Whistle Down The Wind

by Amy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hello?" Willow called out in confusion. Her eyes blinked open, and she looked around blearily. She wasn't at home, or even in a place that she could recognize, and Willow had been in some of the least recognizable places in Sunnydale. Not the factory, not the other factory, not the *other* factory... She groaned, feeling a sudden pain in her shoulder.

Slowly, she sat upright on the cold cement floor, ignoring the aches that tore through her body. She brushed her hair out of her eyes, noticing vaguely that it was matted wetly against her skull. She reached up to feel, and her mouth dropped open slightly when she pulled her hand away and saw sticky red blood covering it. Quickly, she tore a bottom piece off her skirt
and patted the wound lightly, hissing in pain.

She stood, rubbing the small of her back. She felt like there were bruises everywhere... Which there probably were. She took her first good look around by the light of the dim bulb that was hanging from the ceiling, and sighed deeply.

A windowless cell room, with a dirty and tattered blanket that lay in a heap in the corner, and a cup of water next to it and a plate of some sort of cold meat. Willow wouldn't touch that. Could be human. Ugh. A small toilet rested on the opposite side from these items, and a smile of near-amusement curved her lips when she realized that they had set up a curtain, so that if she needed to go to the bathroom, she would have privacy. The irony of that had her laughing. They were willing to kidnap her, possibly even take away her life, but they wanted to preserve her dignity?

Which was fine with her, she supposed. Just a little weird.

"Great," she said aloud, sadly. "As if we all don't have enough things on our minds, I have to go and get kidnapped."

Suddenly, as if in response to her, the blanket in the corner shifted, and Willow looked at it, startled, emitting a high-pitched shriek. She scuttled away, to the far wall, and clung to the chilly stones as if they would protect her.

The blanket was shoved off. A low, muffled groan reached her ears, and she cocked her head to the side. "Xander?"

"Willow?" he mumbled, his tongue feeling far too thick for his mouth.

Willow rushed to him, fell to her knees. She took his head into her lap, stroking his hair back tenderly. "Are you okay?"

"My head... It's not feeling too happy. And that's the manliest way I can phrase it," he muttered. Willow's fingers nimbly searched for bumps on his skull; she bit her lip in concern when she found one, large and near the base. Xander flinched and she pulled her hand away with a soft apology. "Nah, it's okay," he said, just as quietly, waving his hand nonchalantly.
"I'd rather be stuck in a windowless room with someone I used to play doctor with than with someone who wanted to do Dr. Frankenstine-like experiments on me."

Willow forced a smile. "I think you're okay." She helped him sit up, and they rested their backs against the wall, pulling the blanket around both of them and sharing it. Her voice was hopeful. "Do you know where we are, by any chance?"

"Yep. Got a couple of maps," he said with a crooked grin.

Her eyes got wide. "You do? Because..." Then she noticed his repentant look, and her face dropped. "Oh. Joking. Right."

"Sorry." Xander touched her hand lightly, and then took it, holding on tightly.

Willow held back just as tight. "I remember some things... I'm pretty sure it was vampires because... Duh. I don't remember what they looked like, though, or if we knew them."

"Probably," Xander broke in.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Probably. I just remember getting out of your car when you dropped me off from the Bronze, and hearing something in the bushes. I think I was going to run inside, but then I don't recall anything."

A frown marred Xander's features. "They attacked you from all sides," he revealed quietly. "I should have walked you to the door."

She looked at him, bewildered. "How are you here, then?"

"I jumped out of the car to help," he said with a bitter smile. "Xander, always to the rescue, right? I end up helping so much in situations like these."

She squeezed his hand even harder. "Xander," she confided, hushed, "Maybe this sounds bad, but I think I'd be more afraid if I were alone... If you weren't with me. I'm kind of glad that we're stuck together... again... Like this. Does that sound horrible to you? Like I'm way selfish?"

He exhaled. "No... I think it was pretty much just what I needed to hear."  He lifted her hand and kissed it quickly, and was relieved when she smiled at him, less tense than she had been before. "It's sort of funny, if you think about it, right?"

"What?"

"We two," he explained, "Always getting stuck together like this." His eyes twinkled with a sudden mischievous glint. "At least there isn't a bed this time to tempt us."

"I don't need a bed to be tempted," Willow muttered before she could censor herself, and then flushed deeply.

Xander looked at her intently for a moment, and Willow's eyes darted up to find his gaze on her. They locked eyes for several seconds, confused and uncertain.

And then their laughter filled the room.
* * * * * * * * *

"Come on, Giles," Buffy demanded. "Find them! They've been gone for three days!"

Giles looked up calmly, masking the concern in his eyes. "We'll find them, Buffy," he promised. "But for right now, I need you to calm down."

"Your friends are dead," Spike said with no little amount of humor. "Dead and rotting already, they are."

Buffy swirled around, her finger nearly hitting him in the eye before she dropped it, and aimed it into his chest painfully. "You. Shut up. If you're wrong, and keep talking like this, I'll stake you where you're tied for freaking me out. If you're right, I'll stake you just because I'll need something to lift my spirits. They're not dead."

"Fine, Slayer, fine," Spike sighed. "But if you'd let me out of the house once in a while on my own, I could probably hunt the people who took them for you."

"Liar," she muttered, and then dismissed him silently, turning back to Giles. He was having a rough time using the computer, even with Willow's stored passwords and the easy Computers For Giles pamphlet she had left him. "Anything yet?"

He looked up in triumph, hearing the computer beep. New pages flashed across the screen. "I've successfully... ah... infiltrated the police station's computers."

"Hacked," Buffy said under her breath. "The word won't bite you."

