Summary: Beach. Swimming. Sandcastles. Other happy mushy stuff. Tried to please everyone. < g >
Spoilers: Mild through season three.
Disclaimer: Joss created the characters. The beach isn't mine, either.
Rating: PG
Thanks to Tracy and Laura, as always, who are my inspirations. < g > Thanks to the beach trip that I just went on that reminded me of how much I love it.

For Karen.

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Sandcastles was nominated for 1999 Golden Frog Awards in the categories of Best Representation of a Character other than Willow (for Xander) and Best Representation of Willow Rosenberg

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Willow's face fell as Buffy's disappointing words washed over her. "You can't go?" she squeaked, turning away.

Buffy laid an apologetic hand on her arm. "I'm really, really sorry, Will. Really. But Giles realized that this weekend's the one where I'm supposed to have this new kind of power thingy come over me. I made him promise to go, though, in my place if it helps."

Willow shook her head. "It won't be the same without you, but I guess... Wait, how come he's not going to stay here with your new power thing?"

"Oh, it's like a private ritual thing. I'm going to get my Slayer strength doubled for eighteen hours, and I have to be alone when it happens or it won't at all," Buffy explained. She rolled her eyes and then giggled. "Giles is really excited about it. He actually asked me to 'take a picture' for him."

Willow gave a laugh. "Are you sure you don't want me to reschedule?"

"Nope," Buffy declared firmly, "You've been planning this outing for six weeks now. Don't worry, I'm sure sometime soon all of our schedules will match and we'll be able to finally go as a complete group."

"Okay," Willow murmured hesitantly. "It's just...." Her eyes suddenly grew round and horrified.

"What? Willow? What!?"

"Cordelia's not going, either," Willow finally choked out. "And that means..."

Buffy started laughing. "What a weekend it's gonna be!" She leaned forward, her eyes glimmering. "Take a picture for me, will ya?"

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"Beach party, baby, yeah!" Xander crowed, laying on his thickest impression of Austin Powers, which at its best, was a bad one. He looked at Willow as he jumped clumsily into the passenger seat of his uncle's convertible. "How come Cordy can't make it again?"

Willow smiled at him vaguely, her eyes locking on Oz, who was approaching in his van. "She's... apartment hunting, I think. In LA, because she leaves next month."

"Oh, right," Xander grumbled, looking half-heartedly through the picnic baskets Willow had on the seat next to him. "She waits for the last minute and doesn't even tell me she's going, I see. How... unsubtle of her."

"Oh, quiet, Xander. You know it's not like that anymore." Willow smiled as Oz hopped neatly out of his van and started towards her. His lilting, half-smile warmed her insides. Finally dragging her eyes away from Oz's, she looked at Xander warningly. "That's going to have to last us through today and tomorrow. Here," she thrust a brown paper baggy at him, "I packed a special road-trip snack fest just for you."

Oz finally made it to her and he clasped her hand warmly, kissing her lingeringly on the mouth. Her eyes filled with stars as she cupped his cheek with her free hand.

Xander was busy looking through the bag and chortling his happiness. "You're always thinking of me, Will!" he exclaimed gleefully. Looking up, he caught the couple kissing and his eyes fell with his voice. "Um, nevermind," he mumbled.

Willow sighed, pulling out of Oz's arms. At that moment, Giles's old Citroen rolled to a stop-- or maybe it broke down in just the right spot, none of them could be sure-- and Giles stepped out, looking very dapper in black jeans and a dark green T-shirt that hugged his chest quite nicely. Willow blushed, and held the hand that contained the keys. "Hey, Giles. Glad you could... make it," she said, almost shyly. After a pause, she grinned. "We don't really trust Xander to drive, especially since he has food in front of him, so could you? Drive, I mean?"

He nodded, smiling, and took the keys from her, sliding easily into the driver's seat. Oz and Willow hopped in the back and Oz stroked her hair softly as she leaned against him. "It's a good idea, Baby," he murmured softly into her ear.

