Watchers Council

Chapter 24

“What do you mean, you can fake it?” Giles asked and glared at Dawn.

“I just mean I haven’t been working for you for three years without learning a thing or two” Dawn tried to capture the angelic teenager look she used to use to win them over.

“I could stay on for another week or two?” Buffy suggested sweetly and winked at Dawn as she turned away from his startled gaze. “I meif yif you can’t sign anything and you won’t let Dawn forge your signature, then perhaps you should enjoy the break?” she saw his sour look. “No pun intended” she pointed to his plaster cast and shrugged.

“And you don’t see anything wrong in your sister forging my signature while I’m not here?” he asked and sat back in his chair. “I mean if she’s doing it for me then she must be able to sign your name just as easily” he watched Buffy realise the implications.

“I wouldn’t” Dawn assured her and turned towards Giles again. “I only signed off some requisitions and a few letters” she glared at him. “I remember how painful it was when I broke my arm and I was only trying to help you out”

“OK, OK” he raised his good arm to placate her. “I do trust you” he stood up and held out his right hand. “I’m sorry” he bent his head to catch her gaze. “Please, I can’t stand being at home any longer” he pouted and saw her lips twitch in a smile. “You can sign everything for me until the cast comes off” he promised and smiled as she finally looked up at him.

*****

“I knew he would forgive her if the only option was leaving me in charge” Buffy giggled as she told Willow about the argument later that afternoon.

“You shouldn’t be so mean to him” Willow suggested and slowly lowered herself into the passenger seat, waiting for Buffy to fasten her seat belt for her. “Thanks” she sighed as she leaned back. “It’s just so good to be out again” she looked around her as Buffy drove them towards the mall.

“Alex offered to drive you yesterday” Buffy reminded her and wondered again why the shopping trip had to take place when Alex was busy catching up on phone calls.

“I needed to do this without her” Willow admitted and turned to smile at her friend. “And I need you with me because I’m not sure about something and I need some best-friend type advice”

“I like your hair the way it is” Buffy guessed and shrugged when Willow shook her head. “OK, we’ll wait till we’re at the mall”

*****

“Really?” Buffy jumped excitedly on the spot and was about to hug Willow when she remembered the not quite so healed ribs. “This is great” she clapped and grinned as Willow blushed.

“Do you really think so?” Willow asked and looked around at the shoppers who were smiling at them. “Let’s go inside” she suggested. “I’d like to buy a diamond ring” she announced to the first shop assistant she found.

“Certainly madahe whe woman smiled at her. “Would you like to take a seat and I’ll bring some for you to look at” she ushered them both to some comfortable chairs and returned a moment later with several pads of rings. “Do you know what kind of ring you want?” she asked and the next five minutes were spent poring over rings of various designs and prices.

Buffy was still grinning happily when she noticed the assistant looking a little concerned. “Is something wrong?” she asked and suddenly realised that she had just mentioned Alex’s gender. She really hoped, for this woman’s sake, that she wasn’t about to make a stupid comment about Alex and Willow’s relationship.

“Not at all” the woman assured her but still looked worried. “I think I have some others over here” she turned away to collect some more rings, indicating that Buffy should follow her with a sideways look. “I’m sorry to pry but is your friend called Willow?” she asked in a whisper as shetenetended to point out some rings to Buffy.

“How do you know her name?” Buffy took a step back and glanced round to make sure Willow was OK.

“I had a young blonde woman in here a couple of days ago” the assistant glanced over her shoulder as well before looking back at Buffy. “She was buying a diamond ring for her girlfriend, called Willow” she waited till Buffy had caught up. “It’s just that she also mentioned which ring she would have chosen if it had been for herself” she picked up a watch and pretended to show it to Buffy. “If I told you which one it was, could you persuade your friend without her knowing?” she saw the smile build and let out a sigh. “I don’t want to interfere but they seem like such lovely girls”

“Point it out and I’ll do the rest” Buffy nodded. “Which one did she choose for Willow?” she asked as an afterthought.

“Client privilege I’m afraid” the assistant grinned. “Will you let me know how it works out?” she asked as they headed back towards Willow.

“Sure” Buffy nodded and they spent the next ten minutes gently persuading Willow towards a single diamond in a platinum setting.

“Are you sure?” Willow asked them both.

“I just see Alex’s finger when I look at that ring” Buffy assured her and grinned.

