Inell's Fanfiction Archive

Willow opened her front door, surprised to see Xander standing on her doorstep. "Xander?"

"Wills," he smiled a slightly crooked smile. "Can I come in?"

"You have to ask?" she said with an answering smile.

"I dunno...you seemed to be guarding the door or something," he said as he pushed past her and went to her sofa. He sat down, "Have you heard from Jesse?"

"What?" she asked, stumbling as she moved to sit down. She didn't know what to say, knowing that Jesse was dead.

"I was out yesterday because of the dentist but he said he'd drop by last night," Xander said with a shrug. "It just seemed weird that I haven't heard from him. I tried calling, but the phone is off the hook."

"His dad is in town," Willow mentioned.

"Oh," Xander nodded. "Guess that explains the phone. I was gonna go over there on the way here but I thought I'd check with you first. See if you knew what was going on."

"I uh," Willow struggled, knowing that she couldn't tell Xander about Darla or about Jesse and what happened. She decided to gloss over the truth and wait until she saw Darla that night and saw Jesse again before getting more into details. Maybe Darla would know what to tell Xander. "We went to the Bronze last night, but he left with some girl. Said something about a party."

"A girl? And she went with Jesse?" Xander laughed, "Lucky dog."

"Yeah, lucky," she said weakly.

"So, what are your plans today?" he asked, looking at his redheaded best friend. He noticed several things suddenly. She was doing her hair differently. It looked softer, framing her face and making her look even more pretty than usual. She was also not looking at him. That was something she did only when she was upset or trying to keep something from him. That bothered him more than it should, that she was obviously keeping a secret from him. She was his Willow, she should be able to tell him anything. He also noticed that she was wearing something he had never seen. A pretty orange shirt that fit her tighter than he had ever imagined her wanting to wear. It made him see the pert breasts that he had never considered his best friend having. She had paired it with a soft brown skirt in what looked like suede. Since when did Willow own leather, he asked himself. Of course, being a teen-age boy, his eyes lingered on her long legs as he tried to figure out how someone of her height could have such long legs. She was barefoot, her toes painted with a pale peach color that matched the gloss covering her fingernails. He studied her a moment, seeing her for the first time and realizing that his best friend, the shy little redhead that had tagged along behind him and Jesse for so long had grown into an attractive, sexy, stunning woman. Where had he been when that had happened? He also realized that she looked as if she was going out. All she needed was a pair of strappy shoes and she'd be dressed for a date. Why did the idea of her having a date make him slightly scared? This was Willow. He should be glad that she might be dating. His eyes narrowed as he realized that indeed was his Willow.

"Xander?" she said, watching him shake his head as he looked at her, his eyes clearing. "Where were you?"

He smiled, "Just thinking. Sorry."

"No problem. I just said that I didn't really have plans today. Tonight, I'm meeting a friend," she said, hoping he wouldn't push it.

"A friend? Jesse?" Xander asked, hating Jesse for a moment as he imagined his other friend having seen something in Willow before him and not wasting his time in making a move. God, he was being so stupid. Jealous and petty, like some child. He looked at Willow and saw her eyes widen slightly as she looked away and shook her head. He looked at her closely, knowing from having been friends with her for more than ten years that she was lying. To him.

"No, not Jesse. Just someone I met a few weeks ago. She doesn't go to Sunnydale High," Willow said.

"Oh," Xander said, hurt that she felt it necessary to lie to him. "Well, if you happen to hear from Jesse or see him before I do, tell him to call me."

Willow looked at Xander in surprise at his harsh tone. Why was he upset? "You want to hang here for awhile, have some lunch and maybe watch a movie? I'm not meeting her until after dusk."

He looked out the window a long time, struggling with his new observations of Willow and the attraction that he was suddenly feeling towards his oldest friend along with the knowledge that she was lying to him for some reason. He finally nodded, pushing his thoughts from his mind into a compartment labeled to deal with later as he smiled at her, "Sure. That sounds fun."

Willow sighed relieved to see the familiar goofy smile on his handsome face, "You pick a movie and I'll make us some something to eat."

"Why don't I help you make lunch then we can both pick a movie," he said, laughing.

"That sounds even better," she said, moving close to him and hugging him suddenly. She looked at him and smiled, glad to still have in her life, "You're the best, Xan."

"Thanks, Wills," he said with a surprised smile as he followed her, trying to forget his hormonal reaction to that brief comforting contact. He shook his head, realizing that he needed to deal with this new attraction or he'd risk losing his best friend, something he would not do for anything in the world, even a few delicious fantasies. He reached out and pulled her hair in an affectionate way as he said, "You too. The best."