TITLE: Just Like The Day.
AUTHOR: Black Widow
EMAIL: bw@lurker.freeserve.co.uk
FEEDBACK: Always welcome.
SUMMARY: Willow helps Joyce forget.
SPOILERS: None.
RATING: PG.
PAIRING: Joyce/Willow
DISCLAIMER: The characters are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy,
Kuzui, Sandollar, and Greenwolf Productions, 20th Century
Fox, the WB Network, and whoever else may have a hold on
them. The situation is wholly mine, and I do not mean to
infringe upon any copyrights
ARCHIVE/DIST: You want it, take it. Just send me an email to let me know
NOTES: There are some days when all i want to do is lie in the sun
listening to Pat Metheny. This is the first in a series of
Metheny inspired stories. The title track can be found on
the album 'Trio 99->00'.
Set after Becoming. Buffy hasn't returned to Sunnydale;
Joyce and Will have become lovers.

Willow waited patiently in the master - 'mistress', she smiled to
herself - bedroom for Pat and Joyce to finish their discussion.

"Pat, I know you mean well..." she heard Joyce say for the third time.
'Oh dear, he we go again,' Willow thought. She looked around the room
again. By now she knew the *exact* location of everything in there.
'Clockwise this time,' she thought, closing her eyes and mentally going
through the list. Anything to stop herself thinking of what she would
like to do with Joyce, and what she had done with Joyce, these past few
days. Willow got as far as the perfume, *again*, when she felt that
tingle deep inside her. 'Go! Now!" she screamed mentally at Pat. 'I
can't take this any more!'

"Well, if you're *sure* you'll be all right," she heard Pat say.

'Oh, thank you, thank you!' Willow thought in relief, waiting to hear
the door close before jumping off the bed and running down the stairs to
hug her lover.

Joyce hugged her tight, smiling gently at her, but unable to stop a tear
from welling in the corner of her eye. Willow looked at her uncertainly
before wiping the tear away. Another formed to take it's place, then
another as Joyce started to sob, her body shaking. Willow held her
closer, whispering soothing words in her ear, waiting for the sobbing to
stop. 'Why, Pat, why?' she thought. 'Every time you come you make her
think of Buffy, and every time...' she let her thoughts trail off as
tears started to form in her own eyes.

They stood there for a few minutes, each lost in their own personal
grief.

"Picnic," Joyce said suddenly, straightening up and looking and Willow,
"Why don't we have a picnic? Get out of the house. Get some fresh air.
Be somewhere different for a change. Somewhere... else..." bravely
trying to smile. Willow took her hands and squeezed them gently, smiling
back and nodding. Neither of them wanted to be there right now, and a
change would do them both good.

"I know where the picnic basket is," Joyce told her, "I'll fetch it.
Want to get some food together?" she asked. Willow nodded and headed off
to the kitchen as Joyce went to the cellar.

Willow had a quick rummage through the pantry and the refrigerator,
amazed at all the food that Joyce had. Her own mother barely did any
shopping, so Willow usually only bought what she needed for herself. And
when she ate at Xander's... well, his mother's call to the Chinese was
legendary. And everything was fresh and healthy - plenty of fruit and
vegetables, brown bread and white meat. Willow mentally checked off the
vitamin content automatically and smiled 'nutritionist heaven'. She put
a variety on the table, and started making sandwiches and some fruit
salad. She'd nearly finished when she realised that Joyce hadn't come
back.

Concerned, she ran down to the cellar. Joyce was sitting on the floor,
crying, hugging the picnic basket to herself. The basket was still in
it's original wrapping. 'I wonder how may times...' and let the thought
go. Buffy wasn't the picnic girl she realised. 'Poor Joyce. Everything
is conspiring against you today,' she thought. Carefully taking the
basket from her, she sat down beside Joyce and held her again. She
waited a few moments before venturing "Perhaps..."

Joyce took a deep breath. "No, Dear, I need to." She smiled weakly. "You
must think..."

Willow cut her off. "I think you're a very loving, caring person." She
cupped Joyce's face in her hands, looking deep into her eyes. "I think
you're a beautiful, wonderful, caring person and I love you." She kissed
Joyce tenderly. "And I think we shouldn't be down this cellar on such a
beautiful day." She stood up and helped Joyce to her feet. "And I think
you're right, let's picnic."

***

Joyce parked the car a short way from the beach. Willow fetched the
basket out the back, and they walked hand in hand, arms entwined down to
a secluded spot where they could just be together.

***

Joyce looked across at Willow as they spread out their towels. 'What
would I do without you,' she thought. Her mind drifted back to the other
night, when they realised what they could be for each other. What they
could be and so much more. Willow with a mother who was never there for
her, and herself, alone...

Willow looked up at her and smiled. She thought back to all the times
when she had wanted to be with her own daughter. 'Children these days.
But Willow is so different. When she reached out to me... or did I
reach out to her? The first time our hands came together. The look
that passed between us. That instant feeling of knowing...'

