Sometimes life can trick you into thinking you have it all worked out. Everything finally into neat, labelled boxes. In this box is my day job. In this one is my Slayer destiny. In this box, my two closest friends; Xander and Willow. But life has a plan of its own and we must all adapt to it.
I can still remember the lowest point of our lives like it was yesterday, not two years ago. A wet road, a driver high on God knows what. It didn't take much to hit rock bottom. In the blink of an eye Tara, Anya, and Dawn were taken from us.
I'd always felt like I was alone, but now I was. No mother, no father, no sister. All that awaited me was one final death whose coming I would have welcomed with open arms. But once again my friends saved me from death's clutches.
It took me a little while to realise that while ever I walk this earth, I will never be alone. For where ever there is Buffy Summers, there is Willow Rosenburg and Xander Harris. We rebuilt our friendship into something mature, close, and unrecognisable to the 16 year olds we once were.
During the day we would work or study, often having lunch together somewhere. At night we would patrol, taking care of the usual vampire/demon problems and the occasional big bad that showed it head. Afterwards we would go back to Xander's new apartment to talk, bandage any wounds, and more often than not, sleep.
Xander moved out of his old apartment not long after the accident. He said he wanted to start afresh. Somewhere without reminders of memories still painful but eased with time and acceptance.
I know how he felt. At the end of the night, I didn't really want to leave Xander's place. In the end I sold the house, the burden of its memories was too much to face day after day. Without a second thought Wills and I moved in with Xander.
We felt at home there.
Xander sat at the kitchen table feeling pretty good with himself. He'd gotten up early, as he tended to do these days. He'd learnt that living with two women meant that if he wanted quality bathroom time to himself then getting up early while they were still sleeping was the only way.
Showered, dressed and fed, he sipped at his morning coffee, reading the paper and listening to the sounds of his friends turned housemates getting ready for their day.
Buffy staggered into the kitchen drawn by the smell of freshly brewed coffee. The coffee maker they'd bought last Thanksgiving was the most beloved household appliance in the entire house. Buffy sat opposite him.
"Morning Buff." Xander cheerfully greeted his Slayer friend over the top of his paper. Buffy, dressed in her satin boxers and old crop top, regarded him with baleful eyes.
"Ugh." She grunted over her coffee. Xander knew her well enough that it would take half a cup of coffee to get into her system before intelligent conversation was possible. He went back to his paper.
The caffeine had started to take effect in her blood stream. It was part of the morning ritual that the first thing Xander did after waking up was to flash up the coffee maker before he did anything else. Buffy took note that Xander was dressed in his suit and tie which meant today would be a meeting day with clients rather than working at the construction site itself.
She had to admit that he looked good in a suit. He looked ruggedly mature, and not a little handsome. His brown eyes scanned the page before him and the half smirk on his face was a fair indicator that he was reading the comics section.
"Anything interesting?" Buffy enquired, gesturing at the paper.
"Not really." He put the paper down and gazed at his friend. Even with the bed hair from hell and puffy eyes she was still beautiful.
"Doing the stock take today?" he enquired. Normally Buffy would have been up earlier than this to open up the Magic Box but when it was stock take day she'd go in later as the shop wouldn't be open for customers for the day.
"Yeah, it'll give me a chance to sort out the stuff down in the basement as well."
"If I finish early today I'll swing by and give you a hand." He told her and looked at his watch.
"Guys, you haven't seen my blue blouse anywhere?" Willow asked as she came into the lounge room. Dressed in jeans and a black bra she rummaged around the lounge room looking for it.
"I borrowed it, remember? It's in the dirty clothes basket in the bathroom." Informed Buffy. Willow put her hands on her hips and gave her an annoyed huffy look. It was the cutest look Buffy and Xander had ever seen.
"Why don't you wear the white one?" he suggested to the redhead as he picked up his breakfast plates and headed for the sink.
"A black bra under a white blouse doesn't work, Xander."
"Then wear a white one." Buffy responded.
"I don't have any clean ones left." An exacerbated Wicca exclaimed.
"Wills, there's a basket of clean clothes in my room that I haven't got around to sorting out yet. I think there's one in there." Xander informed. As Willow headed to his room he shouted out "If you wanna lift to classes you'd better hurry, I'm leaving in a minute."
