Title:Happily Ever After
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.
Part 24
Jesse stood in her new room taking everything in for the millionth time that day. She was having a hard time believing it was actually hers. The walls were a beautiful royal blue accented with various shades of gold. Xander had built a canopy bed which Tara had draped various kinds of sheer fabrics around. It looked just like the picture in the magazine.
"So whatta ya think?" She asked Alex.
"It's nice," Alex said.
"Nice. Nice. It's not nice, it's the perfect room," Jesse said.
"Yeah, if you're a girl, which I'm not," Alex said. "So as a guy, I say, it's nice."
"I acted excited when you got your room redone. Do you think I like plaid?" Jesse asked.
"Oh, Jesse, your room is to die for," Alex said in a feminine voice, throwing himself on the bed in dramatic fashion.
"Funny," Jesse said.
"Do I get credit for trying now?" Alex asked.
"I suppose," Jesse said. "Hey, did I tell you what happened at the park yesterday with Billy?"
"Why do you like him? He's grubby and dumb," Alex said.
"He is not dumb or grubby. Do you want to know what happened or not?" Jesse asked walking across the room and closing the door.
"Just because I think he's all wrong for you, doesn't mean I don't want to know," Alex said.
"He kissed me, and not like the last time. He French kissed me. We kissed for like five whole minutes," Jesse said.
"You used your tongue?" Alex asked in shock.
"Oh yeah," Jesse said flopping back onto the bed with a huge smile on her face.
"I'm not old enough to have this conversation," Alex said.
"You're old enough to have done it," Jesse said.
"I'm not even thirteen yet," Alex said defending himself, "and neither are you."
"Close enough," Jesse said. "Besides it's only kissing. It's not like we had sex."
"I should hope not," Alex said. "I can't talk about that."
"Why not?"
"You know I'm not supposed to. I'm only supposed to talk to my mom and dad about it," Alex said.
"You need to relax. I talk about it all the time, it doesn't mean I'm gonna do it, or that I even want to," Jesse said. It always struck her as odd that Anya was so blunt when it came to sex, but Alex wasn't even allowed to say the word, unless he was talking to his parents.
"Just humor me and talk about something else," Alex said.
"Okay," Jesse said, thinking for a moment, "like what?"
"I don't know. Did you hear that?" Alex asked.
"Hear what?"
"It sounded like someone was outside your door," Alex said.
"Rupert!" Jesse shouted.
"Hi, Mommy, guess what?" Rupert said running into the family room.
"What?" Willow asked.
"I know a secret about Jesse," Rupert said grinning broadly.
"How do you know a secret about Jesse? Were you spying again?" Willow asked.
"No, I just heard," Rupert said.
"What's the secret?" Willow asked.
"Jesse had sex with Billy in the park," Rupert said.
"What?" Willow said spitting out the soda she was drinking.
"That's what she told Alex," Rupert said wiping the soda off his face with the bottom of his tee shirt.
"So you were spying," Willow said. She and Tara had numerous conversations with him about that. Suddenly it dawned on her what he had overheard. "Do you know what that means?" Willow asked him.
"Do I know what spying means? Duh, Mommy, I do it all the time," Rupert said.
"No, what you heard Jesse talking about," Willow said.
"No," Rupert said. "Is it bad?"
"Go outside with Momma and your sisters," Willow said hoisting herself off the sofa.
"I don't want to," Rupert said. He wasn't going to hear anything if he was outside.
"You have to. I need to go talk to Jesse, and you can't stay in the house by yourself," Willow said escorting him to the sliding glass doors that lead to the back yard.
"Oh, all right," Rupert said.
Willow made her way up the stairs to the second floor, and then continued on her way up to the attic. She had to take a break to catch her breath and calm her nerves before she knocked on Jesse's door. It isn't everyday that one goes up to their twelve year old daughter's room to discuss her sexual activity. Composing herself, she knocked on Jesse's door.
"Come in," Jesse called from the bed.
"Time to go home, Alex," Willow said as she opened the door.
"Okay, bye Jesse, bye Aunt Willow," Alex said on his way out of the room. He knew Jesse was in trouble for something.
"Why did Alex have to leave?" Jesse asked sitting up.
"Because we need to have a talk," Willow said closing the door, and then sitting next to Jesse on the bed.
"Did I do something wrong?" Jesse asked.
"Do you think you did something wrong?"
"No, but I must have if Alex had to leave," Jesse said.
"We've talked all about sex, and you understood everything, right?" Willow asked.
"Yeah," Jesse said.
"If you ever had any questions you would ask me or your Momma, right?" Willow asked.
"Yeah," Jesse said.
"And if you ever did it, you would tell us, right?"
"Did somebody tell you I had sex?" Jesse asked, her eyes going wide.
"Did you?" Willow asked in more of an accusing voice than she had intended.
"No, I would never, well not never, but not now," Jesse said. "I'm only thirteen."
"Twelve," Willow corrected.
"Almost thirteen."
"Your age is irrelevant," Willow snapped.
"Fine. I don't know who told you what, but I've never had sex. I don't want to have sex now, and even if I were going to, I would talk to you and Momma first," Jesse said.
"Then tell me what happened," Willow said. "I mean I'm having a hard time believing you, because my source is fairly reliable, and they say that you told Alex you had sex in the park with Billy. Is this the same Billy that we've fed twice? Because he is never coming back to this house if he violated you," Willow said almost yelling the words. So much for remaining calm.
"Violated me? Mom, nothing happened, I swear. I told Alex that we kissed in the park, and yeah we were talking about sex, not me and Billy," Jesse said quickly, "me and Alex. Not that me and Alex are gonna have sex, cause, eww, but just talking in the general way that teenagers do. Maybe your source, who is only five, got a little mixed up. I promise I would never do anything to break your trust," Jesse said near tears.
"You're right. I should trust you," Willow said. "I'm sorry. It's just that I hear sex and my twelve year old daughter in the same sentence and I can't believe it. You're still my baby, and I'm not ready for you to even be discussing it with anyone. I get scared."
"It's okay really. When you go all crazy like that, it just let's me know you care," Jesse said hugging her mother.
"How did you get to be so smart?" Willow asked pulling away.
"Momma," Jesse said smiling.
"Funny," Willow said. "That's really very funny, but stupid. Don't you know you never insult the person who buys your clothes?"
"Unless of course you know that person is absolutely wonderful, and they can take a joke," Jesse said.
"Of course," Willow said laughing, then suddenly she clutched at her stomach.
"What's wrong?" Jesse asked.
"Go get Tara," Willow said breathing erractically, "I'm having contractions."
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~Spencer~
"Buffy, I don't think I'm in danger of seeing any invisible people."
-Dawn- Lessons