A scream from upstairs had them racing off to investigate, with Doyle disappearing to meet them there. They burst into Buffy's room where they found her in the throws of a nightmare. She thrashed on the bed with tears running down her face.
"No," she yelled before shooting up from the bed, wide-awake.
Merry moved to sit by her on the bed. "Buffy, are you all right?"
"Nightmares," Buffy replied in a child-like voice.
The others left the room, looking at the blonde with pity. Merry saw a lost child her huge tearstained eyes. "Do you wish to talk about it?" Merry asked in a comforting tone.
Someone knocked on the bedroom door before opening it. Barinthus stuck his head in and asked, "Can I come in?" Buffy flew off the bed, throwing herself into his arms. He caught her holding her as she cried. Looking at Merry over her head, he asked a question with his eyes, she shrugged in response. Barinthus rubbed Buffy's back soothingly until she quieted. Merry quietly left the bedroom. She forgot about Maeve's pool, although, she shouldn't set anything past Barinthus, he always seemed to make thing happen.
"How'd you get here? When'd you get here?" Buffy asked in wonder.
"Merry's worried about you and requested a guard. Andais released me, so that I could protect you, little one," he explained as he held her.
They sat on the bed with Buffy snuggled against his side. She couldn't explain it but she felt safe with Barinthus, as if they had known each other forever. "Why'd Merry do that? I can take care of myself. Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I don't understand." She looked up at him, her eyes clear of tears.
Barinthus knew he was in trouble; this little pixie was something unique. He needed to protect her, feeling a stronger attraction than anything in all his 6000 years. What was she? He had never met anyone like her, and had seen every possible mix that between Seelie, Unseelie, goblins, human, gods and nameless others.
"Buffy, sweet, the Seelie Court knows about your arrival. Just not the wonderful results," he hugged her close. "Merry's right. No matter how well you can take care of yourself. If Taranis sends people after you, you'll need help. Do you have any idea why he'd want you?"
She stared into his ocean-colored eyes, hoping that he was the man she thought he was. "Bar, if I tell you something will it be just between us?"
"I give you my oath, little one." Barinthus gently kissed her brow.
"You know I'm from a different world. Well, I learned earlier why I'm here. This may take a while, so get comfy." She played with his hair as she told her story. He listened never saying a word only holding her while she talked. "Bar, say something. Please."
Barinthus blinked, coming back to himself. "You've lived through a lot for one so young. Maybe when you trust Merry more, you two could talk, she's lived a hard life as well. She knows a lot about destiny and fate. So, no magic can harm you and your dreams will tell you whom to help?" He repeated quietly, trying to take in all the information.
"According to the magic midget," she replied, her voice heavy with irritation. Barinthus looked at her in confusion. "The Powers messenger's a short guy that dresses badly with a Bronx accent," she explained and he grinned in understanding. "I guess that my slayer dreams are baby dreams, now. I just have to figure out how it works. The hardest thing's realizing that I'll never see my friends and family again."
Barinthus drew her close, she laid her head on his chest as her fingers continued to play with in his hair. "Your hair's so pretty. It's like its alive," she murmured before her eyes closed in sleep, one hand in his hair the other on his heart.
The door slowly opened and Merry peeked inside the room. Her eyes widened at the picture before her. Barinthus' hair wrapped around Buffy like a cloak with her finger clutching it. The hand not in his hair nestled over his heart. His head lay back with his eyes shut, a look of peace on his face. Merry moved to close the door when his eyes opened.
He looked at his friend's daughter then down at the tiny girl in his arms. If it came to a decision between them, who would he choose? He prayed he never had to find out. Let Buffy's dreams send her Merry's face as the one to award with a child. Buffy stirred as if feeling his unease. Her hand smoothed over his heart. Merry's eyebrows rose slightly before she quietly left the room
Buffy woke up smiling at Barinthus, snuggling closer to him. "I don't remember ever sleeping that well," she commented happily.
"No dreams?" he asked quietly.
"Nope, but no nightmares either. I can live with that. Maybe the Powers are going to let me get my feet under me, before I become the fairy stork." She giggled in amusement.
He laughed before pulling her up to his face. "You're an impertinent child."
