Unless, of course, you were in the library.

"But Giles! It's spring break!"

"I am aware of that. That is exactly why it's the perfect time to go. You can do everything necessary without missing any school." Giles took off his glasses and began polishing them. "I don't want to hear any arguments, Buffy. I've discussed it with your mother and father and they both agree it's a fascinating opportunity for you."

"Why can't Willow come with me?" Buffy looked desperately at her best friend. "Don't you want to come to Texas with me, Wills?"

"Willow is teaching a class at the University over the break. You know that as well as I. Besides, the council will only pay for two tickets. Yours and mine."

"But I'd be much better if I had my own personal cheerleader." Her blue eyes pleaded with her other best friend. "Xander?"

"Sorry Buff, but I don't do that short skirt thing. And the pom-poms. They chafe."

"Xander, you're not helping."

Giles shook his head. "It's a fait accompli, Buffy. You'll just have to accept it." He turned around and strolled into his office.

Buffy looked at Willow and Xander with a deadly glare. "You guys are supposed to be my friends. You're supposed to be…Slayerettes. And what do you do at the first sign of trouble? You bail on me."

"Buffy, it's Texas." Xander offered by way of explanation. "Besides, I can't afford to walk anywhere, and you expect me to fly?"

"I'm sorry, Buffy. I wish I didn't have this thing, otherwise, I'd be there with you." Willow smiled. "Or with Oz. In Hawaii."

"Why is he in Hawaii again?"

"Parents took him. They invited me, but you know my mom…" Willow shrugged. "You're only going to be there for three days, Buffy. I doubt anything could happen in three days."

Xander stared across the table at Willow as she talked. Things were still strained between them; the knowledge of his dalliance with Faith seemed to have put a big roadblock in their friendship that they'd been struggling to restore since their fluke.

"I doubt anything could happen in three days." Willow reassured Buffy. Xander wondered. In one second your life could change. How often had they proven that over the past three years?

"Hey, I have a question. Faith is in the seriously disturbed column. Who's supposed to patrol while Watcher and Slayer are off on their magical mission to the Lone Star state?"

Buffy perked up at Xander's words. "He's right! Giles! Who's gonna baby-sit the Hellmouth?" Bouncing in her chair, she favored Xander with a huge smile. "Can't go. Trip is canceled."

"Willow has kindly agreed to help Wesley out. And Angel is here if they need…back-up."

Xander watched Buffy's happiness deflate. "Fine. I'm out of here. I have to go pack."

"We'll walk you out, right Will?"

She looked up from the computer and met his eyes before turning to Buffy. "Of course."

Willow walked beside Xander, her mind a million miles away. Well, actually just a few feet away, but it might as well have been a million miles. He was the person she knew best in the universe and all of a sudden she didn't know him at all anymore.

"Xander?"

"Yeah, Will?"

"What are you going to do this week?"

He grinned devilishly. "Actually, I'm taking a remedial computer course at the University. I understand the teacher is really good. And pretty foxy. You know how I have a thing for teachers."

Willow couldn't help but laugh. "I hope she doesn't turn out to be a bug."

"Well, I have to say, that makes two of us." He looped his arm through hers. "So, is Oz already on his way to the 50th state?"

"Yep. Left last night." She sighed. "It's probably a good thing I didn't go. I burn so easily." She kept walking, her body on autopilot as she imagined Xander's hands smoothing lotion on her body. She reprimanded herself severely. She and Xander were over. They hadn't even ever officially begun. They just were. And now they most definitely weren't. "Are we Bronzin' it tonight?"

"Nah. I've got to get ready for that class. I really want to impress the teacher." He squeezed her arm with his. "This is your stop. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Night, Xander."

"Night Willow."

She watched him walk away from the relative safety of her porch, wondering. "Hey! I'm teaching the remedial computer course at the University."

He turned around and smiled. "Put in a good word for me, would ya?"

Willow paced the small classroom, wondering if anyone was going to show up. It was only five minutes before the class was to begin and no one had arrived. She looked down at her watch then up to the clock on the wall. They both had the same time. Lifting her wrist to her ear, she listened for the telltale signs that it was working.

"Hey." Three guys walked in together, nodding to her. She wondered if they were actually students or if they just thought this was another classroom.

"Hey. Are you here for the computer class?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah. I hear the teacher used to teach at Sunnydale High."

