Rewards, by M. McGregor

Chapter 6

The day at work was, for the most part, bizarrely routine. After the morning Xander had experienced, working at the site was so normal that he wondered if he hadn’t dreamed the entire thing.

The crew was finishing up their current project, after which Xander’s promotion would begin in earnest. He would have his own sub-crew, his own responsibilities. He would tell them what to do, and they would do it.

Just like Buffy. Just like Faith.

He couldn’t get it out of his head. Xander was distracted, and that wasn’t a good state of mind on a construction site. Accidents happened that way.

He was walking across the site, trying to find Pat Mandleby and find out why the custom-fit windows they were supposed to be installing didn’t actually fit the window frames. Of course, he wasn’t thinking about windows at the time. He was thinking about two sets of eyes. One set a clear blue-green, and the other a smoky dark brown. The things he’d seen in those eyes spoke of a myriad of possibilities, from the fantastic to the frightening.

Xander frowned, staring up at the sky, as if the omnipotent beings that seemed to have fun playing with his life would offer him some kind of assistance. All he saw was clear blue sky, mottled by a few wispy white clouds.

“Thanks a lot,” he scowled, although he wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or not. “Some reward.”

Pausing for a moment, he allowed his gaze to relax, pretending for just a little while that life was normal, that he wasn’t put in this position of being taunted with what he’d desired for so long. That he wasn’t put in the position of taking advantage. It was just like the love spell, only this time he’d given in.

Or had he? Was it exactly the same? Could he be forgiven for having sex with Buffy? Could she ever forgive him?

She wasn’t in her right mind. What would she say if this Gimmel character wasn’t manipulating her? She’d probably hate him forever.

Now she was going to tell Riley, and Xander knew even better than Buffy did how rocky that relationship truly was. What would Riley say? Could he possibly stay with Buffy, knowing and believing she did not love him, and knowing she’d had sex with Xander?

She’d told him to enjoy it. To not feel guilty. But was that Buffy, or was that the magic?

The thought that it was actually her was even scarier than the idea that it was the magic.

Maybe he should call her. Or drop by the campus. He could take an extended lunch break. The job was almost finished, and they couldn’t work on the windows anymore today anyway. Pat would let him take some time. Buffy got out of class at twelve-fifteen, he knew. Would she have had time to talk to Riley before that?

Did he even have the right to make surprise friend-visits anymore? Surprise lunches with Buffy and Willow were always a treat for him, but would she want him around after that morning? If she did, what did that mean?

Xander sighed heavily, and took a step forward. Head still looking up, he didn’t watch where he was going, and his ankle twisted awkwardly as it stepped past the ground he assumed would be there. The small hole in the ground was really just an indentation, and it didn’t twist his ankle painfully, but it was enough to send him sprawling forward in a feat of clumsiness that he’d thought he’d grown out of. He cried out comically, and fell face first.

“Great,” he groaned, spitting out some dirt. It was such a perfect topper to his depressed mood. “Just my luck.”

Thinking about luck, he was reminded of the piece of paper that had described his reward. So much for him having good luck now. Gimmel must have made a mistake on that one too.

“Heads up!” came a frantic cry, and a split-second later, a heavy plank of wood came shooting away from the main site, directly through the spot Xander had stood and coming only a few feet from his prone body.

Xander blinked in astonishment, and decided he’d go visit Buffy.

“I never really thought about it before, but it just doesn’t seem right. Professor Kowalski really brought up some very good points, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” Buffy said distractedly. “Really good.”

Willow didn’t seem to notice her friend’s quiet mood. Buffy was often hard pressed to keep up with Willow’s enthusiasm about their classes.

“It makes you wonder what other stuff we learned in High School that’s just like completely wrong,” Willow continued. “It’s bad enough we get such a white-centric education to begin with. I almost started cheering when he started ranting about Squanto!”

Buffy grinned a little at that, glancing quickly at her best friend. “You guys could start an anti-thanksgiving club.”

“Ooh! I could call it the thanks-taking club!” Willow bounced slightly as they walked out of the building and into the bright, sunny afternoon. Buffy smiled softly, and bit her lip gently.

