Eternal Love
Chapter Four
DISCLAIMER: We own nothing except our original story idea. The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all of it’s characters belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, et al.
RATING: A definite NC-17 on this chapter!
SPOILERS: Season five, up to and including “The Gift.”
SUMMARY: Buffy and Riley find each other again under mysterious circumstances.
DISTRIBUTION: THC and Beau. Anyone else has but to ask and it shall be given.
Buffy and Riley sat across from each other at the kitchen table. Silence had fallen over the room, for it seemed that as soon as their meal was over, they had run out of nonsensical things to say. All of the “safe” topics had been discussed in between bites of hot dogs.
For awhile, Buffy had monopolized the conversation with endless talk about her rigorous training schedule. It seemed that Giles had believed that all of Buffy’s free time should be filled with working out and hitting punching bags. Just before her battle with Glory, she had trained almost 8 hours a day.
Her life had been quite tedious. Wake up in the morning, get Dawn off to school, and then leave for the Magic Shop to train. A brief break for lunch, train some more, meet Dawn at school, and then there were still 3 hours left to train. Most nights after dinner, she’d gone patrolling.
While life had been going on in Sunnydale, Riley had been busy scouting out demon nests, cleaning weapons, and practicing his field medicine. His free time had been spent drinking, listening to his men complain, and swatting at the multitude of blood sucking insects that seemed to thrive in Belize.
“Well, so much for small talk.” Riley replied a bit dryly.
Buffy picked up their dishes and walked over to the sink to rinse them off. She felt so uncomfortable. There was so much she wanted to say to him and she knew that Riley felt as she did. She would open her mouth, prepared to tell him of all her inner most fears, and the words would just get stuck in her throat. So, the only thing she could do was stand at the sink and rinse off dishes.
Riley walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. Pulling her close, he bent down to lightly nuzzle and kiss her ear. Buffy immediately stiffened at his touch.
“Buffy, what is it?”
“Nothing.” She said, pulling away from his embrace.
“I don’t think it’s ‘nothing’.” Riley answered, grabbing her arm to prevent her from walking away.
Turning Buffy around to face him, Riley saw the pain and torment reflected in her hazel eyes. She looked down at her feet and didn’t say a word to him.
“Come on, Buff, we’ve been beating around the bush long enough. If we want to get our relationship back on track, it’s time we talked. Okay?”
Buffy nodded her head ‘yes’.
“Good.”
Riley took her by the hand and the two of them walked back out into the living room. The sun had totally burned off the fog that had been clinging to the trees earlier that morning. Outside, about 50 feet away, stood a herd of white tail does and their fawns grazing unafraid at the tender green blades of grass.
Pulling Riley over to the bank of windows, Buffy pointed the herd out to him.
“Riley, look at the deer. I’ve never seen any in the wild before, have you?”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. Buffy was a true city girl, and the only animal she’d seen in its natural element was a jackrabbit.
“Every day, Buff. They’re here every morning and are quite tame. I’ve gone out sometimes with salt in my hand, and they come up to me and lick it right out of my palm.”
“Amazing!”
“Come on, let’s get comfortable.” He said, tugging her back over to the couch.
Taking a seat, Buffy curled up next to him. *Okay, time to let it all out. Take a deep breath and talk.*
“Riley, about those vampires…” Buffy began.
Riley placed his finger on her lips to stop her from talking.
“Buffy, I didn’t sleep with them if that’s what you’re wondering. I know you called them my whores, but I never had sex with them. I would never cheat on you… I love you too much to ever do that.” Riley replied, looking down into her eyes.
“But I *heard* you command that vamp to suck harder. Now I know damn well that means….”
He quickly interrupted her misguided statement. “Buffy, I remember vividly the look on your face when you walked into the den and saw that female vamp curled up between my legs. Now, I’ll admit that it did look like she had her face buried in my crotch, and unfortunately, you walked in just as I told her to suck harder. It was a poor choice of words on my part and I’ve regretted them ever since, but you misunderstood me. I wasn’t giving her instructions for oral sex. She was a fledgling vamp who had no idea how much pressure I wanted to feel, so I told her to ‘suck harder’.”
“Is that what you meant?” She asked shyly.
“God’s honest truth.” He answered, raising his right hand.