"Well, I heard that she only got the job cause some other majorly hot teacher got killed."

"Well, I heard that…" The third one was cut off as Xander strolled into the room and handed Willow an apple.

"For the teacher." He kissed her cheek and sat down in the front row, escaping Willow's wrath thanks to the influx of students coming in the door at the last minute.

The classroom cleared out quickly at the end of the hour. Xander sat in his seat until everyone had left. He'd been having a little trouble keeping his mind on the class. Willow was wearing a short lavender skirt and - much to his surprise - high heels. "Nice class. Miss…Rosenberg, is it?"

"Yes, Mr. Harris."

"Oh, please. Call me Xander. All the beautiful girls do."

"I thought all the beautiful girls called you whatever Cordelia asked them to." She bit her lip. "Sorry. I didn't mean that."

He shrugged, pretending it didn't matter. "No harm, no foul. Gather your books, teach. I'll walk you to your car."

"I don't have a car."

"Well then, lucky me. I guess I'll walk you home.”

"Do I need an escort?" She suppressed a giggle, enjoying the game. "Does Sunnydale have a high crime rate?"

"No. A high death rate." The vampire stepped out from behind one of the trees that lined the park and stood in front of them. "Although, the undead rate isn't too bad either."

Willow and Xander both reached for crosses. Grabbing hers out of her purse, Willow held it up in front of the advancing vamp. "Leave us alone."

"No."

Xander managed to get his cross out of his pocket before dropping it on the ground. He bent to pick it up, cursing softly at the pair of boots in front of him. "Will, there's one behind you. Stop moving."

She froze. Xander felt the cold hand on his neck before it wrapped around his collar and lifted him to his feet. He hung onto the cross and tried to remember if he'd brought a stake with him. He'd been so worried about being on time to class, he wasn't sure if he'd taken the necessary precautions.

"Well, well, well. Ain't you two friends of the Slayer? Out and about with only a cross to save you? Isn't that a little foolish, boys and girls?" Both vampires laughed. Saying a quiet prayer, Willow dug in her purse and grabbed her stake. Xander was unarmed except for his cross. It would have to do. While the vampire in front of her had his head thrown back in laughter, she impaled the stake into its heart.

The air 'whooshed' around them as he exploded into dust. She grabbed Xander's arm and took off through the trees. "Come on Xander! Run!"

They took off at a breakneck pace, neither looking back until they reached Xander's back yard. He grabbed the handle of the back door and pulled it open. He was about to duck inside when Willow's hand was ripped out of his grasp.

"Xander!"

He turned and grabbed her again, pulling on her arm, trying to keep her too far away from the vampire for him to do any damage. The vamp let go and the two of them tumbled to the ground. "Well, well. Two for the price of one. I didn't know it was all you can eat."

Willow felt Xander moving beneath her, trying to find a weapon. She knew it was too late. The vampire lunged and she did the only thing she could think of. Raising her legs into the air, she felt him impale himself on her high heel.

Xander watched as the vampire disintegrated. "Wow, Wills. You nailed two vamps. I am so in awe." He got up and helped her to her feet. "I thought those heels were just for show."

She slapped him hard on the arm. "Why didn't you have anything with you? We could…you could have been killed!" She slapped him again and he grabbed her arm.

"Willow, it's okay. We're okay."

"But we might not have been. How could you be so stupid, Xander? What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I wanted to kiss you again."

Willow stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?"

"I admit it, it was stupid to leave the house with nothing but a cross, but I had my mind on your class, and you and how much I miss you. And how much I wish things could be different. I was hoping that because of this class you'd start to see me as somebody different. Somebody who was trying…" he sighed and let her go. "It was stupid. Monumentally stupid. But then, that's me, isn't it?"

She watched, shocked, as he walked down the stairs. He was trying to impress her? Xander Harris was trying to impress her. Her! She followed him into his bedroom, catching the door with her hand when he tried to shut it behind him. "Why did you want me to think that way about you?"

Xander flopped onto the bed. "Gee, let me think here, Wills. Our friendship is in critical condition, I made the biggest mistake of my life when I let you get away from me, you're still with Oz and all I can seem to think about is how to change it all so that you and I end up together like we should be."

She sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand. "We're always going to have our friendship, Xander. Nothing is going to change that fact. Our friendship might change. I hope it will, because we're going to change. But it's always going to be there."

