"Come on, Wills. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Back home in my shoebox, under the bed." Willow looked over her shoulder, checking to make sure there was no one she recognized. "Why are we doing this?"

"I heard that some of the college guys work here. I wanted to see for sure."

"But Buffy…" Willow started, stopping when her best friend walked inside the building. Taking a deep breath then struggling not to choke on the smell of smoke, Willow ducked inside as well. Loud music pounded from speakers hanging from the walls and ceiling and the air was more smoke than oxygen. Willow grabbed Buffy's sleeve and looked at her pleadingly. "Please, Buffy?"

The Slayer shook her head and made her way to a table at the front. As much pain and humiliation as she'd had to suffer at Sunnydale High and at UC Sunnydale, Buffy was more than ready to catch a few of the college jocks in a compromising position. Or outfit.

"All right, ladies and gentleman." The voice rang through the room, making the walls shake with the reverb. "He's back for a one night engagement. Let's give it all up - money and applause - for the wild, wild, west."

Cheers, applause and catcalls from both the men and the women in the audience filled Willow and Buffy's ears as a sultry country music tune started. Buffy leaned over to Willow. "It's got to be a regular. They know this guy here. We are so in luck. Got your camera?"

Willow nodded morosely and handed it over to Buffy. The music changed, a deeper bass coming into play as the curtains on the stage parted and a man stepped into the light.

Buffy and Willow both caught their breath. He was wearing white chaps with fringe, silver spurs, a silver g-string, white leather arm coverings, dangling with fringe, a white cowboy hat pulled down low over his face and his body was tanned all over and slick with some sort of oil.

Willow swallowed hard as he turned around to the music and gave the audience an uninterrupted view of his behind. It was gorgeous, she decided. He was gorgeous.

He started moving, weaving his way across the stage and down the catwalk. His spurs jangled beneath the music as he walked and his fringe swayed as he danced. Willow and Buffy both moved forward in their seats, watching as he made his way toward them, slowly removing the leather from his arms.

Muscular, strong and now naked arms reached out to grab the pole in the center of the stage. He swung around it, then straddled it, running his very obvious erection against it. Willow bit her lower lip, reaching out to touch the edge of the stage.

Running along the catwalk now, he would stop every foot or so to allow members of the audience to stuff his g-string with money. Willow watched the amount build; shocked at the amount, but not doubting why he was making it. Forcing her eyes away from his g-string, she watched, enthralled, as he untied the string that held his chaps on.

They flew back to the back of the stage and Buffy grabbed Willow's hand. "Give me some money."

"What?"

"Give me some money." Buffy nodded in the dancer's direction. "He deserves it and I know you won't do it."

"Yes…yes I would."

"Then do it."

The song was almost over and Willow gripped the twenty-dollar bill tightly in her hand. She willed him to come her direction, willed him to dance just for her. Almost as if he heard her thoughts, he sauntered over, getting to his knees in front of her, thrusting forward. Willow reached up and tucked the bill deep inside his g-string without thinking. Smiling to herself as she imagined what Buffy's face must look like, she looked up at him, wondering what kind of man was hiding beneath that cowboy hat.

He stood up quickly, turning to face the audience, sweeping his hat from his head as the song ended and he bowed deeply. Willow appreciated the view one more time before he turned around. When he did, she froze, her mind spinning.

"Um, Buffy? I really think I need to lie down."

Buffy, who was staring at Xander in just as much shock as Willow was, nodded. "I think I do too."

A very large man appeared at their table a few minutes after Xander had disappeared off the stage. "Are you Buffy and Willow?"

They nodded, unable to make a coherent thought, much less sentence.

"Come with me."

They followed him in a daze, almost bumping into him when he stopped. He motioned to the door in front of him.

"In there."

Walking into the dressing room, both girls stopped at the sight of Xander, wearing a short, untied robe over his g-string, counting his money. He held out the $20. "You can't afford this."

Willow gave up all pretense of being in control and sat down on the floor. Unfortunately for her hormones, it gave her a very uninterrupted view of Xander's still obvious erection.

Buffy managed to save the moment. "Xand? You want to tell us what the hell is going on?"

"I guess I don't have much choice." He looked down at Willow then looked away, the sight of her more than enough to affect him. "Over the summer, while I was gone, I worked here and there. One of the here's…or maybe one of the there's was a strip club. I started in the kitchen then worked my way up the corporate ladder."

"You're a stripper?" Willow finally asked, stating the obvious.

"I'm an exotic-dancer," Xander explained. "Strippers take it all off."

Willow eeped and shut up.

"Anyway, it's good money. Really good money. I only do it now and then when I need the cash for something. I can make a month's rent in one night." He looked sheepishly at Buffy. "Things are tight this month, so I came out here to…" he gestured to the money. "Why are you guys here?"

"I…" Buffy blushed. "I was hoping to get incriminating pictures of some of the jerks from the college."

Xander shook his head. "Sorry, Buff. They're all still working the kitchens."

