A surprise visit

The next day, the doorbell rang and Buffy seemed to be the only one in the house who heard it.

"Oh, no!" cried Buffy as she looked down at her naked body. "Why do I have to be the one who answers the front door? Where the heck is Dawn or Mom?"

She covered the breasts and groin with her hands and looked out of the little peephole in the front door. Through it, she saw Willow and Tara standing patiently outside, waiting for her to answer the door.

Buffy hastily took her hand off her breasts and then opened the front door. As she beckoned for Willow and Tara to come inside, she silently prayed that none of her neighbors had gotten a look at her naked body while the door was open.

"You're getting better, Buffy," said Willow. "I fully expected you to squeak the minute you opened that door."

"Oh, you'll hear me squeak later on," said Buffy. "Indeed, these days it seems like I rarely do more than squeak. Did you know that I had to patrol in the nude last night because my Mom refused to lend me some clothes?"

"Good thing she didn't take away your crossbow and your stakes," said Willow. "That would have been awkward."

"So not the point, Willow," said Buffy. "So what was so important that you two came by so early on a weekday morning? And why couldn't you two have used the back door?"

"Because there is no doorbell on your back door," said Willow.

"Still... You could have knocked," said Buffy.

"But suppose no one was in the kitchen to hear our knocking?" asked Willow.

"Seriously?" said Buffy. "Why did you two come by?"

"We brought you these," said Tara. She held up a blue dress, a bra and a pair of underpants.

"Clothes!" cried Buffy. "Thank God! But aren't you taking a chance bringing them here? Suppose my mother sees them?"

"Your mother went out earlier," said Willow. "Me and Tara watched her leave. With any luck she'll be gone for hours."

"Cool!" cried Buffy. "Now I can actually leave the house with clothes on. Thank you, Willow."

"Actually it was my idea," said Tara. "After what Willow told me last night, it seemed obvious that we had to do something to end your nudity problem."

"Why, that was nice of you, Tara," said Buffy.

"No, it wasn't," said Tara. "But at least now you no longer have an excuse to be naked in front of my girlfriend."

"Well, thank you, anyway, Tara," said Buffy. "It was very generous of you to -- Hey, why are you staring at me that way?"

"Staring at you what way?" asked Tara.

"Like I don't have a face," said Buffy.

"I don't know, Buffy," said Tara. "Was I staring?"

"You most certainly were, Tara," said Buffy.

"Oh, well," said Tara. "I'm only human. And hey, I have needs too. Er, do you have to put on that dress so soon?"

"Might as well," said Buffy. "About time that I covered up around here."

Just then Buffy heard someone behind her clear his or her throat.

Buffy turned and saw her mother standing in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen.

"Really, Buffy," asked Joyce. "The moment my back was turned. And how shameless of you that you would dare to put on a gift that your friends so obviously meant for me. So please hand that dress over to me, Buffy. Now!"