“It is a very beautiful ring” the assistant agreed. “But, if you are still a little unsure, perhaps I could persuade the manager to offer a replacement if your girlfriend isn’t satisfied” she offered and had to avoid Buffy’s startled grin.

“Smart move” Buffy whispered to her as Willow went with another assistant to have the ring packaged. “Thanks”

“Take my card” the woman handed her a business card. “Give me a call”

“So” Buffy took a deep breath as they stepped out of the store with a tiny bag clutched in Willow’s hands. “Full strength, extra frothy mocha?” she asked and headed for the nearest coffee shop.

“I needed that” Willow nodded as she sipped the mocha. “I can’t believe I’ve finally done it” she admitted.

“I just assumed you had changed your mind when you didn’t buy one when you first talked about it” Buffy wiped her froth moustache with a napkin.

“I told her all about our past just afterwards and then we had a lot of upheaval and I just thought it would be pressuring her” Willow shrugged.

“So what’s changed?”

“Oh I don’t know” Willow stirred her mocha. “Perhaps having her so close when the portal opened and then with everything that happened, I just realised that I couldn’t imagine spending my life without her and I hadn’t told her”

“And nothing speaks louder than an enormous diamond” Buffy nodded seriously before grinning back at her.

“It is not enormous” Willow protested and shook her head. “I remember waking up in hospital and she was dozing in the chair next to my bed” she gazed off into the distance as she remembered. “I just watched her for a few minutes and she was dirty and all mussed up and she’d obviously been crying” she paused as Buffy screwed up her face. “Anyway, I suddenly knew that I wanted her to be the first person I saw every morning for the rest of my life, whether she looked like a model or someone who had just been trampled by a herd of demons”

“That’s kind of sweet in a gross way” Buffy nodded and they both enjoyed the remainder of their mochas.

“So how are you going to do it?” Buffy asked as they wandered through the mall.

“Do what?” Willow asked as they stopped to look in a shop window.

“Propose” Buffy sighed. “Are you going to go down on one knee in the middle of a restaurant or..”

“I can’t propose” Willow interrupted her. “We can’t get married” she pointed out.

“But that is definitely an engagement ring so you need to propose something, even if it isn’t marriage” Buffy explained patiently.

“I hadn’t really thought about it” Willow looked troubled. “I wouldn’t know where to start even if I was proposing marriage”

“Well, we could ask Xander” Buffy suggested, not sure how Willow would like to take advice from him on this subject. “He’s the only one I know who’s ever proposed”

“I guess” Willow nodded and checked her watch. “Let’s call him and see when he’s free this afternoon” He told them he’d be finished with his meetings by three and they spent the next few hours wandering the mall.

*****

“Will” he said quietly and looked completely distraught.

“Xander this is good news” Buffy reminded him. “She’s not dying and there is no injured puppy in this story”

“I know” he sighed and pulled Willow into a gentle hug. “It’s just kind of weird that you’re doing this” he admitted.

“Weird that I’m doing this or doing this with Alex?” Willow blinked a couple of times to keep the tears at bay. She had hoped that her best buddy would have been doing the happy dance by now.

“God no” he shook himself and glanced at Buffy. “I love Alex and you are perfect together” he assured her. “Ignore me, this is great news” he plastered a grin on his face.

“No Xan, tell me” Willow put her hand on his arm and looked at Buffy.

“I’m going to check on Giles, I’ll pick you up later” she said to Willow and left them alone.

“I’m sorry” he sighed and looked at Buffy’s retreating back. “I am happy for you, for both of you, but I just can’t help feeling this will affect us” he scowled. “And now I sound all possessive and jealous, which is ridiculous because I want you and Alex to be happy”

“You’re right” Willow nodded. “It is ridiculous” she smiled and sniffed. “I wasn’t concerned when you wanted to get married and when you left to work on the east coast we promised each other that it wouldn’t change how we felt about each other” she reminded him. “I understood that you had to do something completely different to what we were used to, that you needed to prove to yourself that you could be a success at something other than demon bashing”

“A little bit” he acknowledged and looked down at his clasped hands. “Don’t tell me you don’t sometimes wish you could get away”

“Sometimes” she nodded. “Usually when nothing is happening” she looked perplexed and tried to work out why she enjoyed her job most when it involved world ending danger. “This next step with Alex and me, whatever it turns out to be, that’s the same as you moving away” she tried to explain to him.