Giles strapped on his seat belt and then turned to look at them all, Xander devouring the array of junk food Willow had packed for him, Oz and Willow curled together in the back seat. "Is that everything, then? Are we ready?"

Willow nodded, her eyes drifting from her boyfriend to her best friend to her mentor. "I hope so," she mumbled under her breath.

"What was that, Willow?" Giles prodded.

"Uh, it was a yes." She gave a pointed grin. "All set."

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They had been on the road for four hours straight. It seemed to stretch on for years. Which was probably because they had gotten lost three times. Willow finally whined from the back seat. "Giillllesss!" He looked in the rearview mirror and she pouted appealingly. "We could have been there by now if you had followed my directions!"

His gaze softened and he looked about to speak when Xander punched him lightly on the arm. "That's because he's a real man, aren't you, Giles?" Xander exclaimed gleefully. "Because real men don't need directions."

"It's the hidden compass within," Oz said to Willow. She slapped his arm playfully for siding with Xander.

"Well, I happen to not agree. Willow, I apologize for not listening to you sooner. And urge to let my..." He glanced at Oz for a moment, "Inner compass guide me. Do you know where we are?"

Willow nodded vigorously. "Atascadero. It's not that far, really. About thirty minutes until we get to Morro Bay, if you just follow my directions closely."

Xander glared at Willow, then at Giles. "She's immaculating you, man."

"I am not!" Willow defended. "I'm emasculating him!"

Giles smiled wryly in the mirror as Willow began doling out directions to the beach. In almost the exact amount of time Willow had predicted, they were able to see the waves crashing about and bubbling white on the shores. As Giles paid at the booth for the camping space, Willow turned to Oz, grinning.

"Good?"

"More than good," he said softly, looking at her face. "Very good, great even. So you like to swim on the beach?"

She nodded vigorously and Xander smiled. "We used to come here with her parents when we were little. Play in the surf and all that, lots of exercise." He paused. "Must be why I'm in such great shape now."

"Yeah, man, I'm sure that's why," Oz deadpanned.

Giles began driving through to their destination and pulled to a stop. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he gave a long stretch and Willow found herself staring at him and blushing wildly. He turned to his side and smiled as he locked eyes with Willow, who was still scarlet. "Is everything in the trunk?" He smirked. "I should have asked that before we left, shouldn't I have?"

Willow shook her head, smiling, her blush beginning to fade. "You kind of did," she pointed out. "And yeah, it's all in the trunk-- Tents, mini barbecue, all of it." She lifted her chin proudly. "Everything's there."

"Well," Giles murmured, "Well done, Willow."

She lifted her head, pleased. "Thanks. Should we unpack now or go swimming first?"

Xander rolled his eyes. "She wants to go swimming." Because Oz was so calm about everything, Xander noticed his slightly annoyed look right away and dropped his eyes, almost ashamed at having more knowledge about Willow than her boyfriend did. He looked back up at Willow and continued softly, "Why don't you let us menfolk set up camp and you can change into your bathing suit over there?"

Willow nodded eagerly. "It won't take you guys way too long, will it? How about I just go and change and then come back and help with the rest?" At their agreeing faces, she leaned forward to give them each a swift peck on the cheek and the bounced away, clutching a little beach bag to her chest.

In unison, the men lifted their hands and gently touched their cheeks as they watched her go.

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Willow stared at herself in the mirror, growing more angry with Buffy by the second. "No." She shook her head in empty denial. "She didn't do this to me! She couldn't have!"

Her eyes slid down the length of her cracked and dirty reflection and she sighed. "I'm so going to get her for this. She's supposed to be my best friend." Willow gathered up her clothes and pulled her shorts on, belting them at the waist. Studying herself in the mirror again, she tilted her head to the side and gave herself a slight smile before shaking her head in embarrassment and stalking out of the bathroom.

She continued mumbling under her breath. "Don't care how strong she is, I'm going to *kill* her."

