Part 1

Willow entered her dorm room after a night at The Bronze. She tossed her jacket on the bed as she walked over to her desk. She opened her laptop
and logged onto the Net. She typed in her screen name, Aislin1328, and password. After checking her email, she surfed through her favorite sites
hoping to find something to strike her interest. Restless and too wired to sleep, Willow decided to see who else was up and surfing the chat rooms.

She'd been lurking in the Charmed chat room for about five minutes when a new name appeared on the screen, Angelface7325. Immediately she
thought of Angel and Cordelia. Willow wished they'd get together. She knew the broody vampire cared about Cordy, in more than the just friends
kind of way Cordy insisted on, and the reverse was also true. *They both need to buy a clue,* Willow mused. She reminded herself to ask how the
relationship was progressing in her next e-mail to the ex-cheerleader. Their relationship had progressed beyond a simple exchange of demonology
into more personal exchanges between friends.

Buffy and the others had no idea Willow and Cordelia would spend hours talking over instant messenger. The red head always thought it was funny
that she'd be talking to Cordy in one box and Angel in the other. Both complaining about the other. And it wasn't that Willow wouldn't tell Buffy if
she asked, she just wasn't volunteering information.

Quick movements on the screen brought the young witch's attention back to the chat at hand. Everyone was debating which Halliwell sister was
the best and who had the coolest powers. She listened in for a while and found herself agreeing with one person in particular: NoWhere_Man126.

Harley_Rider30: How can you beat Phoebe's power? I mean premonitions. She knows what's going to happen.

NoWhere_Man126: She kind of knows. She rarely understands the whole vision until it's actually happening.

Raven2164: No way, Harley. Piper is by far the best sister. Stopping time is so cool!

NoWhere_Man126: I have to disagree, Rav. Yeah, Piper can stop time, but it has to restart again. Both Pipe & Phoebe have passive powers. Prue's
the one with the real power.

Willow decided to de-lurk and add her own two cents.

Aislin1328: I gotta agree with NoWhere_Man126. Prue can move objects with her mind. Plus she's got that new astral projection thing going on.

NoWhere_Man126: ;) Thnx

Willow chatted with the group debating the finer points of The Charmed Ones' powers and favorite episodes. She laughed out loud at most of
Harley's comments on what he'd do if he had any of their powers. Leo_guy629 had a real thing for Piper since that's all he talked about. Even if they
weren't chatting about her, he brought the topic back to her. Only one person in the room annoyed her, Pixie_grrl.

Pixie_grrl: That so did NOT happen!! DO YOU PEOPLE EVEN WATCH THE SHOW!!!

Willow had had enough of her cutting comments and the shouting was the last straw.

Aislin1328: Pixie, if you are going to keep dissing everyone here and yelling all the time, then leave!!

Pixie_grrl: Whatever! You people don't know anything!

(Pixie_grrl has left the room)

NoWhere_Man126: Finally!

NY_412: Aislin, you go grrl!

Leo_guy629: Yeah!

Harley_Rider30: About time.

Aislin1328: ::Takes a bow::

Challieb28: Now where were we? Oh, yeah, Leo.

Aislin1328: Obsess much? You talk about him every two seconds.

Challieb28: I have limited interests.

Salice6276: lol

Willow continued to chat, laugh and argue with everyone. Ten minutes later she frowned at the screen.

NoWhere_Man126: Gotta go. See ya.

(NoWhere_Man126 has left the room)

A dialog box appeared on her screen: "NoWhere_Man126 has an Instant Message for you."

Slowly, Willow dragged the cursor over the reply button and clicked. An IM box appeared on her screen.

NoWhere_Man126: Hi. Seems we have some stuff in common.

No one had ever IM'd her from a chat room before. It was kind of exciting and a little scary. Slowly, she typed out her response and hit enter.

Aislin1328: Hey. And yeah, I guess we do.

NoWhere_Man126: You definitely know a lot about Charmed

Aislin1328: It's one of my favorite shows. I never miss it.

NoWhere_Man126: I try not to either. Haven't been able to watch it lately cuz my TV is broken.

Aislin1328: That's a bummer.

NoWhere_Man126: Tell me about it.

Aislin1328: So what are you up to?

