Alone

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and the WB, I've just borrowed them for a while.

Author's notes: This is a future fic, but I wrote this after seeing season two, so disregard anything that's happened since season two.

The darkness and loneliness engulfed her. She listened for any movement, all she could hear was the sound of her own breathing. The panic began to rise from deep within her. She tried to keep herself calm by thinking of her friends, Buffy, Xander and Giles, but even the fondest memories couldn’t help her to keep calm. Then the door began to open a glint of light entered the room. She squinted her eyes. The dark familiar figure walked towards her, as he came closer she recognised the vamped out face of Spike. A scream began to rise from her throat when...

Willow Rosenberg woke from her nightmare, her fists clenched and her pajamas soaked in perspiration. Willow had been dreaming of being alone in a dark room for a while, although until tonight Spike had never appeared. Willow had tried to analyse her dream, she had read several books and visited numerous web sites in the hope of trying to gather some understanding of that dream. However, she had, had little luck deciphering her dream, she knew though that she hated being alone.

Willow’s parents had been killed in a car accident the summer of graduation. Willow had taken her parent’s death hard but her friends had helped her come to terms with her grief. She had decided to stay in her home surrounded by the good memories and familiar surroundings.

It was then that things started to change. Oz began a tour with Dingoes ate my baby. They had decided that a long distance relationship wouldn’t work so the only plausible solution would be to remain good friends and this had worked out well. Oz sent Willow postcards from all over the States. Dingoes were beginning to earn quite a reputation for themselves.

Then it was Xander’s turn to leave. This had hit Willow the hardest. She had spent most of her life with Xander, from Kindergarten to High School. She had naturally assumed that Xander would be with her at college too. But it was not meant to be.

Xander had decided that he needed to "find himself" he said that he needed to find his destiny. He had spent most of the past two years traveling. He had finally settled in New York nine months ago. He worked in a bookshop during the day and studied at night so next year he could finally go to College.

Willow smiled at the irony. Xander had always hated books and studying and now he was doing both of his own free will.

Xander had stayed in constant contact with Willow. He phoned, wrote and sent e-mails. Willow had kept every letter and a print out of every e-mail in a folder, with her other treasured mementoes and photographs of Xander and her.

She had come to accept a long time ago that she would love Xander, no matter how hard she tried to suppress her emotions. Even now deep in her heart she wished he would or could feel the same way about her. Although, realistically knowing Xander as she did, she honestly thought it would never happen. But it was a pleasant dream.

Buffy was still the Slayer and her closest friend in Sunnydale. They were both in their second year at Sunnydale college. Willow had thrown herself into studying and researching the latest occurrence on the Hellmouth. Recently everything had been relatively calm in Sunnydale, although Willow, Giles and Buffy knew that it was probably the calm before the storm. It was time for another major problem, although as yet nothing had been found in the research they had been carrying out.

Willow looked over at her alarm clock. 6am. She decided to get up, shower and prepare for College.

She checked the mail before she left. There was a postcard from Oz. The band was in Arizona, having an excellent time as usual.

Willow’s heart skipped a beat when she looked at the next envelope. Her address was written in Xander’s familiar handwriting. She took the envelope to the kitchen table and glanced over to the fridge where a photograph of Xander had been carefully stuck to its surface with brightly coloured magnets.

A conventional piece of mail today! I’m writing this in the bookshop. The weather’s absolutely dismal. It’s on days like these when I miss the continual sunshine of Sunnydale.

You will be pleased to know my grades are keeping up. Finals are this week, and then it’s the wait to see if I have enough for College. I really hope I do have enough. I’ve realised I really messed up a lot of things in High School and my education was only one of them.

Yesterday two children came into the store with their Mom. They were arguing over a doll. It reminded me of the Barbie incident. I hadn’t thought about Barbie in years. Again I would like to take the opportunity to apologise for using her as an arrow for my bow. I can only regret her losing her limbs in the jaws of Mr. Wetherall’s terrier. It really wasn’t one of my better ideas.

A smile broke out on Willow’s face. At the time she had been absolutely horrified when Xander had taken her new Barbie as a hostage and then used her for target practice, literally. Then Mr. Wetherall’s terrier had joined in the party. Xander’s face had been a picture, but it still didn’t stop Willow being angry with him. She didn’t speak to him for two whole days, which for a five year old was a very long time.

She still had the remains of that Barbie somewhere. Next time she saw Xander she would have to show him. She continued to read his letter.

I miss you, Buffy and Giles. I hope the Hellmouth is behaving itself. Tell Giles there are lots of great books here in New York if he’s ever in town.

Good luck in your exams and thanks for the photograph of you, Buffy and Giles.

Willow’s heart sank. Annie had been mentioned in his letters and e-mails for the past two months. She assumed Annie was Xander’s new girlfriend although he never went into details.

Willow carefully left the letter on the table with the intention of filing it later.

She grabbed her car keys and hurried to College. At this rate she would be late.

After lessons had finished, Willow met Buffy and Giles in the College library. Giles had followed Buffy to University and had taken over the library and even gave the odd lecture in archaeology to the students.

The college library was certainly better used than the High School’s, but Giles had secured the basement level for his office and books and that is where they met to discuss Slayer business.

"Hmm. It seems that there has been a significant rise in the report of animal attacks on humans in the surrounding towns and cities. It looks like there is definitely a potential increase in vampire activity. It looks as though they are going to converge on Sunnydale in a matter of days." Giles said, a worried expression on his face. He removed his glasses and rubbed his forehead in typical Giles fashion.

