TITLE: “One Thing Leads to Another”

AUTHOR: Alessandra “Pamela”

EMAIL: destructo-girl@...

RATING: NC17 overall

DISTRIBUTION:  My sites… anyone else, just ask.

PREVIOUS PARTS: Can be found at my site - http://destructo-girl.com

FEEDBACK:  I would love it if you were so inclined. :)

SPOILERS:  This takes place after “The Gift” except Buffy didn’t die.

SUMMARY:  Buffy and Graham run into each other and find out they get along *really* well.  But will their loyalty to Riley keep them apart?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” characters or situations (I will even give my story ideas to Joss in exchange for a day on the set).  I am borrowing them, without permission, and I mean no harm to them.  They all belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, and Warner Brothers.  I wrote this purely for entertainment and not at all for profit.

NOTE: This has not been beta read, so please excuse any mistakes. 

***

“Man, I have so much homework tonight,” Lisa complained as she and Dawn walked out the front doors of the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High after the final bell.  “How about you?”

Dawn shrugged, “Not too much.  And it’s not like I have anything else to do anyway.  I’ve got another week and a half locked up in my house; I’m only allowed to leave for school and an occasional trip to the grocery store.  It’s really pathetic, but I am learning to love the grocery store.”

Lisa gave her a wry smile.  “Sorry, but you know…”

“Yeah, yeah, I was bad.  I’m sorry and I deserve this which is why I am not whining *too* much.”

“Oh, there’s my mom, come on,” Lisa said, grabbing Dawn’s arm and dragging her to the waiting car.

“Hello girls,” Mrs. Pearson smiled from the front seat.  “How was school?”

“Thrilling,” Lisa replied sarcastically.

Dawn grinned, “Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Pearson.  My sister wasn’t sure what she was going to do until you offered to carpool.”

“Oh, it works out great for me!  I get to sleep in now.  I just hope she enjoys her new job.  You should do something nice for her, make her dinner or something.  The first day is always stressful so she would really appreciate that.”

“Hmm… that’s an idea,” Dawn said, contemplating that idea.  Brownie points were always a good thing.  Ooh, she could make brownies!  She’d gotten the idea to make them with jellybeans inside them a few days earlier… maybe she would have an experiment that afternoon.

“Oh yeah, did you have to go with her and Riley for dinner the other night?”  Lisa asked.

“Yes,” Dawn groaned, “I thought they were going to have to be surgically detached, they kissed so much!  I swear they are worse than before.”

“And that has nothing to do with the fact that this time you want her with Graham?”

“No, trust me, it’s worse!”  Dawn insisted, “You know, you are such a traitor.  Before, you were all ‘Oh, Buffy should be with Graham, let’s get her with Graham!’ and now you’ve all but abandoned that.”

“No I haven’t.  It’s just that Riley is so sweet.  It’s hard to want to sabotage his relationship with Buffy and break his heart.”

“That’s because he’s not dating *your* sister.  It’s easy for me!”

***

“I’m hungry, what’s for dinner?” Dawn asked as she came into the kitchen.

“Chicken fajitas,” Buffy answered as she diced lettuce.  “Oh, and Riley’s joining us.”

“Oh joy,” the younger girl replied sarcastically.

Buffy frowned, still oblivious to the fact that her sister disapproved of her choice of boyfriend.  Shrugging it off, she said, “You were supposed to vacuum the living room this afternoon.”

“I forgot.”

“So do it now.”

“Why?  It’s not like Riley’s going to notice the living room floor.  Answer the door naked and he won’t even notice if the house is standing,” she replied, popping some grated cheese in her mouth.

Buffy shot her a dirty look and stopped dicing.  “I don’t want you to vacuum just because Riley is coming, I want you to do it because it needs to be done and I told you yesterday that you were to do it after school today.”

“Fine,” she sighed, then retrieved the vacuum cleaner from her bedroom – where she had left it after her chores a few days earlier – and dragged it down the stairs.  When she was halfway through with the living room, the doorbell rang and Dawn paused, contemplating answering the door, then decided Riley could wait.  Maybe standing on the porch for a few minutes would make him cranky and he could end up fighting with Buffy.  That would definitely be a plus!