Her nipples were pulsing with a slow, steady pleasure all throughout the day. Every movement she made, every little rub of the fabric of her shirt against her sent electric shocks through her body. Buffy had noticed more than a few sideways glances at her chest by various students, and knew that her nipples were slightly visible even through the thick material of her shirt. Part of her almost wished the rings were visible too, because whenever someone looked at her, she felt such a hot flush of arousal that she nearly stopped breathing.

There was something else that was keeping her subdued, however. Buffy spared Willow a quick look, and then shifted her gaze away.

Willow, she was realizing, was way hot.

Superhot, really. She was so perfectly sweet and feminine and beautiful and elegant and bubbly and a lesbian. Every time Buffy looked at her, she noticed something new. Her friend’s long legs. Her incredible red hair. The way her cleavage was just barely visible in the snug top that she wore. Her shoes, sensible but fashionable at the same time, with a heel that made her stand in such a way that her surprisingly sculpted ass seemed more prominent.

Buffy swallowed, and closed her eyes tightly shut for a moment. This was definitely not her. This was Faith, and it was super-enhanced Faith at that. Buffy wasn’t a lesbian.

No, scratch that. Buffy didn’t use to be a lesbian.

Sometimes, when Willow smiled wide, her tongue would poke out from between her teeth. Buffy found it the most fascinating sight she had ever seen. What would it taste like? What would it feel like?

Tara knew. Beautiful Tara. With the curves and the blonde hair and the cutest little stutter and she was so huggable and cute and totally hot at the same time. Tara and Willow kissed each other. They had sex with each other. Buffy could almost picture it, with Willow’s wispy, almost fragile body sliding down Tara’s curvy and womanly form. That tongue would poke out, and taste Tara’s most intimate part.

God, she was far gone.

Despite how these new feelings confused her, Buffy was somewhat glad for them. It meant she was distracted from what she was going to have to do later. Tell Riley. Tell Giles. Maybe even tell Willow.

Buffy whimpered softly, both at the fear of telling her embarassing new secret, and at the thrill of arousal that embarrassment shot through her.

“Are you okay?” Willow asked, frowning slightly with concern. She reached out and touched Buffy’s shoulder. Buffy swallowed.

“Y-Yeah,” she said, nodding too quickly. “I’m just a little, um, tired. Sick! A little sick.”

The concerned look of worry on Willow’s face almost broke Buffy’s heart. She fought the urge to kiss her best friend.

Willow would like it, a little voice whispered. She’s a lesbian. If you played your cards right, you could make love to her. Maybe Tara too.

Moreover, Buffy realized, Willow had always had a thing for Xander. What if…

She squinted her eyes shut again, banishing the thought. It was too exciting. She would not let herself think about having sex with Willow, Tara, and Xa—

“Xander!” Willow exclaimed happily. “Hi!”

Buffy looked up, eyes going wide. Xander grinned sheepishly at them as he walked up the path. He looked incredible, even though his formerly white shirt was stained with dirt. Xander often looked that way when he met them for impromptu lunches. Some tiny part of her had always appreciated how he looked when he was right off a job. The sweat and dirt gave him a manly quality.

She recalled watching Xander digging a new foundation for a school building the previous year. Anya had been very impressed, and thinking on it, Buffy had been too. Yes. Sweaty Xander was nice.

So was sweaty Anya.

I’m turning into a nympho, Buffy lamented inwardly. Part of her wasn’t so sure that was a bad thing.

“Hey,” Xander smiled as he walked up to them. “Excuse the fashion choice, I decided to do a belly flop onto the dirt earlier.”

Willow grinned and waved his concerns away. She hugged him quickly. “Xanderlunches are always appreciated, no matter how you’re dressed, just so long as you are.”

Buffy was about to groan at the thought of naked Xander, when he turned to her, his arms outstretched in anticipation of a greeting hug. It was what they always did. It was habit.