"Um, yes. Anyhow, Xander's car has been located down near the docks. Since he bought it used and from someone with... a shady reputation, there are apparently no pink slips to identify it as his, but it's description matches Xander's car identically," he said in a rush of words.

Buffy's eyes brightened slowly, and then she straightened up. "Fine. They didn't by any chance leave it on the docks, did they?"

Giles looked startled. "No. Why, if I may ask?"

She sighed, then shrugged. A smile curved her mouth. "Because it's a little harder to break into a car lot than it is to retrieve it from where it was found."
* * * * * * * *

Their laughter continued as though they were afraid to stop; afraid that the hopelessness of the situation would make them forget how many hopeless situations they had survived, afraid that once they stopped laughing, that the silence would bury them, deep and dark and cold in that little room.

Finally someone banged on the door in annoyance, the first sign that they were under any sort of surveillance, and then quieted, but didn't lose their smiles entirely. Xander slipped his arm around Willow, and crushed her to his side warmly. She smiled, inhaling deeply of him.

"So, tempted, huh?" he asked, and without looking, she knew that there was a self-satisfied smile on his face. She stifled a grin and frowned at him instead.

"That bump on the head must be more serious than I thought," she deadpanned, "If you're imagining things like that."

Xander laughed, quietly this time, and held her closer. A feeling of comfort almost overwhelmed the fear that had been hanging over their heads since they had woken up, and they breathed a little easier. A sigh escaped Willow's lips, and Xander's eyes darkened just a bit, looking down at her in concern. "What is it?"

"I just..." She blushed. "I think that if we were under different circumstances, I'd be really enjoying this."

"You're not?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"No, I am," she rushed to explain, "But it's sort of weird, you know? Like I shouldn't be... Which I probably shouldn't. But I'm comfortable." Willow slipped her arm around his waist, and pressed her cheek against his chest. "On this cement floor with rocks for walls and a chilly blanket, I'm better because I'm with you."

Xander looked away from her to hide the tears that suddenly sprang into his eyes. He smiled faintly, touched and not really sure what to say to that. "Thanks, Will," he finally whispered. "I feel the same way."

She yawned, and then looked up at him, her green eyes shining into his beautiful hazel orbs. "I'm a little sleepy, too."

"Yeah," he said softly. He dropped a kiss onto her temple. "Sleep now.  We'll figure things out later, okay?"

"Okay," she breathed. "Xander?"

"Yeah?" he asked thickly.

"You sleep too, okay?"

Warmth and fondness for her was expressed in his eyes, and though her eyelashes were fluttering against the top of her cheek by then and she couldn't see him, he hoped she could feel everything that he was feeling for her. His hand crept up and brushed through her hair, careful not to touch the gash on her forehead. When he finally spoke, he knew she didn't hear
him, but that didn't seem to matter much at the moment.

"Anything you say, Willow."
* * * * * * *
The first thing she was aware of was a soft pressure on her mouth, the whisper of breath mingling. Her eyelids lifted quietly, observing, the feeling pleasant but not passionate. Xander was kissing her. It was a light, feathery caress, his mouth against hers, with a warm lick melting in occasionally. Willow finally smiled against him, sighed, and pressed her hands gently on his shoulders, pushing him away.

Xander opened his eyes, startled. His cheeks were red. "Sorry."

"No," she rushed to explain, "It wasn't that you were... bothering me..."

He nodded. "But I shouldn't have done it without your permission... And you were sorta asleep." He looked down, adorably ashamed of his action. Willow hid a smile.

"I was just hoping for an explanation."

Xander licked his lips. "Explanation. I'm good at those. When I know what the hell I'm talking about." He glanced at her, then looked away. "You were asleep, and you said my name. It woke me up. Then you said it again, and you looked so pink and soft, and I only meant to touch your hair and kiss your forehead, but I guess I have a wandering mouth, because the next thing I knew... You taste really good."

Willow blushed a little, flattered. "It's not like you have to apologize," she breathed, gazing at him, silently wishing for another kiss. "I'm not... It's been six months since Oz left. It's not like I'm seeing him anymore."

Xander began to lift his head, then closed his eyes with a groan. The thought hit both of them at the same time, and the word left their mouths simultaneously. "Anya."

"I'm *really* sorry," Xander muttered, inching away from her.

"So am I," she whispered, looking away. "I was sort of... swept up in the moment."

"Our timing really sucks, doesn't it?" he asked with a bitter laugh. Willow took his hand, squeezing it, and he met her eyes. "I mean, I think about this a lot. What would have happened if I had kissed you that night, the night before school started for our junior year? Or what would have happened if you hadn't gotten back together with Oz, he hadn't wanted to be with you? Or, after he left, we had... There about about a five minute window there when one of us could have acted. I was sort of off-and-on dating Anya, and you..."

"Were still brokenhearted," she pointed out softly.

"Yeah." The word echoed in the room and the conversation ended, fading into the place that all things better left unsaid went to eventually. Willow reached out, grazed his lips, still warm from her kiss, with her fingertips.

Xander kissed them gently, and their eyes caught.

"We shouldn't."

"I know," she agreed.

They leaned forward, their eyes dipping closed, and then Xander pulled away with a sigh, touching a strand of her hair. "I have to love you enough this time to not hurt people by just doing whatever I want to do. By not hurting you."

Willow's lips trembled tantalizingly, her eyes full of tears. Slowly she nodded, then smiled, gratefully. She leaned her head back onto his shoulder, closing her eyes, feeling her tears spill.