She sat down. Willow dug into the basket and tossed her an apple. 'How
very Willow. Thinking of others first. Buffy wouldn't have. She'd have
grabbed something for herself and ran down to the sea... Or I imagine
she would have...'

Willow sat down beside her, quiet, that ever-present smile radiating
love.

***

"You're such an angel," I tell her. Her smile broadens and my heart
beats faster.

"Share?" she asks, glancing at the apple. I take a bite and hand it to
her.

'Share,' I let the word fill my mind. Such a simple word, such a simple
concept. I watch her bite into the apple. Some of the juice trickles on
to her chin. Her tongue flicks out and captures it and she licks her
lips. She sees me watching her and smiles. When she offers me the apple
I shake my head. "No, you finish it," I tell her. She licks her lips,
slower this time, and takes another bite. This is what we're doing,
sharing. Sharing our needs, sharing our love, sharing our life together.

I watch her finishing the apple. Savoring each mouthful with her,
wanting to enjoy the taste of the apple, the taste of the apple on her.
But now isn't the time. I laugh as she reaches for an empty bag to put
the apple core in. How many kids would have just thrown it away? But
my Willow wouldn't litter. Not even an apple core.

My Willow. Yes, she is my Willow. "I love you," I tell her.

She looks back at me. "We love each other," she tells me, smiling,
leaning forward, her mouth slightly open. And we kiss. Not a deep,
passionate kiss, but a soft, tender kiss. "Shall we swim?" she asks. I
nod in reply and she starts to unbutton my blouse. I look around, but
we're alone. Her turn to laugh. The shy, quiet young girl of three days
ago is quickly becoming a strong, confident young lady. I concentrate on
unbuttoning her shirt. Just touching the buttons, carefully avoiding
touching her body. Now isn't the time.

As I remove my shoes she kicks off hers. When I remove my skirt she lets
her jeans fall to the sand. Everything we do, we do together. Sharing.
We reach out at the same time, we smile at the same time, we laugh at
the same. Synchronicity. We turn and slowly walk to the sea, hand in
hand, my step matching hers. Look, smile, laugh. And jump as we enter
the water. Look, smile, laugh. And dive, coming to the surface to swim,
side by side, slowly away from the beach.

We stop, facing each other, treading water, laughing, bobbing up and
down on the gentle waves which slowly push us together.

She puts a hand around my waist, takes a deep breath. I do the same and
we stop treading water, letting our bodies sink beneath the surface.
With our free arms we pull ourselves deeper, twisting and turning,
spinning and circling, holding each other tightly, cheek to cheek, we
dance together under the water.

Coming up for air we kiss briefly and let ourselves fall again, we dance
in the water, dance to the music of our love.

***

Even as we lay floating on the surface, eyes closed, the sun shining
down on us, letting the waves guide us to the shore, I can feel her
smile in my heart.

***

Our bodies drained of energy we tuck into the food, hungrily at first,
then more slowly, pulling off small pieces from the sandwiches we feed
each other. We don't need to talk, we just look into the other's eyes
and know.

***

Willow stretches out my towel on the sand and bids my lie down. Tilting
my head back, I watch as she spreads out her towel behind me. Then she
delves into the basket and pulls out a bunch of grapes. Sensing my gaze
she looks down at me and smiles. She lies down behind me and gently
lifts my head, sneaking her shoulder into the sand underneath, then
rests her head on my shoulder. She looks at me with a satisfied grin on
her face, plucks a grape, and pops it in my mouth. As I eat she kisses
my cheek, my throat, my neck. Soft, feather-light kisses, tracing the
path of the grape. She puts another to my lips. I kiss gently on
her fingertips before accepting it into my mouth. Letting out a
contented sigh she rests her head back, turning it to one side to
hear and feel my heart beating.

***

Quietly, we lie in the sun, listening to the surf lapping the shore as
she feeds me with one hand whilst the other strokes my hair, my ears,
traces delicate lines on my cheek, my throat, my neck. Time has slowed,
an eternity passes with every beat as my heart is filled with her love.

***

We sit together in the cool of the evening, huddled together for warmth,
as the sun begins to set. As it melts slowly into the sea, we turn to
each other and kiss passionately, deep and long. Searching, exploring,
giving of our love for each other and, most importantly, sharing.

***

Quietly we dress and pack. Quietly we walk to the car, hand in hand,
arms entwined.

***

Willow opens the door for me with a smile. We leave the basket by the
door and walk slowly up the stairs to bed.

***

She lies beside me. I hold her gently in my arms. She looks up at me and
smiles before resting her head on my breast, listening to the beat of my
heart and falling asleep.

***

Such a lovely day. I've never been happier than I am now with my Willow.
She has given me a day that I will cherish forever. I look at her
beautiful face. Even asleep she smiles. My heart sings and I don't cry.
I'm happy now, so very happy, and so much in love with my Willow. My
Willow: my friend, my love, my life... my daughter.