| July 25, 2001 Willow let herself into Giles and Xander's apartment. The new roommates had settled into a routine that worked out fairly well for them, although Giles had been known to sneak out on particularly loud nights. Willow, Xander and Buffy assumed that he spent those nights at the bookstore, but he never said. She closed the door softly behind her, in case Melanie was asleep, and walked into the living room. No one was there, so she tried upstairs. She found Xander and Melanie asleep on his bed, and smiled. He looked so young and peaceful in his sleep, and she noticed that they both buttoned up their eyes in the same manner. She had only been standing there, watching them sleep, for a few minutes before Xander opened his eyes. "Hi, Will," he whispered. She started, and her hand flew up to her chest. "Oh, you scared me," she said. "I thought you were asleep." "I was. Then, I woke up," he grinned. *And saw an angel* he thought to himself. *Oh, yeah, that wasn't completely hokey* He shook his head at his thoughts, and saw Willow look confused. "Um, what?" "I asked where Giles was," she repeated. "Oh. Sorry. He and Katherine are looking at new stuff for the store," he told her, sitting up. "Oh, okay. I just wanted to drop this book off for Mellie," she explained, holding up a copy of Dr. Seuss' 'Oh, The Places You'll Go.' "I thought she would like it." Xander smiled. "Thanks, Will. I'm sure she'll love it." He stood and bent to pick the baby up off the bed, laying her back down in her crib. They stood there, just quietly watching her sleep, each lost in their own thoughts. "Wow, Willow," he said finally. "Can you believe this is us now? A baby." He shook his head in wonder. "Who would have guessed it." Willow blinked back sudden tears. *If only it was us* she sighed inwardly. "Hard to believe," she agreed out loud. "We grew up, Xander." "That we did," he said softly, tracing Melanie's cheek with his index finger. "I have to go now," Willow said unhappily. She loved watching Xander with his daughter. "I have a meeting to go to for DynaVox." Xander bit back his disappointment. "Okay. I'll walk you out." He followed her down the stairs, and they stopped in front of the door. "I'll come over later and read with Mellie, okay?" she asked, looking up into his warm brown eyes. "We'd love that," he told her, not breaking their eye contact. "Thanks for the book." "Anytime," she responded, unable to pull her eyes away from his. Impulsively, she reached up and gave him a hug. He held her close, rubbing small circles on her back. She pulled back, and tried to smile at him. "I'll see you later." She walked out, and he closed the door behind her, sagging against the door frame. It was so hard to be so close physically, but so far apart emotionally. He had no idea how much longer he could stand it. ~*~ July 31, 2001 Willow was comfortably reclined on the sofa in her living room, happily browsing through baby catalogs, as she had been all morning. She didn't notice Buffy standing in the doorway, trying to muster enough courage to walk in and have a conversation with her. After a few minutes of deliberating, she finally propelled herself forward into the room. "Willow, I want to move out," she blurted. Willow gaped at her. "What?" "I know, and I'm so sorry, Will," she rushed ahead. "It's not that you're not great, because you are, and I've had so much fun with you, but it's just not the ideal situation anymore. Please don't hate me," she finished. "Um, Buff? That 'what' was a real what. I have no clue what you just said," Willow said, slightly dazed from Buffy's barrage. "Oh," Buffy said. "Um, I said that I wanted to move out. And move in with Spike. Because I really do spend more time at his place than here." Willow took this in as Buffy peered hopefully at her. "Um, okay. Sure," she finally said, not sure what she was supposed to say. She knew that she could afford it by herself, with the money she made from DynaVox, it was just the alone factor in Sunnydale that bothered her. Buffy sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness. I'm so glad you're not upset," she said, reaching over to hug her friend. "That really is the last thing I wanted." "No, I understand. You want to spend time with your honey, and it would be really hard here in the sunlight," Willow nodded. "Maybe I'll find someone for a roommate. I just don't really want to be alone at night here." As if on cue, Xander burst through the door, carrying Melanie in her car seat. "Whoa, Xander," Buffy said, surprised. "Moving a little fast there. If it wasn't daylight, I'd think a vamp was chasing you. Are you guys okay?" "Us? Yeah, we're fine," Xander reassured them. "Just fine. We just needed some, um, some fresh air. And good company. Not that Giles isn't good company. Because he is." He noticed his friends exchanging a look, and tried to calm down, stop babbling. "So, here we are. How are you beautiful ladies doing?" "We're fine," Willow said, moving over to allow him to sit with Melanie. She immediately picked up her and began cooing to her. "I'm moving out," Buffy told him. He looked at her in shock. "You're what?" "Moving in with Spike," she explained, ignoring his look of annoyance. "Willow's thinking about looking for a roommate." Xander's jaw dropped. This was almost perfect. He really wanted a new place to stay now, and Willow had one. "What about me?" Both women turned to look at him in surprise. "What?" Buffy asked as Willow wondered, "Why?" "Giles is great, really," he hastened to explain. "I just feel that he probably needs his. . .privacy a little more than we can help him with. So this might be a good idea." "I think it would be great," Buffy agreed