They looked into each other's eyes for an eternity before she touched his face. She reached up to kiss him. He stilled at first before opening his mouth. Her tongue entered to tease his as she buried her hands in his hair before straddling his hips. She felt drawn to him. His large hands swept along her back, one holding her head while the other held her close. Her body flooded with want for him to touch, taste and feel her. Buffy pulled his shirt open wanting her hands on his bare skin.
He looked into her lust filled eyes before pulling her face up to his. "Are you sure little one? It will change everything between us. It has been an eternity for me, and you must be certain," he asked, hoping that she was.
"I want you Bar, so much I hurt. I can't explain it or understand it, but I want it. Now shut up, and get out of those clothes. I'll lock the door."
A naughty smile graced her lips. She ran to the door, secured it and was back before he could do more than remove his shirt.
"This won't do at all. I tell you what, let's race."
She grinned, pulling her top off to reveal bare golden breasts. Barinthus stared at her beautiful body.
"We'll have more fun if we take our clothes off, Bar."
She chuckled, teasing him by playing peek-a-boo with her breasts. He laughed lunging for her but she stepped back.
"Uh huh. We're tied right now; let's see who's going to win."
She drew her pants off, hooking a finger in her underwear. In seconds, Barinthus lay on the bed nude, waiting for her.
Buffy crowed with laughter. "Ha, I won." Pleased that her idea to race had worked.
"How do you figure that, Pixie? I'm the one nude and waiting."
"Oh, but I didn't tell you what we were racing for. I wanted to see if I could get you naked first."
He seized her, ripped the panties off, then smacked her bare bottom. She squealed in amusement.
"You big bully, now you have to kiss it and make it better."
She pouted, rubbing the offended area. He bent to kiss the pink cheek.
"My pleasure, Pixie."
Barinthus kissed a path from Buffy's spine to her neck. Flipping her over he continued to explore her body. Buffy moaned at the pleasure of his talented mouth. He kissed down her torso tickling her belly button. Long blue-toned hair smoothed over her skin, caressing everywhere his mouth left. Buffy screamed when he nipped her inner thigh. She whimpered, moving against him in frustration.
Buffy finally took matters into her own hands. She slid her fingers into his hair and pulled him up until he rested between her thighs. Barinthus stared down at her, golden from skin to hair even the specks in her eyes. Her body seemed to glow golden, much as his Sidhe skin glowed white. He worried that he might hurt her until he looked at her face and saw her pleasure. It was a truly breathtaking sight. Her body seemed to hum with it as the muscles played under the down soft skin.
They moved together like old lovers, knowing what the other needed. Their voices overlapped as they found their completion. Barinthus fell on the bed, drawing Buffy with him. He held her close to him as their eyes closed and they fell back asleep.
Buffy woke the next morning wrapped in Barinthus' hair. Her legs tangled in his, as she looked at his beautiful body, and grinned naughtily. Sliding down his body, she decided that turnabout was fair play. Buffy started kissing and nipping her way down Barinthus' body, draggin her hair behind her. He groaned in his sleep then woke to her tender treatment.
"More please more,," he begged in a voice husky with passion.
She happily complied, much to their mutual pleasure. Kissing a path back up his body, she whispered against his lips. "Your wake up call, sir."
He laughed, rolling her over to continue where she had left off, when someone knocked on the door.
"Buffy, Barinthus breakfast is ready. Merry needs to talk to everyone," Nicca announced, through the door.
"We'll be down in a little while," Barinthus answered, but his attention remained on Buffy.
"We'll have to finish this later, Pixie."
"You better believe it, Bar."
Buffy held his hand, noticing the webbing for the first time. She looked at it closely, while Barinthus tried to pull away. Buffy held on tight looking at him then backed down. He withdrew it, turning away from her.
"Bring it back, Bar," she requested quietly.
The webbing reappeared, and Barinthus waited for her revulsion and rejection. Buffy bent down to kiss it; teasing it with her tongue. He groaned,closing his eyes as he tried to control his reaction. Buffy watched his reaction, and then repeated the process with an evil smile. He threw her on the bed where she landed on her stomach. Barinthis crawled after her, looking like the ancient Sea God he was. Buffy sent the sultriest siren's smile over her shoulder. It had the desired effect, because he pounced on her. Her laughter filled the room, fading away into soft murmurs and sighs.
"You may receive more than you bargained for, little Pixie," he growled in her ear.