He finished rinsing his plates in the sink while Buffy started getting her breakfast.
"Has Willow had breakfast yet?" she asked as she stood in front of the open refrigerator.
"No, but I'll swing by the bakery and make sure she gets something." Xander reassured.
"Oh, and we need milk." Buffy added. Willow returned dressed and with an arm full of books.
"Ready to go Wills?" he asked Willow who nodded. Buffy gave Xander a hug.
"Knock 'em dead Xander."
Xander kissed the top of her head.
"Watch out for the mummy hands Buff." He replied. With that he grabbed his bag and he and Willow headed out the door.
We each had our own lives. Willow had her studies, Xander had his construction job, and I had the Magic Box. Willow would come in and help after class and Xander would help me train after work. We'd close up and the three of us patrolled or sometimes research the latest big bad. We'd have dinner or go out, veg out in front of the TV, or just simply talk. Whenever we sat on the couch, we would automatically snuggle up together. We hugged a lot. Before their clothes fluke, Willow and Xander had touched each other a lot. Now the three of us had subconsciously started to do the same but with a vengeance.
Only by looking back can I now see that the three of us subconsciously hated being separated. Our lives revolved around each other, and we were happy.
On the romance front, well, we all had issues to face. Together, we helped each other out. Faced our fears and dealt. Wasn't easy, not by a long shot. We cried, and hugged and comforted, spoke of our inner most fears and listened in turn. Slowly we put our lives in order, into neat little boxes.
But last night, life took an unexpected turn. A turn for the better.
We had just taken out a potential big bad. A "little" big bad if you would. It was just after 11pm when we got back home. After cleaning up and stacking away the weapons, I bid goodnight to Will and Xander. The prospect of a sleep in on a Sunday morning was one I looked forward to.
However sleep would not come and, after about half an hour or so, I gave up. Clad only in my dressing gown, I headed out to the kitchen to fix myself a hot chocolate. Guided by the light that filtered through the curtains, I crossed the living room and noticed light underneath Xander's door and the muted sound of music.
Finished making my hot chocolate, I headed back to my room. Half way there I stopped and looked at the Xander's door. Without conscience thought I headed over and opened it.
Willow and Xander were lying on Xander's bed, talking and laughing. In the corner, music was playing quietly out of the stereo I gave Xander for Christmas. Xander was in his boxers and a t-shirt while Willow lay on her stomach in a cream coloured satin nightie that, from where I was standing, offered a fine view of her pale smooth legs and ass.
Shocked that I noticed Willow's ass? Don't be. For a while now we've all been noticing each other in a more than best friends way. But we never seriously talked about it. Aside from the odd joke from Xander or Willow, we locked it away in the box marked "never to be opened".
Xander and Willow shuffled over as I plopped down on the bed next to the bedside table. We talked and joked about the night's activity and as was often the case, we ended up taking a trip down memory lane. We talked about the time that Xander's love spell on Cordy backfired and every woman in Sunnydale wanted Xander.
"Personally, I think I showed great self control." Xander sniffed.
His comment was met by two sets of raised eyebrows.
"Really. And just how do you figure that out Mr Self Control?" Willow asked.
"I had the two loveliest and sexiest women on earth offering to make my wildest fantasies come true but I managed to resist. If you factor in the whole 'I'm a 17 year old boy with more hormones than you could safely have', then I say bravo to me."
"So you didn't once think about just giving in?" I teased Xander. Xander laughed.
"Buff, I've only once thought about giving in. Mind you, that one thought has gone on for over 5 years now." he confessed with a little cheeky smile.
"So you often think about the three of us 'getting together', so to speak." I purred to Xander in my sexiest voice. Xander's eyes locked on mine and it was as if he could see straight through me.
"Don't you?" There was a period of silence as a nodded my head. I could almost hear Willow's thoughts as she too nodded. The song changed and Xander gave a little chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Willow wondered.
"Oh, nothing really. I just used to work to this song when I was in Oxnard."
"You washed dishes to this song?" Willow asked.
It was obvious that Xander never told Willow of his 'other' job he had in Oxnard. I used the opportunity to make Xander squirm a bit.
"He stripped to this song, Will."
