Willow watched him as he slept. She almost fought the urge to smile at his resting form, but then, remebering it didn’t matter now she gave in to it. < He’s so...Xander. I can’t believe he turned out so cute. I remember when we were kids and he was just some scruffy six year old with mussed up hair and dirty fingernails... >

“Wills?” she heard him mumble. “Are you staring at me?”

She began to blush. “No,” she assured him, lying through her teeth. She sat over him, just staring at the side of his face.

“You sure?”

“Mm-hmm,” she said, nodding.

His eyes opened suddenly and he rolled over, grabbed Willow around the waist and pulled her down. She squealed and fell on top of him. He began to laugh and she smacked him on the arm. He just continued to laugh.

“You’re an idiot, Xander Harris.”

“And you love me for it.” Immediately after saying that, they both froze and looked at each other awkwardly. < I really am an idiot, > Xander thought. < We’ve only been together a week and a half now and I had to go and say something like that. >

< Stall, Willow, say something. > She just smiled weakly at him and then began to move back. She sat beside him again, cross-legged, looking down at his embarassed expression. She reached her hand down and ran it through his short hair, playing with the few curls that resided on top.

“Wills?” he said, turning over so he was looking up at her.

She nodded. ”Yeah, Xander?” she said softly.

“I’m not saying this to get you to say it back. I just want to let you know something.” She waited for him to continue, “Willow, I- uh-” he grinned sheepishly. He lowered his voice, “I love you.”

“You love me?” she asked, her eyes wide and unbelieving.

He nodded, sat up so he was facing her and took her hands in his. “Wills,” he said softly. “I know we’ve only been *dating* together for like, a month now but I uh, well, I’ve loved you my whole life.” She was still gaping at him and he added, “I just didn’t realize it until it was almost too late.”

“You love me,” she repeated, this time not asking it as a question. She grinned and leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his. “You really, actually love me.”

“We’ve already astablished that, Wills.” He laughed at her shocked expression. “Like, four or five times, already.”

“I love you,” she said back to him, her voice coming out as a whisper.

Xander couldn’t help it. His face broke into a wide smile. Their foreheads still pressed together, he said, “Oh yeah? Well, I’ve loved you since the first time you came up with the name ‘Xander’ for me.”

“You found that endearing?” she wondered.

He nodded his head slowly. “You have no idea...”

“Do you realise this has taken eighteen years?”

“So we’re a little slow...” she shot him a look and he quickly backpeddled. “Okay, so *I’m* a little slow.”

“Has it occured to you how completely amazing this is?” Willow said, realization dawning on her. She pulled back from Xander and jumped up. “We love each other!” she told him.

He nodded and watched her strangely. “Yeah, Wills, I was uh, there.”

She grinned, rushed towards him and barreled into him. She leaped into his arms and they both tumbled to the ground, Xander too surprised by her sudden actions to support her. They lay there on the grass, her on top of him, for what seemed like forever. Finally, she pulled hback a little and looked at him. “Xand, you think we’ll love each other like this forever?”

“I think so,” he told her, nodding. “I mean, we’ve loved each other for eighteen years, give or take, and I think the next like, eighty shouldn’t be a problem.”

She bit down on her lip thoughtfully. “Ugh, actually, I- I don’t know if I can handle you for another eighty years...” she teased.

“Well, that’s too bad, Wills,” he smiled, looking up at her and continued, “Because I’m not going anywhere...” she smiled, feeling the happiest she had in awhile.

Xander cupped her cheek with his hand and then began leaning upward. Willow shut her eyes invuluntarily as she felt his breath on her face, and then reached her head down to meet his. Their lips met and she melted into his embrace, pulling him as close as she could. They stayed there for a little while, and then she pulled away from his embrace, her eyes twinkling. She moved so she was sitting on his stomach. He smiled up at her, “Leaving so soon?”

“As much as I would love to stay here all afternoon, just doing the kissing thing with you...we have places to go.”

“Such as?”

“Giles, Buffy and Spike ring any bells?”

He groaned. “Not more library shit!”

She stood up and then stretched her hand down for him to take. “C’mon, lazy boy. We have demons to research.” He stood up, took her hand and they headed towards the library. Willow smiled to herself as she thought about relaying the day’s events to Buffy.

Back to Star Crossed