TITLE: New Opportunities
AUTHOR: Tienco (tienco@msn.com)
COUPLE: Willow/Xander (I'm serious to all the lists that I'm posting this to that *isn't* the Willow/Xander list. This is a Willow/Xander fic. If ya don't like it, hit delete. :))
RATING: PG - R for now.
DISTRIBUTION: My site!! www.oocities.org/tienco_21 and various lists. Ask if you want it, I'll let you have it. Oh, Kylia, and Jai can always have it. . .if I've given you permission for something else, you are welcome to this.
DISCLAIMER: All belongs to Joss Whedon. Gosh, I wish I were Joss. I'd have such a good time with Spike. . .and Angel. . .and Xander. . .and Graham. . . and Lindsey. . .throw Willow and Faith in there and it's a party!!
FEEDBACK: Of *course*. Makes me write more.
SPOILERS: Ah, it takes place after summer of 2000. I don't think there are a lot of major spoilers, but pretty much anything in the first four seasons is up for grabs.
SUMMARY: Willow's been gone all summer with her parents. . .some things in Sunnydale have changed.
NOTES: Now for something totally different. I know, I know. Willow and Xander. Who would have thought it? I've got almost the whole story written. . .I hope you guys like this. . .I know there are other closet Willow/Xander fans out there. . .Anyway, it was inevitable for me to pair up my fave chick on the show with my almost fave guy.
NOTES 2: I swear, to those of you who care, I'm still working on everything else I'm trying to finish. Between work and school and my muse being stupid, it's really getting hard. *sigh*
DEDICATION: To Jinni, cause I think she comes home today from vacation!! To Inell, cause she's writing *me* a Willow/Xander piece. To all you Willow/Xander fans who hope it will still happen, and to all you closet Willow/Xander fans (like myself) who never told a soul.

~*~*~*~

"When do you get home?" Buffy asked excitedly.

Willow grinned, tucking the phone between her shoulder and her cheek. She resumed packing. "My flight gets in tomorrow at 12:30."

"Cool!" Buffy exclaimed. "Call me as soon as you get settled, we will go have dinner or something!"

Willow chuckled. "Bronze. I actually missed the Bronze this summer."

"Sounds like a plan," Buffy chuckled. "Bye, Wills."

"Bye, Buffy." Willow hung up. She looked around the hotel room that had become her home the last three months. It was spacious, and she'd enjoyed the time away from Sunnydale. But she was eager to get back to her friends.

Sheila Rosenberg knocked three times before sticking her head in the room. "Honey! Are you almost through packing? Your father wants to take us on one last dinner before you leave tomorrow."

Willow grinned. "Almost. I have one more phone call to make, then I will be ready."

Her mother smiled. "Well, hurry up, we'll be waiting for you in the living room." She shut the door and left Willow alone.

Willow dialed a new number, having memorized it the day she got it.

" 'Ello?" the phone was answered after three rings.

"I still can't believe you and Xander got an apartment together, even if you have been living together for two and a half months," Willow giggled.

"Well, hey, Red! Yea, it's definitely been the most interesting two and a half months of my entire life," Spike chuckled. "You want to speak to Chubs? He's jumping up and down telling me to give him the phone."

"Well. . ." Willow said, pretending to think about it. "I guess so. . ."

There was a shuffle. "Hey, Wills!"

"Xander, hey," Willow said, smiling. Xander could always make her feel good.

"Blondie's driving me crazy. When are you going to be home?"

"Plane comes in tomorrow at. . ." She looked at her ticket. "12:30," she finished. "I can't *wait* to get home."

"Oh, I know! We will have to get together, catch up. . .a lot has happened while you've been gone this summer."

Willow giggled. "You and Spike aren't involved, are you?"

"EWW!" Xander hissed. "I highly doubt it. He's seeing some little demon chick anyway. He seems happy, lots of *loud* shagging, and he can bite her, cause her pain, you know, all that kinky stuff vampires get into."

Willow laughed out loud. "Well, Xander, I don't know about all that kinky stuff vampires do, since I've never been with one."