She shivered in pleasure and anticipation. Barinthus didn't disappoint as he controlled the pace and her. Buffy wanted him to know that she accepted everything about him. She clutched his hand to her mouth to tenderly kiss the webbing. They fell over the edge into a heap of ehausted tangled limbs.
"Who needs breakfast anyway?" Buffy mumbled, exhausted from the morning's activity.
Barinthus rolled off her, popping a bare cheek. "If we don't go down, we'll never leave this room."
Buffy propped her head on a hand. "And the problem with that would be?" Wiggling her eyebrows at him.
"They won't leave us be Pixie. Come on," Barinthus reminded her, a hint of amused laughter coloring his voice.
"Fine ya big meany." She pouted getting off the bed
They walked down the stairs hand in hand, laughing. The others exchanged glances not sure how to take this development.
"Morning everybody." Buffy smiled happily at everyone in sitting around the table.
"Good morning, Merry," Barinthus nodded. "Everyone," he greeted, trying to include the others.
"Good morning, there's coffee if you want it." Merry pointed to the full pot. "Everything's on the bar just make yourself at home."
"Thanks." Buffy loaded up a plate and came back to the table. Not seeing a chair, she sat on Barinthus' lap and started to eat.
"I'm through Buffy. You can have my chair," Galen offered, vacating his chair.
"Thanks, but I like the one I have." Buffy turned to feed Barinthus some fresh melon. They resembled a couple that had been together for years. "So, Merry, what's the big pow-wow about?" she asked, prepared for business.
Merry felt stunned seeing her old friend acting like this and didn't answer right away. Frost nudged her and Merry smiled weakly. "Oh, we need to discuss several things. Clothes for you, possibly your working with me at the agency and how to best protect you from Taranis." Merry listed, trying to remember everything.
"Shopping's cool, you'll have to tell me about your work. I'm not sure I'd want to work there till I know the whole deal," Buffy commented with a smile.
"It's a detective agency that deals with supernatural problems and magical solutions. Jeremy Grey runs it and he's a great guy. You'd like him, he's a trow."
"A what?" Buffy asked baffled.
"He's something like a troll."
"I killed the last troll I met with his own hammer. He wasn't a nice person, let me tell you."
"What did your trow look like?" Merry asked, curiously.
"He was about eight foot tall and weighed close to four hundred pounds. His hammer's as tall as I am," Buffy responded, crinkling her nose trying to remember.
"That sounds closer to a jack-in-irons than a trow. Jeremy isn't quite five foot tall and is, well, grey," Merry tried to explain the differences.
"Sounds closer to one of Santa's elves than the troll that I fought. I'll meet him but if he gives me the wiggins, I'm out of there."
"What're the wiggins? Is it painful?" Doyle asked, trying to understand the unusual way that Buffy spoke.
Buffy and Rhys cracked up laughing. "No, it means creeps me out. I have an extra sense that tells me if someone's naughty or nice. Ooh, maybe I can work for Santa." She giggled at the thought. Barinthus squeezed her, causing her to squeak. He leaned his chin on her shoulder and she laid her head next to his. They created quite a picture together. "When can we go shopping? The few things you loaned me won't last long. Plus, be kinda nice to have something that fits. Do you have to wear specific clothes at your job?" Buffy rambled on animatedly at the idea of having new clothes.
"Wow, you sure can talk fast," Galen commented, as he tried to keep up with Buffy's rapid speech.
Buffy smiled at him. "I'm a woman and you're talking about shopping." She paused a few moments; finally noticing Kitto. "Can I ask you a question?" Kitto looked rather uncertain but nodded his head. "Why isn't your hair as long as the other guys?"
"That's it? You don't want to know anything else?" His surprise written clearly on his face.
"Why? What'd you expect me to ask?" She looked at him, curious about his expectations.
"Why I look the way I do," he said quietly.
"But, that's what I asked," Buffy answered, not grasping what he meant.
"No, you asked about my hair." Kitto clarified, or tried to anyway.
"Still not getting the difference here." Rather than answering her, he pulled off his LA Lakers t-shirt, turned around and showed her the iridescent scales on his back. "Oh, they're so pretty, look at the way they catch the light. It's like having little rainbows on your back. Can I touch one, will it hurt?" Buffy asked like an excited little girl.