He seemed to realize how that might be strange almost as soon as he’d turned to her, but Willow was watching, and Buffy couldn’t deny herself the need to dive into that embrace. Without thinking of it, she nearly jumped at Xander. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her feet hanging off the ground as Xander’s arms went around her back from surprise. Buffy moaned softly in his ear, and pressed her hard nipples against him, closing her eyes and putting her face against his neck.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered with enforced truthfulness.

“Wow,” Willow said, sounding amused. “Feeling friendly today, Buffy? How come I don’t get hugs like that?” She grinned at Buffy teasingly. The grin wavered as she realized Buffy wasn’t letting go, but instead seemed to snuggle against Xander, holding her body close to his.

“Are you okay?” Xander asked quietly, the soft secret nature of his voice making her shiver with delight.

“I’m going to explode,” she moaned hotly into his ear. “I’ve been thinking about you. About Anya. About Faith and…Willow.”

Xander matched her for redness, and Willow frowned at them.

“You guys,” she said with a slight whine. “What’s going on?”

“Um…” Xander trailed off, unsure of how to answer. He didn’t think that “nothing” would cut it. Buffy just inhaled through her nose, breathing in his scent.

He smelled of the outdoors, of wood and sawdust, grass and sweat. Faint wisps of his shampoo mixed with the traces of musky sex-smell that lingered on him. He smelled like aftershave. He smelled like Xander, like comfort, trust, and love. He smelled like life; life restored, life lived. She drank him in, and knew she was addicted to his smell.

“Did you see a vampire Xander or something?” Willow asked, growing more concerned. “Is this a ‘Hooray-you’re-alive’ hug? Cause I like that Xander’s alive too. Should I be hugging?”

Buffy whimpered. This could only be better if Willow were hugging her too. Two hot bodies, pressing against her, surrounding her.

“Buffy!” Willow put a hand on her shoulder, and Buffy hunched at the touch. She could feel the heat of Willow’s hand through the touch, and the barest touch of skin against skin. Her hands were so soft and feminine. Willow frowned and pulled her hand back, thinking Buffy was cringing at her touch. “What’s wrong? Xander?”

Her eyes closed, breathing in Xander’s scent, Buffy felt momentarily energized, momentarily confident in her new feelings and her ability to handle them. She took advantage of that moment, her mind racing. With a deep breath, savoring Xander’s smell, she brought her head back and looked into his eyes. The depth of the worry, fear, and caring in them made her hiccup a laugh that was almost a sob, and she couldn’t help but smile at him for a moment before bringing her forehead close to his.

“Tell me,” she whispered, struggling mightily not to kiss him. She would feel so much better if she did. So much stronger, able to handle telling Willow, able even to tell Riley. Nothing was able to hurt her when Xander was around. Not even Death could claim her when Xander was with her. He always made her feel better; always saw her through the worst times. He was her support, her friend, and her protector.

Her owner. Her conscience. Her limit.

“Tell me,” she said again. “Tell me to tell her.”

“Tell me what?” Willow frowned, looking between them suspiciously.

“What?” Xander whispered, seemingly unaware of Willow.

“If you tell me, I can do it,” she said with as steady a voice as she could manage. It was like she was asking his permission, but it was also like she was asking for his support. With his order, she could tell Willow. Without it, could she ever work up the nerve? “I want you to, Xander. Help me. Please.”

“You’re sure?” he asked, staring into her eyes.

Buffy nodded. “I think so. I don’t know if I can do it otherwise.”

“Do what?” Willow demanded. “What are you talking about?”

“I have to tell her,” Buffy whispered. “But I can’t. How can I? You have to tell me.”

Xander stared at her, and Buffy could see his mind working. Willow had to know. She was one of them, one of the Scoobies, and this was definitely Scooby material. Besides that, she was also their best friend. She would notice the strangeness, already had noticed it.

And how could Buffy tell her these things? It was too embarassing, too incredible.

If he told her to tell Willow, she would have no choice but to tell. She could do it without giving into her embarrassment.

But, she realized, there was more to it than that. She wanted Xander to tell her to do something. She wanted to feel that rush of paradoxical freedom that came from being released of responsibility. Xander would tell her to tell Willow, and it would be out of her hands.