But he thought, *Thank God you didn’t walk in just a few seconds earlier, because you’d have heard her sucking and mumbling how good I tasted and she was talking about the blood.*
“Buffy, I felt high when those vamps fed on me, nothing more. I was addicted to it. I could escape for a few minutes from the pain of my useless existence. I felt I was needed again. I was useful to somebody, even if that somebody was dead and only wanted me for a quick, hot meal.”
Brushing his finger along her arm, he was happy to discover that she didn’t shy away from his touch.
“That’s why I rejoined the military. I wanted to be needed and when I left, it was because I thought you didn’t want me. You wouldn’t even let me patrol with you. I was just there when you needed someone to sit with you in the hospital or to pick up Dawn. If you wanted me at all, it was only for a quick jump in the sack.”
Buffy was shocked to hear his statement.
“Riley I *never* used you for sex. How could you even think that?”
He got up from the couch and walked over to the window, gazing back out absentmindedly at the grazing deer.
“How, Buffy? Trust me, it was simple. Every time we had sex I tried so hard to pour all of my love for you into my actions. I wanted you to *feel* how much I loved you.
“I know that, Riley. I could tell by how you held me and kissed me, and you always asked me what position I preferred. You never just jumped into bed and took care of your needs and forget mine. You always allowed me to come first, even if we didn’t come at the same time, and nobody ever touched me as gently and reverently as you did.”
Riley turned around to look back at her. Buffy saw a deep sadness cross his face while his voice cracked with heartfelt emotion.
“But, I didn’t feel you were loving me back with the same heated passion that I made love to you. Buffy, when we were finished you just scooted over to your side of the bed, turned over, and fell asleep. Never once did you stay turned toward me, or bury your face into my chest and snuggle up close. It was just like you couldn’t stand to look at me or touch me, and I half expected you to get up and say ‘Well, it’s been fun, I’ll call you sometime.’ I felt used, no better than a one night stand.”
Buffy curled up in the corner of the couch, in an effort to escape from the pained look in his eyes. What he accused her of stung deeply.
“Riley… I didn’t mean… I didn’t… Swallowing back her tears, she tried to explain why her actions made her appear so indifferent to him.
“It’s not you, Riley, blame it on Angel if you want to blame anyone. I put everything I had into my relationship with him - all of my love and passion, but he left me and it hurt. It was a pain just as strong as a knife in the heart. I never wanted to experience that again.”
“I truly never meant to hurt you, but once I realized that I was putting myself at risk again by falling in love with you, I pushed you away and kept you at arms length. It wasn’t until Xander smacked me upside the head that I realized the love I had before me wasn’t likely to go away unless I pushed it away.”
Sighing, she admitted. “And that’s exactly what I did, I pushed it way.”
Getting up off the couch, Buffy walked over and put her arms around Riley’s neck, pulling him down to her waiting lips.
“Riley, I damaged your heart and I know I can say everything you want to hear, but deep down I think you need to be able to see and feel how much I love you. Please, give me half a chance to show you.” She said, taking his hand and tugging him down to lay in front of the fire.
Moments later they were kissing and touching each other tenderly. Riley was kissing her neck and taking gentle nips of her shoulder. Buffy was blissfully running her hands down his chest, sending shocks of electricity throughout his body.
“I think you need to get out of these clothes.” Buffy said, breathlessly. “It’s getting kinda warm in here.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” Riley answered between his kisses.
“Good… glad it wasn’t… just me. Oh God, that feels so good!”
While Riley moved his questing lips from her shoulder to the base of her neck, Buffy took advantage of his shifting weight and deftly pulled his tee shirt off over his head.
“I want you to pound into me.” She whispered hungrily in his ear, while her fingers glided ever so lightly over his skin. “I want to make you scream my name out in pure ecstasy. I want to make you erupt like Mt. Vesuvius, I want…”
She stopped suddenly and looked down to where her fingers were touching him, and saw large ragged scars coursing across the drum-tight skin of his stomach. Buffy felt suddenly ill at the sight of his wounds. If this had happened to him in Sunnydale, she would’ve hunted the demon down, making it suffer as much as Riley had.
Riley couldn’t help but notice her seemingly frozen stare. He also witnessed first hand the rapid change in her facial expressions - the hurt, the dismay, and especially the look of revulsion.