Xander closed his eyes, too. But there, in that place, with Willow in his arms, he didn't know if he would be able to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * *

"Damn you!" Anya cursed and stomped around the room, angry at the feeling of helplessness. She seized a book on the shelf and threw it, closing her eyes in satisfaction as she heard it slam against the far wall.

Giles pursed his mouth. "Anya, this isn't the most constructive way to help us, I suppose you know."

"How *can* I help you?" she snarled. "By sitting there, looking through books? What kind of thing are you looking for? Ancient prophesy?"

"Actually," he replied, his tone brittle, "I was looking through this How-To guide that Willow wrote out for me, so that I might find some information on the Internet. Which I wouldn't have to *do*, if you *shut up*, *sat down* and *helped* for a change! Buffy's out hunting, I'm doing all I can, and you're complaining. Either shut the bloody hell up and help, or get out."

Anya looked at him with wide eyes. She sat down in front of the computer, her lower lip sticking out slightly in a pout, her expression wounded. "Geez," she muttered under her breath as she began to type, "The English are so sensitive."
* * * * * * * * *

Willow's eyes remained closed as she woke up. She was aware of a hand stroking her hair back, sliding through the strands of it, gently. Biting back a smile, she shifted closer to Xander's body, forbidden though the feeling was. Xander's hand slipped down to her neck and paused there, as though he were feeling for her pulse. And then the stroking resumed,
lightly, unobtrusively.

Finally Willow was unable to resist waking up, so she allowed her eyes to flutter open, to drift up to his face.

A startled breath caught in her throat.

It wasn't Xander.

A tall, lanky vampire was grinning down at her. His eyes were fastened on her neck, and Willow instinctively tried to squirm away from his grasp. He held onto her neck tighter, his fingers pinching into her skin, silently warning her. Willow stilled, her eyes large and terrified.

"Where's Xander?" she stuttered out.

"Hey, Boss," the vamp in front of her called out, "The meat is talking. Can I eat her?"

"No!" came a high, almost petulant cry. "This one is not to be killed yet. She holds great power inside of her. When she will be killed, *I* will kill her, *I* will drink that blood. Her magic will be mine."

Willow tried to control her shaking, tried desperately to suck in some breaths and calm down. Her eyes closed dazedly. Horror enveloped her.

She knew that voice.
* * * * * * * * * * *

Xander smiled, reveling in the feel of Willow's hand pawing at his face. He kissed a fingertip as it drifted past, and was a little shocked-- though pleasantly so-- when the finger darted inside of his mouth for a moment. It was cold and tasted coppery, and Xander opened his mouth further, letting his eyes lift open. He started, yanking his mouth away from the intrusive finger when he saw that he was sucking on a vampire's hand.

Didn't that break some sort of Slayerette code? he wondered confusedly. No sucking on vampires allowed. Unless you're Buffy, and only with Angel. His nose wrinkled with the thought, and he shook his head.

"Uh, if I could ask..." He cleared his throat. "What's going on?"

The vampire, a pretty brunette that sort of reminded him of Cordelia, bared her teeth in what he supposed was some sort of evil smile. "Why, Honey," she murmured with a southern accent, "We're tryin' to decide when to eat you."

"Yeah, eat me," he muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Where's Willow?"

"She's with our boss lady." The vampire's eyes glittered viscously.  "Probably dead right about now, but I wouldn't know for sure unless I went and saw."

Xander's mouth opened silently. He searched his mind, his heart. "She's not dead," he said quietly, to himself.

"What was that?" The vampire asked, an edge to her voice.

"I said," Xander fairly shouted, "That Willow's not dead! I know it, and I'll know it if you *do* kill her, so don't mess with my head about stuff like this, lady. I'll stake you with my bare hand."

"That wouldn't kill me," she observed, amused.

"No, but it would hurt you like hell, and I'm not above hitting a woman," he snarled. His heart was beating quickly, Willow's safety pounding through his head. He could feel her alive, all right. That connection, that bond that they had always had wasn't gone. She she wasn't. She couldn't be.

"Well, look at this, Pete," the woman cooed. "He was yellin' at me! Isn't he just the most darlin' human you ever did see? Don't you just want to chew on him for a little while?"

"Yeah, Lorraine, I surely do." Another vampire stepped up behind her, looking Xander up and down for a moment. Xander shrugged uneasily under his gaze, and at his next words. "Though I don't know what part I'd like to chew on first."

"Well, come on, then!" Lorraine looked at Xander eagerly. "She hasn't come in and told us that we couldn't yet... Maybe if she does later, we could just say that we just didn't know."

"Now, dears," a female's voice reproached, "You're not trying to do anything that would upset mummy, are you?"

"No!" Pete backed away from Lorraine, and after a regretful look, Lorraine stepped away from Xander.

"Because I want him alive," the woman made clear, practically purring. She stepped toward Xander, raking her fingernail lightly down his cheek. Her fingernail reached his neck, and she applied a little more pressure, until a fine thread of blood appeared. Touching it with her thumb, she brought it up to her mouth and licked it, shuddering with delight. "You see," she
explained, "The witch is more powerful with him near. We'll eat him later."

"More powerful?" Xander echoed, gulping as he recognized her face.

Drusilla nodded. She smiled encouragingly at Xander, touching his lips. "We must always ask questions, mustn't we?" she chirped, pleased. "Yes, my dear. Magic is always stronger when love seeps through the veins. Her love for you is where so much of that wonderful power comes from. The werewolf holds some of it... We'll find him later. As does the Watcher, and the Slayer."

She giggled warmly, her eyes gazing at him. "I'm a teacher now!" A smile lit up her face. "I like being a teacher. Ask me another question!"

