The thunderstorm

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

Rating: PG 

Author’s notes:  I felt like a change, and wanted to write something about two friends.  I wrote this whilst sitting through a thunderstorm, not one of my favourite pastimes! ::g::

A large crashing sound woke Willow from her slumber.  She gripped the duvet with her hands; she began to shake, desperately trying to understand what had woken her.

“Xander?” she whispered.  She waited for a response, but all she heard was a loud snorting sound.  He was still sound asleep.  Willow sighed. 

She looked towards her window; the rain was beating against the glass in a rhythmic pattern.  The sound of the rain strangely comforted her, but still she knew that something was amiss.  Suddenly a bright flash of light illuminated the room briefly before being plunged back into darkness. 

Willow screamed.

Xander sat bolt upright beside her in the bed.  “Willow, what is it?” He asked his voice filled with concern.

“Listen,” Willow replied, before pulling the duvet over her head.

Xander listened to the sound of the beating rain, and then a huge rumble of thunder shattered the night.  “It’s a thunderstorm, Will,” he offered his voice calm and reassuring.

“I know,” came her muffled reply.  “But I’m scared.”

“You’ll be okay, I promise.  How about if I turn the light on, then you won’t see the lightning?”

Xander smiled as he saw the duvet move as Willow nodded, her head still hidden by the duvet. 

He climbed out from under the duvet and walked slowly in the dark towards the light switch, standing on tiptoe to reach the switch.  On the second attempt Xander finally achieved his goal and bathed Willow’s room in a soft warm light.

“The light’s on Willow.  You can come out now.”

“I don’t want to come out, I’m safer under here.”  Willow mumbled her arms moving under the duvet. Xander assumed she was attempting to communicate her resolve position, although it wasn’t very convincing with the duvet in the way. 

“Willow, you’re safe out here.  The storm will pass over soon.”

Willow’s head popped out from underneath the duvet cover, her green eyes glinting with fear.  “What if it doesn’t pass over?  What if the lightning hits the tree in the garden and it falls on the house?  What if the power goes out?  What if…"

“What if the storm goes away and doesn’t hurt anyone?  You’re worrying over nothing, Will.  You’ve got an overactive magination.”  He said, repeating the phrase Mrs. Smith had told him last week in school when he told her his hamster had eaten his homework.

“You mean imagination. And I haven’t got an overactive one, it’s perfectly normal, thank you.”

“Magination was close enough,” he grinned.  “Anyway I won.”

“Won what?” Willow asked, a look of confusion dancing over her face.

“I made you come out from under the duvet!”

“You didn’t make me do it, I came out on my own volition.”

“Vol… what?” He asked.

“It was my choice.”

“Well, I think I helped with the choice.  What do you want to do now that we’re both wide awake?”

“I don’t know.”

“How about we play Clue?”

Willow shook her head.  “Playing a detective game at night is not my kind of fun.”

“How about Dungeons and Dragons?”

“Are you trying to give me nightmares as well as my phobia of thunderstorms?”

 “Did you eat a dictionary for dinner?”  Xander asked a huge grin crossing his face.

“I did not eat a dictionary and you know that for a fact!  Stop being mean Alexander LaVelle Harris!” She retorted a look of anger washing over her face.

“I’m not being mean, Willow.  I’m trying to help you!”

“Well you’re not!”

“In that case you won’t mind if I left you and went downstairs to get some ice-cream then, would you?”  He replied, turning towards the door.  Just as his hand touched the cold metal of the door handle, he heard Willow’s voice.

“I’m sorry, Xander.  Please don’t go, it’s still lightning.”

“What will you do if I stay?” He asked a glint of mischief in his eyes.

“I’ll tell you a story.”

“Not good enough.  I hear a tub of Rocky Road calling to me."

“I’ll watch Star Trek reruns for the next week.”

“Getting warmer.”

“I’ll sit next to you in class and help you with your homework.”

“You do sit next to me in class and you always help me with my homework.” He grinned; he was enjoying watching Willow squirm.

“I give up.  What will make you stay?” She asked sullenly.

“Oh I don’t know this has got to be just right.  It’s not every day you offer to watch Star Trek reruns.  Obviously me staying is worth a lot.”

“Well I wouldn’t take too long ‘cause I might change my mind.”

“Okay, I’ve got it.”

“What?” She asked, a horrible sinking feeling in her stomach.  Xander’s request was bound to be something she wouldn’t like.

“I want you to come and sleep over at my house next week.”

Willow smiled with relief; Xander’s request wasn’t anywhere near as drastic as she’d thought it might be.  “Okay.”

