The sun streaked a mass of deep brown, highlighting it with gold and red colors that seemed almost too brilliant to behold so early in his waking up process. Beneath the strands of brown, a more pale and tangible surface of skin over soft curling lashes. One perfectly arched eyebrow hovered above the lid, which beneath there was a turmoil of movement, as there is when one is asleep. Bringing his gaze further down, one corner of perfectly pink lips curled into a tiny smile, parting momentarily then regaining their position. Through the curtain of hair that fell over one side of the face, he could see a slightly turned up nose poking through and had a strong urge to lean over and kiss that lone bit of flesh through the wave of hair that surrounded it. He gave into his urge, just as he’d done the night before.

The small touch of his lips against her nose didn’t jostle Buffy out of her deep sleep and Oz felt more assured. Shifting a bit, he managed to roll himself onto his side so that he could continue to stare at the beauty lying beside him without having to keep his neck painfully craned to the side. The girl sighed briefly, curling in a little and slinging a naked leg over his thigh. Oz closed his eyes briefly, trying to repress the tumult of fresh lust that hit him when she unwittingly pressed her still-wet sex against him. Oz swallowed to cut off the groan he felt rising up his throat when his cock started growing harder, pressed between his stomach and hers.

The urge to roll them, until he was lying between her spread thighs was great, but he held his excitement in, if only to savor the beauty of her sleeping so peacefully against him. Although, her vulnerability in sleep was acting as a strange aphrodisiac, giving Oz an unreal feeling, almost as if he were in a dream come to life. He lifted his free hand, sensing the trembling in it, but ignoring it, and used the very tips of his fingers to brush the hair away from her face, revealing the smooth rise of her cheek. His fingers lingered over the slight hollow in her cheek, brushing reverently against the soft flesh.

No movement, no caress, no feathery kiss that he gave seemed to be pulling Buffy out of her dream world. Still, she wasn’t completely oblivious to his touches, since she pressed closer to him with each one. She rocked her sex up against his bare thigh, covering the skin with her heat and emanating a small growl from the man.

Carefully, Oz extricated his arm from beneath her head, another movement which didn’t stir Buffy from her sleep, and began a descent on her body. He’d have thought that the scratch of his unshaven cheek moving down her body would have roused her a bit, but she merely sighed out a sleepy breath. He stopped briefly, to press his ear between her breasts and listen to the steady sound of her heartbeat. His lips grazed the side of her breast before he turned his face in, his nose, lips and forehead sliding down her smooth torso. His eyes squeezed together tightly as he allowed himself to revel in the perfume of her body.

When he’d made it down to her navel, Oz dipped his tongue in, getting a moan in return, but with his impeccable hearing he was able to monitor the sounds of her heartbeat and breathing. She was still asleep. Rolling her onto her back, he placed himself between her legs, smoothing his hands down her sides and around her hips to where his fingers came and parted her folds for him. He breathed in deeply, nuzzling his cheek against her pelvic bone before he moved further down, letting her pubic hair tickle the tip of his nose.

He tasted her slowly and thoroughly, sighing his happiness when she arched off of the bed at the touch of his tongue. He moved his tongue into her then out again to swirl around her clitoris. Above him she was making small mewling sounds as she pressed her head back into the pillow. It wasn’t until he slowly slid two of his fingers into her opening that she bucked up against him, crying out his name. Now that he had awakened her, Oz sped up his manipulations, plunging his fingers in and out as he continued to lap against her clit with his tongue. Her hips began rising and falling, first slowly, then faster as she became more and more needy for her release. His name was a mantra on her lips, crying out, "Oz, Oz, Oz," with every lick and thrust that he gave her.

Sliding a third finger into her, Oz took her clitoris between his lips and sucked at it like babe at his mom’s tit. Buffy’s voice cracked when she tried calling out his name one last time, then she was rising off of the bed, pressing her lower body flush against Oz’s face as she jerked with her orgasm. Oz listened to her moans and whimpers of post-orgasmic bliss with his cheek rested against her thigh. It took a couple of moments for her heart rate to slow and her breathing to regulate. This he waited through patiently, almost perfectly content in falling asleep in this very position. Almost. His cock was raging hard, pressed against the bedspread, pleading to him for attention.

