The Greatest Love

She knew it was around here somewhere. Although she'd never been close to her mother, she remembered her Grandmother with much more fondness. As she stared out at the rain, she felt she could remember the day when old Mrs Studelheim had given her the snowglobe, just a little souvenir from the Empire State Building, as if it were yesterday.

Suddenly she was there. "Thank you, Grandma. I'll go an give it to Mom."

"No, Willow." The old lady replied. "If your mother gets hold of it your won't ever see it again. You know how she hates all this 'tourist junk'."

"But, but..." the six-year old said. "Mom said everything you gave me was for all the family!"

"I know, but I'm telling you different. Now go and put this in your bag over there." As Willow went to do as she had been asked, her Grandmother continued. "Now, how's that boyfriend of yours, young Alexander isn't it."

"He likes being called Xander... and we broke up." Willow shrugged sheepishly, trying, but failing to conceal her sadness at the fact.

"Why was that?"

"Well, he took my Barbie... but, but I don't think he would have if I hadn't made him mad."

"How did you make him mad?"

"I tried to kiss him. I mean, he let me hold his hand... so I thought that it's be okay to kiss him, you know, like I've seen some grown ups do?"

Grandma laughed "Oh, Willow. Boy's can be scared by affection sometimes, especially when they're as young as your Xander is." She paused, looking at her red-haired granddaughter fondly. "Are you going to try and make it up?"

Willow shook her head. "Nah-ah. We'll just stick as friends." She paused. "I don't think I make a good girlfriend though."

Her Grandmother sighed. "You won't if you don't believe in yourself. It's very hard for other people to love you, and believe in you, if you don't love and believe in yourself."

"I know Grandma. I'll try. I promise."

Suddenly she was back in the attic, looking for the snowglobe. It always brought back memories of that day. She knew she hadn't always believed in herself. But she remembered the promise she'd made to her Grandmother. She sighed as she whispered again the promise she had given her Grandmother "I'll try Grandma. I promise." After pausing for a second, she carried on looking and suddenly found the globe. She gave it a shake, watching the glitter fall round the Empire State Building to the floor of the globe. Her stomach gave a lurch and she turned and glanced out of the window, at the snowstorm that seemed to have come from no-where. Willow was freaked, snow in Sunnydale didn't usually happen unless the Powers That Be were taking a hand in somewhere. So it either meant something bad was going to happen, was happening or had happened. Throwing the snowglobe on a nearby pile of paper she rushed out of the attic, down the stairs and into the street.

Something made Willow turn around. Her house wasn't there anymore. Instead it seemed that she'd just emerged from the Empire State Building. Frantically Willow looked around for other people. Her heart grew cold as she realised that there was no-one else, no more buildings, just the Empire State Building, herself, and the swirling snow.

She desperately tried to think of something, anything, a spell that would bring help to her. Drawing a blank she went and pushed the door to get back into the building. It wasn't a door anymore. It had sealed up. Slowly a suspicion dawned on Willow. She was in the snowglobe. Not knowing what else to do she sank to her knees in the snow and started crying. She was so alone. Oz had gone, Tara was dead, and Buffy and Xander seemed almost like they were in another country.

Suddenly she started to feel all funny, it was if her insides were vibrating. Then her vision began to blur, and when, in her panic, she tried to cry out for help, no sound emerged.

Suddenly her eye's sprang open. She took some deep breaths to calm herself as she realised that she was in her room at Giles'. Where she'd been ever since... She couldn't even think about it, it still hurt to remember all she'd done, and almost done in her grief-filled rage.

Slowly she got out of bed and walked over to the desk which stood in front of the window. The photo's that were stood on there reminded her of better times. Sophomore year with Buffy and Xander, the Prom with Oz, Tara's birthday, and there was her Grandma's snowglobe.

Willow did a double take. She was sure that she hadn't brought the snowglobe to England with her. She reached down to pick it up, and realised that it wasn't the one given to her by her Grandma at all, but one containing a model of the Houses of Parliament. Still, as she shook it, she could still remember the promise she'd made long ago to her Grandma, who was now long dead. The promise that she was now having to make again, unsure that she could love, that she could believe in what she'd become.

"I'll try Grandma. I promise."