"Oh great just what we needed a vampire party! What a great way to start summer vacation!" Buffy spoke the words laced with sarcasm.

"Well, I suppose they could have converged in finals week, which would have been worse." Will replied, trying to make the situation a little lighter.

Buffy gave her friend a long look. One thing was for sure Willow never seemed to stop looking on the bright side of things.

"Well....er...no. All of my research has come up with nothing. Not a single lead. I was hoping Willow might have more luck with the computer."

"I’ll give it a go." Willow answered eagerly and moved to the computer to begin her search.

Buffy and Giles began training. Giles took his usual battering, although Buffy tried to take it easy on him, Giles always insisted that he could take it. He wanted Buffy to survive and live and training was the only way Giles could help other than with research and advice, and if it meant getting battered and bruised, well it was part of the job of a Watcher.

As Willow’s computer searched her mind began to wander. It wandered to her favourite topic Xander. She thought of his letter. He was taking his final exam today. Perhaps she would call him when she got home to ask how it had gone. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear Buffy talking to her. Her friend’s hand touching her shoulder snapped her from her reverie.

"I asked if you had heard from Xander" Buffy asked a concerned look on her face.

"I had a letter this morning. He’s taking his finals this week. I hope they go ok. He deserves to pass he’s worked really hard. Oh and by the way Annie sends her love."

"I don’t know. Xander usually tells me everything, but he’s not told me anything about Annie. He’s just mentioned her name a couple of times. I assume she’s his girlfriend." Willow sighed.

"Oh, that could be the case, or maybe not." Buffy hated to see her friend upset and nine times out of ten if Willow was upset it had something to do with Xander. She hoped that one day soon Xander would wake up and smell the coffee and just see what he was missing before it was too late.

"This has possibilities." Willow stated in reference to a search. "It says here that two hundred years ago in Europe there was another convergence of vampires on the Hellmouth of the time. It led to the occupation of a town and the aim was to use the souls of the people in the town to open a portal to Hell, so that all the nasties could once again walk the Earth. Apparently the convergence failed, but it doesn’t tell me how it was stopped. Apparently though, there are several factors which are necessary for a successful convergence and it can only take place every two hundred years.

One :The portal of the Hellmouth will have been weakened previously by an attempt for evil to cross.

Four: A vampire leader will have established his power and will be known to the slayer.

"Oh. Why do slayer’s always feature so heavily in the opening of Hellmouths. You would have thought they would have thought of something more original by now." Her attempt of humour couldn’t hide her feelings, Buffy was obviously uneasy about the latest problem on the Hellmouth.

"It looks Willow that you might have found the key. We can answer yes to number one. The Hellmouth was temporarily opened by the Master. Number two is a definite yes, your now twenty one." Giles looked directly at Buffy. Buffy smiled grimly as her fate was yet again being predicted. "Number three, yes there has been a solar eclipse. Number four sounds like.."

"I’ve been having a dream about being alone in a room. Until last night nothing else happened. Last night Spike appeared in my dream. It must be Spike whose going to lead the demons from Hell." Willow rushed the last sentence in enthusiasm.

"Well as I was going to say Spike or Drusilla have to be considered as definite possibilities for number four. Number five I don’t like at all."

"Do we know if the Hellmouth will open exactly in the same place as last time?" Willow asked.

"No not necessarily, it depends on the location of the weakest point between Hell and Earth. Since Sunnydale High School’s library has been rebuilt there might be a weaker point elsewhere. The thousand dollar question is where?"

"I’ll do some more research when I get home. I’d like to get home before dark, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later." Willow said.

Willow collected her belongings and left the college. She found her car in the car park and drove home. She wished Xander was here, she really needed to talk to him. She had a really bad feeling about the Hellmouth opening.

She put down her books and went to the phone. She dialed Xander’s number. The call was answered by Xander’s answer machine.

"Hi this is Xander. I’m not home right now, leave a message and I’ll get back to you."

"Hi Xander this is Willow, I got your letter and wanted to talk. I’ll call later. Hope your exams went ok. Bye"

She put the receiver back into its cradle and went into the kitchen to put dinner together. This time of day she really hated being alone. She remembered sharing her meals with her parents and Xander, who really had spent most of his time at her house to avoid his parents arguments. She looked again at his picture on the fridge. What she would give to see him again. She really missed him.

She took her microwave lasagna and sat in front of the T.V. hoping she could find something to distract her.

She had just finished her lasagna when the phone rang. Xander she thought happily. Well if I can’t see him at least I can speak to him.

"Hello" she called eagerly into the receiver. The line was crackling but Willow recognised Xander’s voice immediately.

"Hi Will. I just thought I’d ring to let you know the exam went fine. I should know my results next week."

"This lines quite bad. Are you and Annie ok?" She asked hoping to sound friendly and unconcerned about Annie’s position in Xander’s life.

Willow put the receiver on the table and went to the front door. She opened the door and nearly fainted from shock. She blinked and opened her eyes again. It’s true, he stood there in front of her. He looked slightly older, his hair was slightly longer but the smile hadn’t changed."

"I missed you. What are you doing here? Why were you talking to me on the phone? Where’s Annie?"