A moment later, Buffy marched angrily into the room.  “Dawn!”

Dawn turned the vacuum off and gave her sister an innocent look.  “Yes?”

“Why didn’t you answer the door?”

“Oh, I didn’t hear it.  Sorry.”

Shaking her head, the blonde walked over to the door and opened it, expecting to find her boyfriend… but instead found her father.

“Dad?”

Hearing her sister’s stunned voice, Dawn left the vacuum forgotten in the middle of the living room floor and rushed into the foyer in disbelief.  Their mother had died over seven months ago and their father hadn’t so much as called.  It was obvious from the card he had sent on her birthday that he wasn’t even aware it had happened, so for him to be here in Sunnydale was quite a shock.

“Sweetheart, I am so sorry!” Hank Summers exclaimed, quickly drawing his eldest daughter into his arms.

Still bewildered, Buffy numbly allowed him to hug her tightly, not even registering the words of comfort he was quickly babbling in her ear.  After he released her, she stood to the side and watched as he hugged an equally surprised Dawn.

When her brain finally began to function again, Buffy had Hank come sit in the kitchen, as she remembered she had food cooking and couldn’t afford to burn the house down.  Dawn quickly put the vacuum away and joined her father at the kitchen table.  As Hank began to explain why he hadn’t been there for his daughters when they needed him most, Buffy busied herself with finishing dinner, happy to have something else to focus on.

“I don’t know where to start,” Hank shook his head.  “I feel so horrible for not being here when you both needed me so much.  I never should have let myself be unreachable for a *day*, much less months.  It’s just that when I talked to you at Christmas, Joyce was fine, so I didn’t worry… but it was inexcusable.  I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Buffy considered commenting that she knew what he was thinking *with*, but thought better of it.  She would be lying if she said she wasn’t irritated with her father for his utter lack of responsibility for the past few years, but it wasn’t important.  He was here now and for that, she was glad.

“We did okay,” Dawn told him.  “I mean we wished you were here, but we made it through.  Buffy takes good care of me.”

Buffy looked up at that, touched by Dawn’s comment, and smiled as she watched her father and sister embrace.  “Dawn has been very strong too.  You should be proud of her, Dad.”

“I am; I’m proud of both of you.  One thing your mother and I did right was you two.  I just can’t believe I let you down like this.”

“But you’re here now,” Dawn pointed out.  “And you’ll stay?  You know, for a while?”

Hank nodded, “If it’s alright with you two, I would like to stay for a few days, maybe a week.”

Her younger sister looked at her hopefully, as if asking permission, and Buffy smiled and nodded, “We would love that.”

“Great!” their father grinned.  “So, tell me all about your lives.  What are you two up to?”

“I’m in high school now!” Dawn exclaimed excitedly, quickly filling Hank in on all the details about her classes and teachers as well as her friends and classmates.

Buffy contentedly finished preparing dinner, smirking at the look on her father’s face as he tried to feign interest in Charlie Stewart and how Lisa said he had a crush on Dawn.  Hank Summers was far from the perfect father, but they still loved him and were ecstatic to have him back in their lives.

“So Buffy, how is school going for you?”

“Oh, she dropped out.”

“You dropped out?” Hank asked, surprised.

Buffy smiled sheepishly.  “I thought it was best.  After mom died, so much was going on and I just couldn’t keep up with school so I dropped all my classes.  And then bills became an issue, so I got a job.”

“Oh.  Where?”

“Well, first I worked at a diner, but a few weeks ago, I started a job as a secretary at a publishing house,” Buffy explained, then grabbed some plates, realizing the table wasn’t set.  “Dawn, want to help me?”

“Sure,” the younger girl replied, taking the plates from her and grabbing some silverware before going into the dining room.

Taking advantage of their moment of privacy, Hank stood and walked over to his daughter.  “How about I take care of your bills so you can go back to school.  I want you to know that I have never made an issue of giving your mother money to take care of the two of you.  She always said that the child support money was enough, and when you started college, she just had me put the money towards tuition.  When I came back from Spain – before I found out – I planned to drop by here with a check for this year’s.  I never wanted to be one of those men that didn’t financially support their children.”