The expression on Willow's face was priceless. The shade of red that Xander's face was going was a close second.
"No way! No way! You're just messing with my mind! There is no way Xander could work as a stripper!"
"Hey! Why not? Don't you think I'm good enough to be a stripper?"
"I'm sorry Xander, it's just... you know, the Snoopy Dance isn't what I'd call sexy. Cute? Yes. Funny? Definitely. Sexy? No way." declared Willow. I decided to stir the pot a little.
"Yeah, Xander. All I've got to go on is your story, and you didn't even bother to tell me all of it."
"You guys don't believe I've got what it takes? Fine! I'll prove it!" Xander stomped over to the CD player and restarted the song. He gathered himself for a second then launched into his routine.
Now let me say at this point that it's my firm belief that Xander must have a split personality. One moment he's 'Xander: Goofy and Faithful Best Friend' and next he's 'Xander: Smouldering Sex Object'.
He had the moves. Oh God! Did he have the moves or what? His body; hardened by heavy work, training, and fighting; moved to the music with natural grace and without hesitation, which left no doubt he'd done this more than once for Anya. Muscular shoulders, strong arms, and powerful legs moved with hypnotic ease.
But it was his eyes that gave the greatest impression of change. His friendly chocolate eyes now were dark and sensual. They reached into your inner being, arousing you in their intensity. They drew you into their chocolate pools and you wished nothing more than to drown in them. Willow and I were lost in them.
He removed his shirt and stretched it between his hands. Slowly making his way to Willow, he held his shirt out to Willow to take hold of one end. She did and Xander pulled her up to him. He dragged the shirt slowly across her face and when it was clear of her face she looked at him with lust.
They moved together with the music. Willow ran her hands across his chest and down his arms. Xander ran his fingers through her long hair and down to her ass. Willow slowly turned and leaned into him, her ass grinding into Xander's tented boxers. Xander ran his hands up Willow's body, cupping her breasts and gently caressing her hardening nipples. Willow gasped and Xander kissed her ear lobe. She gave a little moan of pleasure.
Willow ran her left hand through Xander's hair and with her right she started rubbing his manhood. Xander's knees buckled a little at her touch.
Their performance had me rooted to the spot, aroused beyond anything I had ever experienced. The love, the lust, the pure heat that radiated from them left me longing to feel it too. It was all I could do to stop caressing myself right there and then as Xander lifted Willow's nightie and threw it on the floor, leaving her only in her matching panties.
Willow's fiery red hair was in stark contrast to the pale alabaster of her skin and delicate pink nipples. Xander took one in his hand and gently tweaked it. Willow moaned again and turned to face Xander. They kissed with all the love and lust developed over nearly twenty years.
It was at this point my life changed forever.
They broke off their kiss and, after sharing a look, they faced me and held out their hands in invitation.
They wanted me. They needed me. Without me they would not be complete and without them I could not exist.
I took their hands and they guided me between them, wrapping me in a sensual cocoon with their bodies. My dressing gown slipped off my shoulders. My naked quivering body pressed between the warm, comforting bulk of Xander and the smooth, cool curves of Willow.
As they caressed and nuzzled me I took stock of every sensation that I was drowning in. Xander's earthy, masculine musk contrasting with Willow's sweet cinnamon-strawberry scent. Willow's small, soft hands running across my back and down my hips; Xander's large, work calloused hands tracing my jaw-line and the underside of my breasts.
Sometime in the haze, we ended up naked on the bed.
Lips and hands caressed and explored. Nipples dragged across hot skin and tongues danced little orgasmic dances in erogenous zones.
I drank deep their heady nectar and they drank mine. They worshipped me and I in turn worshipped them. I was their Slayer, and they were my Slayerettes.
Ecstasy.
Love.
Belonging.
It was just before dawn when we were finally still. Curled up together, we were physically drained, yet full of the love we had awoken.
Three people.
One soul.
A love that would defy Evil and endure for all time.
There was no awkwardness when we awoke. Indeed, that night tore down the final wall we had erected in our hearts. We were comfortable with each other on a level we had never even realised was possible.
Life has a plan of its own despite our best efforts to put it into neat little boxes. It will open some of those boxes and bring its hidden beauty in a place for all to see.
Into the sunlight.