"Willow calm down" Xander laughed he had almost forgotten how beautiful Willow was. Her smile made his heart melt. He really should stop thinking of his best friend that way, but he knew he couldn’t stop. He’d tried for two years to move on but he couldn’t. He knew he would love Willow for eternity. If only she felt the same way. He was so sure she was seeing someone, he thought he felt it in her voice every time she spoke to him, he always thought she was holding something back. He hoped he was wrong, he didn’t think he could handle Willow loving someone else. It was hard enough when she had been dating Oz. He hadn’t realised how he felt until he saw her with someone else. Every time he thought of that realisation he admonished himself for missing the most precious thing in his life. How much he had always loved her but had been afraid to admit it to himself until it was too late. One day he thought maybe I’ll have the courage to tell her, until then being best friends will have to be enough.

"I hope you don’t mind but I was hoping to crash here. Although Sunnydale is home I don’t want to stay with Mom and Dad. I don’t think I could handle the fights and the questions."

"Of course you can stay. The guest room’s just like you remember." Willow replied. Her heart filled with warmth, she would see Xander every day of his stay.

"Ok" Willow’s face wore a puzzled look. "Where is she?" Willow looked everywhere but she couldn’t see a woman with Xander. Perhaps she was around the corner waiting to be invited.

"She’s here" Xander picked up a small crate with a handle. Willow peered closer.

"Annie’s a cat!" Willow stated with relief. Annie’s not a woman but a cat. Willow’s heart soared, she’s not Xander’s girlfriend!

"What did you expect Willow. A six foot vampire waiting for dinner?" Xander smiled, confused by Willow’s behaviour.

"You never told me you had a cat. You only ever mentioned her name. I thought Annie was your girlfriend." Willow smiled with embarrassment.

"It’s just as I remember it Will. Your just as I remember you. Do you know what I’ve missed most since I’ve been gone?" he asked.

Willow looked at Xander and thought hard. " Research? The Hellmouth? I know vampires."

Xander smiled, it was an expression Willow hadn’t seen before, his smile was tinged with sadness and pain. He seemed to have been hurt by what she had said.

"No." he said "The one thing I missed in the whole world was you." he almost whispered the last statement.

"I realised how lonely it can be without a friend, especially a friend who knows you better than you know yourself. I’ve learnt a lot of things over the past two years and the most important is how special you are and your friendship is to me." he still couldn’t bring himself to tell her the whole truth. How his heart had ached without her. How he had missed her smile, her comforting touch when he was upset or lonely. He knew that she would always be the most important part of his life.

"I really missed you too Xander. I’m pleased your home though. I know I’ve had Buffy and Giles but it hasn’t been the same without you. College would have been much better with you." her voice was filled with sadness. He moved forward and enveloped her in his arms.

"I’m back now and I’m planning on staying. I’ve applied to Sunnydale College for the Fall and I’ve been accepted as long as my grades are ok."

Buffy could hear the happiness in Willow’s voice. Buffy was happy too, she had really missed Xander and his sense of humour.

Willow hadn’t heard Xander come down the stairs, he was now standing behind her. She jumped when he spoke to her.

"The same old thing, vamps come and go, but the Slayer’s the same. I’m glad your back I want to hear all about your adventures. Are you staying with Willow?"

"Xander I’ll pop in tomorrow and say hi properly. I’ve got to go on patrol now. Say bye to Willow for me."

"No, not yet. We don’t even really know if that’s why they’re here." Willow stated matter of factly.

"Me too. I have a feeling a lot of research is going to be needed over the next few days."

They both walked up the stairs together. They stood uneasily at the top of the stairs. They looked at each other. Eventually Willow made the first move.

Xander smiled. She had always said that when they had, had sleepovers when they were little.

He watched her go. He admonished himself again for not telling her the whole truth. The reason he had come home was that he realised that his destiny was to be with her. He only hoped he had the courage to tell her before she found someone else.

He went to his room and prepared for bed. As he lay in the bed he thought of Willow and all of the times they had spent together. He fell asleep whilst thinking of Barbie and Mr. Wetherall’s terrier.

Xander was awoken from his deep sleep by a scream. It came from Willow’s room. He sat bolt upright in the bed. He hurried to her room.

He knocked on her door. Inside he could hear whimpering, but she didn’t reply to his knock.

He opened the door. She was writhing around in her bed in the middle of a nightmare.

Xander hurried to her bed and carefully shook her to wake her up. Her face seemed to be contorted in pain, her forehead was covered with beads of sweat.

She moved over and indicated where he should lay down. He followed her directions.

He enveloped her in his arms. Her head resting on his chest. She was still shivering from the remnants of her dream. He leaned his chin on the top of her head.

Willow listened to his reassuring words. She hoped he was right. She really did.

When Willow woke up the next morning she was still wrapped in Xander’s arms. She felt so safe in his arms, she never wanted to leave them. She remembered what had happened last night. The dream. She was pleased Xander had been there for her. She didn’t want to be alone.

She tilted her head back and looked at his face. His brown eyes were filled with concern.

"Good morning." she replied. If she had her way, she would wake up every morning in his arms. "Thank you for last night."

"Anytime." He looked at her face, her hair shone red in the morning sun light. What he would give to wake up every morning with her in his arms. He leant forward and kissed her forehead.

"I’ll tell you at breakfast." She wondered how long they would stay entwined in each others arms.

"Hmm." she replied. Still holding his eyes with her own. Was there more to his return than he was telling her? She wasn’t sure what she could see in his eyes but she knew there was something he was holding back.