"It's not so much about the friendship, Will. It's about the wanting more part. I know I messed it up. I know that you loved me for a long time and I took advantage of that when I kissed you. But Willow, the moments when we were kissing…? Those moments were the best ones of my life. And that includes when Buffy propositioned me on Valentine's Day."

She laughed; glad the image didn't hurt anymore. "They meant the world to me too, Xander…"

"No. Oz means the world to you. And he should. He's a great guy and he puts up with me and he loves you and…" He faded out at the look on her face. "And I said something wrong."

"No. It's just…do you promise to keep a secret?" She smiled hopefully. "It's important."

"Of course, Will. You should know without asking." He sat up and pulled her to him. They leaned back against the headboard, side by side, Xander's arm around her shoulders.

"I think…I know Oz is a great guy. And he's treated me so well and forgiven me so much. But I don't…" she sighed. "I don’t have this thing with him."

"This thing?" He drew in his eyebrows, trying to figure out what she meant.

"When I kissed you, when we kissed, it was like the rest of the world disappeared and it was just the two of us. I didn't care where we were or who was around. I just wanted to be alone in the world with you." She blushed at his intense scrutiny. "I don't have that with him. And I think I should, don't you?" She turned to face him.

Xander had seen movies where the moment comes and you know that the hero was going to kiss the girl. It was all in the swelling music and the soft lighting. Hell, he and Willow had already had a moment just like it. But nothing prepared him for the light shining in her eyes and the music that seemed to come from nowhere. Nothing in any movie or book or anything could possibly have prepared him for the soft touch of her lips on his.

Willow hadn't meant to have this conversation. She hadn't wanted to give herself hope that Xander might possibly feel the same. He'd slept with Faith, for goodness sake. He'd slept with her the same night…but he was saying all the things she'd ever wanted to hear. And she couldn’t help but hope that for once in her life, things with Alexander LaVelle Harris were actually going to go her way.

So she kissed him.

His lips were warm and firm against hers, and they stayed like that for a long moment, just resting, their lips pressed together. It was comfort and apology. It was love and friendship. And it wasn't enough.

Xander's tongue pressed against her closed lips, parting them easily. Willow let out a soft sigh and relaxed into the kiss, turning her body slightly so that they were facing one another. Xander raised a hand to stroke the auburn strands of hair back off her cheek. He moved from her mouth to the smooth line of her jaw, placing soft, warm kisses along it. With his eyes closed, he inhaled to scent of her, imprinting it into his memory.

Memory. Xander jerked back from her as though he'd been burned. Willow looked stunned. "What's wrong?"

"I…we…we shouldn't do this."

Her eyes widened briefly before narrowing dangerously. "Why not?"

"You have Oz, Will. And there are still a lot of unresolved things between us."

"I see." She pulled back and got off the bed. "I decide that I'm ready for this again and you're having second thoughts. You never change, do you Xander? You don’t want what you can have, only what you can't." She grabbed the doorknob and tugged on it. She wanted to get out of the room before he could say another word. Before he could make her cry.

"Willow, it's not that." He stood as well and walked up behind her. Resting his hands lightly on her shoulders, he turned her around. "I love you, Wills. Always have. But I don't want you to be here with me because you got scared tonight. I want you to be here with me because…well, because you want to be here with me."

"What? Thirteen years of adoration isn't proof enough?" She refused to look at him. "You have no ability whatsoever to judge women, do you?"

He ran his fingers through her silky hair and pulled her head back so that she had to look at him. "Willow…?" It was all there in her eyes and he wondered anew at how he could have possibly missed her all those years. "Willow, I…"

She shook her head, freeing it from his grasp. "Shut up, Xander." She turned and faced the door. "Can I use your shower? And borrow something to wear? My clothes are filthy."

"Yeah, leave it to Dad to water the lawn the night we do battle with the undead." He stepped back and dug through his dresser. He handed her a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. "The pants aren't going to fit."

"So I'll just put my high heels back on." She left the room, needed there to be space between them. As if there could be more.

Willow stood in the hot spray, letting it course down her body. She wished she could wash away all of the conflicting emotions as easily as she could the dirt. But then, had anything ever been simple for her where Xander was concerned? Oh yeah. One thing. Loving him.

