Title: The Light of Stars
Author: Queena
E-mail: thessulah@aol.com
Rating: G
Summary: Buffy goes for a walk on the beach and reminisces.
Disclaimer: Joss owns all of the characters in this fic. I don't.
Author's Note: This is short and I don't like it. I just wanted to write
something for my list.
Other Note: This is not a part of my "Blood Pump" series.
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"Within my breast there is no light
But the cold light of stars;
I give the first watch of the night
To the red planet Mars"
--Henry W. Longfellow "The Light of Stars"
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Walking with her face turned slightly upwards, Buffy let the ocean breeze hit
her face. As soon as she had hit the beach she had taken off her shoes to
allow the sand to push between her toes and tickle her feet in a pleasant
way. She inhaled deeply, the fresh air. The crash of the waves assaulted her
ears, sounding almost like a thousand screams of pleasure. Maybe, the sound
stolen from the many lovers that had lain together on this beach. Just as she
had once done with her love.
He was gone now, but she could look onto the memories happily and without
regret.
The icy water finally reached out far enough to wash over her bare feet. She
tried to force a smile to her face, but it wouldn't come. It had been so easy
to smile when she was with him. She tried to let those memories wash through
her mind. To wash away the heartache she had felt when he had left. At least
he had given her that one night. And one night with him was enough. Still she
wished for another. Just one more. Throwing her head back, the breeze flipped
her hair into her face, the wisps getting caught in her lip gloss.
The stars were so bright tonight. Buffy caught one of the constellations he
had pointed out to her that night. It was the only other she knew besides the
Big Dipper and Little Dipper. Orion, that's what she thought he had called it.
She stopped walking for a moment and just stared into the sky. It was
speckled with millions upon millions of brightly burning stars. Their light,
combined with the half moon was all that lit her path. Not that she really
needed light to get where she was going. Even if her sight and awareness
wasn't heightened, she would have been able to find her way there with her
eyes closed, that was how many times she had revisited this place.
Without tearing her eyes away from the night sky, Buffy continued walking.
The water lapped around her ankles, the cold numbing her toes.
Slowly, she edged away from the water as she neared the spot she seeked. She
shivered, pulling the light jacket she was wearing tighter around her.
Finally she tore her eyes away from the sky, trudging up the slight slope to
the cluster of tall, barnacle covered boulders.
Wrinkling her brows a bit, she squinted through the darkness. She saw the
silhouette of a small figure crouched at her spot. She knew immediately who
it was. She just couldn't believe it. It had been two years since she had
last seen him.
Her legs trembled, but she continued to move forward. She didn't know what,
if anything, she was going to say to him. She figured she would have to talk.
She certainly wasn't going to turn around and walk away. The figure had it's
head tilted toward the sky. He didn't move to look at her as she began to
walk faster.
She tried to slow herself down. To be subtle. Her legs wouldn't listen. She
glanced once more up to the stars for support. A thousand questions ran
together through her head. Where had he been? Why had he left without a word?
Did he think about her as much as she thought about him?
He didn't look away from the sky until she was a few feet away from him.
Tilting his head to the side, his eyes caught with hers.
She sped her step up and quickly closed the distance between them, falling to
her knees before him. "Hey," he said, a very small smile touching his lips
and spreading up to his eyes.
"Hey," she repeated. Both of her hands seemed to move of their own accord,
settling on both of his upraised knees. "Long time, no see," she added.
"Yep," was his only response as he covered her hands with his own.
"Did you leave because of me?" she asked, inwardly wincing at her forwardness.
She was surprised when he nodded.
"Did you come back because of me?" she asked, feeling slightly encouraged.
He nodded again.
"Are you leaving again?"
"Yeah," he added with his small nod.
"Okay," she said slowly. Then she leaned forward, pressing herself against
his legs. "Kiss me?"
He spread his legs and grasped her hands tighter in his. Pulling her forward,
she tumbled to her knees between his legs. He placed her hands on his
shoulders, then pressed his lips against hers. It started off soft and slowly
progressed into something harder and more fervent. Their soft tongues
familiar with each other, and yet unaccustomed to the feel.
A sigh came from Buffy, once they finally broke away. "Oz, did you know that
I was going to be here?"
"I hoped."
"Good," she said, turning and settling in between his legs, her back fitting
perfectly against his chest. His chin rested against the top of her head and
they both tilted their eyes to the midnight sky together.
Oz lifted one hand away from hers and pointed. "Do you see that really bright
star, the one that seems to be flickering?" She nodded, her movement causing
his head to bob along with hers. "That's Mars," he told her and pressed a
kiss to the top of her head.
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"The star of the unconquered will
He rises in my breast
Serene, and resolute, and still
And calm, and self-possessed"
--Henry W. Longfellow "The Light of Stars"
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The End