could probably get there in about twenty minutes" he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and gunned the engine a little.


"I guess the last batch of painkillers have kicked in?" she asked as she settled back and closed her eyes. She heard him chuckle. "If you think you're up to it why don’t you make it fifteen minutes?" she dared him. The only sign of her discomfort was the grip her left hand kept on the door handle but he didn't notice as he concentrated on the diminishing miles between them and his bed.

As he turned the final corner into the parking lot he glanced across at and and smiled. She looked so beautiful, even with her hair mussed up and a look of concentration on her face. He parked the car and reached across to push the hair back from her forehead. "Honey, we're home" he said gently. He noticed her gently flexing her left hand as she let go of the door handle and laughed. "Was it really that bad?'

She opened one eye and stared at him. "Worse, thank heavens you're giving this killing machine back to Fraser tomorrow".

He leaned across and kissed her, gently rubbing the back of her neck until she groaned against his lips. He pulled back and noticed both of her eyes were now open.

"Apology accepted" she murmured and pulled his shirt front to bring his lips to hers again.

"Mrs Leech will think there's something wrong that we're not getting out of the car" he laughed as he pulled away from her grip.

"Mrs Leech knows exactly why we're still in the car and I think she's relieved to see you finally doing something normal!" she giggled and scrunched down lower in her seat, stretching her legs out.

He looked down at her and felt another surge to his groin. She only had to look at him with those trusting eyes and he would be instantly transported to a level of erotic tension that he hadn't ever experienced before.

"Mrs Leech" he grinned at her and noticed a blush start on her neck as she recognised the look in his eyes. "Will be seeing more of both of us in about ten seconds unless you'd rather take this indoors?"

She toyed with the idea of calling his bluff and remaining in the car to see exactly what he meant when she remembered the pain caused by their last escapade. She shook her head and slid out from his arms. "I couldn’t carry you indoors if you put your back out again" she said, offering him her hand to help him out of the car.


He growled and vaulted out of his seat without opening the door. She squealed a little as he darted towards her then remembered that she didn't really want to alert his neighbours.

Frantically 'shusshing' him she ran ahead towards the apartment door.

In truth he had surprised himself by still being able to exit the car the way he used to. He remembered with fondness how it used to impress the girls and realised the difference in being with Willow. She was impressed by him speaking flawless Italian and his ability to cross reference to oly sta standards. It was probably just as well, he murmured to himself and sighed before slowly following her, gently easing a few muscles and praying they would last for another hour or so before giving up on him again.

He was half way to the door when he remembered her clothes were still in the car. Grinning he turned back for them, he didn't have any clean shirts left that she could borrow.

He expected her to be waiting for him indoors and tensed slightly as he heard voices as he approached his apartment. Not Mrs Leech again, surely? Then other, more frightening possibilities presented themselves and he jogged towards the noise.

When he saw Buffy sitting on his front step, with Willow sitting next to her he was intensely relieved and irritated at the same time. They both looked up at him in the same moment and he noticed the sober look on both of their faces.

"We have a problem" Willow said quietly and took her bag from him as he hunted for his keys.