Kitto spun around to look at her face. He saw genuine fascination with no maliciousness intent. "It won't hurt; you can touch them if you want." He turned his back to her.
Buffy gently touched the scales. They were smooth and cool under her fingers. She tickled his neck, causing him to laugh softly. "Thanks," Buffy murmured in awe.
"No, thank you, Lady Buffy. You've given me a great honor today." He left the room, glowing internally at being accepted for what he was on the inside.
Buffy turned to Barinthus in the car and asked, "Why'd Kitto say that? This place's strange."
"He's part Sidhe and part snake goblin. The Unseelie considers goblins the lowest in the court structure. The way you treated him was a great honor to him."
"Why would I treat him badly?" Her nose wrinkled, showing the confusion clearly. "He hasn't done anything wrong."
The others listened on in fascination. "Many don't see the goblins that way. They look down on anyone not fully Sidhe, and consider them expendable. Much the same way the Seelie look at the Unseelie."
"I learned long ago that you can't think that way. There aren't too many things written in stone, particularly in my life."
Knowing where her thoughts had wandered, he tilted her head back and kissed her.
"Can I have that in stone please, sir?"
Barinthus pulled her onto his lap, holding her close while Buffy played with his hair absentmindedly.
"Buffy, what type work did you do in your world?" Merry asked from the front seat.
"Well, several different things, really. You could say we're in the same line of work. I did more on the protection and investigation side though," she hedged.
Barinthus squeezed her. She might have some Sidhe in her after all.
"There should be something for you at the agency," Merry reassured her.
While loading their purchases into the car, Buffy felt like she won a huge shopping spree. She tried to protest, but Merry wouldn't hear of it. She found a beautiful long golden dress that Merry convinced her to buy, although she didn't know where she would wear it. Buffy felt something behind her, turning swiftly she threw a man over her shoulder while kicking another away. Looking to the left, she observed that Barinthus fought off two more. Merry and the others came running to help.
"Doyle, throw me your daggers," Buffy yelled.
She captured them mid-air, turning back to stab one man while fending off the other. Merry's eyes widened at Buffy's skill. She kicked the man in the head before placing the dagger at his throat.
"Who sent you, and what do you want?" The gold in her eyes sparkled; the 'Slayer' peered out at the man.
"We're only supposed to escort you to court," he told her.
"Who sent you? I want a name now!" Buffy applied pressure to the blade, causing blood to leak down his throat.
"The King wanted to meet you. I don't know anything else. Let me go. I told you what you wanted."
Barinthus came up beside her, hearing what the man had said. "Buffy, he'll go back to Taranis."
"What is he?" Looking into her lover's eyes for an answer.
"What do you mean?"
"Is he fey or human or mixed," she growled.
"He's a foot soldier of the Seelie court."
"Then do whatever you want with him."
Buffy picked him up throwing him at Barinthus. He easily caught the flying body, put his mouth close to the soldier's and blew before laying him on the ground. Barinthus walked over to Buffy, picked her up and carried her to the car.
"Doyle, take care of this mess," he commanded over his shoulder. Opening the car door, he crawled in with her. "Look at me, Pixie. Are you okay?" His voice was heavy with concern.
"Yes, I wasn't ready for this to start. That's what my life was like before, someone or something always trying to kill me. I guess the honeymoon's over and it's time to get to work."
She curled into him closing her eyes. He grabbed her face, kissing her deeply, easily lighting their passion. Buffy moved on his lap, feeling him harden against her hip. The door opened as the others got in, forcing the lovers to pull apart. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled.
"What'd he say to you, Buffy?" Merry asked in a worried voice.
"Your uncle sent a real warm invite to come and visit," Buffy deadpanned.
"Taranis was behind this. He just told you when you inquired. How'd you get him to do that?" Meredith asked in shocked surprise.
"I can be very convincing when provoked," she replied.
Doyle looked at her not saying a word. This woman has many hidden skills. What else is hidden?
When they arrived home, Buffy and Barinthus went to put her purchases away. She felt him watching her. "You think I should tell Merry what's going on, don't you?"
"It's up to you, Pixie, but Merry's a good ally to have. Plus, it would help the others understand what they might be up against. I'll support whatever you want to do."
