Here are the current Reader Recommended stories on the Labyrinth!!
(In alphabetical order with a few selected quotes from each story)

Top Ten Stories are denoted throughout the archive with this pic: 
 

To be truthful, I wasn't too sure. What kind of name *is* Angel, anyway? Now Boyle is *definitely*
a nice Irish name. That gave me a nice little buzz, I *have* to admit. Now, before you go off on me
about "nationality stereotypes," remember, *I* married a Jewish man AGAINST my mother's
wishes. I'd never wished and prayed that my baby would find a nice Irish boy and pump out chillun's.
HOWEVER, given the opportunity, I *definitely* wouldn't object. My point (now that I've
wandered *yet again*) is that with a name like Angel, I was bracing for a body-pierced nightmare.

Well, I didn't get the body piercings, but I sure got the nightmare.

It was when he walked in the front door I started to *seriously* have my doubts. Don't get me
wrong, he *is* handsome. DAMN handsome. Dark hair, dark eyes, great shoulders. Let me put it
this way, he'd look FUCKING GREAT in leather pants. Problem was, he had this sort of aura thing
around him.

Hmph. Let me state here (again) that I am no great talent when it comes to aura detection. It was
another of the powers Mom said skipped me by because I didn't get the mark. Thing is, I *was*
trained in line magickary and am a mid-level adept. I may not be fantastic, but I'm adequate, and this
guy's aura was screaming wrongness at me.

So, of course, after the formalities (hand kissing!!) I drug out the Mom attitude. I gave him a sharp
looking over, deciding the only thing I could, un-supernaturally, call him on was his age. He appeared
to be 27 or 28. Not exactly prime dating material for an 18 year old girl. So, with a solid dose of
wariness, and not a little foreboding, I went to bat.

"Aren't you a little old for my daughter?"

~Willow's Mother (not that bitca from the show, but AJ's *awesome* version) Mom

“Me, a pervert?” Buffy
began, “What about you?  You described positions I never even thought
possible and some of them, I still don’t believe possible.”  The three boys
looked at each other, not believing what they just heard.  Especially Oz.
He could definitely not believe that this was his Willow.  “Shut up,” she
said, defending herself.  Cordelia said, “You know what I like about this
story?  They way you used silk.”  Willow simply shrugged and said, “Silk is
cool.  It’s pretty, it’s shiny, it feels great against your skin, and,” she
leaned closer to the girls and smiled, “It feels good when you take it off.”
~Willow, Cordelia  and BuffyThe Night Of Tricks and Surprises

 He goes over to my door and opens it, but then pauses at the threshold.
He looks back at me and gives me the half-grin that used to make me melt
and unfortunetly, now does again.  “Hey, if I don’t show up tonight at
the Bronze, tell Cordy I’ll call her tomorrow?”
        “What?” I walk over to him and grab his arm, “Why the hell wouldn’t you
go?”
        He shrugs.
        “Please go,” I say softly, “Don’t make this harder for everyone.” I tug
on his arm and realise how close our heads are.  I noticeably smell his
breath for the first time.  Dentyne Midnight Mint gum.  He’d been
chewing it, obviously, right before he came over and he smells good.
It’s staggering how much I want to kiss him.  I start to move in closer
but then I think of Oz.

~Willow and Xander That Weird Ache

Oz let out a deep breath. "I miss you, Willow."

Willow melted. "I miss you too," she managed to choke out. She imagined Oz giving a tiny
smile on the other end.

"I'm on my way," he said. He hung up.

Willow replaced the receiver in the cradle. She sat for a moment on her bed, exhilarated. She
had a chance! Oz wasn't going to shove her away.

The doorbell rang. Willow started in surprise. There was no way Oz could have gotten over
there so fast. She left her room and padded down the stairs in her stocking feet. She looked
out the window and inhaled quickly. She opened the door slowly.

"Hey, Wills."

Xander was at her front door. And Oz was on his way over. Nothing good could come from
this.
~ Willow, Oz and Xander Torn

Angel paused for a moment, afraid of what he was about to tell her
  and how she would react. He didn't dare look at her as he
  continued. "I know how you feel about Xander, Willow, so this might
  be hard for you to hear. I suppose that my coming back made Buffy
  realize that she was holding onto her feelings for me even after
  she moved on. Buffy isn't in love with me anymore because she…she's
  in love with Xander. They had fallen in love this last year without
  realizing it. But they realize it now."

  He looked up then to see her face. Her eyes expressed such sorrow.

  < He left Buffy to help me and now he's lost her. How could she do
  that to him? How much more is Angel supposed to lose? > Willow
  thought compassionately and her eyes became glassy with tears.

  Seeing those tears and mistaking their cause, Angel was shattered.
  He couldn't even look at her at that moment without revealing all
  in his eyes. He leapt up from the couch and stood leaning against
  the fireplace mantle, his back to her so that she couldn't see his
  pain. "Do you still love Xander that much?" he asked.

  "I suppose I'll always love him," Willow replied truthfully.

  Although anticipating it, nevertheless, Angel felt like he had been
  delivered a blow. His hopes for Willow reciprocating his feelings
  dimmed and sputtered like a guttered candle. < At least I haven't
  made a total fool of myself by confessing my undying immortal
  love. > He could almost groan at himself for the picture that
  would have made.
 

~ Angel and Willow Gone II-Sacrifices

Indiscretions by Teri Leigh (terileighb@aol.com)(6 parts, incomplete)
Willow and Xander go on vacation...
1 2 3456

“So,” she heard him say hesitantly. “How’d we do this when we were five?”

Willow rolled onto her side so she was facing him. “I think we just said goodnight and fell asleep.”