He brushed his fingertips over her cheek. Willow hoped he was going to kiss her. But he didn’t. He smiled the sad smile she’d seen since he returned, a wistful look briefly passed over his face and then he moved and went back to the guest bedroom.

Willow let out the breath she hadn’t realised she had been holding. She did not know how much more of this she could take.

When she got down to the kitchen she was greeted by Xander cooking. It was a sight Willow never thought she would see. His Mom wasn’t exactly the world’s greatest cook.

Xander turned around and smiled. He had flour on the end of his nose and he was wearing a Tweety Pie apron. Willow began to laugh.

"I’ve never seen you cook before." it was the only answer he was going to get.

Willow followed his directions and sat down at the kitchen table, waiting to taste Xander’s pancakes. She watched him whilst she waited. As she watched him she realised he had changed. He’d grown up. He seemed to have so much more confidence in himself. He didn’t seem to hide behind his humour as much as he did before. He turned and caught her watching him. He smiled a dazzling smile, which made her heart melt all over. He had a way of making her fall in love with him again and again.

He brought the pile of golden pancakes over to her and put them on the table. He sat down and served her a steaming pancake. He waited for her to taste it. He watched her reaction carefully. Relief washed over him when she smiled.

When they had finished Willow cleared the dishes away. She could feel Xander’s eyes on her. She knew he wanted to know what was bothering her. So she took a deep breath, turned around and began.

"I’ve been having a dream. I’m locked in a dark room all alone. Then Spike comes in he’s vamped out. Until last night nothing else happened."

"Spike....." she looked down at her feet. "I pleaded but he didn’t stop. He bit me. It was so real. I was scared, Xander really scared."

He smiled at her. She registered a look in his eyes. It can’t be, she thought she had seen that look once before, it was after her parents had died. He had sat and held her for a long time. He had cried with her, shared memories with her. Then he had looked at her just as he looked at her now. The look in his eyes and face was one of love. Did he love her? She hoped so but she couldn’t be sure.

The moment was shattered by a knock on the window. They turned to see Buffy smiling at them. He let Willow’s chin go and she opened the door for Buffy.

Willow’s heart sank. He’s still stuck on Buffy she thought. I don’t stand a chance. She resigned herself to being his best friend. At least he’s here she thought.

Buffy and Xander began to talk about what had happened since Xander’s departure. Willow excused herself and said she had stuff to sort out in her room.

Xander watched her go. He had come so close to kissing her twice today. He didn’t know how long his resolve would last.

"Yes. It always has been. You and Willow are just not very clever at noticing how each other feels."

"Xander!" Buffy said in exasperation. "Of course she feels the same way. She’s really missed you. When you left a part of Willow left too. Do you know she’s kept everything you’ve written. She’s so scared of being alone. First her parents die. Then Oz leaves. Finally her best friend, the person she’s in love with leaves her, just when she needs him the most." Buffy hoped Xander would accept her words and understand she didn’t mean to hurt him, but someone had got to help them sort this situation out, before they missed their chance of happiness.

Xander climbed the stairs to Willow’s room. The door was open. She sat with her back to the door, her floor was covered with boxes and paper.

She didn’t reply. He assumed her silence meant that he could enter. He sat on the end of the bed so she could see her. Her cheeks glistened with tears.

This was not a very good way to start but he really needed to explain everything. He took a deep breath and began. "Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and probably one of the dumbest as well. I don’t know when it happened exactly but somewhere along the line I fell in love with you. When I realised how I felt about you it was too late. You were in love with Oz. You and he were right together, he could tell you what I couldn’t, that he loved you. He was good for you I wouldn’t have been."

"Who gave you the right to make that decision for me? All I know is I’ve loved you for so long I don’t know what it feels like not to be in love with you. I couldn’t tell you how I felt because it was so obvious to me that you didn’t feel the same way. Yes you protected me, but you lusted after every other girl in the school, but you never even noticed I was a girl, I was just Will, someone you shared all your ideas and thoughts with. Do you know how hard it was to sit there and listen to you discuss how beautiful Buffy was, or Cordelia for that fact. Even though you didn’t notice me, I still loved you more than I have ever loved anyone else. When you left my world crashed around me Xander. You took a part of me with you. I’ve never felt so alone before. For two years I felt alone, that there was a part of me missing. Yes Buffy and Giles were here, but you weren’t." Her anger dissipated as she delivered her speech. She hoped she hadn’t been too harsh, but she had to be truthful, she’d kept too much a secret for too long.

Xander felt terrible. He hadn’t realised how much he’d hurt her until now. She was the last person he ever wanted to hurt and for most of the past six years he’d obviously done little other than hurt her. He said all he could think of.

"I’m sorry. I hope one day you can forgive me for the way I’ve treated you."

"Forgive you? I don’t have to. You came home." Willow looked up then and smiled. It might take time for everything to be alright between them, being honest was a good start.

"When I came in you were upset. You told me it was memories. Tell me to shut up and go away if I’m interfering but what memories made you cry?"

"She looked at him unsure whether to let him share but she decided that she wanted to remember with him.

"I was just looking through these." she indicated the boxes and papers on the floor."

Willow opened a box. Inside Xander was amazed, there were photographs and mementoes from their childhood. One photograph made Xander smile, it was taken the summer when they were into Western films. They were about seven at the time. They had used Willow’s Mom’s favourite table cloth and covered the climbing frame to make a Teepee. Xander and Jesse had been the cowboys rescuing Willow from their enemies. As he thought about that summer he remembered that Willow had always played the damsel in distress, it was as if she accepted that was her role in the friendship. Xander was there to protect her from Cordelia and others who might hurt her. Although that changed when they found out about vampires, Willow became independent and hadn’t needed him as much. That was when it had started to hurt, and their friendship began to change.