Buffy continued putting away her new clothes while she thought about what he'd said. "What if I'm not supposed to help Merry? How will she feel about that? I like her and think we could become good friends. If I tell her, won't I be throwing away that chance?"
"Everything's a chance, Pixie. Do what you think's best, for yourself and them. Now, are you going to show me what you have in that bag?" He pointed to a lingerie bag.
"Oh, no, that's for later if you're a very good or a very bad boy, depends. Let's go down and talk to the others."
She strolled by brushing a hand across him and then ran out the door.
Buffy hurried down the stairs with Barinthus running after her. She laughed as she plopped down on the couch next to Kitto.
"Did you have a good day, Kit?"
Kitto saw her smiling face and smiled back shyly. Barinthus leaned over the couch to whisper in her ear. She giggled, pushing him away from her as she turned her attention back to Kitto, waiting for an answer.
"Just watched some TV and went swimming," Kitto explained simply.
"There's a pool, cool. I can work on my tan. Glad, I got that bikini Merry picked out."
"Do you like to swim, Pixie?"
"Yeah, love the water. Well, except for the time I drowned. That sucked."
"You drowned?" Kitto's large blue eyes got even bigger as he stared at Buffy.
"Yeah, when I was sixteen but I got better. Where's Merry?"
"Her and Frost should be out in a minute."
Just then, the two exited the bedroom. Merry's face glowed with happiness, while her cheeks were still rosy from exertion. Frost and her smiled softly at each other. Buffy looked up at Barinthus with question filled eyes.
"Buffy, we didn't expect to see you for a while. How are you feeling?"
"Not as good as you but I'll work on that later. I need to speak to you about something. Where's everybody else?"
"Kitto, could you round everyone up, please?"
The small half-Sidhe went to do as asked. Buffy paced the room while Barinthus watched her. Everyone came and sat down waiting for her to speak. "Okay, let me get through this, and I'll try to answer your questions. You already know I'm from a different world. I'll start there and work forward." Buffy started to speak about her life as a slayer, her friends, family, enemies and the final battle that brought her here. She then explained what Whistler told her about her new destiny.
"Then you can make sure Merry has a child," Galen exclaimed.
"No, I can't. It doesn't work that way. I'm not sure how it'll work exactly, but I do understand that I can only help whoever I have prophetic dreams about. They'll show me who to help. I don't know how I'm supposed to make it happen, leave it to the Powers to give me a destiny with no instructions. Kinda like that funky blue light. I don't know how that works; remote or whatever. It just repels any magic thrown at me. I just hope the batteries don't run out," Buffy said pouting.
"Maybe, the dreams will tell you how," Barinthus told her.
"Guess we'll have to wait and see. Can we go for a swim? I just don't want to think about this anymore. I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything right away Merry. I just needed time to figure it out in my head."
"I understand, Buffy. You two go relax. You've dealt with enough today."
Buffy came down the stairs dressed in a tiny green bikini with a gold sarong tied around her hips. Barinthus followed her in a pair of black trunks. They walked down the drive arm-in-arm.
"Man, they sure did get together fast. They're joined at the hip." Rhys watched them out the backdoor.
"They seem so comfortable with each other. Almost like they've known each other forever," Merry agreed, wondering if Buffy and Barinthus had found true love.
Buffy raced to the pool, pulled off her sarong and dove into the cool water, with Barinthus right behind her. She thought he must be what mermen looked like under the water. He turned to grab her, rolling them under the surface before shooting up from the water. Pulling her to him, Barinthus kissed her neck while standing in the water the same way he would on dry land. He held onto Buffy as they floated like a cork.
She looked down at them smiling. "Mmm, you have many hidden talents. So, tell me are there other things the fey like? I know what my old world expected, but what about yours? What do you enjoy, Bar? What pleases you the most?" She looked up at him from under her wet lashes.
Seeing the water drops on her face, he licked them off. "I've lived a long time, Pixie. There's more to sex, for the Sidhe, than just the act. The pleasure found on the edge of pain is wonderful with the right person. Blood's important to us. It makes it that much brighter, harder for us. But, I don't want anything from you that you can't offer. The queen hasn't allowed her Ravens to know another's touch for over 600 years. Everything with you is new and wonderful, to me," he said, kissing her nose.
