Like a ripple on a stream

Spoilers: Um, Becoming 2, and possible speculation/spoilers I've heard about how S5 ends.

Disclaimer: Like me, a vague disclaimer is no one's friend. So, not mine, all hail Joss and Fox, please don't sue.

Distribution: Regular people. Anyone else, just ask. will be screening calls at http://fromsimplethings.homestead.com/index.html

Notes: First, massive thanks to Amy and Karen, for doing the beta thing for me. Secondly, I have had this damn song stuck in my head for the past three days. Now that I wrote this, it's gone. Lyrics at the end.

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As soon as I heard soft footsteps padding into the Summers' kitchen, I knew Willow had decided to join me for a midnight glass of Kool-Aid. She sat down in the chair next to mine and scooted it closer to me so she could rest her head on my shoulder.

"Xander?" she whispered.

"Yeah, Wills?"

"We're probably gonna die tomorrow, aren't we?"

I let out a long breath. "My heart says that we're going to come out victorious, what with us being the white hats and all, but my pesky logical brain keeps pointing out that we've never had to fight a god before."

"I'm scared."

"I am too."

"Y'know," Willow said as she rubbed away the tears that were forming in her eyes, "You'd think that we'd never faced the end of the world before or something."

"Yeah, but this time around, it seems a lot more real, I guess is the word I'm looking for. I wonder why."

"Probably cause we've grown up, and know the cost of it all. With the whole Angelus and Acathla thing, we were just kids, really. But now, it just seems like there's just so much more to lose. Did that make any sense?"

"It did to me," I said, chuckling.

Willow stood up suddenly and extended her hand out for me to take. "Will you come out on the back porch with me? If this really might be my last night on earth, I want to look at the stars one more time."

"Sure thing, Wills." I grabbed her offered hand and we quietly opened Buffy's back door. The night was completely cloudless and there were a million stars out. We must have sat on the swing for almost half an hour when suddenly the most fantastic shooting star shot across the night sky.

"I guess now would be the most inopportune to tell you this, but...you do know that I never stopped being in love with you, right?" Willow said softly.

"Deep down I always knew. But its nice to hear. I love you too."

" guess, with us, it will always never be not complicated, huh, Xand? Whether its Anya, Tara or someone else who sweeps our hearts away. I don't think that there's a way we'll ever *not* be in love with each other." Willow sighed. "And then there's the whole ending of the world thing that the god of bad home perms seems to want so badly. Can't forget about that!"

"Actually," I said as I stood up. "We can."

"Huh?"

I walked over to the beat-up AM/FM radio that Joyce kept on the window ledge and turned it on. After fiddling with the dials, I finally settled on the local oldies station and beckoned Willow over to me with a nod of my head.

"What are we doing, Xander?"

"My dearest Willow, we are simply choosing to forget. Right now, you and I are going to forget our respective girlfriends. We're going to forget that we're more than likely going to be very much very much of the dead by the next sunrise. For the next few moments, you and I are just Xander and Willow, two crazy kids in love, dancing on the back porch." With that, I pulled her into my arms and the two of us began to sway to the music.

"For All We Know"

Performed by Nat King Cole

Writen by Sam M Lewis

Music by J Fred Coots

For all we know we may never meet again

Before you go make this moment sweet again

We won't say good night till the last minute

I'll hold out my hand and my heart will be in it

For all we know this may only be a dream

We come and go like a ripple on a stream

So love me tonight; tomorrow was made for some

Tomorrow may never come for all we know

So love me tonight; tomorrow was made for some

Tomorrow may never come for all we know

The End