It had been a whole summer since that fateful night when everything had changed, the night Angel died, the night the world almost ended, the night Buffy left, the night Willows whole belief system crashed, the last night it rained…Ever since then Sunnydale had been enveloped in a heat wave that caused the rampant bad emotion to fester.
Willow stood looking at the window as if expecting to see a person looking out at her looking in. She envisioned what she knew to be on the other side of the glass, the desk, the closet, and the bedside cabinet where Buffy kept her journal; she briefly wondered what if anything was written about her. And then there was the bed; Willows mind lingered on the bed, being pushed everso gently onto it, Buffy pulling…No bad memory engram don’t need to go there again. Willow had given up trying to define what it was that had occurred: Was it making love when one person wasn’t in love, they just needed a person, any person? Was it just sex when you were so in love that you just wanted her near you regardless of whether or not she felt the same? She didn’t suppose it really mattered Buffy had left, had left her and anyway she was going to a senior, a miserable and repressed senior but still…
The bus was moving swiftly; to swiftly for Buffy she didn’t want to reach home, home it was only recently she had started calling it that again. She had spent her summer developing waitressing skills, saving the world (again) and moping, she wasn’t even sure whom she was moping over Angel or Willow. Angel was gone but Willow wasn’t going back would only cause her more pain and she remembered her promise “I promise not to hurt you again Willow.” But she had to go back but she still didn’t know what she was going to do…
Just because Buffy and Willows lives had collapse around them it didn’t mean vampires had an excuse to slack off. This particular 200 year old European vampire was stalking an innocent looking redhead down a valley, innocent her blood would be pure and taste better, as he made a grab at her from behind she whirled and screamed for help “Oz, Xander, Cordelia!!!” Footsteps coming down the alley, no matter he’d be prepared for them all and then…a girl…blonde…. Pain…. A stake…. There shouldn’t be a stake there…. “Buffy” “Willow” “Ohmygod” “Idon’tknowwhattasay” “Buffy your back” was Xanders slightly obvious contribution. Xander, Oz and Cordelia stared at Buffy in awe, but Buffy didn’t even acknowledge them she was totally focused on the beautiful redhead who was staring so cruelly at her. Willow looked at her friend, ha friend with that she turned tail and fled down the alley. “Wills, hey” Oz called starting after his retreating girlfriend a strong vice-like grip on his arm stopped him. “I’ll go, I think we need to talk…I will explain to you guys tomorrow” Buffy bolted after Willow. “So what do we do now” wondered Cordilia “We go see Giles I guess” replied Xander
Buffy hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone, all she had ever wanted was have a quiet life but that wasn’t possible and she’d accepted the vampire slaying thing but this it was beyond anything she could slay, beyond anything she knew how to handle. She had hurt Willow by going away and hurt her more by coming back. Willow was a good person who didn’t deserve to be hurt. Oh there she was Willow was sitting on a gravestone with her face in her hands, was she crying? “Will please don’t cry…please…I never meant to hurt you…please…it’s the last thing I’d ever want” Willow jumped up, her clear eyes flashing with anger “HOW DARE YOU! How dare you, you used me, you took advantage of me, and then left me! Do you have any idea how worthless that made me feel, how ugly and pathetic and just when I was moving on YOU COME BACK, you come back and say you didn’t mean to hurt me well I’m hurt all you’ve done is hurt me. Hurt me by using me hurt me by leaving me and hurt me most by coming back.” “Willow please…” Buffy reached out for her friend who, with surprising strength, struck her hand away.
Life went on of course. Buffy went back to school, back to slaying. Her mother forgave her, Giles forgave her, Xander and the others forgave her…But Willow didn’t on some level Buffy didn’t believe she deserved to be forgiven. They moved on of course Willow helping save the world and such but every time Buffy saw Willow and Oz together it hurt deep inside her and the only thing that would make that pain go away was forgiveness, forgiveness that wasn’t forthcoming.
Willow was walking towards home admittedly at night this was not incredibly bright. But she was just back from Oz’s place. Oz was wonderful her wonderful boyfriend who loved her for once it was nice to be the loved one. For years she’d been in love with Xander watching him chase after everything in a skirt, she’d accepted Buffy would never reciprocate what she felt, for one night she’d been able to believe that maybe Buffy did, but no, she’d been so ashamed of what they did that it had driven her outta town…. Willow was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear the footsteps coming up behind her until a hand grabbed her arm and she was twisted to face a…Vampire with it’s game face on, obviously ready to feed, she tried to yank away, fumbling for a cross, holy water, anything, she didn’t even feel the fangs sink into her neck.
Buffy was on patrol she wished it would rain it was October and still the irritating Indian summer continued. Rain would help, why wouldn’t it rain. Her spider sense tingled, oh well time to save the world again. She took off at a jog down the alley to see a vampire slurping over its prey; her eyes caught a flash of red hair. Willow! She increased her pace exponentially…Don’t let her be dead, please don’t let her be dead, don’t let me have let her be hurt again…she collided violently with the vamp driving her stake into random body parts “BASTARD, YOU DARE HURT MY WILLS, YOUR GOIN DOWN” at this point her stake intersected with the vamps heart and it turned to dust. She ran over to the red-head and cradled her in her arms “please be alright, please be alright, don’t die, you can’t die before I’ve made everything up to you before I’ve shown you how much you mean to me, before I’ve told you that the night we spent together meant more to me than anything and the only reason I left was because I don’t want to hurt you more.” Breath.”And that I love and I don’t care if you don’t feel the same and never do. I do love you and will always make sure you are safe and happy. I will always be watching over you Will, but please come back to me so I can do this…”
Willow was surrounded by light, memories were fading everything was become blurred she wanted nothing more than to just let go when a sharp, loud voice pierced the void “ I love you…” the light became less intense and the world swirled back into focus. “Bu..Buffy?” “Will. Oh thank god your alive!” “Buffy, listen to me I forgive you and I’m sorry…for losing my temper you didn’t deserve it” “But I did what I did to y…” “Wait stop…I…I… love you…I want us to be together, properly” As Buffy sat cradling her love in her arms all the pain she felt left her Willow forgave her and loved her and that was all that mattered. All of Willows pent up resentment disappeared as soon as she discovered Buffy hadn’t been using her. And as they both revelled in their newfound love and happiness it started to rain gently.
The End….