“So you staying here and getting extra snuggly is the same as me moving away and getting homesick?” he looked sceptical.

“It’s something completely new and scary and I don’t know if it’s going to make things better or worse but I need to try it anyway” she stood up and walked towards the window in his office. “It’s something I have to do on my own and I know that you guys are here to pick up the pieces, but I need to take the first step and it’s kind of like stepping off a cliff” she turned to see if he was making any sense of her ramblings.

“I always rooted for the coyote to run fast enough to make the other side of the ravine” he smiled at her and held out his hand. “All I ask is that I’m best man” he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “Ooohhh” he looked up with a twinkle in his eye. “And let’s not forget the ugly dresses”

*****

“Hey Kate” Buffy nodded to her as she opened the door to Dawn’s office. “How’s the patient?”

“Revisiting his childhood while becoming a grumpy old man, all at the same time” she sighed and rolled her shoulders. “Dawn was telling me how often he got hurt when you started out” she looked at Buffy and struggled to see what Alex had described a few days earlier.

“He did use his head to stop a lot of inanimate objects” Buffy agreed.

“Which would lead you to believe he’d be used to resting and recovering properly” Kate expelled a breath and turned towards the door as Dawn came out of his office. “Is he ready to go yet?” she asked and sank down onto the sofa as Dawn shook her head. “He was in too much pain to make his own breakfast this morning” she threw her hands in the air and scowled at the floor.

“Let me try” Buffy said quietly and slipped into Giles’ office before closing the door gently behind her. She stood watching him talking on the phone while he looked out of his office window. Shaking her head she walked over and took the phone out of his hand. “I’m sorry, we’re having a fire drill, he’ll call you back later” she gently replaced the receiver and turned to see him frowning. “Don’t even think about it” she pointed her finger at his face and sat down. “You have a beautiful woman out there waiting for you and you’re busy taking phone calls about musty old dead things” she folded her arms and looked at him.

“Actually I was talking to Wesley about closer co-operation in the future between our organisations” he sighed and returned to his seat. “Was there something you wanted other than to annoy me?”

“She’s worried about you and I know what that feels like and it bites, so stop being such a stiff upper lip and go home” she had worked up a head of steam and he couldn’t interrupt her. “If you’re well enough to work then you’re well enough to take her out to dinner tonight to thank her for hanging around with such a decrepit old man”

He looked completely dumbfounded and sat back in his chair to watch her glower at him for a few moments. “Either you’re displaying delayed concussion or..” he looked off into the middle distance for a moment. “Or, you’re making complete sense and I’m being a fool” he saw her eyes soften and a smile start. “We won’t bother putting that to a vote” he rolled his eyes and reached for his jacket.

“Rupert?” Kate looked up as the door opened again. “Are you ready yet?” she sighed.

“I’m sorry” he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her. “Let’s go home and I’ll show you how much I appreciate you” he suggested. “Ignore them” he shook his head and ushered her out of the door as Buffy and Dawn made gagging sounds in the background.

*****

“Did you sort out your stuff with Xander?” Buffy asked as she drove a subdued Willow home.

“Yeah, we’re good” Willow nodded and returned to staring out of the side window. “It’s just that he told me how he proposed to Anya and I don’t think it helped” she admitted finally.

“If it involves nakedness I don’t need to know” Buffy held up her hand and kept her eyes fastened on the road.

“Well yeah, it’s Anya and Xander we’re talking about” Willow giggled before wincing and holding her side for a few seconds. “It was just before the battle with Glory and everyone thouthe the world would end” she explained quietly and returned to the window gazing.

“I can see why that is something you wouldn’t want to recreate” Buffy nodded and put her hand on her friend’s hand. “Willow, you just have to tell Alex how you feel, you don’t need bells and violin music”

“I guess” Willow sighed.

Buffy shook her head and tried to think of a way to let Willow know that Alex was already thinking along the same lines without spoiling the surprise. She gave up and tried to think of a romantic gesture. “Perhaps you could take her on a picnic?” she glanced round to see how this went down.

“Maybe” Willow shrugged and sighed. “I’ve got an idea but it’s really dumb” she said and stopped.

“You can’t stop there, spill it” Buffy smiled gently and pulled into the driveway.