She saw the decision in his eyes, and he nodded slightly. Buffy held her breath in anticipation of the order. She would savor it. The whole time she told Willow, she would think about it, about how she was obeying him, about how Xander was in control of her.

Then, to her astonishment, Xander shook his head. Confusion flooded her, and she frowned back at him, a little twinge of fear going through her. What did that mean?

“I’ll tell her,” he said. So simple.

Buffy let out a gasping, “Oh” of surprise and wonder. Yes. That was even better. He took it out of her hands completely. He took charge. Took control.

She kissed him, lips wet against his own. Buffy sucked air in through her nose as she did so, endeavoring to experience as much of him as she could in that moment. She heard Willow’s shocking gasp of surprise, felt the hum of Xander’s surprised groan against her lips. She moaned back against him. In his arms, kissing him. Kissing Xander.

It was far better than her fantasy had been. Yes, it was a kiss beyond those she’d shared before. Yes there was love there, friendship and trust. Caring was evident throughout, as well as a subtle trace of her giving of herself to him, giving him a piece of her with the kiss. Yet her imagined fantasy of earlier in the day had missed one crucial detail.

He was Xander. Imagination simply didn’t live up to the real thing. The two other kisses they’d shared that day, they were quick and without passion, the simple kinds of kisses that friends might share. Never before had she had a real kiss with Xander. The imagined kiss was built of every kiss she’d had before then, and all those kisses were Not-Xanders.

This was Xander, hard and real and trusting and living. This was Xander, soft and gentle and manly and vulnerable. This was Xander kissing Buffy. Dreams made flesh.

Salty wet tears joined the wet taste of his lips, and Buffy smiled against him before finally pulling back. Then she seemed to regain her awareness of where she was, and what was going on. Was reminded of Riley, and that Xander was not hers.

No, whispered the tiny voice inside of her, the voice of her self. He’s not yours. You’re his.

“We should go somewhere private,” Xander said, addressing Willow but looking at Buffy. “I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

Buffy looked at him sadly and nodded, more confused than ever.

“And then we, uh,” Xander looked sheepishly at a very stunned Willow. “Made with the sex.”

Willow blinked. She looked at Xander. She looked at Buffy. She looked at Xander again. Her mouth opened. It closed. Her eyebrows drew together in a deep frown, as she tried to think of what to say, of how to react.

They were in Willow and Tara’s dorm. Xander sat on Tara’s bed, with Buffy on the far end. Every so often she would look at Xander, trying to figure out what she wanted. Kissing Xander was definitely high on her list of incredible things, followed shortly thereafter by having sex with Xander. Or maybe they were tied.

In any case, it was good. The only trouble was she was supposed to be with Riley.

Right?

It sounded hollow, even in her head. The slow realization that she was likely to be breaking up with Riley was creeping up on her.

Meanwhile, Xander was doing an admirable job of explaining the whole situation, showing that he’d paid far more attention to the details than Buffy had realized. She’d only had to chime in twice, once to express just how powerful her new desires were, and again to say that she was more confused than upset.

Xander stammered only occasionally, and although he wouldn’t look at her when he quickly sped through a recounting of the naughtier bits, he managed to give Willow the basic information without making a fool out of himself.

Willow sat on her bed, one leg folded up beneath her. She stared between the two of them in disbelieving, incredulous shock.

“You didn’t,” she insisted.

“We did.”

“What about Anya? What about Riley?”

“Anya’s not exactly upset,” Buffy smirked. With Xander taking the lead and explaining things, Buffy was finding it easier to deal. She was reacting more and more to the whole situation like it was just another hellmouth-induced wackiness.

The only difference was she wasn’t so sure it was a bad wackiness.

“And Riley?”

Buffy stared down at her hands. “I haven’t told him yet.”

“What…what does all this mean?” Willow asked. “Is it horrible?”

Xander coughed. Buffy tried to keep a guilty grin from spreading on her face. Although there was nothing compelling her to be honest with Willow, she felt a thrill at the idea of admitting her feelings.

“About as far from horrible as you can get,” she whispered, proud of her brashness.