She thought back to the first time they'd met Buffy. Everything had seemed simple then. Her life consisted of worshiping him. Sure, Xander had been oblivious, but the hope that he would someday realize she was his soulmate was still alive and untainted.

Hearing a sound, she shut off the water. "Yes?"

"When you're finished, come upstairs. There's ice cream." He waited a short time, hoping for a response. When he didn't get one, he continued. "And chocolate sauce."

"I'll be done in a minute." She turned the water back on for a quick rinse before getting out and drying herself off.

The T-shirt was a bit loose, but it was the sweat pants that gave her the most trouble. Pulling the drawstring as tight as it would go, she surveyed herself in the mirror. Well, hopefully they'd stay up. She reached down and pulled the elastic cuffs up to her ankles. Glancing at the mirror again, she burst out laughing. She looked ridiculous. Wrapping the towel around her hair like a turban, she left the bathroom. She'd worn the heels to impress him and he hadn't even noticed until the vampire had landed on them. She wasn't about to try to impress him now.

Xander watched her walk into the room and smiled. She looked like a little kid dressed in someone else's clothes. His heartbeat sped up as he realized she was wearing his clothes. It seemed like something a lover would do. Had she meant what she'd said? Did she want him as much as he still wanted her?

"Rocky road. And chocolate sauce. Your favorite."

She sat down next to him and took the bowl from him. "Plying me with treats isn't going to work, Harris. I know what you're up to."

"You do?"

"And I'm not going to pass you in the computer class just because you're being so nice to the teacher." She smiled at him. "You're going to have to work for your grade."

"You've always made me work for them, Wills." He picked up his own bowl and they ate in companionable silence. "We haven't done this in a long time."

"Nope. Growing up got in the way."

He nodded. Setting his bowl down, he turned to face her. "What happened to us, Willow?"

"We fell in love with different people."

"But we still love each other, right? That hasn't changed, has it?" He wrinkled his forehead. "I mean, are we still best friends? We used to tell each other everything and now we're like strangers. Did we grow up too much and outgrow our friendship? Or did we just do what was going to happen anyway."

She took his hand as she set her bowl down as well. "I don't know what would have happened, Xander. Only what did. Yeah, we grew up, but our friendship…I'll always be your friend, but I think when we met Buffy and Giles and then when Cordelia and Oz and Faith came into it, it turned into the kind of friendship most people have. Maybe we knew each other too well or needed each other too much. Maybe it wasn't normal to start with."

"So we had something special and we gave it up to have more of something normal?"

She laughed. "I don't think it's quite that bad. We still have what we had. It's just not the same anymore. But that doesn't change what it was."

"Just what it is." He sighed. "And we can't get it back, can we?"

"No."

He gently rubbed the palm of her hand as he stared into her eyes. "I miss you, Will."

"I'm still right here, Xander." She reached up with one hand to stroke his cheek. He caught it with his own and held it still, turning his head to kiss her palm. Willow closed her eyes, sighing softly. "I'm not going away any time soon."

"Never?" He kissed her palm again, then her wrist before continuing up her arm.

"Xan…" She released his hand and raised hers to tangle in his dark hair. The silky feel of it was like coming home.

He lifted his head and stared into her eyes. "It's not adrenaline, is it Willow? It's us. It's always been us."

"Always, Xander."

Nodding, he moved closer to her and took her in his arms. "I'm sorry I doubted you before…upstairs."

"I'm used to it." Willow's breathing was fast and shallow. She struggled to control it, but the nearness of him, after being apart for so long, seemed to pry away her self-control.

"I'll see if I can change that." One hand hooked around the back of her neck and pulled her closer. He paused, hovering above her lips as he had that one time, so long ago. "I love you, Willow."

She couldn't respond. His tongue traced her lips before delving into the warmth of her mouth. He tasted her, chocolaty and Willowy all at once. Their tongues fought for dominance, each giving and taking as though in a duel. Finally, he sucked on hers, pulling her into his lap as he did so.

Willow gasped as he lifted her, surprised at his strength and his ardor. She sat sideways on his lap, one hand around his waist the other roaming across his chest. Her fingers found their way to the buttons of his shirt and she began unfastening them. Xander moaned low in his throat as her nails lightly dragged across his chest.