“Well, just remember I warned you” Willow undid her seatbelt and turned round slowly to face her friend. “You know the Italian place where they fall over themselves to serve us?” she checked and waited for Buffy’s impatient nod before studying her hands. “I thought maybe I could hire the whole place for a night, just to make sure it was only the two of us” she bit her lower lip.

“Lady and the Tramp” Buffy giggled and held her hand up as Willow stared at her in amazement. “I just mean that really cute scene where they eat spaghetti and meatballs together” she explained.

“Yeah well, I told you it was a dumb idea” Willow mumbled and turned to open her door.

“No time like the present” Buffy grinned and reached across to redo Willow’s seatbelt. “Let’s go down there and find out whether they can do it” she decided and reversed out of the driveway as Willow nodded.

*****

Alex turned the corner of their street and watched them drive towards town. She checked her watch before shrugging and dialling Giles’ home number on her mobile. “Kate?” she asked as the phone was picked up and promptly dropped. “Kate?” she asked again as laughter sounded before her friend answered.

“Sorry about that” Kate shushed the person with her. “Alex?” she asked as she recognised the voice.

“Is it a bad time?ex aex asked and smiled a little as she recognised Giles’ voice in the background. “No problem, call me back when you’ve got a couple of minutes” she laughed as the phone was dropped again.

*****

“Sorry about earlier” Kate grinned as she phoned Alex later.

“How is Rupert?” Alex laughed and settled into an armchair. “It’s Kate” she told Willow and returned to the phone as Willow headed for the bedroom with a mug of tea. “Nope, she’s having an early night” she listened for a moment before reaching for her own mug. “So he’s only going to work mornings for the next week or so?” she smiled. “How long can you take off work?” she sipped her tea.

“Actually” Kate settled into her chair. “I’ve been given a week’s compassionate leave” she explained. “Which comes in handy because I’ve got a job interview on Thursday”

“Tell me more” Alex insisted.

“It’s a small school midway between St Mark’s and here” she explained. “They are looking for a new Superintendent to replace the one who’s retiring. Seems they’ve been at the job for about twenty years so it will be quite a challenge to bring the school into this century”

“And Rupert must be pleased that you’ll be closer” Alex reminded her.

“He doesn’t know yet” Kate admitted and checked over her shoulder that Giles was still in the bedroom. “I didn’t want to tell him and then perhaps not get it”

“Why wouldn’t you get it?” Alex asked seriously. “I’m assuming you’re not just putting on the intelligent, efficient, witty and charming stuff with us and being a complete ditz when you’re at work” she smiled.

“I just don’t want to jinx it” the older woman admitted. “There are only two of us left on the short list so they should be able to give me an answer by Thursday night”

“Which brings me back to the reason for my call” Alex remembered. “It sounds like you’ll be ready to celebrate on Friday night” she suggested.

“Whether I get the job or not, I think we’re all ready for a bit of a blowout” Kate admitted. “What’s the occasion?”

“The damn thing is burning a hole in my pocket and I just need to get myself together and ask her” Alex blew out a breath and checked that Willow hadn’t come out of the bedroom. “So I thought she’d be happiest and most relaxed when surrounded by her friends, hence the party idea”

“You don’t want it just to be the two of you?” Kate asked doubtfully. “I know she’ll be really happy but maybe asking her in front of all of us will put too much pressure on her?”

“Maybe you’re right” Alex sighed and ran her hand through her hair. There was silence for a moment or two. “I know” Alex finally clicked her fingers. “I’ll drive her to the beach on Friday morning and we’ll be home and ready to celebrate by Friday night”

“Sounds like a plan and even if you two decide to stay at the beach, we can party without you” Kate laughed and they agreed to call each other on Thursday afternoon to update their progress.

*****

“Are you sure?” Alex laybed bed next to Willow on Thursday morning. “Perhaps the sea air will be just what you need?”

“Perhaps, but I don’t want to sit in the car for that long, there and back” Willow explained and stretched carefully. “Maybe we can go in a couple of weeks?” she gently turned onto her side and smiled at the blonde. “I remember the days when you wanted to keep me in bed all day ead ead of suggesting outings” she pouted and ran her hand along Alex’s side.

“That was before you were old and creaky” Alex sighed. “Plus you can’t really do anything in bed but sleep at the moment”

“Any more old age gags and that’s all we’ll ever be doing in bed again” Willow raised her eyebrows and rested her hand on Alex’s hip.