He stood and picked up his tee shirt off the floor, slipping it back over his head. He felt there was no way on earth that she would love him now that he was so disfigured.
“Riley?” She knew somehow that her expression was sending him the wrong message.
“Riley, baby. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to...” Buffy said, coming up and slipping her arms around his waist to hug him.
He could only hang his head and turn away.
“It’s okay Buffy, I understand. I’m not the man I used to be anymore, I’m something disgusting.” He said, his voice starting to shake.
“The screams… so loud. Please God, stop the screams.”
“Rye, hang on… you’re going to make it.”
“Three… two… one.”
Buffy walked up behind him and placing her hand on his arm, she turned him back around to face her.
“Riley, you’re still the man I love. Your appearance has nothing to do with my feelings toward you, even though I think you’re drop dead gorgeous.” She admitted, smiling shyly up at him.
“I just saw your scars and wished I could’ve been there to stop you from being hurt. That’s all.”
To show she was being truthful, Buffy lifted the hem of his tee shirt and again pulled it off. Then bending down, she proceeded to reign kisses all along the mangled scar tissue.
Getting down on her knees, Buffy unbuttoned his jeans and tugged the zipper down, never once pausing in her attentions to him.
Riley again felt the heat, this time radiating out from the spot where her lips touched his skin. He couldn’t help himself and he started to moan out loud.
“God, Buffy, you’re setting me on fire.”
“Good.” She answered, pulling him down on the floor with her.
They lay there wrapped in an embrace and immersed within the warm glow of the fire’s light. Each of them slowly exploring and rediscovering the delights they both had missed during those many months of separation.
"No, this isn't right. Come here." She said suddenly, taking his hand in hers and helping him to his feet.
"Where?" He asked, startled by her quick movement.
"Just come with me." She smiled, leading him up the stairs.
If this place worked the way she hoped it did… she pushed open the bathroom door to find the room bathed in the soft light of 15 large white pillar candles.
*Thank you.*
The bath water was already drawn and a soothing mix of ocean and lavender scents met them. Soft music seemed to flow from nowhere, folding the two of them into a sensual blanket. Nudging him further into the bathroom, she followed closely behind him, closing the door as she entered. Slowly, she turned him around so he could face her in the soft candlelight. It had been a long time since she had had the chance to truly admire his wonderful body and the candlelight only seemed to enhance it's splendor.
"This is all about us finding our way back to each other." She said, placing a kiss over his heart.
"I want you to know that I only have eyes for you. That I only want you in my life and in my bed." She leaned in to place another kiss over his heart.
"Buffy, I can't..." He stopped when she reached up to place her finger over his lips.
"We're gonna wash all the past away here, let it go. And that means all the horrible things we think we've done to each other, as well as the actual things we did. Riley, this is our chance to start fresh and make it right this time." She reached for the waistband of his jeans and slid her hands inside his boxers, taking them down with his pants. Holding one of his hands, she helped him step out of his clothing.
Kneeling down at his feet, she sat back on her heels and looked up his long torso. The strong muscular legs, as well as his powerful arms and chest, held her leering gaze captive.
"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are to me?" She asked, leaning forward to trail her fingertips up his thighs.
"You don't know how many nights I woke up crying in my sleep because I couldn't feel you holding me." She slowly rose to her feet so that she could look into his eyes.
"How many times I thought I saw a flash of blonde hair and broad shoulders, only to discover it wasn't you, Riley." Reaching out, she laid a gentle hand on his cheek.
"It's you I love, the whole you, not just your body." She replied, caressing his slightly stubbled face.
"Here, step into the tub." She ordered, softly taking his hand and leading him over to the sunken tub.
"Buffy, you don't have to do this. I know how I must look to you." He said, pulling away from her.
"Do you?" she charged, hoping maybe a little anger would snap him out of this self-pity he was feeling.
"I do." He answered, trying to move past her to reach for his jeans.
"You look like home to me." She breathed out slowly.
"What?" He asked, a little shocked by her response.
"Whenever I'm with you, here or back in Sunnydale, I felt like I've finally come home. You made me feel safe and loved and I'm just sorry that I was too ignorant to realize what my not telling you was doing to you." She took the jeans from his fingers, dropping them back to the floor.
Slowly, she pulled her sweater up and over her own head.
"Will you join me in the tub, Riley?" She asked, undoing her jeans.