It wasn’t until he felt her fingers curl in his hair, her fingernails scratching lightly over his scalp, that he looked up. Her breasts obscured most of his view of her face, but from what he could see, she looked completely sated. Pushing himself onto his hands and knees, Oz crawled up the length of her body with the intention of showing her how unsatisfied *he* was. Keeping himself propped up on his arms, he made sure the only part of him that came in contact with her was his lower body, his hard shaft pressing down on her flat belly. She stared up into his face, her lids lowered drowsily, but he imagined that he could see a mischievous glint in her eye.

All too suddenly, her hands came up to clutch his hair and roughly and pull him down to her for a heated kiss, stroking his tongue with hers, tasting herself on him. His arms bent at the elbows and yet he didn’t allow his full weight to press down on her, enjoying the tickling of her nipples against his bare chest. Her hips pressed forward against his manhood, alerting him of her readiness for him. He was thankful for this, since he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to resist her. Still, he continued to kiss her lazily, coaxing her soft, wet tongue into his mouth where he would stroke it with his own. Slowly, she broke out of the kiss, scraping her teeth over his lower lip and finally releasing it. Her hips rose again, and her eyes fell shut. "Come into me, Oz. Please. Now," she commanded in a thick voice.

Oz didn’t need to be told twice. Pushing up so that he was only supporting his weight on one arm, he used his free hand to guide himself to her entrance. Slowly, and with ecstatic pleasure, he entered her tight, yet welcoming, body. He knew it wouldn’t be long for him, so his hand remained between their bodies, his palm rested in the tuft of her curls as he rubbed at her hard little clit with the tip of his middle finger. Their lovemaking was slow, yet frenzied. Passionate, yet completely tender, both of them luxuriating in the proximity of each other. His arm began to tremble with the effort of holding his full weight and he allowed himself to fall to his elbow, the position change making it possible for him to enter into her deeper still.

He was very close now and Buffy could tell. Her legs wrapped tightly around his hips and she grasped the headboard for leverage, giggling slightly at how pornographic the sound of it banging up against the wall was. Oz was the first to fall over the precipice of carnal bliss, shooting his seed deep into her. He continued to pump within her, milking his orgasm to the very end and tossing Buffy into one of her own at the same time. The shout of his name on her lips, caused him to smile against the flesh at the nape of her neck, where he nipped at her skin just before falling against her completely, unbelievably exhausted.

Buffy let herself enjoy the feel of his ragged breath raining across the skin of her neck and began stroking the sweaty hair just above his neck. "My," she breathed out, "but that was a pleasant way to wake up." His laughter jostled them both and she joined in.

Buffy turned around, letting the sunlight bathe her face with it’s warm rays as she jogged backwards through the entrance of Giles’ apartment complex. Her ponytail flipped as she turned back again, continuing her lazy jog. After Oz had dropped her off at her mom’s, leaving her at the doorstep with a sweet kiss, Buffy had jumped into the shower to cleanse herself of her morning activities. Unfortunately, while she was shampooing her hair, memories of the night before came back to her and she had to twist the knob for a cold blast of water. Even afterwards, she’d been unable to rid herself of her naughty thoughts and decided that a good jog might be able to alleviate her of her problem.

The smile on her face was ever-present as she jogged through the streets of Sunnydale. Everything that she saw made her smile just a little warmer. Kids playing hopscotch, a small Terrier running alongside her for a couple of blocks, an elderly man watering the rose bushes in front of his house. All of these things reminded her that life was a beautiful thing and that, even in a town like Sunnydale, she could afford a little time for true happiness, which she wasn’t sure she’d ever received until she woke up that morning with Oz.

She’d decided during her jog to drop by Giles’. She missed him and she wanted to share her happy moment with him. He had been funny lately, not the usual Giles, a more cynical and witty Giles. Where he used to be the butt of the joke, he was now creating them. It made her smile even wider to think of it. Plus, it had been a day or so since she’d checked in with him about the Spike situation. He was recently unchained, but he still stayed with Giles, much to her former Watcher’s pain and dismay. Truthfully, Buffy thought that Giles was happy for the company, even if it came in the form of an increasingly annoying bleached vampire.