“We have to tell Giles. Hit the books! I-I’ve never heard of this Gimmel guy before, but there’s got to be a way to reverse it. There are always ways.”

“Yeah,” Buffy replied halfheartedly. “I guess.”

A soft beeping emitted from Willow’s wrist, and she sighed, glancing at her watch. “I’m supposed to meet Tara at the eatery.” She gave the two of them a worried look. “Are you going to be okay? Can I do anything?”

Buffy shook her head.

“Xander?”

“I’m good, Will. I’m not really on the losing end, here.”

“No,” Buffy opined. “Xander, I’m not on the losing end either. Really!”

“No offense, Buffy, but you’re not exactly in your right mind.”

“Oh, I get it, I’m not me anymore just cause I’m really horny around you?”

Willow made a soft squeaking sound.

“You’re all keyed up from this magic. You only like this because of it. It’s just like when you were with Spike or when…when you wanted to be with me.”

“I don’t care,” Buffy said, and it was only a partial lie. She scooted closer to Xander. “Even…even if I lose this, I won’t think of it as a bad time, Xander. Whatever’s going on, it’s good right now, and I don’t want you feeling guilty.” She reached out, feeling the hard muscles of his upper arm. “Besides, I know what I felt before this, Xander. I know I wouldn’t…wouldn’t hate this. Not really.”

Xander’s eyes met hers, and she swallowed at the intensity of his gaze. “It’d be nice if that was true.”

Tears filled her eyes, and Buffy’s bottom lip trembled. “It is.”

He looked down, a look of guilt and pain. Buffy wanted to throw her arms around him and swear it was true. How could she make him believe her, when she was still so confused herself? She didn’t truly know where she ended and the spell began.

The only thing she could cling to was the trust that had existed before all of this. To the feelings she’d had beforehand. She had to, or she would go crazy.

Willow coughed.

“I-I really have to go.”

Xander nodded. “Go, Will. There’ll be plenty of time to talk when we start researching.”

With a final glance between the two of them, Willow let out a soft, shuddering breath, and stepped forward, pulling them into a quick hug.

“It’s gonna be okay,” she promised. “We’ll think of something.”

Buffy stiffened at the touch, and shut her eyes before relaxing in the embrace. Without knowing it, she inhaled deeply the smell of Willow’s hair. Her constantly aching nipples throbbed pleasurably, and she had to struggle not to hold onto her for far longer. The struggle was made worse by Xander’s proximity, and she could feel his warm, comforting presence just beside her, almost touching him.

Willow pulled back, and frowned curiously at Buffy. For an instant, Buffy was sure she’d realized what Buffy had been doing, but then seemed to dismiss the idea. She smiled at the two of them, and left the room.

Then they were alone. They sat close together, and Buffy did her best to keep her body completely still. Her heart beat rapidly, and her breathing was as slow and even as she could enforce. Xander sat leaning forward on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. He seemed so alone.

She slid beside him, her left thigh pressed against his right. He looked up at the touch, despair in his eyes. Buffy said nothing, and leaned against him, resting her head against his shoulder.

“You’re still my best friend,” she promised. “I wish I could do something to make you feel better.”

He gestured between them. “Make this real.”

She whimpered and put her arms around him. “It is, Xander. It was always real, even when we didn’t see it.”

His arm went around her, holding her as she held him. He chuckled mirthlessly. “Five years, and the hint that you could love me still tears at me, Buff.”

“Oh, Xander. You know I love you. Always.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s real,” she promised again. “It is, Xander. He didn’t make me trust you. He didn’t make me care about you. He didn’t make me love you. Y-You…you can’t make someone love someone else.”

He snorted. “Tell that to the entire female population of Sunnydale. Yourself included.”

There it was. She saw it. It was bright and clear, and she grabbed it like a life preserver.

“Xander?”

“Yeah?”

“I remember how I felt that night, the night of the love spell.”

“Deja vu all over again, huh?”

She shook her head, and looked up at his face, at the smooth lines of his jaw, the slight stubble that was beginning to form. “No, Xander. That’s how I know it’s real. It’s not the same. That was fake, and that’s why it went bad.”