Riley stood staring at her, his heart beating unsteadily in his chest. Could he do this, let go of his own insecurities and fall in love with her again?
Would he ever be able to trust his own feelings again? As he began to tremble from that thought, a voice spoke to him, making the decision for him.
“You'll never know what the two of you could have again if you don't let go of your reservations, Riley. Fool that battered heart of yours.”
As she undid the buttons on her jeans, she kept her eyes locked on him, Hoping… no praying, that he'd accept her invitation. They needed to wash the past away, and what better way than actually doing it in this sensual bathroom. Whoever had the power to arrange this was a romantic.
Riley stepped forward and helped her out of her pants. The candlelight seemed to bounce off of her tanned skin, sending light dancing off into the dark corners. She was his masterpiece.
"Kiss me." He said, simply
Reaching up on tiptoe, she met his lips in a slow burning kiss that left them both wanting more. Reaching down between her breasts, he undid the front closure her bra, sliding it off her shoulders and down her arms. Just as slowly, his hands traveled down her taut stomach and slipped under the waistband of her panties, sliding them over her hips and down her legs.
Buffy reached for his hand as it slid back up her body and led him toward the warm tub. Climbing the steps with him close behind, she stepped into the large sunken tub, waiting for him to climb in behind her. When his hands connected with her shoulders, he pulled her back so that she was reclining against his chest.
"This feels wonderful." He moaned, as the water melted around his battered body.
"The water, it's nice."
"No, I meant holding you like this. I always dreamed of us doing this." He replied, kissing her shoulder.
"What other dreams did you have about us?" She asked, turning around a bit in his arms so that she could look up into his beautiful face.
"Oh, you know the usual, I guess." He shrugged, suddenly embarrassed by her question.
"No, I don't know, tell me, or can you show me?" She trailed her hand down his chest.
"Not today, but sometime." He captured her hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing the tiny fingertips.
"Let me make love to you." She whispered, more than a little breathlessly.
"Let me show you what it feels like to have someone love you, make love to you." As she spoke, she leaned down to kiss his chest again.
Riley’s heart soared at the sound of her words and the feel of her soothing touch. He wanted this beautiful woman to make love to him. He wanted to lose himself in her and never find his way back out.
Buffy trailed her kisses across the broad expanse of his muscular chest, making sure that not a single inch was missed. Stopping at his nipples, she lightly sucked their small, hard, pebbled surface. Riley moaned softly and reached up to entwine his fingers in her long blonde hair, holding her head in place as she proceeded to show him how true love felt.
He could only lean back, resting his head on the edge of the deep tub, as she continued with her sensual exploration of his body.
While she kissed his neck, shoulders, and chest; her hands slowly dropped down between their bodies and brushed the skin of his stomach.
“You’re the most desirable man in the world, Riley. I want to touch you, hold you, make love to you, make you never want to leave my side again, and I promise you this, I’ll never leave you again.
Leaning forward, Buffy bent down over him, and pulled him into a passionate kiss, her tongue penetrating his lips and dueling ferociously with his.
Riley couldn’t breathe, he didn’t want to breathe. All he wanted was to feel her, experience her passion, and know that he was the reason for it.
“Buffy, make love to me. Please?” He asked, between loud gasps, as she momentarily pulled away from their kiss. “I’ve been cold too long and I want to feel the heat.”
She answered his request by raising up on her knees and slipping the tip his rock hard cock between her soft folds. He accepted her invitation by gently thrusting upwards, slowly sliding in while she adjusted to his massive girth. She had always enjoyed how he felt inside her. She was so diminutive and he so immense that she could squeeze him into a frenzy with very little effort.
She started raising and lowering herself as she alternately tightened and relaxed her muscles, milking his hard shaft with her inner walls. Riley responded to her stimulation with short, hard thrusts. They were soon moving as one; each lost in the sensation the other was creating.
Buffy leaned forward so her clit could rub against the base of his cock. Soon, she was feeling sharp electrical shocks radiate throughout her body, signaling the beginning of her orgasm. The constant contracting of her muscles were all Riley needed to join her in climax and he cried out as his body found it’s release.
She collapsed exhausted onto Riley’s shoulder as he fell back again, resting his head on the edge of the tub while desperately trying to regain his breath. They lay in that position until the water’s temperature dropped and they felt chilled.