Buffy slowed her jog to a long stride. "Hello, Buffy!" she heard someone greet her. When she turned she saw Mrs. Greary, the widow that lived just across the way from Giles, waving at her. She was out sweeping her walkway.

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Greary," Buffy said back, raising her hand to wave.

"How are you doing today, sweetheart? You here to visit Mr. Giles?" Mrs. Greary asked her.

"I’m wonderful today, Mrs. Greary. It’s a wonderful day!," Buffy told her with a large smile.

"I’m glad to hear it, darlin’. You always look so sullen," the graying lady said as she turned slightly to head back into her apartment. "Well, I hope it continues that way for you. Give Mr. Giles my regards."

"I will! You have a good day too!," Buffy said, turning down the walkway to Giles’ townhouse.

When Buffy was only a few feet away from the door, Buffy heard something odd and cocked her head to the side. It sounded like people were yelling in Giles’ apartment. She stepped closer to the door and listened carefully to what was going on inside.

"You liar!"

It was Willow that was screaming. Buffy put her hand on the knob, ready to see what was troubling her friend, but stopped.

"It’s fucking true! Jump down from your pedestal, Red! You’re not number one in his heart anymore, and I doubt you ever will be again."

That was Spike. What had he meant by that, Buffy wondered.

"Woah! Giles! Tell her to put down the stake!" Spike yelled.

That was all it took for Buffy to swing the door open and step inside the apartment, ready to intercept. The sight before her made her jaw drop. Spike was hiding behind Giles large recliner and Willow was trying to chase him around it, a sharp stake in her hand. Giles was standing on his staircase, watching the entire scene with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Giles!" Buffy said in a reprimanding tone. "Why don’t you stop her?" she asked before walking across the room to grab Willow’s wrist.

The stake dropped from Willow’s hand and she turned to Buffy. Her cheek were flushed and she had an angry look on her face. As soon as she saw Buffy the look of anger dropped from her features and she sighed. "Ha! Buffy’s here. She’ll prove that you’re nothing but a stupid liar!" she told Spike.

After Buffy had gotten a hold of Willow, Spike relaxed, resting his elbow on the back of the recliner. "Oh, will she now?" he retorted.

"Prove what? Lying about what?" Buffy asked, completely confused.

Willow hastened to clarify herself. "Spike said that he saw you and Oz kissing last night," Willow told her, laughing dryly. "Isn’t that hilarious? I mean, you and Oz kissing. How absurd is that?" Even though she sounded confident, Buffy could tell from the doubt in her eyes that Willow wasn’t all too certain.

Buffy released Willow’s wrist and stumbled back a couple of steps, her happy mood quickly dissolving. "Tell him, Buffy. Tell him that he’s mistaken. Tell him that it couldn’t have possibly been you and Oz that he saw," Willow said frantically.

"She can’t, Willow!" Spike said in a hauty voice. "Look, you’ve been *replaced*."

"He’s lying, isn’t he? He is lying, right, Buffy?"

Buffy had felt her eyes fill with tears and was rapidly blinking to clear them away, which didn’t seem to work. She was looking everywhere except for Willow’s face, unable to look her friend in the eye.

"Oh, God," she heard Willow say in a small defeated whisper. When she next spoke, Buffy could hear the tears in her voice. "You’re my best friend, Buffy. How could you do this to me?"

Buffy’s head snapped up when she heard the comment, looking dead into Willow’s face. The tears were already beginning to fall, streaking their way down her crimson cheeks. "You? What makes you think that it had anything to do with you?" she asked in a low voice.

"I trusted you!" Willow cried. "What did I do to deserve this kind of betrayal?!"

Buffy clenched her hands into fists at her side, feeling the anger rise up in her. "You didn’t do anything, Willow!" she said, hearing her voice rise, but doing nothing to stop it. "Whatever Oz and I shared last night had nothing to do with *you*! When did you become so fucking self-involved?!" Buffy felt Giles place a hand on her shoulder, but slapped it away. "Oh, poor little Willow!" she cried as the tears ran over her face. "You never even treated him with respect, he was just, ooo, you’re boyfriend. What kind of way is that for a man to live? Especially, a man like Oz!"