The men had the tents halfway up, and were an interesting sight to behold. Three limber, strong men sweating over two small tents as if they were running a marathon. Willow's walk slowed as she caught sight and she watched for a little while with a grin of appreciation covering her face.

Xander was the first to look up fro the task, and he dropped the pole he was holding on his foot. The pain didn't register as his eyes widened and he let out a choked sound. Oz looked up, and then Giles and they stopped to gaze at the girl in front of them, in shorts and a bright orange string bikini top. Noticing their looks, Willow shuffled her feet nervously as Giles admired the curve of her neck where her hair was pinned up and a slow smile slid over Oz's face as he watched her legs under the too-short shorts. Xander chose to ogle the barest part of her and he gave a silly grin at what he saw.

"It's Buffy's fault," Willow blurted suddenly. The words were enough to bring Xander's and Giles's eyes off of her and they looked at each other in embarrassment, flushing. Oz approached her lazily and wrapped one arm around her nude waist.

"Remind me to thank Buffy later, okay?" he asked huskily.

Willow smiled broadly at those simple words, much more comfortable and confident than she had been less than a minute ago. She mentally took back the homicidal thoughts she had sent to her friend.

"Well, yes, ah..." Giles fumbled for words for a moment, and then helplessly gestured to the half-standing tents. "Shall we?"

Willow nodded happily. "We shall!"

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The tents up, the group stood back to admire their work.

"Are we basking now?" Xander whispered.

"Yeah," Oz answered softly, "Basking this is."

"Okay," Xander murmured.

They continued to bask in the accomplishment until Willow turned and sucked in her breath at the sight of the beach. The sand had a lovely golden hue to it, and the seagulls floated by on air as if held up by strings. There was barely a cloud in the sky, which was rare, and it shined a clear blue, reflecting itself on the water, shimmering gold and silver where the light from the sun hit it. Willow sighed deeply and breathed in the air tinged with the smell of salt. Casting away her modesty, she shed her shorts quickly and began a fast walk to the shore that was fizzing white water.

For the third time that day, Oz, Xander and Giles admired her walking before they shook themselves and ducked into one of the tents to slip into their swimming trunks.

When they came out, only Xander wasn't surprised to see Willow already to her waist in the cold water. The waves crashed around her, spraying up and wetting her hair and shoulders. She grinned happily at them as they reached her, her breath catching at seeing what had to have been the three most attractive men on the planet wearing nearly nothing and standing right in front of her. She splashed her arms into the water and waved at them.

"Come on!" she shouted over the sound of the wind and waves. "It's really nice!"

Xander grinned and bounded in after her, swiftly ducking under the water to get himself completely wet. He caught up to her in no time, and discreetly placed his hand in hers under the water as they watched the others lower themselves in at a slower pace. She looked at him in surprise and then her face molded itself into a pleased expression and she gripped his hand tighter as Oz finally decided to give up and plunged himself in, swimming quickly to where they where. He sidled over to the other side of Willow and took her hand, which she gave gratefully.

Giles stared at the two boys, standing in the surf twenty feet in front of him and smirked. "To bloody hell with it," he muttered, and promptly dived in, drenching himself and swimming in long strokes over to where they were.

And in the ocean, they played.

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Willow drew herself out of the ocean, shivering. She fell onto the wet sand and looked up at the afternoon sky, smiling at the gritty, cool feel of the sand underneath her back. Oz fell down beside her and she curled herself into his arms, one of her legs wrapping around his in an effort to draw him closer. He kissed her lightly.

"Having a good time?"

Her eyes shined. "Oh, Oz... The best," she replied honestly. "It's so wonderful here. It's on the edge of the world, but it seems to start the world at the same time, and it's so peaceful and quiet, even though you can hardly hear yourself over the waves. I love it."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "I love that you love it."

She smiled at him, and then looked beyond as Xander dragged himself out of the water and flopped down beside them, managing to look nonchalant about them snuggling, almost naked, on a beach. He propped up his head with his hand and grinned. "Great time, Wills. Fun for all." He nodded towards the Watcher, who was almost pouting as he stumbled out of the sea. "Giles hates it, as you can see."