Thinking for a moment, she picked up the camera and started for the door. "That could still be good."

"You okay, Wills?"

"I just…you just…on the swim team it was for a reason and you were with Cordelia. And when we were kids you had the trunks, not the bikini thing. And now…well, now it's…and you're…" She shook her head. "It's just so not you."

He smiled and got to his knees in front of her. "But it is me. Sort of."

"No." She sighed sadly. "My Xander doesn't dress up in cowboy hats and," she ran her finger across his chest, coating it lightly with the oil and sweat that glistened on his skin. "And oil and stuff. You don't wear," she trailed her finger down his chest without thinking, resting it on the bulge in his g-string when she reached it. "You don't wear this."

"I'm not your Xander anymore," he reminded her softly, willing his body not to respond to her touch. He was failing miserably, but he concentrated on his breathing and managed to keep his erection at a manageable level. "I've changed a lot over the summer, Wills. We've been together forever and we knew everything there was to know. Now we've been apart and we don't know anything. The people we were before don't exist anymore."

Sorrow filled her green eyes as she looked at him. "So that's the end?" She nodded sadly. "That's the end."

"We're still friends, Willow. We always will be."

"Friends," she nodded yet again. "Right."

He watched her stand before doing so himself. She looked down at the bill in her hand and held it out behind her.

"Keep it, Xander. You earned it." She turned back and smiled, the soft curve of it causing her tears to fall from where they brimmed in her eyes. "Thanks for the dance."

She was almost out to the car when he caught up to her. He'd put on a pair of sweats and some shoes, but his chest was still bare and the robe was still untied, flying out behind him. He grabbed her arm and whirled her around. "What did you do this summer?"

"Nothing. I helped Buffy and Giles and…"

"And what did you do with Oz?" Xander's voice was demanding and harsh. "Did you spend the summer gazing lovingly into each other's eyes or did you spend the summer in his bed, Willow?"

"You have no right to ask me that!"

"And you do? You have the right to expect me to be the same screw-up, Xander Harris I was when I left? I'm not allowed to learn from the experience, is that it? I'm not allowed to move on?" He pointed at her, his anger boiling over. "You walked away from me."

"You walked away from me your entire life!" She was almost shouting. "You stood by, refusing to see what was in front of you because it cramped your style. Well, I'm sorry Oz isn't as blind as you are. I'm sorry that he didn't need me to play dress up to see that I'm beautiful and smart and funny and worth being with. I'm sorry he didn't disappear just because you finally opened your eyes to the person who had been waiting for you all your life. I'm sorry…"

His lips pressed hard to hers, capturing her words between them. His hands smoothed back her hair as hers rested against his chest. She knew she should push him away. She knew that she was asking for trouble and she shouldn't let herself be affected by the heady scent of him or the hardness of his erection as he pressed against her.

Xander pulled away, licking his lips, savoring the taste of her. "You're sorry he's not me."

Willow wiped her mouth and shook her head. "That's not true."

"Really?" His voice was filled with challenge. He watched as Willow nodded before catching her in another kiss, deep and carnal and intense. Ignoring the shimmering oil that coated his skin, she wound her arms around his waist and he eased her back against the car so that they could grind their bodies together as they kissed.

When he pulled back this time, he didn't pull away. Willow was gazing up at him, her green eyes smoky with desire.

"Let me take you home with me, Willow."

She shook her head. "I can't."

"You used to want to know everything about me," he breathed, his soft voice warm and erotic in her ear. "Let me show you what I learned about myself this summer. Let me be your Xander again?"

She shivered, partially from reaction and partially from his seduction. The offer was temptation itself. "I'm not your Willow anymore…I belong to him."

"You should belong to yourself," he reminded her. "Not my Willow, not his. Yours."

"Are you sure you're Xander? Not some strange pod person doing a really poor imitation of acting like him?"

He chuckled against the soft skin of her neck. "Let me take you home with me, Willow. Let me do what I should have done years ago and show you how much you mean to me?"

His words danced down her spine, sending heat through her stomach and lower. "Xander, I…"

"Say yes."

She nodded, unable to refuse him. He looked at her again, kissing her softly, full of promise.

"Say it."

Licking his lips, Willow nodded. "Yes."

"Say it."

"Xander," she breathed. "Take me home with you."

The flickering candlelight sent shadows waltzing around the room as Willow stared out of Xander's apartment window. He was in the bathroom, showering off the oil from his performance, and he'd told her that she didn't have to stay. But she did have to know that if she stayed, she was making him a promise.

The door opened and the scented steam from the shower infused the room with heat. Xander walked over to her wearing nothing but a robe and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Willow?"

"I tried to leave," she admitted. "I really did. But somehow…I don't know that I'll ever belong to myself Xander, but I do know that if I have to chose between being your Willow or his…" She turned in his arms and stared into his dark eyes. "I…I need to be yours."

"Oh, Wills." He gathered her to him, crushing her lips with his own. His tongue slipped between her parted lips and tangled with hers. Lifting her slight form so that she dangled from his grasp, he started walking, carrying her into his room.