NoWhere_Man126: About 5' 10" or so

Aislin1328: LOL!

NoWhere_Man126: Seriously. Not much. Got a new comp and been playing with it for the last few hours.

Aislin1328: Really? What kind?

They talked about computers and software programs. It seemed like only ten minutes when Buffy dragged herself in from a long night of patrolling.
Willow glanced up from her computer and checked the clock. 3 AM. She'd been chatting with a perfect stranger for over three hours. *And not a
single exchange about demons, vampires, or prophecies,* she thought in amazement. "Hey, Buff. Hard night?" Willow asked.

The Slayer stumbled over to her bed and threw herself onto it. "Hey, Wills. Need sleep," she mumbled into her pillow. With her next breath, she was
asleep.

Willow returned to her laptop and found NoWhere_Man126 waiting for her reply.

Aislin1328: Sorry about that. My roommate just walked in. Didn't realize how late it was. I really should get to bed.

NoWhere_Man126: IC So can we talk again tomorrow?

Aislin1328: I'd like that.

NoWhere_Man126: Great. Until then have a good night.

Aislin1328: Night.

Willow closed the box and added his name to her list so she'd see the next time he was online. She shut down her computer and crawled into bed
with a smile on her face.

Part 2

Willow's green eyes followed Buffy around the room as the blonde collected her slaying paraphernalia. *Come on. Hurry up and leave already,* she
thought. At the knock on the door, Willow rushed to open it. Riley stood there in his patrol gear.

He looked over Willow's head and spotted his girlfriend slipping some extra stakes in her bag. "Ready to go, Buff?" he asked.

"Yep," the Slayer answered as she slung the bag over her shoulder. "See ya, Wills."

Once the door shut behind them, the red head raced to her laptop and logged on. Launching her instant messenger, she checked her buddy list and
saw that NoWhere_Man hadn't logged on yet. With a frown she pulled up her e-mails and found a message from him. It was time stamped earlier
this afternoon.

Hey!
I've got some stuff to do this evening so I'll be on line a little later than I planned. Sorry. :(

"Well, when is later for you, NoWhere?" she asked as she checked the clock. It was quarter after eight. They hadn't exactly set a specific time for
their "date" so Willow checked the rest of her e-mails while she waited.

Fifteen minutes later her computer beeped and she saw that he had logged onto the system. She moved the cursor to send him a message when he
IM'd her first.

NoWhere_Man126: Aislin? Sorry I'm late.

Aislin1328: It's okay. Not like we actually set a time to talk. So, what's up?

NoWhere_Man126: Not much. Same old same old. Oh, what's the url for that Charmed site you were telling me about?

Willow looked up the site address and sent it to him.

NoWhere_Man126: Thanx. I'll check it out later. Anything new with you?

Aislin1328: Not much. Usual school stuff.

NoWhere_Man126: What are you taking?

Aislin1328: Got a world history class that's giving me pains. Abnormal psych and English

NoWhere_Man126: Can't help you with the English or psych (although most consider me anything but normal) but world history is my forte. Been
most everywhere.

Aislin1328: lol (about the psych bit) what's places have you traveled to?

NoWhere_Man126: Pretty much everywhere. Most of Europe, parts of Asia and both Americas

Aislin1328: Wow! I wish I could travel the world.

NoWhere_Man126: You will if you really want to . You're young yet and have plenty of time.

Aislin1328: How do you know I'm young?

NoWhere_Man126: Oops. I just assumed you were since you're in college and everything.

Aislin1328: Never assume. I could be 87 and have 40 grandkids and 17 great grandchildren.

NoWhere_Man126: So. Do you?

Aislin1328: No.

NoWhere_Man126: ah

NoWhere_Man126: brb

Aislin1328: Kay.

Willow waited for him to return which didn't take long.

NoWhere_Man126: Oh, jeez. I gotta go do something for a bit. I'll be back in about 30 minutes. Kay?

Aislin1328: Sure. See ya in 30.

NoWhere_Man126: You're a doll. Thanks.

(NoWhere_Man126 has signed off at 8:57 PM)

Willow sighed as he logged off to do whatever he needed to do. "Might as well review for my test," she mumbled as she pulled out her heavy text
book from her book bag.