His nipples hardened as her fingers touched him, pushing the shirt off his shoulders. He closed his eyes as she pulled away from his kiss to nibble his neck. Her earlobe was tantalizingly close and he couldn’t resist taking it in his mouth. He suckled it for a moment before kissing the hollow beneath it. "Willow? I want to take you downstairs."

She shook her head, her tongue tracing the line of his shoulder. "I want you to take me right here."

A shudder went through his body at her words. She ran her hands over his shoulders, down his back, trapping his arms at his sides. He stared into her green eyes. "You're sure?"

"Xander, I've never been more sure of anything…" She set his arms free and he lifted the bottom of the T-shirt. Once he had her free of it, he tossed it to the side, staring in fascination at her body. Willow felt her nipples harden under his gaze.

"God, Willow…" he bent his head, taking one of the hard buds into his mouth. She arched her back, surrendering herself to him. He supported her with his strong hands, guiding her back onto the sofa. Once she was lying on the cushions, he moved out from under her legs. Releasing her breast, he knelt beside her. He gently pushed the hair that had fallen into her face back. She raised a hand to stroke his cheek.

He closed his eyes, relishing the feel of her cool hand on his heated face. He lowered his head and nuzzled her nipple with his nose, eliciting a soft giggle. Her hand tangled in his dark curls and urged him toward her. Giving in easily, he enveloped the nipple with his lips once again.

Willow couldn't believe any of this was happening. She'd wanted him for so long and now, after their world had fallen apart, she was finally getting the opportunity to have him. To let him have her. She closed her eyes and felt him - his lips, his tongue, his hair, his warm breath. She let herself relax, giving in to the seductive pull of his warm mouth.

Xander sensed the nervous tension easing from her. Smiling around the creamy flesh, he lifted his hand to her exposed stomach. Rubbing small circles on her soft skin, he let his hand make it's way to the waistband of the sweats that clung loosely to her hips.

Willow started struggling and Xander immediately pulled away. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

"Xander, shh." She pressed her fingers to his lips to quiet him. "It's okay. I just want to play too." She climbed off the couch and knelt beside him. She rested her hands on his hips and pressed her breasts against the light sprinkling of hair on his chest. "You don't mind, do you?"

He fell back onto the floor, pulling her with him. Willow giggled as his arms wrapped tightly around her, holding her to him. "You can play."

She kissed him softly as he lay her on her back. Raising himself on one elbow, he broke the kiss and gazed down at her. Her hands glided across his chest once again, continuing down to his fly. Resting them on the top button, she met his look. "I just want you to know that I'm sure. And I…I love you."

She ducked her head so that he couldn't see her face, concentrating on the task at hand. She slid the zipper down and slipped her hand beneath the denim. He hooked his finger in the waistband and pushed the jeans over his hips. Realizing his intent, Willow helped him. Pulling away from his embrace, she sat up and tugged them off of him.

She got on her knees near his feet and pulled at the fabric, shoving it clear of them. Xander, taking advantage of her position, reached around and loosened the drawstring on her sweats and coaxed them to her knees.

Breathing was suddenly not an option. He thought he was going to pass out when he'd seen her breasts, so perfect, straining up toward him, but it was nothing compared to the smooth line of her thighs leading up to her firm bottom. His hands rose, unbidden to stroke the soft flesh. He cupped her buttocks, squeezing slightly before running his palms down her thighs.

Willow took a deep breath as Xander's hands caressed her. She turned slightly to watch him. He felt her gaze and smiled shyly. Pulling his hands away, he allowed her to turn her body to face him as well as to sit down. He pulled the sweats off of her and lost himself in the sight of her.

"Willow…" he sighed.

She moved her hand and rested it lightly on the very prominent bulge in his boxers. "Xander." She began moving her hand, lightly tracing the edges of it with two fingers.

His body surged forward and she couldn't help but giggle. He tried to glare at her, but the gentle motion of her hand made it impossible.

Moving her legs around behind her, she lay down next to him. "You know, Xander, you have me at a disadvantage." She lifted the waistband of his boxers just a little. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to get rid of these?"

"It could be negotiated," he laughed softly.

"Really?" Willow smiled and raised her eyebrows. Kissing him softly, she ran her hand just under the elastic. "And how could I negotiate? What do I have to offer?"