"Bar, I want to do everything I can to fulfill your dreams, your fantasies. The way you make me feel's so wonderful, I wish that for you. Anything we do together's good. If it doesn't feel right, we'll change it, until it does. Blood's part of sex for you and I can understand that. It was the same for Angel. Let's see about some of those fantasies, shall we."
The water held the lovers aloft, obeying Barinthus' every command. They floated along leirsurly whiling away the afternoon, taking their time to learn about each other. It was an afternoon of exploration and tenderness.
Walking back several hours later, Buffy cleared her throat. "Bar, if I tell you something, promise you won't run away?"
"What is it, Pixie?" He stopped walking to turn and look at her.
"I feel like you're mine. Not like, I own you, but that you're part of me. I don't know if I can explain it. It isn't just sex, not that the sex isn't wonderfully mind blowing. Well you get the picture; it's as if I know you somehow. You make me feel safe, not all alone here. Isn't that crazy? We hardly know each other. I ordinarily wouldn't have been with anyone this quickly, or this way, or..." She quit speaking to look up at him, like a lost little girl.
He plucked her up so that she could see his face. "I understand, Pixie. You do own me, all of me, whether you wished to or not. It's the same for me; maybe your Powers planned it that way. I don't know nor do I care. All I know is for the first time in a very long time, I'm happy, here with you. So, yes Pixie, I understand."
He drew her to him, kissing her tenderly. Buffy wrapped her arms and legs around him kissing him back. She put all the feelings, she still hadn't expressed, into the kiss.
"Listen, Pixie, I'm a very old man, even I need to rest," he deadpanned, while his eyes twinkled with happiness.
"Oh yeah, well you should tell that to the rest of you, cause someone isn't listening."
He set her down and they walked to the house holding hands. They knew better than to touch each other or the sparks would explode between them.
"Did you have a nice swim?" Merry smiled at Buffy and Barinthus as they entered the house.
Buffy's skin had darkened from the sun, and her face glowed. "Yes, the water's amazing. I'm glad you talked me into getting a suit, Merry. Are we going to talk to your boss tomorrow?"
"I called Jeremy and he said that after he has an opportunity to meet you, a job shouldn't be a problem. You'll like him, I promise. I also told him that you two were a package deal."
"That we are Merrygirl that we are." He nipped Buffy's fingers, causing her to laugh.
Merry noticed the marks on their necks. Seems Buffy was adjusting to a Sidhe lover quite well from the looks of things; she had never seen Barinthus so relaxed before. "Dinner should be ready soon. We're having steaks. The guys have the grill flaring, so you better tell them how you like your steak cooked," Merry stated, figuring they might be a bit hungry.
"I like mine medium rare." Buffy called to Barinthus as he stepped outside.
Just as he was about to close the door Sage flew in, causing Buffy to jump. "Merry, there's a huge butterfly in the house or is it a bird?" Buffy stammered out, as she got over her shock.
"That's Sage. Sage, come here; so, that you can meet Buffy." Merry ordered the little demi-fey. He landed on the table, in front of them. He stood there proudly, his butter yellow wings moving steadily. They were marked like a Monarch butterfly. The yellow matching his hair and the kilt he wore. "Buffy, this is Sage. He's a demi-fey and my blood surrogate."
Buffy put her finger forward to shake the little person's hand. Before Merry could stop her, Sage landed on her finger and Buffy brought him closer to her face.
"Buffy, don't move any closer. Sage, she's my guest. She isn't inviting you for anything, merely planned to shake you hand and you know it. She's merely going to shake your hand and you know it. Barinthus' her guard and lover. Do you really want to duel him for insulting her?" Merry's voice became hard and commanding.
Sage's wings fluttered rapidly. "Merry, I was only going to say hello. Wasn't going to hurt her. Do you think he would allow me have just a taste?" Sage asked with a huge smile on his face, showing the small pointed fangs in his mouth.
When Barinthus entered the house, he immediately took in the situation. "Sage, if you back away from her, I promise not to kill you."
He flew rapidly over to Barinthus' ear. "She smelled utterly tasty, like honey and sunshine. How's she taste?" he asked, with a grin on his face.
"Better than you can ever imagine." Barinthus looked at Buffy, who blushed profusely.
"Mmm, she smells even better now. You're a lucky man." Sage commented as he flew off.
"Yes, yes I am," he whispered.