Drying each other off with thick, soft bath sheets, they wandered sleepily into the bedroom. They noticed the sun was setting over the neighboring hills, sending rays of bright orange and pink across the darkening sky. They fell into bed exhausted and fully sated, and were soon asleep in each other’s arms.
For the first time in a long time, Riley knew what it was to sleep peacefully, and it was all because of her. Gone were the nightmares that had been his constant companion every night since arriving here. They had been replaced by a warm, loved feeling. He slept soundly the whole night through, not waking until the first rays of dawn were streaking across the sky.
Even before his eyes fluttered open, he could feel her arms wrapped around him tightly, holding him in place against her chest. He knew that she was still asleep from the gentle, relaxed way his head raised and lowered on her chest. Opening his eyes, he saw her arms wrapped firmly around him, and this caused him to smile. For the first time in their odd relationship, he had felt last night that she truly wanted and loved him, and this morning only confirmed that.
Closing his eyes he drifted back to sleep letting the waves of peaceful slumber close around him again. He didn't know where he was really, but it seemed like heaven.
Riley awakened again an hour or so later. Of course, since there were no clocks or watches in the cabin, he couldn’t be certain of the time. Judging by the light outside, though, he guessed it to be maybe eight or so in the morning. Beside him, Buffy still slumbered quite peacefully.
He raised up on one elbow to watch her, resting his head in the palm of one hand. God, she was beautiful. Her long blonde hair was splayed out on the pillow that rested beneath her head, and it looked like homespun silk. Riley knew from experience that it felt just as soft and silky as it looked. Long, dark eyelashes rested against porcelain cheeks that were just slightly reddened from the warmth of sleep. Her soft, pink lips were slightly pursed, forming a little bow.
Gently pulling the covers back, he took a moment to drink in the sheer beauty of the rest of her. There wasn’t anything about Buffy’s body that wasn’t absolutely perfect. He silently thanked whatever gods there were that she had somehow been returned to him.
Ever so carefully, he moved down the mattress, trying desperately not to disturb her. She didn’t stir, though; not even when he softly parted her legs with his hands and moved between them. Lying flat on stomach, Riley slid up between her legs until his face was level with her thatch of dark curls. He took a moment to savor the smell of her before parting her folds with the fingers of one hand.
Riley brought his mouth to her, closing his lips over her sensitive nubbin of flesh. She began to stir, but still didn’t wake up fully. He touched her clit with the tip of his tongue, eliciting a pleasured moan from her. His free hand found it’s way between her legs and he slowly inserted his index finger into her warm core. Her flesh instantly clamped around his digit and he added another one, smiling at how responsive her body was.
When her hands reached out and she entangled her fingers in his hair, he knew that she was no longer sleeping. He didn’t stop what he was doing, though, but continued on, not wishing to disturb the magic of this moment.
“Riley, please,” she called out to him.
Knowing instinctively what she needed, he increased the pressure of his tongue on her clit and sped up the motion of his fingers inside of her. Soon, she was bucking up to meet both his face and his hand, riding them. Her grip on his hair tightened as her inner muscles began to spasmodically clench around his fingers.
Raising his head, he watched her as her climax began to wash over her. He placed the pad of his thumb over her swollen little nubbin, rubbing it concentrically. Her eyes were closed tight and her entire body was flushed a delicate shade of pink.
“That’s it, pretty baby, come for me,” he softly urged her.
“Riley, it’s so good! You always make it good! No one else is like you, no one at all!”
She came then, her juices flowing forth to wet the sheet beneath her. Her whole body tensed, then relaxed. After a moment, she finally released the hold she had on his hair. He removed his hands from her and moved up the bed to lie next to her. She rolled onto her side and reached for him, cupping his face in her hands as she kissed him softly.
“Good morning,” he whispered against her mouth. “Did you like your wake up call?”
Buffy laughed. “If you even have to ask, Riley Finn…”
He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up against him. “How about some breakfast?”
“Waffles?” She asked hopefully.
“We’ll go downstairs in a minute and see. I’ll bet you anything that there will be waffle mix in the pantry, though, as well as a waffle iron sitting on the counter. That just seems to be how this place works.”
“Umm,” she replied. “We must be in heaven.”
The story continues in chapter 5
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