Common Sense
By Jessica

SPOILER WARNING: "The Prom" and "Passion"........therapy for the end of the third season.
RATING: PG/PG-13
CONTENT WARNING: Language. Not a lot, but some.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own 'em! Joss, "The Evil One", Whedon does. So don't sue me! I'm not that cruel!
NOTES: I found this on my disk from, like, May '99. I touched it up, finished it, and voila! Hope you enjoy.....Oh yeah, it's first person, Willow's POV and then Buffy's POV, and back again.

My best friend was only half alive. Her heart had been ripped out by the man she loved more than anything in the world, and there was nothing I could do to fix it. I hated that feeling.

So that brought me to my senior prom. I had made it out of Sunnydale High alive, which was an incredible feat for one who lived on the hell mouth. And what was more, I was at my prom with my boyrfriend. There was only one thing that could make this night the best of my life.

Buffy stood at the punch fountain, she looked so tired. Her eyes were filled with no happiness, only pain. I think the only highlight of the evening for her was receiving that award from the prom committee. No one saw that coming, it was sweet. I watched her for a few seconds as I danced to a slow song in Oz's arms before I gave up and rested my head on his shoulder.

The next time I looked up Buffy was dancing only a few feet away from me. With Angel. I couldn't believe it, the bastard had the nerve to show up and get her hopes up. I thought he had more tact than that. Buffy looked.....sad. There was no other word for the emotion plastered on her face. My best friend had years behind her that she hadn't lived through. She had experienced so many things people our age should never have to experience.

Suddenly the song that had been playing stopped, and everyone turned their attention to the DJ who announced some mumble jumble about this being the last song of the prom. As the music started I smiled, and glanced over at Buffy. This song was for her.

Oceans apart
Day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice
On the line
But it doesn't stop the pain
If I see you next to never
And how can we say forever?

I looked up from where my head was resting on Angel's chest. I knew this song, it was Monica's version of 'Right Here Waiting'. As I listened to the lyrics, swaying back and forth, this song was sealing my fate. Oh God, I couldn't survive him leaving. How could he be doing this to me?

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you....

I looked over a Buffy, from her face I could see she got the meaning of the song. What she didn't know was that I had requested it for her. And him.

I took for granted
All the times
That I thought would last somehow
I hear the laughter
I taste the tears
But I can't get near you now
Oh can't you see it, baby
You got me goin' crazy....

"Did you request this song?" Oz whispered in my hear as we swayed. I nodded and threw a glance in Buffy's direction. Oz got it. "I see. I didn't think he'd come," he murmered. I gave him a sad smile and rest my head on his shoulder again.

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I wonder how we can survive
This romance
But in the end if I'm with you
I'll take the chance......

Oh can't you see it, baby
You got me goin' crazy
Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you
Waiting for you

The song ended and every broke up and began milling about. Senior prom was over. I followed Oz over to where Xander, Anya, Cordy, Wesley, and Giles were standing by a table. I sat down and cast a glance in Buffy's direction. She was nodding her head and it was easy to see she was crying. Angel said something to her and with a final sad smile he left. Buffy stood there, frozen. I didn't blame her, how could Angel do that to her?

Suddenly fury that I never knew I had about the situation surfaced. Couldn't Angel see this was killing her? I excused myself from the group and ran to the doors, I needed to catch him before he left. I spotted him walking away from the school. I hurried to catch up to him.

"So that's it, huh?" I asked him as I fell in step next to him.

He looked over at me. "What do you mean?" he asked tiredly.

"Buffy. You're just done. You'll fight the mayor and leave. It's over, right?" I shot at him.

He looked over at me with his sad smile on his face. "It's for the best," he murmured.

"Bullshit!" I screamed at him. He stopped dead in his tracks. "That's right. It's sure as hell not for the best. Do you want to know what Buffy told me the day after you spilled your plans on her in the sewers?" I continued. He shook his head. "Well that's too bad, 'cause I'm going to tell you. I was over at her house, and do you know what she told me, beside what you told her?" I said. He again shook his head. "She told me she was trying to keep from dying. She told me that she coudln't breathe," I finished, letting my last sentence linger.

"She'll move on eventually," he whispered. "I can't give her anything that she deserves. She knows that," he added, the words were meaningless.

"No, Angel, she won't. She'll love you till the day she dies, which could very well be tomorrow. She's already half dead inside, she feels no emotions. Only pain. Pain you inflicted on her," I added. "You say you want her to be happy? Well she's sure as hell not happy now!!! She's as far away from happiness as you can get. And it's all your fault."

"Willow, you don't understand...." he started.

"Yes I do!!! I understand that Buffy is a slayer. Her whole life is composed of demons, demons trying to kill her and her friends and her family. How could she endanger the life of a husband? Or children!? She could never do that, so your whole excuse for her moving on is shot to hell. Sex? Well the reproductive part of it is out. Relationships aren't based on sex. You have--had-- something so much better than that. Why are you so fucking blind?"

Angel was dumbfounded. "But just one slip up and the demon comes back. I can't do it again, I can't become that monster!" he shouted.

"Oh right, that damn curse. You know what, you and I are going to look at that curse. You may be surprised at what it says," I told him, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the school. By now everyone had mostly left. Willow let herself in and dragged Angel towards the library.

"Sit," I told him. He obeyed and sat at a table. I puttered around, my hands shaking from anger. I'm pretty sure Oz figured out where I went. He knew how angry Angel's logic made me. I remember exactly where I put the disk with Ms. Calendar's translation of the curse. I never really read through it all, I just recited it for the casting of it. "Here," I say, holding up the disk so that he can see it. I see him nod slightly. Part of me doesn't blame him, I'm not exactly known for my outbursts.

I pop the disk into a computer and bring up the file. "Come here," I instructed Angel. We began reading it silently to ourselves, my eyes searching for what I hoped had been in there. And, as if by fate, there it was. It jumped out at me.

"Oh. My. God," I whispered. Angel looked at me curiously, before turning back to the screen to see what I had just read. After he found it, he turned back to me wide eyed.

"This is it, Willow," he whispered. "I can't believe it."

"Well, Angel, you know what you have to do. Go find her and give her the night she deserves," I tell him gently, motioning to the doors. He got up, but before he exited, he turned around one final time.

"Willow? Thanks," he said with a huge smile. That simple word meaning a thousand things.

"Go, Angel. Go give Buffy the life she *wants*."

The End!