Willow giggled. "Yes," she said solemnly. "I feel bad for him even coming, he's having such a bad time."

Giles reached them and look the water out of his hair. "Willow, I have to say that this was the most ingenious idea."

"Better than Buffy's at graduation?" Xander threw in with a sly look.

Giles glared at him. "For relaxation," he clarified, looking out to the horizon. "It's very freeing-- You're a part of nature and yet something foreign. I've always longed to go visit the ocean," he said to himself.

Willow's ears perked up at that and she shifted herself so that she was sitting upright. "You've never been to the ocean before?" she asked, amazed.

Giles looked abashed, and he settled himself down on the sand next to them. "I'm afraid not. I just never... But this has been a wonderful experience, Willow. It really has been." He smiled at her fondly and her skin warmed under his gaze.

She shrugged bashfully. "It's nothing."

"It's quite something, indeed, and you should know that," he corrected softly. She looked down at her hands and then slowly nodded, smiling.

"Okay!" she said brightly, changing the subject. "New activity!" She began to grin. "Sandcastles!"

Xander's eyes widened and he put a restraining hand on her arm. "Will, we don't have to do the sandcastles," he said.

Her eyes lifted to his and he saw hurt shining there. He flinched. "I can do it, Xander," she murmured. "I'm sure I can! In fact, I even sort of cheated this time; I got molds of little castles to make it easier," she finished, grinning.

As she bounded off to get them, Oz turned to Xander with a concerned look. "What was that about?"

Xander shrugged, standing and tracing his toe in the sand. "Willow's always trying to make sandcastles, ever since we were little. And, as you know, she's really good at everything she does." Oz and Giles nodded, listening closely, and Xander went on. "Except this. She's never been able to make a good one, like the ones that you see in competitions... Or even the ones that you see that look like they were too ugly to get into the loser's corner of the sandcastle competitions. I don't know why... Maybe because she tries so hard at it. And somehow, they either don't turn out how she wanted, or they get ruined and broken right when they're almost done."

Oz and Giles's eyes became soft with compassion, and Xander continued, not wanting to say more. "And whenever it happens, it also kinda breaks her heart with it." He shrugged again. "She gets sort of moody, really sad... A lot, when we were little, she would cry over it. And nothing anyone does can make her happy again." His eyes met Oz's. "I wish I were wrong, and I might be, but I don't even think that you could do it, man. Which really sucks."

Giles rubbed his temples and looked out over the sand to find Willow walking back towards them, all sparkling skin and glowing, wet hair and happy smiles. She carrying a large backpack in her hand, and his eyes focused on it sadly.

The beach toys were inside.

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She quickly organized how the group was going to work, pulling out little plastic molds of castles from her bag. "Just pack the sand inside the molds and then flip it over really fast." She demonstrated. "Then you pat it, like this, gently, and then lift it up. It's going to be really easy." Her eyes met Xander's. "Promise."

After a moment, Willow continued. "We're going to make three sections. If you're sure that your sandcastle is firm, you can put another mold on top of it. Then we're going to make the moat, and since the tide isn't too far, we can gather water in the pails and pour it in there. The walls will come last, because they're going to be surrounding the whole thing." She smiled and handed out the tools they would need: The little plastic castles and molds of walls, the shovels, and the buckets.

They got to work quickly, digging a few feet away so that they would be sure to have the space to lay foundation for the sandcastles. After nearly two hours, the castle had grown to two feet wide and one foot high, and Willow grinned in pleasure. "I knew this would work," she breathed.

Oz realized it before anyone else. The tide was beginning to come in, and with each wave, they got much higher than they had been. "Uh, Willow, is it possible to move these up the beach?"

Willow shook her head, beaming in satisfaction at their progress. "No, it's too firmly planted, even if we wanted to risk it. Which wouldn't be a good idea anyway. And there's too much of it." She finally glanced up at her boyfriend. "Why?"