“I know that, Daddy, I do,” Buffy assured him.  “But it’s okay.  I really like my job and, to be honest, I really have no idea yet what I want to do with my life.  I will go back to school someday, but right now, I like where I am.  I enjoy the work.  It’s interesting and I have a really cool boss.  I appreciate your concern, but it’s okay.”

“Well, if you’re sure.  Do you promise to tell me if you change your mind?”

She nodded, “Sure.”

“Good.  But I’m still giving you some money.”

“That’s okay; we’re doing fine.”

Hank shook his head, “Let me do this.  I can tell that you two aren’t starving.  You obviously have clothes on your backs and a roof over your heads, but I am sure some extra money won’t hurt, will it?”

As much as Buffy’s pride wanted her to say no, knowing that his guilt was making him want to buy her off, she decided to let him have his way.  This wasn’t the time to be stubborn and she really *did* need to establish some savings.  They way her luck went, she would need it.

“Alright,” she acquiesced.

“Thank you,” he smiled, kissing her on the cheek.  “Now, what can I do to help?”

“You could bring out the glasses.”

“Okay, where do you keep them?”

“Here,” Buffy replied, opening a cabinet and grabbing four glasses and handing them to him.

Hank frowned, “There’s only three of us.”

“Oh, yeah, but my boyfriend Riley is joining us for dinner.”

“A boyfriend?” he questioned, his eyebrow quirked.  “I haven’t had the pleasure of interrogating one of your boyfriends for a long time!  I believe Tyler was the last one.”

Buffy groaned, “Dad, you better not!”

“I’m your father, it’s my duty!” he laughed as the two of them joined Dawn in the dining room.  “So… is it serious?”

“Is what serious?” Dawn asked them.

“Your sister’s relationship with Riley, I believe his name is.”

The brunette rolled her eyes, “They’re so disgusting, Dad.  PDA’s to the max!”

“Oh really?” Hank replied, greatly amused.

Buffy blushed furiously, studiously focusing on the hot pads she was setting on the table.  She tried to ignore her father and sister as the two continued to tease her for several moments until the doorbell rang, and Riley presumably arrived – as if on cue.

She quickly hurried over to the door, flinging it open.  “Hi!”

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Riley apologized, stepping inside the foyer and giving her a quick kiss.

Before Buffy could respond, she felt her father’s presence behind her.  “Ah, this must be the famous Riley.”

At Riley’s confused look, Buffy smiled.  “Riley, this is my dad, Hank Summers.  Dad, this is Riley Finn.”

“Oh!  Nice to meet you, Sir,” Riley greeted politely, a bit nervous about meeting his girlfriend’s father.

“You too,” Hank replied, shaking the younger man’s hand.

Buffy shut the door and explained, “Dad surprised us a little while ago.  He’s going to stay for a little while.”

“That’s great,” Riley grinned.  “You’re very important to Buffy and Dawn so I’m happy you’ll be here to spend time with them.”

“Well, they are the two most important things in the world to me,” Hank replied, putting his arm around his daughter.

“Buffy, the timer went off!  I think the chicken is done,” Dawn yelled from the kitchen.

“That means dinner is ready,” Buffy told the two men.  “Why don’t you two sit down?  I’ll have Dawn help me bring the food out.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help?” Riley offered.

“No, that’s okay, you sit,” Buffy assured him before rushing off to the kitchen.

Riley and Hank sat down at the dining room table as directed while Buffy and Dawn put the finishing touches on supper.

“So, what is it that you do, Riley?”

“I’m in the military,” Riley replied and proceeded to describe his job, leaving out confidential details – namely the fact that they hunted demons and investigated all sorts of supernatural phenomena.

Hank quickly grew impressed with his daughter’s boyfriend as they talked and he observed the way they interacted throughout the meal.  Riley was a fine young man who treated his daughter right – what more could he ask for?