A knock at the door startled her out of the political movement behind Hitler's rise to power. She pulled open the door and was surprised to see the
bleach blonde vampire standing there.

"Spike. What are you doing here?" Willow asked.

"Hey, Red," he greeted her as he stepped into the dorm room. "Watcher needs a book. Said you borrowed it."

"Note to self, do uninvite spell," she muttered as Spike started searching for the text. "And you're playing errand guy out of the kindness of your
heart?" Willow asked.

Spike smirked as he poked through her book shelf. "Hardly. He's getting me a new TV and I'm paying him back in trade." He couldn't find the book.
"Look got a few things to do tonight. So if I can get the book I'll be out of her. It's called...Demons and Witches: The Truth or something like that."

The red head rolled her eyes and unlocked her trunk. She dug through her magick supplies to her collection of spell books in the bottom. Willow
pulled a red leather volume out of the pile and flipped through it. She removed a few scraps of paper she'd used to mark her place.

Spike reached over her shoulder and snatched the book out of her hand. "Thanks, pet. Gotta run."

She watched as the door shut behind him. "Gee, Spike, why don't you stay and chat for a while," she muttered as she put her trunk back together.
She noticed some of her supplies where getting kind of low. Grabbing a pen and notepad, she started making a shopping list for tomorrow.
Engrossed in her list she jumped when her computer beeped. Willow rushed to her desk.

NoWhere_Man126: I'm back. Sorry about that.

Aislin1328: It's all right. Stuff happens.

NoWhere_Man126: Cool.

Aislin1328: So where'd you go? Had to visit a girlfriend?

NoWhere_Man126: Not exactly.

Aislin1328: Not exactly? Care to explain?

NoWhere_Man126: Not really.

Aislin1328: That's cool. Oh, I just wanted to ask you about your screen name. Where did you come up with it?

NoWhere_Man126: It's a Beatles song.

Aislin1328: ah

NoWhere_Man126: You have heard of the Beatles, right?

Aislin1328: Who?

Aislin1328: Just kidding! Of course, I know who the Beatles are!

NoWhere_Man126: Had me worried there for a second.

They chatted more about their favorite music and bands. He gave her some insight to Hitler's rise to power and they talked about trivial things like
movies and favorite books.

Buffy trudged into the room. Tossing her bag into a corner she stood behind Willow. "Whatcha doing?" she asked.

"Talking to someone," Willow answered slowly. She lowered the lid of her laptop. "Did you need something?"

Buffy looked at her friend. "No. I'm going to go to sleep," she said as she began changing for bed.

"Kay." She opened the laptop again.

Aislin1328: Hate to cut this short, but I've got that test tomorrow. So I should get to bed.

NoWhere_Man126: Sweet dreams, Aislin.

Aislin1328: You too.

Willow logged off and shut down her computer.

Part 3

"Willow, we could use your help tonight with research," Buffy said as she speared a crouton with her fork. She crunched on her salad topping while
she watched her friend closely.

"Sure, I can do that," Willow said cheerfully. She made a mental note to send NoWhere_Man an e-mail. They'd been talking on line every night for
almost a week. Willow was disappointed that she'd be busy tonight. He made her laugh and forget the troubles of living on the Hellmouth, but they
also had serious conversations. He'd definitely helped to improve her world history grade. Her professor had been very impressed with her last essay
on the comparative rise to power of Hitler and Churchill.

Buffy finished her salad and gathered her books. "I'll see you at Giles' later," she said as she headed off to class.

****

Willow glanced up from her book when Spike entered the Watcher's apartment. When his intense blue eyes fell on her, she tried to give him a
welcoming grin. His glare sent her eyes back to the pages in front of her.

"The bookworm's here so what do you need me for?" he asked. He had so many other things he'd rather be doing than researching the latest demon
to visit Sunnyhell. *Like rearrange my sock drawer,* he thought.

"Sit down, grab a book, and shut up," Buffy snapped. *I could so do without his attitude,* the Slayer fumed.

"A skill you have yet to master," Spike retorted as he sat on the opposite end of the couch from Willow.