Xander reached for another box. Inside was tissue paper. He carefully removed the tissue paper, inside was the copy of Peter Pan he had bought Willow for her eighth birthday. He opened the cover to read the inscription. "Happy eighth birthday Willow. Love from Xander." He remembered the time it took to make sure every letter was perfect in the front cover.

"You were so excited when I gave you this" he said. "You spent most of your birthday party trying to read it. Pin the tail on the donkey was not one of your favourite games."

"Yes and you spent most of the party positioned within arms reach of the food." she giggled at the memory of an eight year old Xander, with a silly party hat and a handful of cakes.

"The reason I got these boxes out was to find this." She opened the box nearest to her. Xander tried to peep but she wouldn’t let him. When she was ready she opened her hands. Inside was Barbie, or what was left of her.

"When I read your letter, it made me laugh so much I wanted to find her to show you."

"You laughed? Every time I think about Barbie I see the look on your face when the terrier ran off with her. You looked so hurt and I felt so guilty. I quite deserved you not speaking to me for two days. Although they were a very long two days."

"Every time I think of Barbie, I see the look of horror on your face as the terrier ran off with her. I don’t know how I managed to stay angry at you for so long. What I really wanted to do was laugh, but I wanted you to suffer, as Barbie suffered!" she giggled again. She put her hand in the box and pulled out a toy soldier.

"Anyway you brought me Captain Power as a replacement. Although he never did look quite right in Barbie’s tutu."

"There’s still a lot you don’t know about me Xander and there’s a lot I don’t know about you. The cooking this morning really was a surprise!"

He moved from the bed and sat down beside her. "Do you think we can start again. I really would like to make lots of new memories for these boxes. I regret wasting the past two years."

She opened a folder and gave it to him. Inside was every letter and e-mail he had sent.

"I kept them because to me they were your memories of the past two years. You told me about your adventures and in a way by reading them I was there with you."

"Willow, you are the most amazing person I know. You have made sure that every memory we have together is here, and some we didn’t share together. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone or anything before."

She looked into his eyes, they were full of love. It was then that she knew he meant every word, he truly loved her. She knew if she left it completely up to him to initiate the kiss she could still be waiting at Christmas, after all it had taken him long enough to admit he was in love with her. She couldn’t wait any longer. She leaned forward and brushed her lips over his. He responded his eyes initially full of shock that Willow had taken the decision to change their relationship. He was glad she had made the first move. It meant that she believed him, that she was sure of his love for her. Their kiss intensified. Finally when they could hold it no longer, their kiss ended .

He got up and left her room. He returned a few minutes later with his camera. She looked at him with a questioning look.

She smiled with understanding and posed with him. His arms tightly wrapped around her waist. His chin resting on her shoulder. Both of them with huge grins on their faces. They waited for the timer on the camera to click, and their first new memory together was taken.

They spent the rest of the day looking at the memory boxes and talking. It was the first time that they had spoken so honestly about their feelings and their memories.

Willow couldn’t believe how lucky she was that Xander loved her and they had finally told each other how they felt. She looked in the mirror. This was the sixth outfit she had tried on for their dinner this evening. She looked at her reflection, she would never be as beautiful as Buffy, but that no longer mattered. Xander loved her not Buffy, he had lusted after her in the past, but he loved Willow. She smiled at the thought and at her reflection. She wore a tight green dress. Her hair hung at her shoulders and it shone in the evening light. She tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear.

Her concentration was broken by a knock at the door. Another quick glance at the mirror, she double checked to make sure she looked ok. She took a breath and whispered to herself. "It’s now or never." In a louder voice she called. "Come in"

She took a sharp intake of breath when he came in. He was wearing a black suit and looked incredibly handsome.

Xander couldn’t believe his eyes. She looked stunning. Her green dress accentuated her eyes and her curves. She looked at him with bemusement.

"Wow. You look gorgeous." he said trying to keep his jaw from touching the floor.

Willow expected him to turn on her CD player, but he began to hum. She giggled. He was humming their favourite song from Kindergarten.

She giggled at the memory. It had been in the Fall of their first year at Kindergarten. Their teacher Mrs Smith had put on a tape of Nursery Rhymes for the children to listen to whilst they played. Xander had taken the opportunity to impress his new friend with his original dance techniques. Willow had giggled at first but then she had decided to join him. Their teacher had found it highly amusing. Although that had been the start of their friendship, it had also denoted their movement from the accepted crowd of Cordelia she had made fun of their dancing. But Willow and Xander hadn’t cared they had enjoyed themselves.

This time however, they danced slowly and purposefully. Willow’s head resting against Xander’s chest. The moved in small circles in perfect time to Xander’s humming. Each appreciating the others touch, they fit together perfectly.

Willow looked up when Xander stopped humming, although they kept dancing to the imaginary tune that was now firmly implanted in their heads. Her eyes met his and they leant in to kiss. It was just as perfect as their first kiss earlier that day. Their bodies tingling with the emotions that had deepened and changed their relationship. When the kiss ended they continued to dance never taking their eyes from each other.

They continued to dance until the phone began to ring. Willow regretted leaving Xander’s embrace but she needed to answer the phone. He held her hand as she moved to the phone. She picked up the receiver with her free hand.

