"Are you done yet?" she said impatiently, as a wind chime's stirring song echoed in the distance. "Come sit next to me."

He walked over, sitting on the bed. "What do you want?"

"I want to cast a love spell."

"Over who?" he asked intently, placing his hand over the open page of the book.

"Over you, silly," she said, leaning in to kiss him. He gently touched her face, pulling her mouth closer as the kiss got deeper. He pulled away, looking deeply into her eyes.

"What brought that on?"

"Someone once told me 'Carpe Diem,' to seize the day. So...I'm seizing."

He smiled, running his hand along her cheek, his touch sending jolts of electricity through her body. It should always like this, always...

"CUT!"

Willow sighed, pulling away from her costar. "What now?"

Alfred Preminger shook his head. "There was feeling there, but no passion. No passion at all."

Willow shook her head. This was her way of breaking her stage fright, by forcing herself to be in the spotlight in the new UC Sunnydale play, "Roses & Vinegar." She had managed to score the romantic lead, a shy young girl who blossoms into a beautiful woman through a friendship and eventual relationship with a unique man.

She looked at Timothy, her costar. "But we had passion going there, for a moment."

Alfred shook his head. "No, it's not 'we' who didn't have passion. It's you," he said, pointing to Timothy. "I'm sorry...the two of you have no chemistry. And I really want Willow in the lead. Who's your understudy, Timothy?"

But Timothy had started to stalk off the stage by then. Willow shook her head, her eyes trailing after him. Things weren't going like she wanted.

"...Johnson, I think. Yeah, Graham."

Willow perked up. Graham Miller...as in Riley's friend, the cute one who was really quiet a lot of the time? She'd kind of stared at him when her friends and Riley's friends would hang out, appreciating him. He was the quiet one, almost like Oz.

But unlike Oz, he was quick with a joke or a smile to put someone at ease. He enjoyed being around others and it showed. And he always had interesting things to say.

She looked up as Graham walked in, holding his copy of the script and looking at Willow, smiling and giving her a slight wave. She relaxed, settled on her bed and waited for him to join her on the stage.

He stood near her, almost hovering over her. "Hey," he said softly.

She smiled, standing up to look him in the eye. "Hey yourself," she said, using a line Buffy frequently used.

He was about to reply when Albert cleared his throat. "Let's take the scene from the top. Graham, you move over to the door, Willow, pick up the book again."

They got in their places and began the scene.

"Damn you. Damn you all to Hell! Wait...Hell's actually pretty nice. Damn you all to Heaven!" Graham started to pace in a stately manner. Willow was sucking on her lollipop, flipping the pages of "Gone With The Wind." Again.

"Are you done yet?" she said impatiently, as a wind chime's stirring song echoed in the distance. "Come sit next to me."

Graham walked over, sitting on the bed. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice full of emotions.

"I want to cast a love spell." By now power of her own she said that in a teasingly seductive voice, one she'd never used while in this character. Actually, she'd never used it at all.

"Over who?" he asked intently, placing his hand over the open page of the book. And also on her hand.

"Over you, silly," she said, leaning in to kiss him. He gently touched her face, pulling her mouth closer as the kiss got deeper. He pulled away, looking deeply into her eyes.

"What brought that on?"

Willow was speechless for just a moment. "Someone once told me 'Carpe Diem,' to seize the day. So...I'm seizing."

He smiled, running his hand along her cheek, his touch sending jolts of electricity through her body. It should always be like this, always...she was almost afraid Alfred would call "Cut!" and the moment would be lost.

But the direction never came, so she continued. "By all the waves that crash the shores and all the stars above, I ask the Goddess to direct to me from this man his love." She paused, looking up at him. "Do you love me?" she asked in a stage whisper.

Graham smiled, moving his hand from her cheek to her hair, and just as softly replied, "I love you, Willow." Realization hit him on what he said, and he frantically added, "I mean, Suzanne!" Graham said, blushing and pulling his hand away sharply.

"Cut!" Alfred moved towards the stage. "Now *that* was passion. Just remember her character's name in the future, all right?"

"All right," Graham mumbled, his face turning red. Willow also blushed, sad that he moved away so quickly.

Alfred looked at the clock on the wall. "Well, I think play practice should wrap for the evening. Graham...you have potential."

Willow left the stage and gathered her books, her ears still just a little red. She had everything gathered quickly, hoping for a quick exit.

And instead rammed into Graham, who had quietly stood behind her, unnoticed. She dropped some of the things she had been carrying. "Ow...is that what they teach you?"

"Hurting innocent people? No...but that's where I learned to be quiet," he said, helping to pick up her things. He handed them to her, his hand brushing hers lightly. "Uh...I had a question, actually."

"Yes?" Willow asked, getting her books comfortable again.

"Well...could you go over the Witchcraft scenes with me? I don't want to look like an idiot. And, well, I'd like to learn a little bit more about you...r religion," he said, adding the last part quickly.

"Oh," she said, a little bit hurt. The stage lights blinked off, and she realized they were the only ones in the theater. "Want to work on it now?"

"How about after dinner? I mean, we're both probably hungry," he said, his true intent shining through slightly. "Much as I like our friends...they don't give us a chance to actually talk."

Willow nodded, moving towards the exit. "Yeah...so you joined the play just to have a reason to be alone with me?"

"No, more like to have a chance to kiss you," he said before he realized he'd said that out loud. "You can start ignoring me any time now."

Willow laughed, a sound similar to those wind chimes. "Why would I want to ignore you? You're honest, and you're sweet."

Graham started to blush slightly. "So...want to go to dinner?"

"Of course!" He reached his hand over to her, and she took it gently. "So...what do you want to know?"

"Everything..."