The red head giggled at the slam and quickly bit her lip when Buffy glared in her direction. *He's right, though. Buffy has never been the strong,
silent type. She's always running off at the mouth. Whoa! Bad, Willow! She's your best friend. Although she has been spending more time with GI
Joe, Junior than me. Not that I'm jealous or anything.* Willow ceased her mental babbling when she felt someone staring at her. She looked up to
find Spike staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. *Do I have something in my teeth?*

He continued to stare at her. "Take a picture, it will last longer," she said, sounding more confident than she really was.

"Why waste the film?" he asked cruelly.

While she expected some biting comeback from him, his words cut her just the same. A humiliating blush stained her cheeks as she returned to her
reading. *Why do I let him get to me?* she asked herself.

*Because if you would just admit it, you like him,* her conscious replied.

*I do not! Besides he's so mean to me.*

*So was Andy Clark and he told you it was because he had a major crush on you.*

*That was in the second grade.*

*And men mature so much from second grade,* her conscious told her sarcastically.

*Spike does _not_ have a crush on me!*

*Fine. Whatever you say.*

Willow pushed her personal debate aside and concentrated on finding information on Buffy's demon.

****

Willow finished writing her essay for History class. "Never knew a prof who loved essays more than Dr. Hanks," she muttered as she hit save on her
laptop. She rubbed her eyes in order to release the strain from staring at the computer for so long. She opened one eye at the computer's familiar
beep. NoWhere_Man IM'd her.

NoWhere_Man126: Hello, Aislin. Finished your essay yet?

Aislin1328: Hey. How did you know I was working on an essay?

NoWhere_Man126: You were complaining about all the essays you had to write for your history class. About one a week, right?

Aislin1328: Yep. I'm surprised you remembered.

NoWhere_Man126: Why are you surprised?

Aislin1328: Don't know. I guess I'm just used to most of my friends not paying much attention to what I do.

NoWhere_Man126: I'd say you need some new friends. So what did you do yesterday?

Aislin1328: Research...for a friend's project.

NoWhere_Man126: One of the same friends who doesn't pay attention to what you do?

Aislin1328: Kind of. I mean she's my best friend and everything. She's got a new boyfriend that she's been spending a lot of time with so we don't
get to hang out as much as we used to.

NoWhere_Man126: And you've been spending a lot of time talking to me. What does she say about that?

Aislin1328: Not much.

NoWhere_Man126: Does she know that you spend so much time talking to me? Am I taking you away from a real social life?

Aislin1328: I don't know if she knows or not. And you're not. I enjoy talking to you. How about you?

NoWhere_Man126: No, I haven't told your friend anything.

Aislin1328: Very funny.

NoWhere_Man126: Nothing I'd rather be doing than talking to you.

Aislin1328: You're sweet.

NoWhere_Man126: Don't let that get around. Got a reputation to protect.

Aislin1328: Big tough guy, huh?

NoWhere_Man126: You know it.

Aislin1328: lol

NoWhere_Man126: Oh, been meaning to ask you about your screen name. I assume it's not your real name. Where did it come from?

Aislin1328: No. It's not my real name. It's a magickal name. I'm a witch. Don't go all freaky on me.

NoWhere_Man126: Why would I go freaky? Known a couple of witches in my life. Just be careful with spells.

Aislin1328: I always try to be careful with spells. They don't always go as planned though.

NoWhere_Man126: Uh oh.

Aislin1328: What?

NoWhere_Man126: Oh, nothing. Just a spell someone messed up left a bad taste in my mouth once.

Aislin1328: Been there. Done that. Bought the tee-shirt.

NoWhere_Man126: Just be careful.

Aislin1328: I will.

NoWhere_Man126: That's all I ask. Hate to hear that you turned yourself into a frog.

Aislin1328: Ew. Or a rat.

NoWhere_Man126: Huh?

Aislin1328: Nothing. My roommate just came in. I'd better sign off.

NoWhere_Man126: Okay. Talk to you later.

Aislin1328: Count on it.

Willow logged off and turned to talk to Buffy. The blonde was getting ready for bed. Willow wanted to tell Buffy about NoWhere_Man, but something
held her back. She wanted to keep something special for herself. *It's not like we're dating or anything,* she reminded herself as she pulled a
nightshirt out of her dresser. *Probably wouldn't want me if he saw me.* Shaking off the depressing thoughts, Willow finished dressing for bed.
Slipping between the sheets, she smiled over his concern for her.
 

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