"Oh, man," Xander groaned, falling back against the wall. He closed his eyes, and did the only thing he could do.

Prayed it was a dream.
* * * * * * * *
Buffy stomped into Giles's apartment, her expression a mixture of anger and worry. She threw her bag down on his couch and then sat down heavily next to it. "Nothing," she reported.

Giles raised his eyebrows. "I gathered as much."

"No, I mean *nothing*," Buffy emphasized, throwing up her hands. "It's like someone has taken *measures* at making sure that they're not found! The car wasn't in the car lot... I even beat up the guy at the gate to make sure he wasn't lying." She paused. "Feel sort of bad about that, now. I mean, he was only doing his job. I'm not even sure he's evil."

"Buffy," Giles said firmly, to get her back on track.

Buffy nodded. "Right. Sorry. Anyway, it's not your basic cover-up. Not done by the police or the CIA or anything... Someone with talent did this job."

Anya perked up. "You think it was done with witchcraft?"

"Well, I'm looking into that right now," Giles started, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "But, unfortunately, I'm not as practiced in computers as Willow is, and all of my book sources have run dry in that department. I can do my fair share of spells," he added with a modest, worried smile, "But I'm afraid I haven't the slightest idea what to do in this case."

"I could do it," Anya suddenly volunteered.

Both Buffy and Giles looked at her blankly. Buffy was the first to speak.  "Um, huh?"

Anya sighed. "I said that I could do it. Hello! Demon for over a thousand years ringing any bells to you people?" She shrugged. "You pick things up when you're on the road like that."

"A- And you could find them?" Giles asked, disbelief filling his eyes. "That simply?"

"I don't know," Anya muttered. "It just occurred to me now. But maybe. I could try, at least." A smile softened her mouth. "I could try it for Xander."
* * * * * * * *

Xander exhaled, rolling his eyes. He straightened back up, looking Drusilla over. "So, Dru," he started casually, "What's the whole kidnapping thing for?"

Drusilla hesitated, glancing at him, and Xander feared that his attempt at casual had just gotten him an ancient torture of some kind. He had been hoping that she was insane enough to think he was actually interested in listening to her talk.

Finally, she looked at her fingernails. "Spike," she murmured dreamily. "He needs me."

Xander latched onto that. "Spike! Well, you could have him, you know! Why the... us thing?"

"The witch's magic is powerful. When I have more power, he will come back to me. The Slayer has him now," she explained, waving her hands slowing in front of her eyes and staring at them, fascinated.

"But, Drusilla, he loves you," Xander blurted quickly. "I'm sure it's not just your magic. I'm sure that he just wants you for... You." He searched his brain for a moment, thinking back on the times when he had heard Spike talk about her. "After all, you are his... ripe... rose?"

"I am many things to him," she answered loftily, a delicate sneer pulling up her lip. She turned to him, her eyes speculative. "Do you think he would come back to me if I were to kill you and the witch, and *not* take her magic?"

Xander gulped. "Ah, no. No, I don't think so. I'm not sure killing is the right thing to do, with or without magic. See, Spike is sort of a non-killer these days."

Drusilla looked at him seriously before nodding. She turned away, began drifting out of the room. "The Slayer has done that to him." She frowned. "I will kill her too."

Xander sighed. "I just don't know when to shut up."
* * * * * * * *

The room was tinted with an eerie glow as light from the blue, and purple candles flickered on the walls. Three on one side,and three on the other. One unlit, red candle rested in the middle of them. Anya breathed slowly, centering herself, her hands stretched across her, to where Giles was seated. He returned her grip tightly.

"Gods of the Earth, of Wind, of Fire and of Water, to you I pray," she began.

Giles continued, "Let the light from these candles show the way, let the light from their flame open the tunnel of communication that we must receive, guiding us where to go. Let these candles unveil the knowledge hidden from our sight, the knowledge that we need to gain understanding to the location that we seek."

Buffy silently reached between their hands with a flaming match and lit the red candle. Anya's voice was soft and quiet, almost desperate.

"And let the light from these candles give them the strength and passion that it takes to survive. Blessed be the Gods and archangels, Uriel, Raphael, Gabriel and Michael."

The flames grew suddenly, making Anya and Giles let go of each other's hands and pull away, or else be burned. The fire from each candle seemed to blend together, until it created one hot blaze. A small, clear circle formed in the middle, and a picture melted into it, like watching a small movie screen, the images only quick flashes.

Xander, being half-dragged, half-carried down a long hall with a cement floor by two vampires. A heavy wooden door being opened. A flash of red hair as the vampires threw him against his best friend and they toppled over. A quick, tearful hug. The slamming of the door. The turning of a lock. A glimpse of a raven-haired beauty, smiling in delight. A quick flash of a scar on an eyebrow.

The fire leapt for a moment, and the faded just as suddenly as it had grown. The room was dark. Buffy let out a long, drawn out breath. "Should I turn the lights on?" she whispered. "Is it done?"

Giles nodded. "Yes."

Buffy flipped the light switch and Giles began cleaning up the ingredients to the spell. Anya sat back numbly. "I can't believe it."

"Drusilla?" Giles asked in surprise, realizing that Anya had never seen the female vampire before.

"He hugged her!" Anya corrected, looking furious. "He's all alone and scared, he should be thinking about how much he's going to miss me when he's dead! He shouldn't be hugging Willow!"

"They're scared, you just said it yourself," Buffy said wearily. "And, Anya, they're just friends. Give it a rest."

The other girl sagged, her shoulders falling, her eyes closing. "Sorry."
* * * * * * * *

"Going to die, going to die!" Drusilla clapped her hands merrily. After a moment she paused, her voice becoming softer. "The midnight moon will look down upon me, and I will have all of the magick, and you will have none."