***

“Buffy, I really am quite proud of you.  You have it all together.  I daresay, you’re more of a grown-up than I am.  Raising your sister, working, maintaining a household,” Hank praised his eldest daughter as she washed dishes after dinner.  They were alone temporarily as Dawn wiped off the kitchen table and Riley dumped the trash for Buffy.

The blonde smiled, her heart swelling with pride.  “Thank you.”

“And I am so happy you have Riley.  He’s intelligent and courteous, definitely one who will go far in life.  And he adores you.  In other words, he is worthy of my little girl.”

She smiled, while on the inside she felt a little ache.  Riley *was* wonderful, but he wasn’t worthy of her.  Correction - *she* wasn’t worthy of *him*.  Not even including the fact that she has slept with Graham, this amazing man treated her like gold… and she wanted someone else, someone who only liked her as a friend and as someone to sleep with when they were both single.  What her father had intended to be a compliment had only ended up making her feel worse, more deficient.

***

“Are you sure you didn’t want to go with them?” Riley asked Buffy as he sat down beside her on the couch.  “You’re actually trusting Dawn to pick out a video.”

His girlfriend laughed, “What can I say?  I feel like living on the wild side.  Besides, I’d rather have some time alone with you.”

“Ooh, I like the sound of that,” he grinned, leaning over and kissing her.

Buffy moaned and moved her hands to his head, running through his hair, as the kiss deepened and grew more passionate.

Breathlessly, Riley broke away.  “Wow… that was… intense.”

“I know,” she smiled, moving her mouth to the side of his neck, placing soft kisses on his skin while her hands were busy roaming over his chest.

“Uh, Buffy?  Not that I am not enjoying it, but what are you doing?  I mean I know what you’re doing, but uh…”

“My dad is going to be here for at least a few days and chances are we won’t have another chance until he’s gone.”

“Okay, but… Buffy, I didn’t know that you were ready for this…”

“I am,” she nodded fervently.

“Your dad and Dawn won’t be gone that long.”

“They’ll be gone long enough.  I need you, Riley.  I… I love you,” she quietly declared, willing the words to be true just by saying them out loud.

Riley was visibly taken aback.  After all the times he had hoped and prayed to hear her reply in kind when he had told her he loved her… it was the last thing he’d expected her to say.

“You love me?”

Buffy smiled and nodded, “I do.”

He laughed joyfully, putting the hands on the sides of her face and leaning down to kiss her.  “God, I love you too.”

Buffy let herself go with the flow, ignoring the aching of her heart as things once again heated up.  She began repeating a mantra in her head that this was the way things were supposed to be, Riley was the man she was supposed to be with.  He was a good man and he loved her and treated her well and she was *so* lucky.  She had to love him back.  She had to.

When they finally broke their kiss, they leaned their foreheads against each other and panted, looking one another in the eye.

“Do you want to go upstairs?” he asked.

Buffy paused for a moment, wondering if she could really go through with this before deciding that she had to.  Maybe this would be it – the thing that would make her truly love him.

Nodding quickly, she whispered, “Yes.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, let’s go,” Buffy replied more confidently.

Riley stood, holding out a hand and pulling Buffy up with him.  Tenderly stroking the back of his hand over her cheek, he commented, “I missed you so much.”

“Now you have me again,” she told him with a smile before tugging him towards the stairs.

Upstairs in Buffy’s bedroom, the two of them began kissing once again as their hands hastily removed each other’s clothing.  Once nude, they tumbled onto Buffy’s bed, limbs entangled intimately.

Buffy lost herself in the pleasure as Riley’s hands explored her body, reacquainting himself after so many months away.  He was eager to prepare her for his entrance – it had been so long and he had spent far too many nights dreaming about what it was like to feel her surrounding him.  But still, he didn’t want to hurt her, so he couldn’t rush it.

Fortunately, when his fingers found their way between her legs, she was already quite wet and ready for him.  After just a few moments of stroking her, feeling the wetness grow and seep out to her inner thighs, Riley felt confident that she was prepared.