“Okay?”

Willow nodded.

“You haven’t asked where we’re actually going to be sleeping.”

“In your room silly, like we do every time we have a sleepover at your house.”

“Well, not exactly.”  He grinned, his brown eyes shining with mischief.

“What do you mean, not exactly?” Willow asked a puzzled expression on her face.

“Well, my Mom bought me a tent, remember?"

Willow nodded.

“I was hoping you’d sleep over in the tent with me.”

“Outside?  In the dark?” Willow asked her voice quiet and her face paling at the thought.

“Yeah, Wills.  Outside, ‘cause I’ve really got room in my room for a tent!”  Xander rolled his eyes. “And it usually is dark outside at night.”

“But… but… but…” Willow stammered.

“But what?”  Xander grinned moving towards the bed and perching on the edge.

“But what if there are frogs in your garden?  What if there are vampires?” She replied, thinking of the vampire book she’d been reading.

Xander laughed.  “If there are any frogs, which I’m sure there aren’t, I’ll rescue you.  And Willow, there are no such things as vampires unless you see them on the TV.”

Willow thought about it for a moment.  “If I say yes, you’ll stay.  You won’t go and get ice-cream until the thunderstorm goes away?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” Xander replied moving his hand across his heart.

“Don’t hope to die.” Willow pleaded.

“Okay, I’ll just cross my heart!”

A huge crackling and sizzling shattered the silence and plunged the room into darkness.  For the second time that night Willow screamed. 

Xander felt Willow throw herself into his arms.  She clung onto him tightly, shivering with fear.  Xander held her stroking her hair trying to comfort her. 

They sat like that for what seemed like hours, the storm shattering the silence and darkness.  Every time the silence was broken, Willow clung a little tighter to Xander, until finally he whispered, “air’s becoming an issue, Will.”

Willow released her grip, and turned her head slightly towards Xander’s.  “Sorry,” she replied meekly.

“S’okay.”

They listened as the storm began to quiet, still holding onto each other like it was going to be there last moment on earth together.

Finally the storm ended, the rain continued to pound on the window, but the lightning and thunder had stopped.

“Willow?” Xander asked quietly.

“Hmm?” Willow replied, her head still resting gently against his chest.

“Do you think we can move now?” He shifted uneasily.

“Hmm, oh, sorry.” She replied as she began to untangle herself from his grasp.

“It’s okay, just my legs are starting to go to sleep.  Are you okay, now?”

“Yep, much better now the storms over.  Do you think the electricity will come back soon?”

“I don’t know, Will.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the rain. 

“Will?”

“Hmm?”

“How about we make our tent tonight, we can pretend we’re in my garden.  Then next week you won’t be so scared?”

Willow thought about it for a moment.  “Okay.”  She scrabbled off her bed and rummaged in a draw.  “We’ll need this.” She explained as she switched on her flashlight, a small glint of light shattering the darkness.

They worked together, using the torch to guide their work.  They moved Willow’s duvet and attached it from her desk to her bed, making a canopy.  They finally stood back to admire their work, before climbing into their tent.

They laid next to each other in the darkness, listening to the quietness of the house.  “Xander?” Willow whispered.

“What?” he replied, shifting slightly so he could see the outline of Willow’s silhouette.

“Thank you,” she replied, grasping his hand.

“My pleasure, Will.  Just remember you owe me.”

“How could I forget.”

“I wouldn’t let you.”

“I know.  Goodnight, Xand.”

“Goodnight, Will.  Sleep tight and make sure those frogs don’t bite!”

“Xander!” Willow exclaimed as she gently batted his arm with her free hand.

“Hey! Remember if you hit me now I might let the frogs get you next week in my tent!”

“You wouldn’t dare, ‘cause if you did I’d never speak to you again.”

“And that would be bad?”

“It would be if you didn’t want to be stuck with Cordelia Chase and her friends.”

“Somehow I don’t think they’d want me.”

“Nope I think you’re right.  So I think it’d be best for you to be nice to me.  ‘Cause I might let Cordelia know who snuck itching powder into her gym kit.”

“You wouldn’t?” Xander asked incredulously.

“You never know.” Willow replied as she began to giggle.

“Willow Rosenberg, I am your best friend, you wouldn’t sacrifice me to the one person we hate so much, would you?”

After a long pause Willow finally answered her friends question. “No.  I would miss you too much.”

“I’d miss you too, Will.  Best friends forever?”

“Best friends forever.”

The two friends fell asleep in the darkness holding hands dreaming of the past and what magic and mystery the future might hold, but both knew that whatever happened they’d be best friends forever.

The End