He set her down on the floor, finally breaking the kiss. She pulled away from him, keeping his lower lip caught between hers. She sucked lightly before releasing it; her eyes focused on his mouth. "Xander?"

He nodded, knowing what she was asking without another word being spoken. His fingers found the bottom of her sweater and he guided it over her head. He stopped breathing as he realized she wasn't wearing a bra and her body was already aroused for him. His fingers trembled as he dropped the sweater and reached out to touch the hard tips that crowned her beautiful breasts.

She hissed as he touched her, arching her back at the long awaited contact. How long, she wondered vaguely, had she dreamed of him touching her, needing her, loving her? She watched as he touched her, her mind storing every moment, every memory. Just as their first kiss was etched in her soul, she wanted this first, this first that she had always dreamed of to be with her forever.

His thumbs brushed the sensitive flesh, stroking it, watching as her body reacted to his touch. He marveled at her responses. Faith had been all growls and animal passion. Willow was all soft gasps and shortness of breath, molten eyes and melting kisses. He bent his head to brush her lips softly as he cupped her breasts in his hands. She moaned softly, sounding like she was in the sweetest kind of pain.

Pulling away from his touch, Willow unbuttoned her jeans and slid them to the floor, along with her panties. Xander watched in awe, his hands going to the tie on his robe so that he could slip it off his shoulders. When she was naked, she climbed onto his bed and lay on her side, watching him.

He felt the blood surging through him and his cock hardening more than he thought possible. If just her glance could affect him this way, how would he stay in control when she touched him, when he entered her?

Xander dropped the robe and lay down beside her, resting his hand on her hip. "I promised I'd tell you some of the things I learned about myself on my trip."

She shook her head, surging forward, pinning him back to the bed. She lay across him, her lips kissing his neck, his collar, his jaw, his chin. She tasted as much of him as she could, licking and nibbling on his skin as her hands roamed over his body, exploring him, until one wrapped around his erection. She held him lightly as she kissed him, her thumb brushing over the moist tip repeatedly until he begged her to stop.

She smiled down at him, her heart in her eyes. He'd made her promise that she wouldn't walk away from him in the light of day, but he knew now, seeing her eyes that it wouldn't matter either way. After tonight, after he entered her, what she did would have no bearing on his emotions.

As soon as he entered her, he would belong to her. He smiled back up at her, realizing how monumentally stupid he'd been for so long. He already belonged to her. He had all his life. He rested a hand on her shoulder, guiding her back down onto the mattress. Moving over her, he kissed her quickly. "Don't move?"

She nodded, breathless with excitement and need. Xander fumbled with the drawer in the night table, pulling out a small package. Willow waited as he sheathed himself and moved back between her legs. She spread them further, allowing him easier access to the hot throbbing core that seemed to cry out for the kiss of his skin.

Xander used his hand to guide the tip of his erection to her opening. In his mind, logically, he knew that he wasn't her first. She'd been with Oz more times than he cared to know about. But in his heart, where it mattered most, he was Willow's first. She was his. And nothing on Earth, not even the doomed love of a Slayer and a vampire, could surpass this moment.

His hips thrust forward slowly, easing himself inside her as her body opened up to him. Willow braced her feet on the bed, moving toward him, greeting his thrusts with her own. He shivered above her, tremors of passion running through him as her heat bathed him, covering him, welcoming him. Tears, brought on by the knowledge of perfection, burned his eyes as he gazed down at her, his heart pounding in his chest.

Willow couldn't stop her hands from touching him, feeling every inch of him as he filled her. She stroked his neck and chest, his back and the curve of his ass as they met, matching each other passion for passion. He lowered himself to his elbows, his arms unable to support his trembling body. She gasped as he held her closer, going deeper than she thought possible. His eyes were misty with tears, or perhaps they were her own, burning her with the truth that this man above her, this boy she'd loved all her life, was the man she destined to be with forever.

Xander kissed Willow tenderly, hoping that his kisses would tell her everything he couldn't say. He met her gaze and lost himself in her eyes. He could feel nothing except the beating of her heart keeping time with his and the hot wetness clenching him, grasping at him, begging him.

"Willow, honey, I don't know how much more…"

"Not much more," she promised breathlessly, thrusting upwards, her body contracting around him, submerging him, drowning him. Xander ground down against her, her movements wringing his orgasm from him, filling her, fulfilling them both.

They lay there silently, basking in the soothing afterglow. Willow's delicate finger tucked an errant strand of hair behind Xander's ear. "Now you can tell me."

"Hmmm?" He asked quietly.

"The great secret about yourself that you learned this summer. You promised to tell me."

He smiled, knowing that he already had. "I love you, Wills."

"You hadn't figured that out yet?" She asked with a small laugh, unable to hide the thrill finally hearing him say the words gave her.

"What can I say? I'm slow."

"Maybe slow," Willow agreed as she kissed the tip of his nose and gazed longingly into his eyes. "But you're mine."