“I’m sorry” Alex pouted and gently moved against her. “How can I make it up to you?” she asked and slowly moved in to kiss her. “Forgiven?” she asked five minutes later.

“Always” Willow grinned lazily up at her.

“So, if the beach is out tomorrow, can we do something else, just the two of us?” Alex asked as she got out of bed and started to look for something to wear.

“I don’t think we’d be breaking any laws” Willow shrugged and watched the pile of unsuitable clothes grow beside the closet. “I like you in that blouse” she pointed to the latest casualty.

Alex turned round to look at the item she had just discarded before shaking her head. “I used to buy new clothes every other week and I’ve just realised I don’t have anything really nice to wear” she picked up the bundle of clothes and threw it into the closet. “How about we go shopping for clothes today?”

*****

“Kate?” Alex whispered into the phone. “How did it go?”

“I got it” Kate thanked the grocery store clerk and picked up her bags. “I need to work my notice at St Mark’s but I should be able to take up the post for the start of the next semester”

“So the party is definitely on tomorrow night?” she checked. “How about that little Italian place?” Alex suggested and quickly called the others to confirm the plan.

“Who was that on the phone?” Willow asked as she struggled to put her robe on.

“Kate, wan wanted to know if we were up for dinner at Tony’s tomorrow night” Alex moved to help her and tied the belt for her. “Did the shower help any?” she watched as Willow carefully lowered herself onto the sofa.

“A bit” Willow admitted. “Buffy said she’d come round later to help me out with the meditating thing” she rested her head on the back of the sofa. “I had no idea that you thought shopping was an extreme sport”

“I went easy on you” Alex grinned as she lifted another pile of bags onto the armchair. “You’ll look fabulous in this, why don’t you wear it tomorrow night?” she held up one of Willow’s new blouses.

“Whatever you want, what’s specspecial occasion?” she yawned and shivered a little.

“Nothingcialcial” Alex turned to collect a throw from the back of the chair so that Willow wouldn’t see her face and recognise the lie. “I think she’s asking the whole gang”

“Maybe it’s because Xander’s going home next week?” Willow suggested and smiled as Alex tucked the throw around her. “Did you decide what you wanted to do tomorrow?” she asked.

“How about a picnic at the park?” Alex asked and saw Willow’s surprise.

“Have you been talking to Buffy?” Willow checked, remembering Buffy’s sstiostions of the day before.

“About a picnic?” Alex looked at her as she finished emptying the bags and started to put the new clothes on hangers. “Nothing slayery about this, honestly, just some sandwiches and lots of fresh air”

“Sorry” Willow mumbled and felt in the pocket of her robe. When she had finished her shower she had taken the small box from the back or drr drawer and slipped it into her pocket, just to feel the ring close to her. She had spent half an hour discussing her plans with the restaurant owner and Buffy the previous afternoon and he didn’t have a clear reservation list for several weeks. She knew that there was no way she could wait that long before asking Alex and had made her mind up during her shower. Taking a deep breath she clenched her fingers round the box and looked up at the blonde. “Honey” she said croakily and cleared her throat. “Come here a minute”

“Are you OK?” Alex asked as she dropped some clothes back onto the chair and knelt down in front of Willow.

“I’m fine, I just need to ask you something” Willow started and then shook her head. “Actually I need to tell you something” she nodded and ran her hand through her hair.

“Is everything alright?” Alex asked again and pulled the coffee table closer to sit on the edge of it while remaining in front of Willow.

“Yeah” Willow nodded and took another shaky breath. “I know you were really mad at me not telling you about the letters and stuff” she began and saw Alex’s eyes narrow. “And I don’t want to start the argument again, I only mentioned it because I needed to tell you how proud I wa the the way you coped with everything” she reached out and took Alex’s hand in hers. “I’m going to try my hardest to make sure you never have to be near anything like that ever again, but I also know that spending time with any of us is a pretty fair guarantee that stuff like that will happen”

“If it’s all the same to you I’d vote for the uniqueness of last weekend” Alex suggested and squeezed Willow’s hand.

“The thing is” Willow stalled and rested her head on the back of the sofa to stare at the ceiling. “This shouldn’t be so difficult” she mumbled.

“Willow, whatever it is, just tell me and we’ll deal with it” Alex reassured her and waited for the red head to get to the point. She wasn’t panicking yet but her stomach had started to shrink and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising.

