Tears started pouring down Willow’s cheeks
again. "Yes. I can’t
avoid it. It will be just like my other dreams."
"No, no, I won’t let it happen. Giles, there
must be something we
can do!" Xander persisted.
Giles took off his glasses, rubbing his forehead.
"I don’t know. I
doubt that my books and journals will be of
any use to me, but I’ll
look. Damn, why did Buffy have to choose these
three days to go
check out UCLA!" Giles voice started to rise,
but he managed to
control it. "Meanwhile, we can’t let Willow
anywhere alone.
Xander, I want you to make sure that you stay
with Willow
EVERYWHERE she goes tonight. Better yet, don’t
go anywhere.
Just stay at Willow’s house. You can sleep
over there, right?"
Xander nodded, serious. "Let me just go call
my mom and tell her."
He went into Giles’ office to use the phone.
Giles faced Willow, who was still crying and
getting near to
hysteria again. He grabbed her shoulders.
"Willow, we won’t let
anything happen to you." Giles insisted.
"I don’t think it’s your choice." Willow answered
quietly.
Willow’s shaky hands inserted the key into
her lock, and then
opened the front door. She walked in with
Xander right behind
her, flipping on a light switch.
"Where are your folks?" Xander asked. They
were both usually
home by four, and it was already five-thirty.
Willow managed a small smile. "They chose the
perfect weekend
to take their first vacation by themselves
in—well, ever."
"Where did they go?" Xander was trying to get
Willow’s mind of
her dream, and she knew it. But she also knew
that she had to
pretend that she was like Giles and Xander,
and that she thought
everything would be all right. She had to,
for Xander’s sake. But
deep down Willow knew the truth. She would
die tonight, and, if
the other dreams had said anything, it was
that she couldn’t avoid
it.
"They’re visiting my uncle’s ranch in Texas.
They left yesterday
and are coming back on Thursday." Willow replied,
answering
Xander’s voiced and silent questions.
Xander flopped in the living room, and switched
the TV on. "MTV
or VH1?" he called to Willow, who was in the
kitchen collecting
some ketchup chips and Cokes.
"Whatever you want," she called back. Xander
flipped back and
forth a bit, then finally decided to stick
with MTV, mostly for the
knockout VJ that was hosting it. Willow walked
in, carrying a
couple cans of pop, a bag of chips, and, Xander’s
favorite, her
mom’s homemade peanut butter cookies.
"Ohhhhhhh," Xander said, eyeing the cookies.
"What do you
want? Anything, I’ll hand over my first-born,
just pass the cookies!"
Willow giggled. "And what first-born would that be?"
"Oh, did I say first-born? I, uh, meant my
first born fish. Yes, I don’t
have a secret child that I’ve been hiding
from everyone, of course
not."
Willow laughed again at Xander’s foolish ramblings.
"Ah ha!" Xander exclaimed. "You laughed. I win."
Willow set the food down and then sat down
next to Xander and
gave him a soft hug. "Thank-you."
Xander hugged her back, hoping that this wouldn’t
be the last time
he would ever feel his friend’s arms around
him. He blinked back
the tears in his eyes before he pulled back.
"Now let’s see what
the number one video in the country is."