"Hi Will. Can you and Xander call into the Library? Giles has found some new information."

"I can’t wait." Buffy said with a huge smile across her face. Obviously by the sound of Willow’s voice things were going well between her and Xander. She hung up the phone.

"Well we did agree we were making new memories." he smiled, and then continued to kiss her neck.

"I know and I can’t say I’m not enjoying the nibbling, but there is a time and a place." she admonished him with a huge playful grin spread across her face. "That was Buffy, we have to stop in at the library. Giles has found something."

Xander and Willow drove to the University. They walked hand in hand into the library. Xander looked around. "There are certainly a few more books in here than the High School library."

"Definitely. The library is certainly better used as well." she replied as they passed several students studying.

She led Xander into the basement where Giles sat at the table, reading an old volume. Buffy was strutting backwards and forwards as if arguing with herself.

"Willow, Xander you look overdressed for an evening in the library. Were you planning on doing something?" Buffy asked.

"Dinner?" Buffy smiled. Obviously things were much better between Xander and Willow. Maybe even a little romance. Buffy was ecstatic that her friends had finally realised how they felt. "Details, later Will"she added.

"I think I’ve found a way to stop the portal from being opened. I’m not sure it will work, but it’s all we have." his face was filled with concern, his forehead creased as he presented the information to his young friends. "An old text written around the time of the last convergence, suggests the opening of the portal was stopped by the blood of an Innocent. Unfortunately the article has little information on who or what an Innocent might be. From my research I believe an Innocent to be someone who can channel good and apparently their blood is very powerful in the alleviation of evil and a particularly useful antidote to a Hellmouth portal."

Xander’s face filled with confusion, he had forgotten how strange things could get on the Hellmouth. "How do we find an Innocent?" he asked, hoping Willow might have a better idea.

"I was hoping Willow might have a little luck with the computer." Giles replied hopefully.

Willow’s search was interrupted by the sound of screaming and crashing upstairs.

"Vampires!" Buffy said reaching for her bag of tricks. She threw crosses and stakes to everyone. "Giles, Willow you stay here and continue the search. Xander you’re with me."

Willow watched Xander and Buffy go. She said a silent prayer for their safe return and continued quickly with her research.

"Giles. I think I’ve found something." she said after a couple of minutes. "According to this data base, the Innocents were a group of nomadic people who believed in the purity of good. They had the ability to use their beliefs in good to summon powerful magic and use incantations to defeat evil. The Innocents were first recorded to have existed in Roman times and they have existed in all continents of the World. Their network has broken down over the past hundred years, although there are still Innocent’s scattered throughout the world, where the expectation of evil is the most probable. This means there should be an Innocent in this area, considering we are located on the Hellmouth. They apparently have a system like the Watcher’s Council the Innocent is only made aware of their powers when they are drawn into battle with evil. Then the Innocent may not even know they are a member of the traditional tribe. It is expected their natural instincts will take over, rather than having to be informed, like the Slayer is. The site lists the current Innocents but it has a password. If I can break the password I will have the information about who we need to find."

Giles smiled at her. She really does know how to make that computer give us the answers we need. My job would be a lot harder without her he thought. "Alright, keep up the work, I’ll try and find out any other details from my books."

Willow continued to work on the password. Finally the code was broken and there on the screen was a list of every Innocent in the world.

Willow automatically hit the print key, the list was far too important to be lost. Once she was sure the list was being printed, she turned to help Giles.

"Well isn’t this quaint. The Librarian and his assistant researching whilst their books fall around their ears!" Spike looked menacingly at his captives. He nodded to his right and two more vampires appeared. They charged at Giles. Willow tried to help him. She leapt onto the back of one of the vampires who had Giles pinned to the ground. She tried to pull him off Giles. Instead the vampire used his strength and tossed her into the air. She landed hard with her head hitting the floor with a resounding thud. Willow’s eyes began to lose focus, the darkness crept around her. She tried to keep her eyes open, but she couldn’t. She finally succumbed to the darkness.

Neither Giles or Willow heard Spike call off his vampires and order them to carry Willow out of the Library. As they left Spike dropped a small piece of paper on the floor, hoping the slayer would find it.

Buffy and Xander had managed to dust seven vampires between them. Well Buffy dusted six and Xander inadvertently dusted the seventh when the vampire had tripped over Xander’s stunned body, trying to escape from Buffy. The vampire had fallen and landed on the leg of an upturned chair and exploded satisfactorily into dust.

Buffy walked over to Xander and helped him up. "You ok?" she asked, concerned that two years away from the Hellmouth had affected Xander’s vampire reactions.

They returned to the basement. Buffy gasped at the mess. She spotted Giles unconscious on the floor.

"Giles!" she called as she ran towards him. His glasses lay on the floor next to him. He had started to come to. She helped him to sit up.

"No" Xander sank into a chair. Where was she? His mind began to create a range of scenarios which were less than pleasant.

"Spike." Giles replied, wishing that he could have done more to help Willow. He looked at Xander, he looked like his world had just crashed around his ears.

Buffy helped her Watcher to a chair. She looked at where the computer Willow had been working at. The monitor was broken on the floor. The keyboard in pieces.

"Well anything Will found has been lost." Buffy sighed as she picked up a piece of broken computer.

"Not unless she printed it out." Giles said hopefully. "She waited at the computer for a couple of seconds before trying to help me with the vampires. She obviously found something important and knew she needed another copy."