“I love you” Willow stared back at Alex and saw the worry at the edges of her eyes fade. “I love you” she said more softly and ran her hand along Alex’s forehead, pushing her hair back a little. “And I know that there are a million more romantic, poetic, memorable ways to say this but I keep getting stuck on those things and now I’m thinking that the message is what counts and not how it’s delivered” she licked her suddenly dry lips. “I know that I’ve been in love with you from almost the beginning but I never really knew what that meant until I woke up in hospital on Sunday and saw you sitting by my bed” she smiled a little at the memory.

“I was filthy” Alex laughed. “And my hair was a disaster and the smell!” she shook her head.

“I know and you were more beautiful than anything I had ever seen” Willow smiled. “I mean I had blacked out in the middle of a battle and the last thing I’d seen was a large demon heading straight for you” she shivered again and swallowed the lump in her throat. “And I woke up to find you were still with me, you hadn’t gone, you hadn’t decided that you couldn’t deal with my world, you hadn’t bothered to clean up or change” she pulled her hand from her pocket and rested it underneath the throw. “I knew, in that split second, that there wasn’t anything in this world that I wouldn’t do to show you how much I love you, how mucneedneed you”

“Will, I know” Alex smiled gently. “You don’t need to do anything other than stay safe and well”

“I wish you’d told me that yesterday” Willow sighed. “Because the only thing I could think of doing was buying you this and promising to love you with all my heart for the rest of my life and beyond” she pulled the box out from under the throw and slowly opened it before turning it towards Alex.

Alex stared at the perfect ring for several seconds before it blurred through her tears. She reached out and lifted the box from Willow’s hand before turning and putting it down on the coffee table behind her. Standing up she chewed her upper lip and sniffled a little. “One minute, OK?” she checked and walked into the bedroom.

Willow watched her walk away and felt her heart drop to the floor. Suddenly the air in the room was too thick to breathe and she used the sleeve of her robe to wipe away the tears. “I’m sorry Alpleaplease, if I did something wrong” she didn’t even have the strength to stand up and sat, still tucked under the throw, with her head in her hands.

“Willow” Alex said quietly as she knelt on the floor in front of her. “Honey, look at me, please” she waited till Willow had lifted her head from her hands. “I don’t know how this happened but you beat me to it by about twelve hours” she swallowed and lifted the identical box up towards Willow. “I love you, Willow Rosenberg, and I want to grow old with you in the certain knowledge that we will be together for ever”

“But how?” Willow asked before opening the box Alex handed to her. “It’s beautiful” she gasped and looked to where Alex was staring at the ring Willow had given her. “Let me” she smiled and put her’s down to lift Alex’s from the box. “I don’t really know how we’re supposed to do this” she admitted and grinned when Alex held up her left hand for Willow to slip it onto her ring finger.

“Your turn” Alex whispered and slipped the diamond onto Willow’s finger. “I can’t believe we got here at the same time” she admitted as she lifted the throw from Willow and sat down gently beside her. “But it’s a good thing that we both know how we feel and how important our relationship is” she put her arm round Willow’s shoulders and leaned in. “How quickly can you heal the ribs so that we can celebrate properly?” she whispered in her ear and nibbled on the earlobe.

“Well if Buffy can help out over the next couple of days I should be back in working order by next week” Willow closed her eyes as Alex kissed from her ear down to her shoulder. “Or I could just let you ravish me now and take lots of painkillers later?” she whispered huskily as Alex’s hand slipped inside her robe.

“I don’t want to hurt you” Alex sat back a little but kept her hand resting on Willow’s breast. “Let’s just see what we can get up to before you get sore” she suggested and stood up. “I think we should be in bed, you’re not ready for adventurous yet” she smirked and held out her hand.

Willow held her hand and stood up, slowing undoing the belt on the robe and letting it fall open. “Suddenly I’m not quite so tired” she suggested and held Alex’s hand as they walked to the bedroom.

*****

“Buffy” Alex yawned as she opened the door three hours later.

“Alex” Buffy looked at the crumpled t-shirt and sweats. “Were you in bed?” she asked and glanced round the room. “Cause I can come back tomorrow if Will’s asleep”

“She’s just coming” Alex yawned again and ran her hands through her hair. “Sorry, I must have nodded off after we came back from shopping” she explained and went to the kitchen to boil the kettle. “Coffee or tea?” she asked and blinked as Buffy stared at her. “What’s up?”