quickly. She knew a good thing when she saw one—this could be exactly what the two needed. "This way, you're not all alone at night, Will, and we don't have to worry about what possible evil a new roommate could be behind. And you know you'd love to have Melanie around more. What else could be more perfect?" They turned to look at Willow, who had a deer in the headlight expression on her face. "Um, sure," she finally agreed. "That would be great." Inwardly she was panicking. She knew that she was in love with Xander, and that he didn't feel the same way. She had no clue how she was going to survive this. Why was Buffy doing this to her? Xander smiled down at Melanie. "Did ya hear that, babe? We get to live with Auntie Willow. How cool is that, huh?" He made a face at her, and she batted at him, a huge smile on her face. "See, look. Even Melanie likes this arrangement. So, when do we get to move in?" Willow and Xander looked at Buffy. "Next week sound good? Give us both time to get packed, and for me to convince Spike that mirrors really are a good thing." Xander beamed at her. "Sounds great. Doesn't it sound great, Will?" "Uh, yeah," she said, slightly disconcerted. "It's great. I can't wait." ~*~ August 5, 2001 Giles and Xander hoisted the box carrying Melanie's crib onto the top of Katherine's black Lexus GS 400. Finally getting it secured down, they took a moment to rest. "Is that, uh, everything, then?" Giles asked, his accent more clipped from the exertion. "Yep, think so," Xander nodded, wiping his forehead off. This was the second and final trip with his and Melanie's belongings from Giles' to Willow's. Melanie had been delivered on the first trip. "Well, um, it was nice having you stay with me, even for a short time," Giles offered, not sure of what to say. He and Xander still had a hard time looking each other in the eye after last week's debacle, although they were able to work together again. "I'm sorry about," Xander quickly shook his head. "Oh, no. It's okay. Really. Let's not bring that up again. Ever. Okay?" "Yes, yes, that would probably be best," Giles agreed, relieved. Katherine walked out of Giles' apartment and approached the men by her car. "Are you ready to leave, Xander?" she asked. Xander was once again amazed at how this little woman managed to wear a heavy denim skirt with a long sleeved blouse during August in California, and not combust. "Um, yeah. Ready. Thanks again for letting me use your car to move things. It's just amazing how Melanie's things seemed to have multiplied since she met Willow," he grinned. Katherine snorted. "As if what Rupert terms his car would get your belongings half way down the block." Xander grinned, despite his slight discomfort. "She's got you there, G-man." Giles winced at the use of the hated nickname. "Yes, well, it has gotten me through many years, and I see no reason to get rid of it now," he responded, shooting a look towards his assistant. "I'll see you at work on Monday, Xander." "Yep. Bye, Giles. Thanks for everything," Xander said, reaching out to shake his friend's hand. "It really meant a lot to me that you offered your place." "You're more than welcome here anytime, Xander," Giles said warmly as the young man went to sit in the passenger side of the car. "Bye, Kate." She smiled at him. "Bye, Rupert. I'll see you later." She got into the driver's seat and they drove off. ~*~ An hour later, Xander and Melanie were completely moved in. Buffy and Xander had unloaded all of the boxes and brought them upstairs to his new room while Willow took care of Melanie. Now, a few hours later, Willow and Xander stood in the doorway of the bedroom, surveying the mess. "This room is really small, isn't it?" Xander said, more as a statement than a question. Boxes were piled everywhere. Buffy had left her bed, so that and Melanie's crib and changing table were the only things ready to go. The problem was trying to get to the bed, crib, and changing table. "It would seem so," Willow agreed. "It never seemed this small when Buffy lived here. She did aerobics and everything. Maybe it'll be better when you're all unpacked," she offered. "I hope so. Or maybe it's because two people are trying to fit all of their stuff into one room," he sighed. "Don't worry. We'll get it all sorted out eventually," Willow promised. "For now, though, let's just forget about it and relax. We can watch some movies and stuff. Buffy and I have a great collection, and she let me keep it. I don't think Spike has a VCR." Xander smiled. "Sounds like a plan. I guess Melanie can sleep in her stroller for tonight." "If we had thought about it, we could have set her crib up in my room or something, but I'm sure she'll be fine there for tonight," she reassured him. "We can lock the wheels and put it next to your bed. Now I'll make the popcorn; you pick some movies, okay?" "Okay," he agreed, smiling at her. "Let's go." He followed her down the stairs. She turned to enter the kitchen as he went to check on Melanie. He had the monitor and could hear her, he just needed to see her sometimes. He smiled at the sight of her on her tummy, with her thumb hanging loosely by her mouth. With one last look, he headed towards the living room. A banging on the front door forced him to make another detour. "I'll get it," he called to Willow. He opened the door, careful to stay inside the threshold. He opened the door wider when he saw it was Spike. "What do you want?" he asked brusquely. Spike rushed in, pushing past him. Willow poked her head out of the kitchen. "Spike? What's wrong?" "Sorry, love, we need Buffy's bed." He raced up the stairs. Willow and Xander exchanged a look and followed him. "What happened to yours?" Willow