“Goodnight, Will,” he replied.

 “Goodnight Xander.” Willow closed her eyes and tried to relax so she could sleep. Xander just laid
there watching her. She looked so peaceful and innocent in the firelight. He was lucky to have her as a
best friend. No one else would put up with everything that she had over the years. No one else knew
him better than she did. He reached over and took her hand in his. She opened her eyes, eyebrows
crinkling in confusion.

 “Thank you for putting up with me. Your the best friend I could ever have,” his hand tightened briefly
around hers. “You’re my Willow.” She smiled at him and shifted her hand so that their fingers
interlocked. She squeezed his hand gently and then closed her eyes.

They slept that way all night long.
 

~Willow and XanderIndiscretions

"Good." Relief washed over her face. Suddenly an impish smile formed on
     her lips, and she coyly leaned over the back of her seat. "Xander, earlier
     this afternoon I noticed that you and Willow disappeared for a little
     while."

     Xander's eyes opened. He sat frozen against the back, a wary look on his
     face.

     "Anyway, I asked Willow what happened and she said a most curious
     thing." Buffy raised her eyebrows and put an air of shocked surprise.
     "In fact, she told me that you--"

     "My hand slipped, I swear!" Xander shouted.

     "I knew Willow was holding out on me!" Buffy eyes flashed in triumph.
     She put her hands up and wiggled back and forth in her seat. "Behold my
     victory dance. Now Xander, fess up. Your hand. Willow."

     Giles turned angrily to Buffy and said, "We are about to face a very
     dangerous situation and you need to focus. Not distract yourself
     discussing tawdry teenage groping."
~ Willow, Xander and Giles All Things Fade

Amaranth by Ken O. Hinkle (1 part, complete)
After a vicious vampire attack, Willow gains a tutor in the Wiccan arts

Tingling energy spread from the touch, fighting the chill in her body and winning; the skin of her neck itched fiercely for a
moment under the gently touching fingers. A moment later the fingers left her throat, and she felt two arms, slender yet powerful,
slide under her and lift her from the ground.
     "Come little sister," the soft, low voice said. "Back into the light."
     Once out of the bushes the arms lowered her to her feet, then changed position again to support her as her knees
wavered.
     "Buffy?" Willow said weakly, so used to being saved by the Slayer--when she needed to be saved--that the name came
reflexively to her lips before she even looked up.
     She did when she heard the laugh, though. It was low and pleasant and about as un-Buffy a laugh as was possible to
imagine.
     Miss Amaranth smiled down at her, dark hair unbound and moving gently in the wind, reflecting crimson highlights under
the glow of the streetlight over head.
     "No," the woman said unnecessarily.
     Willow wondered why she wasn't surprised, just before blackness closed in and she fainted.
~Willow and Amaranth Amaranth

Her mother poised halfway through the door. She had that enthused look on
  her face, the one usually reserved for birthdays and surprise trips to the
  museum. "Your Aunt Emily heard about tonight and sent something to you.
  She said that she hopes that you like it, and that she hopes that all your
  dreams come true." Willow sighed, the only dream she wanted to come true
  was that Xander would ask her to dance... Her mom was holding something
  behind her back, and Willow held her breath. <Please let it be something
  wonderful, because I have to act excited, anyway, I can't disappoint her>
  Her mom pulled her arm around to her front, and there it was... the dress.
  It was gorgeous. It was a pretty deep green, just the color of Willow's
  eyes, with satin trim. It had a high waist and a skirt that looked perfect
  for swirling, and there were tights and a purse and shoes.

  Willow smiled her sweetest Willow-smile. "Wow... oh, Mom, wow..." Her
  mother smiled, saving up the details of her cherished only daughter's
  expression to describe to her sister, and silently sent a whisper of thanks
  to her. She loved her daughter so much, and it was so hard to watch her
  painful shyness. Thank goodness for Jesse and Xander. She blossomed
  around them, and maybe going to the dance with them, she would open up and have
  a good time.

  Willow and Xander and Jesse were all going together. The boys figured that
  there was strength in numbers, and no one had asked Willow. Jesse had
  asked a couple of girls, but after a particularly scathing rejection by Cordelia,
  he decided not to try any more, and just have fun with his pals. Xander's
  mom was driving, picking up Willow, and then Jesse. She was glad it was
  going to be that way. For just a few moments, she'd be able to pretend that
  she and Xander were going together.
~Willow and her mother Eighth Grade Cotillion

  "Get your hands off me!" Willow shouted, jerking her arm free, "I'm
  here to rescue my boyfriend from your incompetence. Did you people even
  bother to check anything out, or were you just going arrest everybody that
  drives a striped van?"

  Dead silence descended on the squadroom at her outburst. Even Willow
  was surprised by her eruption.

  [Where did *that* come from?] Willow thought as the beefy plainclothes
  detective stared at her in astonishment.

  [Nobody messes with *my* boyfriend!] a voice snarled in the back of
  her mind.

  "If you cretins had done even the barest essentials of your job,"
  Willow continued, getting right in the cop's sweaty face, "You would have
  found a more logical suspect than Oz."

  Willow paused a moment and reached up a hand to physically turn the
  stunned man's face to the computer screen before continuing her diatribe.

  "I think a career criminal like that is far more likely a suspect than
  a college freshman who's never even had a parking ticket. He was at home
  all night last. I know because I was there with him. Now, are you going to
  take me to Percival Osbourne so I can take him home, or do you really want
  to see the punitive damages I'll demand in a wrongful arrest lawsuit?"

  [You go girl!] the voice in the back of her mind cheered.
~ Willow Girlfriend Bails Out Werewolf