“I should go” she quickly turned towards the door and had her hand on the doorknob when Willow came into the room.

“Buffy, where are you going?” she asked and shuffled towards the sofa.

Buffy glanced at Willow’s finger and she grinned. “You asked her” she pointed to Alex. “And she asked you” she nodded to Willow’s hand and the diamond ring.

“You knew” they both said at the same time before looking at each other. “You told her” they both giggled.

“I didn’t tell Buffy, only Kate because she was with me when I chose the ring” Alex handed out coffee.

“The woman in the shop recognised Will from your description and told me that you had been in a few days before” Buffy admitted but kept silent about the help she had given in choosing the ring. “So let me see” she sat on the arm of the sofa and lifted Willow’s left hand. “Wow, size definitely does matter to you guys, huh?” she looked at the ring on Alex’s finger. “More ice than the ice-capades” she suggested and hugged Alex before turning to Willow. “Are you sure you want to do this now?” she pointed to Willow’s ribs.

“Suddenly I have an urgent requirement not to have broken ribs” Willow shrugged and winced a little.

“I’m going to check my email” Alex yawned again and looked embarrassed. “Don’t do too much” she said quietly as she leaned down to kiss Willow.

“So?” Buffy waited till the bedroom door had closed behind Alex before turning to Willow. “Details” she pouted and moved to get comfortable in the chair. Willow smiled and gave her the abridged version of her earlier conversation with Alex. “That is so sweet” Buffy sighed and stared at the diamond ring again. “Does it feel weird?” she asked and lifted her gaze to meet her friend’s.

“Yes and no” Willow frowned for a moment before smiling again. “I think a part of me knew that we’d always be together from the very beginning” she admitted. “And another part of me sort of started to get used to the idea once I’d made the decision to buy the ring for her” she checked to see if Buffy was following herut Iut I had no idea how overwhelming it would feel when she told me she felt the same and that part of my brain has packed up and gone on vacation so it will probably be a few weeks before it sinks in” she shrugged.

“Well, if it helps any, it feels weird for me” Buffy admitted. “I mean I can still remember shy, quiet little Miss Rosenberg who couldn’t even tell Xander how she felt about him” she shrugged. “And now look at you” she pointed to her friend. “Totally together, super confident, uber witch and high flying career gal with a gorgeous woman falling over herself to spend the rest of her life with you”

“Well quite a lot of that is down to you” Willow said quietly and smiled. “I would probably have been a shy, quiet little research scientist at MIT if you hadn’t come along”

“Not many places to break your ribs at MIT” Buffy suggested.

“Nope” Willow agreed. “And not many opportunities to save the world or meet swimwear models”

“Well, if you put it like that” Buffy smiled and sat on the sofa, turning to face Willow and pulling her legs underneath her. “Let’s get on with the healing”

*****

“Kate that’s wonderful news” Xander hugged her and looked towards Giles over her shoulder. “Is it closer?” he asked.

Giles nodded. “About half an hour away” he struggled to pull his shoes on. “We’re going to start looking for a house that’s midway between there and here so that Kate isn’t the one doing all of the commuting”

“I haven’t actually agreed to live with you yet” Kate reminded him and bent down to tie his shoelaces for him. “In fact you haven’t actually asked me officially yet”

“But I just thought” he looked concerned and held his right hand out to steady her as she stood up again. “Of course I want to live with you” he said quietly, as though the idea was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I’ll just go and get changed” Xander motioned to the spare room and left the couple to themselves.

“Kate Sinclair, will you do me the inestimable honour of sharing a mortgage with me?” he asked formally and quirked a smile as she rolled her eyes.

“I sometimes think you don’t have a romantic bone in your body” she sighed and sorted through his ties. “Then again” she dropped her head forward as he leaned in to kiss her neck. “Perhaps I could think about it?” she turned to him and gently removed the sling.

“I’ve only just managed to get dressed again” he protested and then looked sheepish as she tied his tie for him before replacing the sling. “Sorry” he mumbled and kissed her again.

*****

“Oh my god!” Dawn gasped as Willow waved at her as they arrived in the restaurant. “Let me see” she rushed to her side and grabbed her left hand while Danny looked on in bewilderment. “Does this mean?” she looked up at Willow.

“I’m not really sure what it means” Willow shrugged and turned to see Giles, Kate and Xander arriving.

“It means it’s time for the champagne” Alex grinned and nodded to their waiter.