Buffy went to the printer which was located behind the checkout counter. There was a single piece of paper. She picked it up and began to read. "I know why Spike’s taken Will" she said with pain in her voice. "Willow’s the Innocent"

"According to Will’s research her parents were the last members of the Innocents in the country. Willow being their only child makes her the key to closing the portal."

"Exactly." Giles agreed with Buffy. "Only problem, Spike must know too. That’s why he orchestrated the little scene here. Distracting you upstairs and overpowering us downstairs."

"Where would he take her?" Xander asked hopefully not really expecting an answer.

As Buffy walked back from the printer she noticed a screwed up piece of paper. She picked it up. She opened it to find a scrawled message.

The portal will open tonight if Dru has her way. We’ve taken Red in the hope of stopping you. (Dru’s wish) She will be kept at the abandoned meat warehouse North of the Bronze. The portal will open there.

"Happy Meals on legs?" Xander asked, his stomach rumbling at having missed dinner.

Buffy explained how Spike had helped her to defeat Angelus when he tried to bring Alcathla forward. He referred to humans as being Happy Meals on legs, and if Hell was brought forward on to earth, his enjoyment of his staple diet would cease.

"I think he quite likes the world as it is, I don’t think it’s a trap. If it is we haven’t got much choice. We need to find Willow, and stop the portal from being opened."

Since the vampires had previously used abandoned buildings, Buffy, Giles and Willow had obtained blueprints for every abandoned building in Sunnydale.

"I think it might be in our blueprint collection." Giles replied. He returned a couple of minutes later with the blueprint. "Here we are." he said. "This must be the current location of the weakest link between Hell and Earth." Giles said indicating a point on the blueprint. "This is where Drusilla must attempt to open the portal."

Buffy, Giles and Xander began to formulate a plan. Buffy looked at Xander, his face was contorted with concern.

Willow slowly opened her eyes. Her head pounded, she could feel every beat of her heart, resounding through her body and head. Hearing her heart was a good thing she thought, vampire’s hearts do not beat. At least she was still alive. But where?

She shivered, the room was cold, she carefully opened her eyes. She listened for any sounds. All she could hear was the sound of her own breathing. The panic began to rise in her. She tried to keep herself calm by thinking of Xander, Buffy and Giles.

Then it hit her. Her dream, the room, the darkness, the loneliness. Her dream had been a warning. Then she remembered what had happened next in her dream. Spike. No she thought, I don’t even want to go there, unless I have to. I don’t want to die, not after beginning to sort things out with Xander. There must be a way out of here. She tried to move but her head pounded even more. I’ll try to move again in a few minutes, I’ll just close my eyes. Again she succumbed to the peaceful enticement of the darkness.

Buffy, Xander and Giles approached the warehouse. They found the entrance to the building unguarded, which could possibly be a good sign, or not, you could never tell with vampires. They crept inside. Buffy listened for any sound which might locate the vampires. In the distance, there was a faint sound of laughter. "That sounds promising." Buffy whispered.

She indicated for Xander and Giles to move along the corridor, to her right, she would take the left, in the hope of entering the central room of the warehouse from different positions.

Buffy crept along the corridor. The laughter grew louder. The corridor opened out onto a large room. In the centre of the room, Drusilla was walking backwards and forwards, reading from an ancient book. Spike sat on a table listening to Drusilla intently. Buffy counted four or five other vampires flanking the outskirts of the room. She noticed Giles and Xander fall into place. They nodded at her glance. There was no sign of Willow though.

Buffy glanced at her watch. Two minutes to show time. She prepared herself for the attack. She signalled to Giles and Xander. They knew to wait and act as support when necessary. Time for the fun to begin.

She walked out into the room. "I think my invitation got lost in the mail!" she quipped. Drusilla turned and looked at her with an evil smile spreading across her face. "I’m so pleased you could come, it wouldn’t be the same without you." The vampire nodded her head and her henchmen started to encircle Buffy. Buffy prepared for battle, drawing two stakes from her belt. The vampires closed in on her, waiting for someone to initialise the conflict. Buffy decided to open play. One of the vampires came within staking distance. She launched forward and staked the surprised vamp. He disintegrated as soon as the stake pierced his undead heart.

The second vampire to try her luck had been a young girl in life. Her shoulder length brown hair framing a face which had been beautiful before she lost her soul. She grinned evilly Buffy. She lunged an instant later attempting to grind her fist in Buffy’s face. Buffy dodged the blow and used the vampires own momentum to propel her into the remaining vampires. They collided and fell into a heap. Before they could rise, Buffy had dusted the young girl and another vampire who had obviously seen better days.

Drusilla’s voice began to escalate, resounding and rebounding off the walls and ceiling. A flash of light and a large crack distracted Buffy momentarily. The two remaining vampires took their opportunity to overpower Buffy. They pushed her to the ground immobilising her arms and legs. Drusilla walked purposefully forward a small knife glinting in the light. She spoke as she walked. "Demon Master accept the blood of the Slayer as my gift to you. You will once again walk the earth."

Drusilla held out a knife and brought it slowly into contact with Buffy’s face. The knife cut a small scratch on her face. Buffy refused to give Drusilla the satisfaction of showing pain, she stared with steely blue eyes at the vamped out features of Drusilla. The droplets of blood from the cut fell on to the blade. As the droplets touched the blade a blinding blue light emanated from behind the vampire. A small whirling circle began to form.