"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU, YOU STUPID BITCH!!" Willow screamed, covering her ears against the truthful words that Buffy was making her listen to. Giles came from around Buffy, enfolding Willow into his arms. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," Willow murmured against Giles’ chest, not even noticing when he began to lead her away.

"I’ll take her home," Giles said at the door. "But I wish to speak to you as soon as I get back," he told Buffy.

Buffy watched as they left, feeling utterly defeated. Once the door shut, she sagged down into the couch, pillowing her head against the arm and let the tears fall unhindered. She’d forgotten that their was even anyone else in the room until she felt the cushions next to her shift with Spike’s weight. "I don’t see why you’re crying, Slayer. The little nitwit gets what she deserves."

Buffy turned away from her crying just long enough to slap the palm of her hand against Spike’s cheek, then rested the side of her face against the arm, too tired to cry anymore. She felt suddenly empty. "You really do hate me, don’t you?" she said to Spike in a small voice.

"‘Course I do. Although, that’s not the reason I told her," Spike said.

"Why then? You needed to create a soap opera that was real life? What’s the matter, General Hospital not good enough for you anymore?"

"Oh, get off it, Slayer. You know why I told her. Someone had to say *something* to her. She walks around here, all high and mighty, casting judgment down on everybody else, when she knows that it’s her who needs a little judging. You and Xander and Giles might be able to stand back an’ take the insults that she throws at you, but I sure as hell ain’t the one for that. She wants to say somethin’ hurtful to me, and I’ll say somethin’ just as hurtful back," Spike told her.

Spike stood from his seat to stand right in front of her. "I mean, you saved her little, high-brow arse on more than one occasion and still she gets all snippy with you. And you don’t do a damn thing when she insults the boy, even though I can tell it effects you too when she does." Spike dropped down into a crouch in front of her. "Oh, come on, Buffy. Don’t cry over her. Even *I* can tell that’s she’s changed and I’ve been nothin’ but your enemy for three years."

Buffy sniffled a bit and wiped at her nose, looking up at Spike with shinny eyes. "What-what did she say to you?" she asked.

Spike shrugged, his face falling a bit. "Somethin’ about Dru. She’s my soft spot, that girl. Said somethin’ about her cavorting around with her demon pimp while I was sitting here feeling sorry for myself. An’ it may have been the truth, but that don’t mean it didn’t sting." Spike got up and fell back down on the couch, directly next to Buffy. "It might suck, not havin’ her as your friend no more, but that don’t mean ya ain’t got people who care for ya. Think of it that way. An’ the wolf seemed rather taken with you last night. Maybe you got a chance at a semi-normal life now, one without all the heartbreak an’ hardship that you had with Angel."

Buffy’s mouth tightened into a small, bitter smile. "You surprise me sometimes, Spike. You have a real philosophical side to you," she told him.

"Well, don’t you go tellin’ anyone," he said. "Now, my shows are on an’ I’m tired of all this sobby melodrama. It should be left for the teli."

"Hey, Spike?" Spike turned back to her. "Can I watch your shows with you?"

Spike made an irritated face, then said, "Come on then." Buffy got up to follow him up to the bathroom. Giles hadn’t moved the television back into the living room and Spike had actually gotten used to lounging in the bathtub during daytime TV. Unfortunately, Buffy would have to sit on the toilet.

"So, Willow knows, huh?" Oz said, as he looked across the table at Buffy, who was taking a large sip of her mochachino.

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, she knows."’

"I’m sorry that I hurt her. I never meant to," Oz said, lowering his head.

"I know that. And it’s not your fault. Willow just has to take some time to figure out who she is. And maybe after she does, she’ll forgive us," Buffy theorized.

Oz looked up, a small smile playing on his lips. "You’re right. Besides, we shouldn’t be obsessing over Willow on date night," he said, getting up and moving so that he was sitting closely to Buffy on the one side of the booth. Buffy grinned when his arm encircled her shoulders. Tilting her face up, she met him half way. Their lips met and both of them quickly forgot about Willow and anyone else in the outside world. It didn’t really matter when they had each other.

The End

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