Xander groaned as they pulled him down the long hallway, his feet dragging. One of the vampires held onto him as the other opened the large, ornate wooden door, shoving him inside. Willow stood when the door opened, and Xander flew into her, pushing them both over. They brushed themselves off, then looked at each other and embraced quickly. Xander kissed her near the ear, and Willow trembled in his embrace, feeling safer in his arms.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered, letting go of her. Willow nodded, her tears already beginning to fall.

"I... Wasn't sure if I was going to be able to see you again," she murmured, her voice breaking. She pawed at his face lightly, tracing her fingertips over his eyes and mouth and jaw, through his hair. "I was so scared that you were... I...."

Xander hugged her again, closer and more tightly than before. He pressed his hands against the small of her back, fitting their bodies together like pieces of a puzzle, and she clung to him, weeping. He kissed the top of her hair, nuzzling her ear slightly, his voice comforting and strong. "We'll get out of this, Will. No matter what happens... We'll be together. I promise."

Her eyes glittered with tears as she pulled back to gaze at him. "I love you, Xander," she admitted simply.

He answered without hesitation, a sweet desire to confess his feelings filling his heart. "I love you too, Willow. I always have."

She bit her lip, tasted salt. Her chin trembled. "I know. We'll always be a part of each other, won't we? Forever and ever?"

"Forever and ever," he echoed quietly.

They clung to each other.
* * * * * * * * *

"Giles, I recognize that place," Buffy said for the dozenth time, slamming her book shut. "I don't know from where... But it looks familiar to me for some reason. I just... I can't think of it." She kicked the side of the couch. "Damn it! All this 'hidden knowledge' stuff, and I can't even place a... place I've been before! We've been looking for *hours*, and nothing!"

"What did it look like?" came a velvety voice at the door.

Buffy looked up, her eyes wide. "Angel," she whispered.

The corner of his mouth curved up. "Hey. I'm sorry I didn't call and tell any of you that I was coming. Cordelia had a vision a couple of hours ago, and so I got right in the car and came."

"Thank you," Buffy breathed, her eyes locking with his. A moment later, she shook her head, her voice becoming businesslike again. "What did Cordelia see?"

"Dru," Angel said, nodding a little sadly at her. "She saw Dru, holding a knife to Xander's throat, and she said that she heard Willow screaming in the background, like she was in pain." He paused. "I should have known, though.  I'd been having dreams about Spike and Drusilla these past weeks."

Giles took off his glasses. "Ah, *you've* been having dreams?"

"Whenever a sire and childe, who have been distanced for a long period of time, are reintroduced to the same... territory, the sire tends to have dreams or visions about the childe," he explained. "The thing is, sometimes the distance is still great, but a larger gap has been filled. So I didn't even realize that she was that close, as Drusilla doesn't tend to be the lowest-profile vampire out there, and I had heard nothing about her arrival in LA. And..." Angel gave an airless sigh. "And I think that she's been touching Spike with her mind when they sleep, too. Because, though he's my childe as well, we haven't been separated with such a great time or distance, and I'd been having visions about both of them. My guess is, she's been
slipping into his dreams, and he hasn't yet suspected that it's her doing because... Well, he dreams about her all of the time."

Buffy continued to quietly stare at him, and he turned to look at her, as he was trying so hard not to. She was concentrating, chewing on her lower lip, her forehead drawn. Suddenly, she smiled widely, brightly. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Giles asked slowly, his gaze wandering between the Slayer and the vampire.

"The place, I know where I know the place!" Buffy said excitedly, turning from Angel to Giles. "I've got it, I know it!"

"We're glad to hear that you know it, like, eighty times," Anya said, exasperated, "But would you mind telling the rest of us where it is?"

Buffy shook her head. "Oh, sorry. It's in the mansion."

"That didn't look like the mansion, Buffy," Giles said in confusion.

"No!" She looked back at Angel. "Remember the... Wall you showed me that time? With the stairs that went under the floor, with all the secret rooms? And we went exploring, and we were kis--" She halted, her cheeks growing red, and she looked at Giles in embarrassment. "Anyway, that's where they are!"

"There are hidden rooms in the mansion?" Anya asked, standing up quickly.

Angel glanced at her. "Yeah. I'd forgotten. There's a secret switch that you hit, and then the wall by the fireplace opens up to reveal stairs leading down. There must be twenty rooms down there."

"Well, then, let's go!" Buffy said. Her voice rose angrily. "Spike and Drusilla keep forgetting that this town is mine. It ends tonight, and *she's* going to be the one who dies."

They began planning, and gathering their weapons, and no one noticed Spike lingering the in the shadows.

* * * * * *
"Children..." Drusilla's voice was singsongy as the door to their prison was opened. "Come now. You will die and I will have more magick than I could hope for, and Spike will forgive me."

Willow and Xander looked at each other, their eyes wide. Xander shook his head mutely, then grabbed her and held her tightly against him. Willow nodded against his shoulder, her hands against his neck. Xander pulled back a little to look into her eyes, even as the vampires began entering the room to break them apart.

The kiss was hot, intense, telling her everything that he could never say out loud. Willow kissed him back, tasting her tears as they tracked down her face and wet her lips, gripping at him desperately. "I love you," she whispered frantically as the vampires started pulling them away from each other. Her fingers were on his shoulder, his arm, and then not on him at all.

Xander looked back at her, his hazel eyes glittering. A vampire covered his mouth with her hand, but Xander conveyed his feelings in a simple look, not needing words for that one moment in time.