“And this isn’t bad?” he scoffed.

“Not for me.”

He sighed. “We’re going around in circles. It’s not bad because the magic makes you like it.”

“Well so what? Who cares? Yeah, okay, the magic makes me hot, Xander. It makes me think about all these things I never let myself think about before. Yeah, I spent most of class dreaming about making out with half the girl’s in class while you made love to me. Okay, the idea of getting tied up makes me wet all day. Sure, I’ve been struggling not to pull on my rings since they showed up, but that doesn’t matter! It’s just sex, Xander. That’s just physical.

“This,” she turned, getting on her knees on the bed to look him in the eye. “The way I trust you, the way I love you, that’s the only part that matters. Why should I be upset that I like something? I like it! I like it, but I love you.”

He stared back at her. His hand reached up, cupping the side of her face. She closed her eyes, nuzzling against it. She moaned quietly. “I like this, Xander. I love you touching me. I love you showing me that you love me back.”

“I do, you know,” he whispered. “That’s why it sucks.”

“That’s why I can do this,” she argued. “That’s why it’s good.”

“You’re with Riley, he’s your boyfriend.” The argument was hollow, almost desperate.

“We’re together. But I don’t know if I’m with him. I…I’m not in love with him, Xander.”

“You’re not in love with me either,” Xander said, bitterly.

She spoke quietly. “I think I might be.”

Shaking his head angrily, he turned away from her. “That’s the magic.”

“Xander!” she growled, pushing him away with surprising force. “Why do you have to be like this?”

“Because I’m not going to have you like this, Buffy. It’s not real.”

“You don’t know that! I don’t even know what I feel, and you’re already claiming it’s fake! Don’t do this to me, Xander. I can’t do this if you hate it. It’ll tear me apart.”

“God,” Xander gasped, shutting his eyes and putting his head in his hands. “That’s just it. I don’t hate it. I could never hate it. It’s you.”

Buffy smiled, despite his forlorn sadness. She put her hand against his back, rubbing it gently, and leaned against him again.

“Please, Xander? Don’t feel guilty. For me?”

“How do I know that you isn’t the magic?” he pleaded, sounding so desperate for a way to know.

All at once, Buffy knew it. All at once, confusion meant something.

“Because,” she said, a smile creeping onto her face. “You told me I’m not in love with you.”

Xander brought his hands away from his face, and turned his head to look at her. “What do you mean?”

“You said, ‘You’re not in love with me either,’” she reminded him.

“So?”

“So I have to do what you tell me. Remember?”

“But you said tha—”

“That I don’t know. I don’t know, Xander! Don’t you see? You can’t change that! You can’t order me to love you or order me not to love you! It won’t work! I don’t know if I’m actually in love with you, but I don’t know that I’m not, either. You told me I’m not, so I shouldn’t be. You see?”

He frowned, and nodded slowly. “I think so.” Then his expression darkened. “What if you just don’t follow all my orders? I…I said you were with Riley, and you’re not, you know, physically with him.”

She growled. “That’s different.”

“How?”

“I don’t know! It just is! Why are you fighting this? You know I’m right.”

Sighing, he just stared down at the floor. Buffy frowned.

“Okay, order me to do something.”

“What?”

“Give me an order. Something that makes me think differently.”

“I can’t do—”

“Xander!”

“Fine. What should I tell you?”

She tried to think. “I’m not sure. Something that changes my mind.”

“Like what?”

Buffy pursed her lips, frowning in deep concentration. What could he do to test it? She looked around, looking for ideas. She inhaled softly through her nose, noticing his smell again. It comforted her, and brought about a strange memory.

Xander smelled nice.

She frowned. “What if…what if you told me to be the Cave-Slayer?”

“What?”

“You could tell me to be the Cave-Slayer until, um, you do something. Or say something. Maybe just tell me not to anymore.”

“That seems kind of dangerous. Cave-Slayer’s not so friendly.”

She sighed. “Well fine, but something like that. Um…tell me that I’m, uh…” she noticed a picture of Tara on Willow’s nightstand. “Tara! Tell me I’m Tara.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No,” she said, bouncing slightly as she smiled at him. The idea kind of excited her. “You can change me back right after.”

