They at least knew she wasn't dead; her mother had
  told them about the note she had left. They tried to think
  of places she might go, but nothing they thought of had
  worked.

  Now finals were over, and school was over for the
  summer. Willow sighed and looked over at her boyfriend Oz.
  He would be leaving in a few short weeks; first to Seattle
  for a couple of gigs with his band, and then off to college.
  She wondered if their romance would last a long distance
  relationship, but she quickly pushed that thought aside,
  remembering what he had said to her in the hospital.
  She got up and sat down on his lap. The two started
  whispering things the others could not hear.

  Xander watched the two dismally. He had come to a
  realization when Willow was unconscious in the hospital;
  he loved her. And it wasn't the kind of love you have for
  a sister, or even a best friend. It was stronger than both
  of these. So he told her, and she responded by stirring.

  He was jubilated at her awakening, until she uttered
  the name of her boyfriend. Xander had been crushed by this.
  He decided not to bring up the subject, while Oz was around
  at least. He still cared about her a lot though, and hated
  seeing her with Oz.

  "So have we given up or what, because I have to be
  somewhere," Cordelia finally broke the silence.

  "Where are you going, sensitivity training?" Xander
  asked. His sarcasm was lost on her. She just stared at
  him blankly.

  "No, I'm going to get my nails done."

  "Nevermind," Xander sighed, "Go, we can't do
  anything more today."

  "Well in that case, can you find another way home
  honey," Oz asked Willow. Xander winced at the word honey,
  "cuz Devin called a mandatory practice."

  "I'll take her home,"Xander exclaimed, a little too
  eagerly for Oz's taste, but Willow accepted. So Oz and
  Cordelia left, leaving Xander, Giles, and Willow alone
  together.

  "Well, there's nothing we can do tonight. Activity
  has been rather slow since Buffy's disappearance.
  That could be an indication of several things, but of what,
  I'm afraid to say I don't know."Giles sighed after his last
  sentence.

  "Will you take me home then Xander?" Willow asked.
  He nodded. "Okay, if you find anything new, then you know
  where to find us."she told Giles.

  "Yes. Oz at practice, Cordelia at salon, Willow at
  home.."Giles recited.

  "And Xander watching movies with Willow."Willow
  finished.

  The two teenagers left the librarian in the library.
  It was a warm humid night in Sunnydale. The stars shone
  brightly down on them. They made the town seem actually
  peaceful, not the bloodsuck fest that it really was.

  "So are we walking, or did you weasel the car out
  of your mom?"

  "Weasel is such a harsh word. It was more like
  creative begging."Xander replied.

  They found the parking space and got into the car.
  Xander drove the familiar route to Willow's house. They
  discussed what they were going to watch. Both agreed that
  horror was too real for them now, so they settled on a nice
  tame movie, Independence Day.

  "We haven't encountered aliens yet." Willow said
  laughing.

  "Wait my dear, the summer is still young."

  Xander pulled into the Rosenburg driveway. He
  noticed that the house looked dark. "Where are your
  parents?"

  "Oh, they went on a business trip," Willow answered
  innocently. Xander wondered how good an idea it was for
  then to be alone together, especially with his new found
  feelings for her.

  Willow was already out of the car. She unlocked
  the front door and was checking the answering machine when
  Xander finally came in.

  Xander found the movie and put it in the VCR.
  He sat down on the couch and waited for Willow. She came in
  with a carton of 'Rocky Road' and two spoons. He gleefully
  grabbed one from her and dug in. She rolled her eyes and
  started the movie.

  About halfway through the movie, Willow started to
  get drowsy. Xander noticed this and was not about to let
  her fall asleep.

  "No, I don't think so, you will not fall asleep."

  "Oh, who says?"Willow asked yawning.

  "The Tickle Master!"Xander cried.

  "No!"Willow yelled, but it was too late. Xander was
  already tickling her. She gasped for air and begged him to
  stop, but he wouldn't. Finally she convinced him that if he
  stopped, she wouldn't fall asleep. He relented.

  If anyone would happen to walk in on them just then,
  they would have found it very interesting. In the process
  of tickling, both had fallen off the couch. Xander was on
  top of Willow, and the ice cream had been knocked over,
  staining part of the carpet.

  "Xander, get..."Willow was about to ask him to get
  off her, but then she noticed he was looking at her. It
  wasn't the fact that he was that caught her attention. It
  was more of the way he was looking at her. It was the same
  way she remembered him looking at Buffy. Her breath caught
  in her throat. She knew she should move, say something, do
  anything to prevent what was going to happen. Only one
  problem: she couldn't. More exact, she didn't want to.

  Xander stared down at her. He heard her catch her
  breath. He watched her eyes widen, as if she had just come
  to a realization. She looked so sweet, so innocent to him.
  He reached down and brushed his hand across her cheek. He
  could tell she knew what he was going to do. He leaned
  in slow enough for her to resist. She didn't.

  Their lips met. In the back of their minds they
  knew what they were doing was wrong, but it felt so right
  to them. They were lost in their own world. The only thing
  that they noticed was each other. Until they heard the
  phone ring, that is.