"Because..." He gestured to the waves a second too late and they were already splashing over the castle. It remained firm as the water cascaded over it for the first time, and faltered the second time. Willow watched in horror as it began crumbling before her eyes.

Crestfallen, she turned away. "I knew I should have checked to see what time the tides came in," she cried softly. "I knew it."

Her voice was full of tears and Oz reached out to pull her to him. Pulling out of his grasp, she quickly made her way up the beach to be alone.

Xander looked down at his hands sadly. "See?"

Giles's eyebrows furrowed. "I do feel sympathetic to her, Xander, but all of this over some sandcastles?"

Xander lifted his shoulders helplessly. "It's just the way it is, how it's always been." He looked at Oz, who was preparing to follow after Willow.

"You might want to give her a few minutes, Oz. Really."

Oz's eyes flashed with anger at being told what to do with his girlfriend by Xander of all people, but after a moment, he realized that Xander was right and settled back onto the sand resignedly. "How long?"

"She'll come back when she's ready," Xander assured him. Quieter, he went on. "And she'll be pretending everything's okay."

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Willow sniffed for the last time and wiped away the drying tear tracks on her face. She didn't know why she got like this, except for the fact that since she was little, she simply couldn't do this one thing right. Setting her jaw, she decided something. It doesn't matter, she thought. I'm here to have a good time with my friends and nothing's going to to get in the way with that. It's a childish dream anyway. It just doesn't matter to me anymore that I'll never see the perfect sandcastle, she told herself.

But it did, and she had to blink back more tears before she set bustling around their little camp sight with the mini barbecue. Lifting it, she pulled it out the the small clearing in front of their tents and added some charcoal. Willow felt someone's eyes on her and looked up, blushing deeply when she realized that all of the males were staring her way. Shrugging, she waved at them and they trotted over obediently.

"Hey," she panted, struggling with the heavy bag of coal. "Um, help?"

Giles took the bag from her with ease and finished her task. At his blush, Willow remembered her lack of covering and suddenly winked at him, surprising them both before she slid back into her shorts. Xander hovered around, with the look on his face that, ever since they were children, Willow referred to as *that* look. The one that said, "Willow's doing her thing... I'm just watching... Being protective." Kind of an older brother look that always irritated her. She smiled to reassure him and though his stance relaxed, his eyes remained dark and sad.

Oz slipped one arm around her and kissed her bared shoulder. "Everything okay, Baby?"

She nodded. "Everything's fine, Oz."

Giles lit the barbecue and it flamed to life, cackling an orange heat as the sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon, painting the sky lovely purples and blues. Willow looked up at it for a long time before joining the rest of them, seated around the little fire. Xander licked his lips, overly exuberant.

"What kind of foods you got, Wills?"

She gestured to the cooler and then opened it. "Umm... Hot dogs, sandwich makings, chips and dips, soda-- a thermos of tea for Giles-- some cake, which you don't get to eat until *after* dinner, Xander, and marshmallows for later. Oh, and all the condiments!" She smiled brightly and handed out the various foods and paper plates. Giles set several of the hot dogs on the grill and slipped on a sweatshirt to accommodate the cooling air. The other two followed suit, and Willow found herself smiling genuinely at some of the people she loved most in the world.

She shivered and gestured for Oz to hand her her sweatshirt. He smiled at her. "Lift your arms," he said comfortably, his pleased expression widening when she obeyed without question. The material glided warmly over her arms and then stomach and back and she felt cozy and warm again, as if almost everything was right with the world. In Oz's arms, with three of the people she was closest to, in their tiny little corner of the Earth, she felt safe and loved.

Giles announced the hot dogs ready, and lifted them carefully as to avoid burning himself. The group began seasoning their meal and adding side dishes to their plates, and even when Willow saw Xander sneaking a piece of the cake, she only grinned. They dug in silently, all affected by the deep blue hues of the sky and the sound of the waves.