asked, amazed, as Spike kicked boxes to the side to get to the bed. "Long story, no time to tell." He grabbed one end of the bed and effortlessly turned it on the side, half dragging and half carrying it down the stairs and out the door. "The slayer will be over tomorrow. Bye, now." Xander and Willow stood at the foot of the staircase, watching the blond vampire carry the bed down the street. "Uh, Will? Where did he take my bed? Why did he take my bed?" Willow just stared out the door. "I don't think I want to know." "You don't think. . ." his voice trailed off. "Oh, I don't want to go there. Quick. Movie. Now." Willow grinned and went to go get the popcorn. ~*~ It was two o'clock in the morning. Melanie had woken briefly around ten pm, but had quickly gone back to sleep, so that Willow and Xander had had most of the night quiet and to themselves. They had watched Key Largo first, followed by His Girl Friday, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and finally Psycho. Through the first two movies, they had sat side by side with the popcorn bowl between them. This had led to their hands brushing in the bowl, and both had felt the electricity charge with each touch. After four hours of movies, though, they were getting tired, so they stretched out on opposite ends of the couch, giving up completely on the popcorn. During Psycho, however, Willow started getting very scared. She knew what was going to happen. She had seen this movie before. That didn't stop her from sitting straight up and scrambling to sit closer to Xander, clutching his arm. By then, he wasn't even paying attention to the movie. All of his energy was focused on Willow and her hands wrapped around his arm. He was about to open his mouth and make a smart-aleck comment when she made an "eep!" noise and dove towards him, burying her face in his shoulder. He couldn't stop the slow grin that spread across his face, but was definitely unable to say anything. Blushing, Willow had sat back up and apologized. An hour later, that brief moment was still on his mind, but now he had a more pressing concern. Willow had just stood up to rewind the video. "Um, Willow?" She turned to face him. "Yeah?" "Uh, Spike took my bed." She stared at him for a moment before realization dawned. "Oh." He laughed. "Yes. Oh. Where should I sleep? Is this a pull-out bed?" Willow mentally ran through her options. There weren't many. He could sleep on the couch. He should sleep on the couch. Yes, that's it. Couch. "You can sleep with me," she blurted, immediately turning crimson. Where had that come from? Xander's mouth opened and closed a few times, but no sound came out. Her words kept floating through his mind. "Not like that," she hastened to add. "I mean, no, this couch doesn't fold out. And I know you. You'll roll off in the middle of the night and hit your head. And I have a big bed. We can share." Xander finally found his voice. "Are you sure?" Willow nodded. "Yes. Fine. It's okay by me. Really." Just then, Melanie let out a piercing wail. Xander closed his eyes briefly. "Mel's hungry," he said. "Okay. Feed her and then bring her up," Willow instructed. "Since Spike cleared that path, I can push the crib into a better place. Then she'll be closer to us." "Okay," he said, heading towards the kitchen. "Coming, sweetheart," he called. Willow stood there, frozen, for a minute. What was she thinking? Xander in her bed? With her? Could she handle it? Mentally promising to strangle Buffy in the morning, she went upstairs to move the crib. When Xander came up twenty minutes later, he found Willow already changed into a t-shirt and boxers and dragging the crib out to the hallway. "This way we can hear her," she explained. "And we can access her diaper stuff. With the boxes, it wouldn't fit any other way. The path wasn't so big, after all." "It's fine, Will." He laid the dozing baby in the crib and backed away, hoping she wouldn't awaken. When she didn't stir, he let out the breath he had been holding. "Okay, good." He looked at Willow, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Um, I guess I should get changed," he said, pointing towards the bathroom. She smiled sweetly and nodded. "Probably a helpful thing." He gave her a weak smile and went to grab something to sleep in from his suitcase. She hurried back into her bedroom, and quickly glanced around. Okay. Nothing horribly embarrassing was sticking out. Bras were nicely tucked away. Everything was good. Her eyes strayed to the bed. Suddenly, it looked so much smaller than the queen size she had known it to be. What had she gotten herself into, she moaned silently. With a sigh, she turned the covers down and slid between the sheets. Just a minute later, he walked in, humming a song under his breath. He found Willow already curled up under the sheets. When she heard him put the monitor down on her bedside table, she turned to face him, head propped up on her elbow. "Um, Will. Thanks for," he indicated her bed. "Oh, it's, um, fine. Really." It is fine, she told herself, but her heart was still pounding. "Um, I'm going to, you know," he pointed towards the empty side of the bed. "Get in bed?" she asked, a ghost of a smile on her face. "Yes. That." He quickly laid down, and she turned back so that they laid side by side, both facing forward. "This isn't bad," he said, as if to himself. "No. It's not," she agreed, almost surprised. "Well. I'll see you in the morning." "Yep. Night, Willow," he yawned. "Good night." She turned over, facing away from him, and closed her eyes, hoping he couldn't hear her heart still pounding away in her chest. He did the same, and soon they were both asleep. |
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