"Here they come." Drusilla spoke with her sing song voice, a smile widening across her face.

"Not tonight luv." Spike replied from behind Drusilla. His hands encircling her throat. Drusilla began to struggle, fighting against Spike’s grip.

The vampires who had been holding Buffy loosened their grip in shock at seeing their leaders fighting. Buffy took the opportunity to break free from their grip.

The ensuing battles had given Xander and Giles the chance to begin their search for Willow. As they moved through the room several other vampires appeared, drawn by the noise of the battle.

Two of the new guests lunged after Giles. He used the stake he was carrying to dust the first. As he battled with the second vampire he urged Xander to locate Willow. Xander did not need to be told twice.

He began to throw open doors. All of the rooms though were empty. There was just one door left. He was just about to reach for the handle of the last door when a hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away. He turned and faced a vicious looking vampire. It’s yellow eyes glaring menacingly at him. The vampire threw a punch towards Xander. Xander managed to dodge the punch. The vampire’s fist thumping the wall behind him. Using the moment of confusion the vampire had as he missed, Xander thrust his fist into the vampire’s face breaking his nose. The vampire’s face contorted in pain and confusion. Xander staked the vampire and he exploded into a satisfying cloud of dust. Xander turned to open the final door.

Buffy dusted her final opponent. She turned to see Xander entering a door at the end of the room. Giles dusted the last of his opponents and both Buffy’s and his gaze were drawn to the blue swirling light which was growing. Moans and screams were entering the room from the portal.

Buffy’s attention was drawn from the portal by the sound of Drusilla and Spike fighting. Spike was sprawled on the floor. Drusilla held a stake from a broken chair leg above him, she had every intention of staking him. Although Buffy despised Spike, she hated Drusilla more. She somersaulted into the air using the broken chair leg Drusilla held as a lever. Drusilla stumbled from the weight of her attack. As she came into contact with the floor, Buffy sent the stake home. Drusilla screamed as her body exploded into millions of pieces.

"I should kill you slayer for killing Dru. But on this occasion I think I should leave whilst the going’s good. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon. Till then. Cheerio." Spike quickly turned and left.

Xander opened the door. The room was dark. A rustle came from the corner of the room. He walked steadily forward. He held a stake firmly in his hand in case it was a trap. The light behind him allowed him to see the outline of someone. Could it be Willow? He continued to move forward, more and more certain his Willow was there.

Willow opened her eyes as she heard a crash outside. The door creaked as it began to open. She slowly raised herself carefully into a sitting position. A familiar figure appeared in the doorway, she took a sharp intake of breath. Her dream. Spike. Oh no! Plan. Her mind filled with a jumble of ideas mixed with sheer panic.

The figure continued to walk towards her. The more she looked at the silhouette the more familiar it became. She could relax, it wasn’t Spike.

The relief he felt when he heard her voice was immense. The only thing he could think to say to her was her name. He moved over to where she sat on the rickety bed.

"Couldn’t face dinner with me huh? Had to invite the vampires to the party." he tried desperately to hide his fear and pain behind humour.

A smile spread across her face. "You didn’t expect our first date to go smoothly did you? You know life’s never simple..." "on a Hellmouth" he added.

Their faces moved closer together as they talked, their lips brushing. The kiss deepened. Their surroundings melted into the distance. They concentrated on each other and the sensations coursing through them. The moment was interrupted by a voice at the door.

"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt but we have a problem." Buffy called. She really hated to break up the kiss. She had waited the last six years for this moment to happen, but they really had to stop the portal now.

"Yes Will, we did." Xander looked at her an intense expression on his face. "You’re the Innocent."

"Me! Er.... That means you need my blood. This is a concept I’m not liking much at all."

"How are we going to do this without hurting Willow?" Xander asked holding on to Willow’s hand tightly.

"Drusilla used a knife to open the portal." Buffy said, touching the small cut on her face. "It only took two or three drops to open it, so hopefully, the same quantity will close it."

"Well, I suppose there’s one way to find out." Willow said, bravely, her resolve face assuring her friends that she meant to carry through the prophecy.

Willow stood up and Xander supported her. She felt a little light headed after all of the excitement of the evening. They left the darkened room and went out into the large room. The portal had grown. Willow was mesmerised by the swirling brilliance of the portal. In a way it looked so peaceful it didn’t look like it could cause the end of the world.

Buffy found the knife and brought it to Willow. Willow took it and used the blade to make a small cut on her finger. She winced as the knife pierced her skin. Three red droplets of blood fell onto the knife. Willow walked to the portal and threw the knife inside. The moaning from the other side of the portal turned into anguished screams. The portal stopped swirling and began to shrink. Willow felt at peace, her fear subsiding with the portal. She felt Xander’s hands on her shoulders. She knew that she would never be alone again, he would be with her always.

Willow sat opposite Xander in the restaurant. He was wearing a smart suit and looked incredibly handsome. He was watching her intently. She smiled. Life had returned to some semblance of normality after the closure of the portal.

"I have a question. You don’t have to answer me now. If I don’t ask you soon I might lose the courage to." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it and turned it to face Willow.

"Willow Rosenberg will you marry me?" he asked nervously his hand slightly shaking as he held the box.

Willow looked at the ring and Xander, her heart filled with the love she felt for her best friend, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

"Yes, I will marry you." she smiled a smile Xander would remember for the rest of his life. It was the smile that signified the start of a brand new future for Willow and him, full of new and special memories that they would build together.