He moved between her legs, settling himself above her, before looking lovingly into Buffy’s eyes and gently pushing inside of her.  Setting an easy rhythm, Riley interlaced his fingers with his lover’s, staring deep into her eyes.

Caught up in the sensations, Buffy arched up, meeting him thrust for thrust as their mutual need for release got the better of them and the pace quickened rapidly.  Riley released her hands to clutch her hips and pull her to him.  She gripped his shoulders, moaning loudly as her orgasm grew closer.

Knowing that he was near release as well, and wanting to bring her over the edge with him, Riley moved his hand back down to her center, finding her sensitive nubbin and gently caressing it.  Buffy found herself spiraling towards release; Riley knew her body well, he’d always been a considerate lover and she had always been very satisfied with their sex life.

She was almost there, just on the brink of climax… and then Riley told her he loved her.  It wasn’t so much the words, but the feeling behind it.  He truly did love her, so very much.

And she didn’t deserve it.

She didn’t deserve him, but here he was, trying to delay his own pleasure so that she could have hers.  And what did she want?  Graham.  She didn’t deserve either of them.  As far as she was concerned, she had betrayed them both.

As quickly her desire had grown, it disappeared as the guilt overwhelmed her.  How could she take pleasure in this selfish act?  She was *using* Riley and, in her heart anyway, cheating on Graham.

Desperate to please Riley, she did something she had never done before.  She faked an orgasm.  In a way, it made her feel even worse… but there was no way in her state of mind that she could have an orgasm now and if Riley couldn’t give her that… he would be so hurt.

Apparently, she gave a good performance, because a few moments later Riley was spilling his seed deep inside her womb.  He collapsed on top of her, trying to catch his breath, before calming down and rolling to the side. 

Riley wanted to pull her with him, but he was still slightly apprehensive.  It was one of the things that he had been really bothered by before he had left.  She’d never cuddled with him after sex.  Buffy may not have realized it, but this was a test.

By sheer will to be the woman he deserved, Buffy passed it.  She quickly rested her head on his chest while struggling to keep her emotions at bay.  However, she wasn’t successful for long, as hot tears burned in her eyes and a sob erupted from her throat.

Riley’s initial elation at her closeness quickly turned into confusion and fear.  What if she regretted this?  He’d tried so hard to be patient and not push; he had thought she was sure that she wanted to make love.

“Buffy, are you okay?”

Buffy got control of herself, still crying but not sobbing, and nodded, “I’m sorry it’s just that I’m so glad you’re back home.  I never thought I would have this second chance.”

Appeased by her lie, Riley wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.  He felt even more confident that things would be better this time, recalling a conversation he’d had with Dawn when Joyce had first gotten sick.  Dawn had told him how Angel always made Buffy cry and while he hated the thought of causing his girlfriend pain, the realization that it wasn’t possible for her to cry over him because she didn’t love him like she did her ex-boyfriend had been heartbreaking.  As horrible as it sounded, the fact that she was crying over him made him feel… wonderful.  It meant that she really did love him, and what could be better than that?

Buffy finally calmed down, wiping her tears away and clasping Riley’s much larger hand in her own.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

She nodded, lifting her head and smiling up at him.  “Yes, I just feel a bit silly.”

“Don’t…” Riley told her, “Never be afraid to show me how you really feel.  I love you, all of you, and I am more than willing to help you through whatever you’re feeling.”

“I know, because you’re wonderful.”

“Best boyfriend ever?” he teased.

Buffy laughed, “Best boyfriend ever.”

Glancing at the clock on her nightstand, Riley’s eyes widened.  “Jeez, we’d better get dressed.”

After taking a look at the clock as well and realizing that her father and sister had been gone nearly an hour, Buffy quickly slid out of the bed.

“You’re right; I really don’t feel like trying to explain this to my dad.”

“As the guy who is violating his daughter, I most heartily agree!” Riley replied, getting dressed as well.

Not quite ten minutes later, Hank and Dawn Summers came in through the front door, two videos from Blockbuster and a bag full of treats to make ice cream sundaes in hand.  They found Buffy and Riley on the couch, the picture of innocence as they watched the news.

TBC...