He had escaped.
They’d never suspected it, that he’d leave them, that he‘d try to find a way out. They’d looked at him, the stoicism he always showed, and they had never even considered that his mind was working triple time behind that even, unrelenting stare, behind those unflinching eyes, but it had been. He’d had a plan, he always had a plan, they had taught him to have a plan...
They had just never expected him to use that little skill against them.
The low branches of the trees and the greenery around him pulled at his clothing as he ran, not sure exactly what he was running from, knowing that no one was following, no one was after him... They didn’t even have a clue that he was gone, so there was no reason to be running from them...
Maybe he was running towards her.
It had hurt to leave her alone, even for a moment, and it just about killed him to watch the masquerade she was playing. But it had been necessary. It kept her out of suspicion, away from any possible line of fire if something went wrong.
It kept her safe.
He picked up speed as he ran, almost blindly moving through the darkness of the night, headed to the one place he knew they would be safe, the one place where he could be with her. No outside world to tell them that they shouldn’t be together, no fighting friends or opposite sides.
No, there it would be just them.
Maybe that was what he was going towards... He was moving towards the freedom he knew that was waiting there for him, the secrecy, the solitude... The time alone with her. Yes, that was definitely a plus.
God, but he had missed her so much while he was away, how he had longed to hold her in his arms, to pull her close and cradle her against him, to protect her from everything that was going on around them. He had hated it, knowing the danger that she was so constantly putting herself in, knowing that he wasn’t there to protect her. Sure, the Slayer had been there, and he knew that she was tough, but even now, even knowing how strong the girl was, he still had trouble thinking of the petite blonde as an intimidating figure.
Besides, not all evil was demon, some was human, and what use would a Slayer be against that?
The cabin came into his view at that moment, and he quickened his pace even more, driving himself almost to his limits in an effort to get to her as quickly as possible. He came to a skidding stop as he reached the porch, and he ran his hand over the door, almost unable to believe that he was actually here, and he was free to be with her. He had received an honorable discharge, believe it or not, thanks to some timely hacking that gave him an unfortunate condition... And by the time the army figured it out - if they ever did - he’d be long gone.
He’d be with her.
Shaking hands caused him to fumble with the key as he went to unlock the door, and he cursed his own eagerness and nervousness as he finally managed to get the key in the hole. He turned the key in the lock and shoved the door open, wincing slightly as it banged against the wall, then recoiled slightly. He quickly entered the cabin, his eyes searching for her in the living room, then headed to the kitchen, frowning when he didn’t see her. Worried, he made his way up the stairs, headed for the bedroom, reaching for the door at the top of the stairs and yanking it open, heaving a great sigh of relief when he saw that she was inside. She whirled around at the noise, her vibrant hair swinging out as she turned to look at him, her eyes wide, first with fear at the unexpected visitor, then surprise...
Then love.
"You’re here!" she cried out, flinging herself across the room and directly into his arms. He caught her as she launched herself at him, pulling her closer to him and whirling around in a circle, spinning her.
"Yeah, baby, I’m here. I made it," he told her as he set her down, looking into her brilliant green eyes. "Is this for real?" she asked. "Are you really-"
"I’m here for good, Willow," he told her, reaching up to stroke her face. "No more Initiative, no more having to be away from each other... We’re together now, and I’m not going anywhere, baby. I‘m not going anywhere," he promised, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face against his chest.
"Neither am I," she whispered, voice muffled because of her position. "I love you, Graham."
"I love you, too," he told her as he lifted her chin, gently urging her to look at him, and he smiled gently down at her as she met his gaze, her eyes bright with tears. A wide smile was on her lovely face, and he knew the tears were of happiness. He felt about ready to shed a few of them himself. "I love you so damn much," he murmured to her. "And I’m never leaving you again."
"Promise."
"Yeah, baby... I promise."
The End
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