Giles finally broke the silence. "So. What does one do after a day like this?"

Xander nodded sagely. "Ghost stories."

Willow started giggled, and it soon turned into a shriek of laughter. The males looked at her oddly and she slowly calmed down, holding her stomach. "It's just..." she gasped her words out, trying not to fall into another fit of laughter. "Don't you think that telling ghost stories would be kind of like tempting fate at this point in our lives?"

Xander's laughter bubbled out beside her, and Giles gave a chuckle. Oz simply smiled his smile and rubbed her knee affectionately.

"All right then," Giles conceded. "What about sleeping arrangements? Which tent do you want? Of course, we had planned on having it be three each when Buffy and Cordelia were coming, correct?" Willow nodded and he continued, "So that means you'll have a whole tent to yourself. Do you have a preference?"

Willow leaned her back into Oz's chest and sighed contentedly. She blushed, looking at Xander and Giles as Oz's hands settled on her stomach. "Well..."

"What, Wills?" Xander prompted.

"We could go two-sies. I mean, if that's okay," she rushed to add.

She could feel Oz catch his breath and could imagine his slow smile as his chin rested on her head. Giles looked at her for a moment, confused, and then began to redden so much that Willow feared she had given him a stroke. He blinked, rapidly, several times and then swallowed the food in his mouth that threatened to choke him.

"Why... Why, that is to say... I do mean," Giles stumbled around his words clumsily and then looked down at his plate. "Yes, of course it's fine with me." He coughed. "A touch surprised, I'm sorry."

Willow shook her head. "That's okay. I didn't mean to surprise you. If you guys would feel more comfortable, I don't mind staying alone."

She felt Oz shake his head vehemently and she laughed warmly. Her eyes fell on Xander, who was studying his cake too intently for even him and not bothering to eat it. Her laughter quieted and Xander looked up, with something in his eyes that she didn't want to examine, because it was so familiar to her.

He shrugged, pretending indifference and not doing a good job with it. "Sure, it's cool with me. Why not? Say lava or whatever."

Giles smirked. "I believe that's Cia la vie, Xander."

"I said 'or whatever,'" Xander defended. Willow nodded solemnly, hiding a smile.

"Okay, then." She took out her camera and put on the flash to the groans of the males surrounding her. She shrugged. "Buffy made me promise to take pictures!"

"Fine, fine," Giles sighed, barely concealing a smile of his own. Willow snapped almost the entire roll of film in a matter of minutes, some of the ocean, some of her friends and boyfriend, some of herself by holding it at arms length and smiling as it faced her.

She curled back up in Oz's arms when she was finished and she sighed. "This has been a nice day, hasn't it?" she mumbled, her eyes drifting shut.

Soft murmurs of agreement and the sound of Xander chewing were the only things she heard before she fell asleep.

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Oz carried her gently to bed and laid her in a warm sleeping bag, tucking it around her gently. Willow mumbled something in her sleep and he smiled, staring down at her before deciding to sleep as he was, almost fully clothed, uncomfortable though it might be. Anything to get him closer to Willow sooner. He slipped in beside her and wrapped his arms around her protectively. In barely moments, they were both asleep and dreaming.

Xander got ready for sleep as well, mulling over how quickly the day had gone by. Down to his boxers, he slid into his own sleeping bag and zipped it up after he was in, hiding underneath its warmth. His eyes fell shut, and he spared a thought to Willow and Oz sleeping in the tent next to him, probably tangled together, like he used to be with Willow when they were young and had sleep overs at each other's houses. He sighed, wondering why he suddenly felt so sad.

Giles just watched the water for a while. The breeze was cool and insistent, ruffling at his hair, and the waves shone with the light from the moon. The sky was filled with stars that almost seemed to swallow the world, and he sat back, digging his feet luxuriously in the sand as he wondered how his Slayer was doing at home. Was she safe, was she wondering about him? He smiled and sent his good thoughts to her.