Willow heard her voice in his head; calm, sweet, strong. ~I love you too.~
* * * * * * * *

"They haven't consummated their love," Drusilla pouted, her fingers dancing over the blade of the knife. "The magick is less now, because of it." She looked at the vampire that had stood outside of their cell, and growled. "It's your fault! Mummy wanted the humans to love each other, and you did not obey."

The vampire gazed at her in terror, cringing as she slowly approached him.  "I'm sorry, Mistress."

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," she sang. Her eyes became vicious. "Always there is someone sorry." She sighed heavily. "I will kill you later. The moon is almost aligned."

Willow whimpered as a tall, burly vampire tied her to a heavy cement table. She worked at spitting out her gag, though she knew that it was most likely tied on too tightly. Her eyes followed Xander as they dragged him in, bloody and limp, and threw him down against the table next to hers. Her heart clenched, and tears leaked out from the corner of her eyes as she watched him breathing raggedly, heard him moan in pain.

What had they done to him? she wondered helplessly. She noticed a small window in the middle of the ceiling, that showed the garden in the room above them, and the moon shining down through the windows in both ceilings. It was close; too close.

Xander shifted, his eyes fluttering open tiredly. His back ached. Why the hell had they beaten him senseless if he was just going to die anyway?

Drusilla leaned close down to his ear, as though she could hear his thoughts. "Her grief and pain makes the magick inside of her more tangible. She worries for you. She shall not worry for long. Now we will kill you, and then kill her." She paused, then smiled. "Perhaps you will be together again, as I will be with my Spike."

"No," Xander whispered through his gag.

The clock struck twelve, and the earth tremored slightly. Drusilla smiled wickedly, scraping the knife lightly across his throat, and a scream tore out of Willow's mouth, the scarf tied around it doing nothing to withhold the noise.

Drusilla raised the knife above Xander's heart.

And then all hell broke loose.

Buffy sailed through the air, kicking the weapon out of Drusilla's hand.  The knife flew, landing next to Willow, slicing her arm. "Sorry, Will!"  Buffy called, turning back to the female vampire, whose lip was curled up in fury.

Willow shook her head quickly. "No problem," she tried to say.

Giles ran over to her, fighting the other vampires with an ease that surprised him. He smiled, staking one after the other, until all of them in his path were dust. He heard Angel behind him, fighting the vampires for Anya, as Anya made her way over to Xander. The Watcher focused on untying Willow. He slipped the gag from her mouth, and Willow burst into sobs as he
lifted her up. She sagged in his arms, weakly hugging him, and let him carry her out of the room, throwing one glance behind her.

Xander and Anya shared a tender kiss, her tears falling on his face as she untied him. Once his restraints were lying on the floor, Xander encircled her with his arms, holding her close.

Angel continued taking out the lesser vamps. He spun and circled them, staking them expertly before moving onto the next one. He glanced over and spotted Buffy, who was pinned against a wall. She kicked the side of Dru's knee, and smiled when she heard a loud crack, then pushed the vampire off of her, executing a perfect roundhouse, her foot catching Drusilla in the jaw.

Dru stumbled back, falling in a swirl of black silk. Buffy stood over her, triumphant, as the stake began its downward arc.

"DRUSILLA!"

Spike pushed Xander, who was leaning on Anya as they began leaving the room, out of his way and screamed with the pressure that filled his skull. He half fell, half dove in front of Drusilla, falling on top of her, her blue eyes catching his.

"Spike," she whispered.

He leaned down and kissed her sweetly, his mouth molding against hers.

And then turned into dust.

Drusilla screamed with horror, watching the dust cover her silk dress, watching her Spike disappear. She looked up and met Buffy's eyes.

Buffy bit her lip, momentarily stunned.

She had hated Spike, but she didn't want him to die... At least not yet.

Drusilla began trembling, and then shrieked at Buffy, clawing at the ground before standing back up. She swiped at Buffy with her nails, like an angry cat, grazing the side of Buffy's cheek. Blood oozed down from the cut, and Buffy backed away, some sort of new terror filling her heart.

Slowly, Drusilla calmed down, backing Buffy against the wall. She smiled, her eyes becoming dark.

"Look at me," she whispered, drifting from side to side. "Be in my eyes. Be in me."

Buffy began drifting also, feeling as though she were riding a very soft cloud, losing all of her problems, feeling as though she were in the greatest dream and was never going to have to wake up.

Drusilla's fingernails twitched.

And the stake sank into her back, piercing her heart.

Buffy exhaled, realizing that she had been holding her breath, and met Angel's eyes evenly. She nodded to him, a smile of thanks curving her mouth.

It was over.
* * * * * * * * *

Xander knocked gently on the door, not waiting for a response before he let himself in. Willow looked up from her bed, and set the book she was reading down on her stomach, sitting up, her eyes inquisitive.

"Hey." Xander smiled awkwardly at her. "Just saw Buffy leave. She told me that you were in here. Sorry for not calling."

She returned the smile, gesturing for him to sit down. "Hey. It's okay."

Willow made some room on the bed, sliding over a little bit, and Xander sat down next to her, unsure of what to say. He opened his mouth several times, but no words came out. Finally, he looked into her eyes and murmured, "I really did mean it, you know."

Willow sighed, nodding. "I did too."

"And... I guess I just wanted to know... What was going to happen now,"  Xander said with difficulty. "Anytime before that we've... admitted our feelings to each other, even just a little bit of them, we always seem to get into some sort of trouble. And I don't want that. I do love you, Willow, but I'm not sure if... I mean, I don't think that... Do you?"

Her eyes softened, and she took his hand, her fingernails tracing light patterns on the back of it. "No," she admitted softly. "But I love you too."