"Well, I live with one. Let me assure you that there is a lot of kink involved. It's almost sickening. I've seen toys. . .I don't even know what to do with them, couldn't imagine. . ."

Willow smiled. She was *so* looking forward to getting home. She heard her parents rustling around in the living room. "Xand, hey, I gotta go, dad's taking us out to one last dinner in Milan. I'll call when I get home tomorrow. . ."

"Sure, Wills. See you then."

"Bye, Xander."

"Bye, sweets."

*~*~*~*

Willow stepped off the small plane that took her from LA to Sunnydale and took a deep breath. "Goddess, I missed home," she said to herself. She smiled at the person next to her and started walking up the walkway.

She glanced up towards the windows where the receiving gate was. She frowned slightly, imagining that the brunette guy with his face pressed against the window was Xander. "That's crazy, girl," she said to herself. "Xander wouldn't be here waiting for you. He's with Anya, doing. . .Anya things."

She shook off the feeling of excitement that had budded in her heart that he could be there waiting for her. "It's been a full year and a half since you've even thought of Xander like that. Don't start this again. Not here, not now. You are an adult, Willow, and Xander was your childhood. You are friends. Nothing more, nothing less." She walked into the gate and glanced around hopefully. He wasn't there. "See," she grumbled, "you went and got your hopes up and of course he's not here. You didn't ask him to pick you up, so why would he come and pick you up?" Sighing, she went to retrieve her luggage, talking to herself under her breath the whole way.

"Besides, you are past that. So far past that. You can't even close your eyes and remember what his eyes look like. You don't get that secret excitement when he calls you, or you call him. You aren't even imagining that you can smell him right now at this exact moment, because that is just so sad, Willow Rosenberg." She leaned over to get her bag when a body pressed against hers from behind, reaching over her. She frowned, realizing that the person was going for her bag! "This is my bag, thank you!" she said, spinning around.

"I know," Xander's deep voice was huskier than usual. Willow was pressed against him, looking up at him with wide eyes and her mouth in the perfect O. Xander found himself suddenly wanting to kiss her. Instead, he smiled. "I came to pick you up."

Willow swallowed hard, taking a step back away from his hard body. < Damn, > she thought. < I didn't realize he was so nice and lean and hard under all those baggy clothes. > "Xander," she squeaked. She shook her head and cleared her throat. "Xander," she smiled. "You, you grew a goatee."

Xander pulled away from the luggage carrier, still holding Willow's bag. He stroked his chin with his free hand. "Yea. What do you think?"

Willow reached up and brushed her fingertips along his chin. "I like it. Makes you look older. Kinda evil too."

"That's what Spike says. He wants me to keep it, so he can pretend he still lives the evil life. Sometimes, late at night, he'll start babbling about how we should try to take over the world, and so of course, I tell him we should just send it to hell, and then we laugh for hours. Peaches hates it when we make fun of him."

Willow raised an eyebrow. "Peaches?"

Xander chuckled darkly. "Spike and I have been to LA a couple of times. Sire and Childe are trying to repair their relationship. I went along for the ride." He shrugged, looking down. "Um. . ." He chewed his bottom lip. "You've got to have more luggage than this."

"Oh, yea!" Willow exclaimed. "I have more." She spun back around, only letting her blush spread over her cheeks when he couldn't see them. < No, this is Xander Harris, your dearest best friend in the whole world. Don't think dirty thoughts. Don't think dirty thoughts. He's just Xander. . .the boy you loved your entire life. NO! I don't love him anymore! > "Resolve face," she murmured, watching the bags go by.

"What, Willow?" Xander asked, watching her braid swing back and forth. She was a sight for sore eyes. He hadn't realized *just* how much he had missed her until she was gone, and he was glad she was back.

"Nothing," she said softly, glancing back at him. She turned back to the luggage carrier.

He reached out without thinking about it, running his fingers down her braid. "You grew your hair back out." It stopped at her shoulder blades, and was such a vibrant red it made Xander think of fire.

"Yea," she said softly. "We were too busy for me to get it cut. . ."

"Don't cut it," he said hurriedly. "I. . .miss it long."

She glanced at him again, humor in her eyes. "I won't then."

*~*~*~*

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