"Well," Xander rolled onto his side to face her. "You could…"

Willow pushed him back onto the floor and straddled his waist. Taking his hands in hers, she pushed them above his head. He looked up at her breasts poised above his mouth. "I could what?"

"You know Will, I thought the heels were my new favorite look for you. I know now that I was wrong."

She couldn't stop her smile. "You noticed my heels?"

"Will, you haven't worn heels since you were six and we played dress up with your mom's clothes."

Moving so that her breasts were even closer to his lips, she giggled. "As I recall, Mr. Harris, you were the one wearing the heels."

Raising his head, he took one of her hard nipples between his lips. She moaned softly, and lowered herself toward him. Xander managed to get his arms loose and rolled her over onto her back. His legs lay between hers and he moved slightly so that his erection, straining against the fabric of his boxer, was pressed to the warm cleft of her sex.

He thrust gently, struggling to catch his breath. He wanted so badly to be inside her, but he didn't want to have to move to remove his boxers. Willow arched her back, raising her hips so that her wetness rubbed against the front of his shorts.

"All right, Wills. All right." He pulled away and slipped his boxers off faster than he ever had before. He slid back between her legs and lay still for a moment. He looked down at her, his heart in his eyes. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Why not?"

"Because I never believed you could still love me after everything…"

"Xander, I never stopped." She pulled him down so that she could rub his hard nipples with his own. "Now, please stop talking and make love to me?"

He nodded. Pulling back slightly, he moved his hand down to guide his hard cock inside her. He rubbed the tip of it with her juices, biting his lips as he concentrated, desperate not to hurt her. He slid the tip inside her, losing himself into the warmth. Thrusting shallowly, he let her adjust to his intrusion before guiding himself all of the way in.

Willow's body clenched as he met and pushed through her barrier. Her muscles tightened around him and she squeezed her eyes closed.

"Oh God, Willow, are you all right?" He froze as he realized what he'd done. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Please…?" Tears welled in his eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you…."

"Xander, it's okay," she whispered. "I'm okay. It didn't hurt that bad. And what I'm feeling now makes it all worth it." She met his eyes and he saw her smile reflected there. "We'll take it slow?"

"I've never done slow."

She smiled, despite the memory of what had happened between him and Faith. "I haven't either." She moved her hips slightly, her body stroking him. "Shall we try it together?"

Xander braced his hands on the sides of her head and stared down at the woman he loved. He lay still inside her for just a moment longer before he moved his hips. She gasped softly then bit her lower lips. He leaned down to kiss her, teasing her out of her worry. She licked his lips. He pulled back, his body moving deeper inside her.

Willow lowered her hands to his hips then moved them down to caress the firm hardness of his ass. Sinking her nails lightly into his skin, he started and thrust deeper inside her. She giggled and wrapped her legs around his. "I won't break."

He nodded and took her hint, slowly increasing his speed. His breathing grew shallower as he buried himself inside her, overwhelmed by the fact that Willow - his Willow - was beneath him, matching him stroke for stroke.

Willow reached up to stroke his cheek, smoothing the skin back. The rough feel of his stubble tickled her palm as she slid her hand back to the soft skin of his neck. She pulled him down for a kiss, seeking his tongue with her own.

Xander groaned softly and broke the kiss so that he could bury his face in her neck as he buried his cock as deeply as he could inside her wet passage. Willow let out a soft whimper as her muscles tightened around him and he felt himself buffeted by her orgasm. He let out a shuddering breath and thrust his hips faster and harder.

Willow dug her fingers into his shoulders and tightened her legs around him. She could feel the pressure building in him as his muscles corded under her touch. She hooked her ankles and Xander let out a soft cry as his climax shook them both.

They lay still for an endless moment, both of them struggling for control. "Willow?" he asked softly

"Yes, Xander?"

"I'm sorry it couldn't have been the first time for both of us."

She turned her head so that she could see him. "It's okay, Xander. It was our first time together. That's all that matters."

He smiled and kissed her softly. "You always know the right thing to say to make me feel better, don't you?"

Willow returned his kiss with feeling. "That's what you get when you fall for your best friend."

"I wish I hadn't taken so long to see it…"

She shook her head. "No regrets, Xander. I don't know where this is going to take us, but no regrets are allowed. Promise?"

"I'll promise if you swear to me that no matter what, you wear those high heels again."

She laughed. "I've never been able to refuse you."

"That's what I'm counting on."