He rolled his eyes, flashing her a grin. "Is it always going to be this hard for us, do you think? I mean, will we always have something in our way?"

"We do right now, which is why we're waiting, but we won't forever," she said logically. "Someday, you're going to be free and I'm going to be free, and until then, we're just going to be the best friends that we've always been before."

He squeezed her hand tightly. "So we will be friends? Even though... All this happened? Do you really think that's all there is to it? That it's going to be that easy?"

"No," she laughed, "But it's going to work out anyway." Her eyes caught his, held them, and she saw the same love that she felt shining out of his gaze, the same friendship and companionship, the same expectations and hopes for the future. Willow leaned forward, her voice velvet. "Because we want it to."

"Do you think?"

"Xander," she said slowly, "Remember when we got in that huge fight in the seventh grade, because.... I can't remember, but do you remember the fight itself?"

"It was because I liked Amy, and you were hanging out with her a lot, and wouldn't tell me what she was saying about me," he answered, a smile touching his lips. "And yes, I remember... They're so few and far between, that it's hard to forget any of my fights with you."

"Yeah." She nodded. "Anyway, do you remember how I was being teased by Harmony, and how, even though you were mad at me, you came to my rescue, and pretty much humiliated her for my sake? Even though she later had her dad
cancel the reservations that *your* dad had made for your thirteenth birthday party at that nice restaurant?"

He nodded, confused at what that had to do with anything.

"Well," Willow continued softly, "That's why I don't think so; I *know* so. Because of the things that you do for me, and the things that I do for that because we're the most important people in each other's lives. It's because we're always there for the other one of us when we need it. I've always thought that; I'm just starting to see that you think it too. And that's
why, no matter what happens, I know that we'll always be friends, always be together. Forever. Like we said."

Xander smiled warmly, and touched her cheek gently with his fingertips. He leaned forward and brushed his mouth over hers, a soft promise of things to come, a pact between then that would last forever, and then slowly moved away, his eyes looking into hers.

They felt the moment leave them, the moment where anything was possible, any confession or kiss or transgression, and felt no little sorrow at its departure. But still, they held hands, and cuddled together on her bed, and talked through the night.

The way that best friends, and the best lovers, do.
* * * * * *

"As it happened, our moment didn't last as long as I would have liked," I whispered, smoothing Willow's hair back.

"But, she's my aunt, right?" she piped up. "Mommy says she was her best friend."

I let myself grin. "That's right. Willow and I were married for a whole year before she was gone. I got to be with her that long, at least. You've seen pictures, Will."

"Yeah." Willow's eyes sparkled, and she took my hand. "She was pretty. Tell me again what happened for you to get married."

"I tell you every night!" I protested in mock annoyance.

Willow giggled. "Please?"

I looked down at her, and she fluttered her eyelashes rapidly; five years old and she was already mastering the art of wrapping a man around her little finger. She stared up at me with a big smile, her two front teeth missing, and her silky blond hair laying out on the pillow behind her. I sighed in resignation.

"Well, we were both twenty-two... Aunt Anya and I had been broken up for almost a year and a half, and Willow and I started dating. And we went... Let's see. We went to the zoo sometimes, and we went on picnics. And we went skiing one week, with your mom. And we went ice-skating while we were there. And then I asked her to marry me," I said simply, trying to condense the story.

"While you were ice-skating?" Willow asked, her eyes wide in expectation; she knew the story by heart.

"Yep. I got down on one knee, and pulled out a ring, and asked her to marry me." I smiled, a little sadly, as the love for my wife welled up inside of me, and I wished I could share that moment with her all over again. "She said the ring was like the stars in the mountains."

"That's pretty," Willow said matter-of-factly.

I laughed, and stood. "Yes, it was. Okay, Will, close your eyes and go to sleep."

When I turned to leave, her small, uncertain voice called me back. "Uncle Xander?"

"Yeah, babe?"

She looked at her hands, which were fisted together nervously. "Mommy said that someday she would tell me, an' that I'm not s'posed to ask..."

I exhaled heavily. "You want to know how your Aunt Willow died," I stated, walking back over to her. She nodded, as if afraid of my reaction, but relaxed when I took her hand and held it for a moment.

"She had something called the Piceous Pendant," I explained, my words stopping in my throat. "There were some bad men... Like the ones that your mommy fights... And they came to take it away from her. She got pretty hurt, and went to the hospital, but the doctors couldn't fix her up, make her better. She was too sick then. So she came home, because home was where she wanted to be, and we all stayed with her-- Me, your mom and dad, Angel and Cordelia and Wesley and Anya, and Grandpa Giles, and this guy that she knew a long time ago, Oz. She died a week later." I paused, seeing the tears leak out of Willow's large blue eyes. "But, I think she's okay now. I know that sometimes she looks down on us, and thinks about us... And I know that even though she misses us, she's in a good place."

"Like Heaven?"

I laid his hand on her stomach and patted her fondly. "Yes. Like Heaven. She looks out for us, you know."

"If I talked to her, would she hear me?"

"Maybe," I smiled. "It could happen. I do it all the time."

"Does she talk to you?"

"Go to sleep," I whispered.

"What happened to the bad guys?" Willow asked softly, her eyes already drifting shut.

"Your mommy happened to them," I assured her with a crooked grin, standing.  I walked to the door and switched off the light, stopping to look at her, sheeted in the golden light from the hallway, for a moment. Buffy's daughter was everything that Willow once was; smart and sweet and funny and beautiful. She loved her family and knew how to keep a secret. "Two very important things," I murmured to myself, weirdly amused by the thought.