“And…why am I doing this?”

“Because if it works you can order me not to love you, and if that doesn’t work, then you have to stop being guilty.”

“That’s some strange logic you have there, Buffy.”

“Just do it, please? It’ll make me feel better. I need something to get my mind off my nipple rings.”

Xander frowned. “Wait, what? Nipple rings? You said that before.”

Buffy blushed. “Oh, yeah. They kind of showed up while I was masturbating. Showering! While I was showering!” She clamped a hand over her mouth. Even as she burned with embarrassment, her pussy moistened. She was very glad she’d asked Xander to keep her honesty with him.

“Oh.”

“They’re really distracting me,” Buffy admitted, unable to keep quiet. She let out a loud breath and put her forehead against his shoulder. “They feel really good.”

Her voice lowered an octave, and she glanced at him from beneath her eyelashes. “You could play with them. You could tell me to take off my shirt. Would that satisfy you?”

“N-No being Tara?” he stammered.

She shook her head, breathing heavily and biting her lip gently. “Whatever you do, just do it soon, Xander. I’m going crazy.”

Xander poked his tongue against his cheek and frowned slightly. He seemed to come to a decision, and nodded. “Okay. Stand up.”

A giddy grin coming to her face, Buffy stood up quickly, obeying him instantly. She licked her lips in anticipation.

“For the next minute,” he said, standing up as well. “You can’t move at all. Understand?”

“Mm,” she squeaked. It was supposed to be “Yes.” Her pussy grew wetter, and her nipples throbbed. She couldn’t move a muscle, couldn’t even blink.

“Okay. You wanted a test, so here goes.” He wiggled his fingers at her. Buffy squeaked, confused. He gave her a little grin, and moved his fingers towards her belly. She suddenly realized what he was doing.

Tickling her! She squealed as loud as she could manage as his fingers poked and teased at her, her body wanting nothing more than to double over in laughter. Her nipples pulsed with each touch, and her pussy throbbed. Her squealing was never able to rise above a quiet whine, but she was being driven out of her mind. Not only was Xander, a certified master in the craft, tickling her but she was also doubly aware that Xander was the one tickling her. Xander’s fingers on her stomach, touching her and sending thrills through her body.

It was exquisite torture the likes of which she’d never experienced in her entire life. The sensation of being perfectly motionless, without even a slight tensing of her muscles, was a turn-on like she’d never comprehended. All she could do was squeal under his touch.

Finally the minute was over and she doubled over, laughing uproariously as she fell against him. Xander cried out with the unexpected movement and they toppled onto the bed, Buffy heaving in great gasping sobs of laughter. She knew that another few seconds and she would have had a very embarassing accident.

That was the thought that turned the laughter to moans, and she bucked slightly as a tiny orgasm exploded in tremors throughout her body. Then she sagged, relaxing against him.

“Wow,” Xander whispered in astonishment.

“Oh my God,” Buffy panted. “That was incredible.”

“Good?”

She grinned, and kissed him tiredly on the cheek. “Good.”

“You really couldn’t move?”

She smirked at him. “Are you kidding?”

“No. Guess not. So I’d say the orders still work.”

Buffy smiled at him, resting softly against his body. She writhed slightly, rubbing her chest against his. “Mmm. Yeah.”

“Um, so, I should tell you not to love me, right?”

She swallowed, and nodded at him. Xander opened his mouth, but she spoke up quickly. “But Xander? If…if I stop…you have to promise to change me back.”

“Okay,” he whispered. “I’ll uh, I’ll tell you to change for a minute again.”

Fear gripping her, Buffy nodded. She rolled off of him, and sat up. Xander did too, and she took his hand in hers.

“It’s not going to work,” she assured him. He had no answer, just nodded sadly. She squeezed his hand.

“Okay,” Xander took a deep breath. “For the next minute, uh, I order you not to love me.”

Buffy stared at him. Xander stared back. His sad expression turned dark. Buffy lowered her eyes.