Looking out over the white waves and the failed sandcastle attempt, his eyebrows knitted together, and he felt a rush of sadness for Willow. She tried so hard to simply see one of those things, one of those childlike dreams that one never really lost if one had never achieved it. A thought suddenly occurring to him, he got to his feet and strode over to his tent, waking Xander up.

"Bleeufhas?" Xander asked. Giles rolled his eyes and nudged him with his hand again.

"Wake up, Xander." Xander's eyes finally opened and met with his, albeit blearily. "Wake up and get dressed and then meet me outside." With that, Giles was off and Xander didn't have a chance to question.

Giles's next stop was Willow and Oz's tent. He knocked on the flap lightly and then sighed at himself and opened it, stopping for a moment when he saw Willow and Oz wrapped tightly around each other, their breathing even. It would have been a touching sight if it weren't for... Giles tilted his head, thinking. If it weren't for... what? The thought eluded him, though, and he leaned forward to shake Oz lightly. Oz woke up instantly and looked at Giles through hooded eyes.

"Oz," Giles whispered, embarrassed for walking in on them together. "Could you join Xander and I on the beach? An idea has come to me, and I'd like to talk it over with you both."

Oz nodded and complied quickly, getting up fully clothed and walking out of the tent towards the shoreline. Giles watched him go and hesitated, glancing at Willow, who was flushed with sleep, slight perspiration glistening on her hairline. She smiled into the air and Giles felt in that moment humbled and honored and extraordinarily pleased. Casting one more glance at her sleeping face, he exhaled deeply and left.

Xander quickly dressed and joined Oz and Giles, who were standing in the sand, right on the edge of the water. Giles smiled at him. "Sorry to wake you both," he started, "But I had a thought..."

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Willow's eyes opened and she looked around sleepily, yawning and stretching. Her arms encircled Oz, who laid there quite limply, his eyes closed. Kissing his mouth softly, she gathered some of her clothes, got up and made her way out of the tent, starting for the bathrooms.

She didn't hear Oz rise behind her, and she missed his gentle grin. Willow stopped in her tracks as her eyes beheld one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

A sandcastle.

It was over five feet in diameter, all around, and must have been at least three feet high. She breathed out in awe. The sun shined off of it, making it seem gold and dusty and every bit as enchanted as she had ever dreamed castles were. Her limbs slowly moved in its direction, and she dropped her clothes at her side on the sand.

Willow reached the sandcastle and circled it twice before looking up with eyes glittering with tears. Oz, Xander and Giles stood there, grinning broadly, waiting for her to say something. Only she found that she couldn't, her throat was too full of tears. Making a strangled, grateful sound, she knelt next to it and looked at it in reverence.

Xander cleared his throat. "Um, we sort of saved... For you, Will, we..."

Oz stepped forward and handed her a castle mold full of sand. "We saved you the last part."

Willow trembled and took the bucket from him, all of her childhood fantasies and dreams melding together to create this one, perfect, utterly priceless and unforgettable moment where the men in her life watched and loved her, and where she finally got to finish the one thing she never had before.

Carefully, she lifted the bucket and turned it upside down on what looked like the sturdiest place. For a long time she held it there, unwilling to accidentally ruin the beautiful creation and then she cautiously pulled her hand and the mold away, shaking with fear and happiness. The group as a whole held its breath and watched.

The castle stayed.

Willow's eyes overflowed and tears spilled over onto her cheeks. "I love you all," she whispered hoarsely, unable to think about who handed her the camera. Placing it on the sand a few feet away, she set the timer for ten seconds and then beckoned the others to join her behind the sandcastle. They stood stood on either side of her, Oz on one side, Xander on the other, and Giles behind them all, his hands resting on her shoulders. The photo clicked and Willow smiled brilliantly, lighting the whole ocean in a way that the sun had never done.

She turned to them, still grinning. "You know how every castle has a princess and a prince?" she asked softly. Somber nods replied.

"Well," she continued, loving them and meaning her words, "Mine has three."

The End

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Keep frolicking with the gang.

Take your toys and go home.