Willow, who had screamed, stomped her foot angrily, and slapped her
hands down on the
keyboard of "her" (technically, the library's) computer.
"Aaaaugh!" Willow whacked the top of the monitor, none to gently either.
"Let" (whack)
"me" (whack) "have" (whack) "on!!!" Thump. Her fist crashed into the
modem.
The library doors flew open. Oz ran in. "What's wrong??!" he demanded,
confused.
Xander, Cordelia, and Giles all stood openmouthed, gaping at Willow.
Xander managed
to poin to Willow, and she continued her not-so-little tantrum. Oz
didn't even blink.
He strode over to Willow, dodging the mousepad that was flung in his
direction. Before
Willow could help the mouse follow its counterpart, Oz grabbed her
upper arms and
turned her to face him.
"Willow, Willow! What's up, cutie?" Oz asked lightly, forcing her to
look into his face.
Willow's eyes were wide and angry.
"The computer!" Willow hissed, trembling with rage. "I tried to get
on the internet and-"
Willow pulled away from Oz with another shriek. She turned toward the
computer.
"Willow," Oz warned ominously. She paused. "You know that's school property."
Willow turned to face Oz, her face reddening with her anger.
"You don't understand!" She shouted, advancing on Oz. "It wouldn't let
me on the
internet!" Oz stayed cool, even as Willow closed in on him. < Can
anything ruffle his
feathers? > Willow wondered in the back of her mind. < Maybe we'll
just find out. >
Oz raised his hand in surrender. "Can't you try again?" he asked. Willow
kept coming
closer.
"I tried again," Willow's decibel level returned to a more normal level,
causing Oz to
relax prematurely. Her next words froze him in place. "20 times." Willow's
voice was
cool, as were her eyes. < Icy was more appropriate > Oz thought.
Willow took another
step toward Oz. Only a foot of space separated them now. Willow raised
her arm and ran
her hand down the side of Oz's face. He remained absolutely still.
Willow moved in on
him and placed a taunting kiss on his lips.
Oz swallowed. Xander chose that moment to try to intervene. "Willow,
come on. It's just
a computer," he soothed. His words grated on Willow's nerves. She turned
on Xander
quickly.
"Stay out of this, Xander!" she screamed. Oz felt his eardrums pop.
< So much for the
decibel thing. > "Just a computer," she muttered, turning back to Oz.
Her eyes flashed.
Strangely, Oz found this attractive (in some weird werewolf sort of
way). He smiled
unconsciously.
"You think this is funny??!" Willow's voice could've been heard from
the football
stadium (wasn't there one in "Some Assmebly Required"?).
"No," Oz growled, rubbing his ears. < I guess I'm tired of playing
games. > Oz gritted his
teeth. "Sit down!" he ordered in a voice that demanded Willow obey.
She did. Willow
looked up at Oz with surprised eyes. Then her eyes filled with tears.
"I want my internet!" Willow wailed pitifully. She sobbed into her hands.
Oz looked over her head to Xander and Cordelia and Giles. He face asked
them what
was wrong. Xander raised his eyebrows and shrugged. Cordy was staring
at Willow like
she'd sprouted fangs and a "game face". Giles looked on helplessly.
He anxiously took
off his glasses, played with them for a second, then placed them back
on their precarious
position on his nose.
Oz patted Willow's back comfortingly. She looked up at him, tears still
streaking down
her face. Her eyelashes were matted with tears. Then her mouth opened
in a silent
scream and her eyes widened with fright, staring at something behind
Oz.
Oz turned around quickly, expecting a scary monster of some kind, but
saw nothing. He
glanced carefully at Willow again. She continued to stare at a spot
behind Oz. The others
looked around the room but saw nothing.
"Miss Calendar?" Willow asked shakily. The group in the library looked
at Willow in
shock. Giles' face noticeably paled, and his hands began to shake.
Cordy moved closer to
Xander, who placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Is it really you?" Willow's voice was now reduced to a whisper. She
saw the faint figure
of Miss Calendar step toward her.
"It's me. In a way." Willow watched the ex-computer teacher walk past
her to the
computer and gently run her hand over the top of the monitor. "Is something
wrong with
the computer?" Miss C. asked quietly.
Willow shook her head 'no', wiping her face with her hands. "The phone
lines are too
busy, and it won't let me get on the internet!" Willow felt her spunk
returning. "I just
wanted to get on the internet!" Willow stood and took her place at
the computer. She
sank into her comfy chair.
"Try one more time, Willow, for my sake," the almost invisible Miss C. said patiently.
"Okay." Willow logged onto the internet in less than a minute. "Hey,
it worked!" she
exclaimed happily. "Miss Calendar it worked!" she turned to look at
the teacher but
Miss C. was already gone. Vanished.
Willow's face fell, but then she slowly turned to the computer and a
smile brightened her
face. The other four occupants of the library looked at each other
with raised eyebrows.
They shook their heads and tried to clear their brains.
Had any of that really happened? Or had the last hour been all a dream?
Will they ever
know the truth? Willow surely won't tell.