“So much for tha—”

Then Buffy looked up, grinned, and threw her arms around him.

“I may not know if I’m in love with you, Xander, but nothing’s ever going to stop me from loving you.” She kissed his cheek. “Not even my new owner!”

Xander let out a relieved bark of laughter, and hugged her tight. Buffy hummed softly as she held him close, and whispered in his ear.

“So, no more feeling guilty, right?”

He sighed, but it was a happy sigh. “A promise is a promise.”

Buffy grinned. “Good. So, um, maybe you could help me with these rings before I go to my next class, then?”

“Uh, help?”

With a wicked smile, she kissed him on the nose, pulled back, and pulled off her shirt.

“Oh,” Xander said. “That kind of help.”

Xander had to order Buffy not to be too loud, because her orgasmic cries of pleasure would have likely had the campus police tearing into Willow and Tara’s dorm. For twenty minutes she insisted that he pull and tug on her new rings harder and harder, with Xander reluctant to be too rough with them.

By the time Buffy was nearly delirious, he’d gotten over his fears, due in no small part to Buffy’s pleading that he be as aggressive as he could be. When she’d finally collapsed against him, begging him to stop because she couldn’t handle any more, they hadn’t actually figured out a way to remove the rings. What they had accomplished was to help her work off some of the incredible sexual energy that seemed to build up in her so quickly.

The day was rapidly gaining on her former orgasm-record of the last time she was involved in magical induced sex. She and Riley had probably gotten into Guinness that night, but considering how often she’d cum since this morning, Buffy knew she was fast gaining on that substantial record.

Afterwards, she lay on Tara’s bed with Xander beside her. She was topless, with one hand idly stroking her right nipple. Xander was still fully clothed, and although she knew he was erect, she wasn’t quite at the point where she could offer to do something about it. Although the thought did cross her mind over and over again.

“Thank you,” she said, sighing softly.

“I’d say my pleasure, but I think you’ve got me beat.”

She grinned and laughed a little. “I think so too. I never knew a person could feel so good.”

“Well I’m glad you have that, at least.”

Buffy nodded sleepily, knowing she was going to have to leave to head to her next class soon. She shared her next class with Riley.

“I’m going to tell him after class,” she whispered.

Xander nodded. “How do you think he’ll react?”

“Not good.”

“Can’t blame him.”

She shook her head. “No, you can’t. But…I think it’ll be for the best.”

“Are you sure? You guys seemed so happy to me. Much as I love you Buffy, I don’t want to see you lose something like that.”

“We were happy,” she sighed. “I guess. But he seems lost. Like I took him away from his life, and now all he has left is me. I think he’s unhappy.”

Xander “hmmed” softly, recalling Riley’s words: “She doesn’t love me.”

“You’re really lucky,” Buffy said a moment later, staring up at the ceiling.

“Technically I’m super-lucky, according to Mr. Rewards.”

Buffy grinned but shook her head. “No, I mean about Anya. You guys have something special. I get jealous of it sometimes.” Her eyes went wide as she realized she was revealing more than she wanted to, thanks to her honesty. She closed her mouth quickly.

“You do?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I don’t like to admit it to myself, but I do. You’re in love with her.”

“I-I am,” he admitted.

“I won’t ruin it,” Buffy promised. “I swear. She’s your girlfriend. She loves you, you love her, I won’t get between that.”

“She’s going to want to experiment with you,” Xander said. “I don’t know how she’s going to react to any of this beyond that. I think she knows how I feel about you.”

“Of course she does. She loves you.”

“Yeah, that sure doesn’t complicate things,” he sighed.

Buffy grinned and rolled over. She kissed him on the cheek before sitting up. Giving her nipples one last hard pinch, she groaned and then picked up her shirt. She pulled it over her head. “It’ll work out. She’s the girlfriend. I’m something else.”

“What else?” Xander asked.

She smiled, and kissed him gently on the lips. “Yours. Start thinking about it now that you’re not allowed to be guilty. I’m yours.”

Xander gulped, and was soon alone in Willow and Tara’s dorm, left to think about the events that had so far occured on this Day of Days.