I heard the door close beneath him, so I made my way down the stairs. "Hey guys. Nice night?"

Buffy and Riley smiled at me. "Hey," Buffy said as Riley eased off her coat. "How was she?"

"She was good," I answered, dipping my head in a nod. "But, I think I should tell you something... Don't get mad at her, but she asked me about Willow tonight."

"She always asks you about Willow," Riley said, a little confused. "Buffy and I too. It's her favorite bedtime story."

"She asked me about how Willow died."

Buffy sucked in her breath. "Oh, Xander..." She reached out and touched my hand lightly. "I'm so sorry. I told her not to... I'm sorry."

I shook my head, a strange calm filling me. "It's not the problem you would think it is," I admitted. "I was a little startled at first, but... It was good to tell her, I think. It was good to get it out. I mean, she's an important part of your lives-- of my life, too-- and so was Willow. Why not tell her about what happened? She'd need to know someday."

"Did you...?"

I nodded at Riley, hearing the question before it was asked. "I treaded lightly. All she knows is that Willow got hurt from some bad guys, and then later the bad guys got hurt by her mom. Nothing too specific." I grinned slowly. "I'd better be going. I'm glad you guys had a nice time."

Buffy lifted her head, noting that as a close to the previous conversation. She glanced up at Riley, her eyes twinkling. "Feels like the first date in six years, huh?"

Riley slung his arm around her and squeezed her affectionately. "Or in a lifetime," he agreed. "Thanks for baby-sitting, Xander."

"Anytime." I one more time at them, and then turned to leave. Buffy caught the edge of my coat, though, and I turned back to her.

"Hey," she said softly, as Riley made his way up the stairs to check on Willow, "Call me if you need anything. I'm here, you know that."

I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I know. But it's been years since this happened. I can't call you every night."

"Yes, you can," she said instantly, worry shrouding her features.

"Okay, I *can*," I acknowledged, "I just don't think I'll need to anymore.  I'm always going to love Willow. The sad fact is, I don't want to get over that. If that means I live the rest of my life in celibacy..." I grimaced, then winked. "Then that's what I'm going to do. But thanks, Buff, for being there."

She gave him a tiny smile, biting her lip earnestly. "Whenever you need it."
* * * * * * * *

The drive home wasn't too long, but I was tired and it was dark. My mind wandered to Willow's questions about my wife, and to my answers. I didn't really know for sure everything that had happened, but I knew that she was in Heaven, and hoped that she was looking down at me right now.

Did I talk to her?

Not as much as I should. But she was in my every thought, and every second that she wasn't here, I found myself thinking of things to say to her. Funny things that happened to me at work that I knew would make her shriek with laughter, or romantic things that I knew would make her get that pinky blush on her cheeks. I was always thinking about ways to tease her, joke with her, love her... Talk to her.

I missed her.

Did she talk to me?

Every single moment, she was talking to me. I couldn't have explained this to the five-year old girl that was now fast asleep, but Willow talked to me in everything that I did. She coached me in my mind-- what was the right thing to do, the wrong thing? Would she approve? Would we fight over it? If all else failed, what would she do? She was everything good to me, her brilliance and curiosity, her beauty. Her kisses, her hugs, her "I love you"s, the way she would wake up up at five in the morning to watch the sunrise. The way she found potential in everything, even me, even enough to become my wife.

Yes, she talked to me.

There was never a problem I had where I wouldn't hear her instructions. Never a day passed when I didn't think about her, and everything we had shared, and how much our love meant. Because, even in death, she was always there for me. Even past the sex and relationship issues and soul-mate status, she was always the perfect embodiment of my best friend.

She was always the rest of those things, yes. No question.

But my friend... Buffy's my friend. And I love her. But Willow and I always had that "I can finish your sentences because I know you so well" sort of connection. Sometimes, I still felt it inside of me, like I was trying to finish something she was just beginning to say, even though she wasn't around.

Because, whenever I needed her, she was there. No matter what happened, no matter what got involved or who came between us, we were there for each other. She told me that once, a long time ago. That was what we were. We were there.

All one of us had to do was call.

Sometimes not even that.

So I get out of my car and head up to the house, and stop for a moment, hearing her voice as the wind whistles through the trees. Maybe she's saying something to me right now, I think with a smile. Maybe she's telling me she loves me.

"I love you too, Willow," I whisper, and the words don't sound phony or corny as they roll easily off my tongue. They just sound honest.

And I go inside, away from the wind and trees. But the special part?

I still hear her.

The End


"Whistle Down The Wind"

Whistle down the wind,
Let your voices carry,
Drown out all the rain,
Light a patch of darkness
Treacherous and scary.

Howl at the stars,
Whisper when you're sleeping.
I'll be there to hold you,
I'll be there to stop
The chills and all the weeping.

Make it clear and strong
So the whole night long,
Every signal that you send
Until the very end,
I will not abandon you,
My precious friend.

So try and stem the tide,
Then you'll raise a banner.
Send a flare up in the sky,
Try to burn a torch,
And try to build a bonfire.

Every signal that you send
Until the very end, I'm there.
So whistle down the wind,
For I have always been right there.


Howl at the stars,
Whisper when you're sleeping.
I'll be there to hold you,
I'll be there to stop
The chills and all the weeping.

Make it clear and strong
So the whole night long,
Every signal that you send
Until the very end,
I will not abandon you,
My precious friend.

Try and stem the tide,
Then you'll raise a banner.
Send a flare up in the sky,
Try to burn a torch,
And try to build a bonfire.

Every signal that you send
Until the very end, I'm there.
So whistle down the wind,
For I have always been right there.
Yeah.

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