“Yup. But it’s not what you
think.”
“I don’t know *what* to think.”
“Has Giles told you about those
soldier-guys lurking around campus?”
“He asked me if I’d ever heard of
something like them before, but they’re new to
me.”
“Well, Spike showed up tonight willing to
exchange information for our help and Buffy
grudgingly accepted.”
“That explains why he was still in one piece,
then.”
“Well, Giles can explain it better than I can,
so you might want to ask him. Not that I’m not
willing to tell you, it’s just that he knows the whole
story and I’ve only heard bits and pieces of it...”
“Willow. Willow!”
“...as opposed to...uh...yes, Angel?
“Since this is on my dime, how about we try
a good old-fashioned, take-our-time conversation?”
“What?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean...it’s nothing.”
“It must have been something.”
“No, really.”
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s just...well...”
“Yes?
“I...it’s just...well...no
offense, but...well...”
“Yes?”
“You’re not...exactly...well...”
“I’m not what?”
“You’re just not...no, forget
about it...please.”
“No. You can’t throw something like that
out there that makes you laugh -- about *me* no
less -- and then ask me to forget it.”
“No, it’s not even funny
anymore...”
“Oh really? Then why are you still
laughing?”
“Okay, okay! I just
thought it was funny. You, Mr. All-Answers-In-
Three-Syllables-Or-Less asking to have a
conversation.”
“See! I told you it was funny!”
“Point taken.”
“It was really good to see you again,
Angel.”
“It was good to see you, too.”
“I was hoping that you wouldn’t just...”
“...disappear into the night?”
“Yeah.”
“Willow, where are you?”
“Um...actually, I’m...um...in the lobby of
my dorm.”
“Oh.” “Guess that’s why you
called collect.”
“Wow, you’re really getting into this
detective thing, aren’t you?”
“Heeey!”
“Sarcasm. It’s not just for the other
Slayerettes anymore, y’know. Besides, it’s kinda
hard to talk to somebody when there’s an
electronic operator in your ear every thirty seconds
asking for another fifty cents.”
“True.”
“Plus I couldn’t afford to give up my entire
supply of quarters.”
“Quarters?”
“Quarters.”
“It’s a college thing. Quarters are like the
holy grail of student life.”
“I don’t...” “Quarters?”
“Quarters mean clean laundry.”
“Okay.” “I still don’t...”
“Well, it costs two dollars in quarters to
wash and dry a load of laundry, and since
everybody here needs them, none of the shops
around campus will change dollars for quarters.
Even the *bank* on campus has a sign out in the
window saying that they won’t do it, at least
without some other kind of transaction as well,
so...”
“Supply and demand.”
“Yep.”
“That was really dumb, wasn’t it?”
“No. Not dumb, just...educational.”
“Yeah, right. It was dumb.”
“It’s just good to hear your voice.”
“It’s good to hear yours, too.”
“Well, that was effective.”
“Hey, I’m Mr. Non-Conversation Guy,
remember?”
“Oh sure, expect Babble-Girl pick up the
slack.”
“Babble-Girl?”
“Uh...so you never did tell me, what’s it like
working with Cordelia?”
“Well, it’s interesting to say the least.”
“I’ll bet.”
“Has she gotten any better since she first
started?”
“That’s right, I told you about that vampire,
Russell, right?”
“Yeah. And you also said that you were
just going to help her out until she got on her feet
with her acting stuff.”
“Yeah, well, have you ever seen Cordelia
act?”
“You mean aside from her normal
I-deserve-the-world-on-a-platter routine?”
“Why don’t you tell me what you really
think, Willow?”
“Sorry, I just...hey, did you just make with
the funny?”
“I don’t ‘*do* funny’. I can handle
sarcasm, though.”
“Oh my God! Two in a
row? Careful, I wouldn’t want to see you hurt
yourself or anything.”
“I’ll try to contain myself.”
“Wow.”
“As for Cordelia, she’s...well...she
tries...sometimes.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Actually, she’s surprised me a couple of
times. She can have some good ideas every now
and then, and she’s there when it matters. Granted,
she’ll be complaining about it before, during and
afterwards, but underneath it all, I think she really
does care.”
“Yeah, I guess she does. I mean, she kept
helping...ah...out at the library even after she and
Xander broke up.”
“How is Xander? He didn’t look so great
earlier.”
“Well that Native American thing sicced the
entire Infectious Diseases collection on him. Anya
said he even had syphilis! But he’s better now.”
“I’m just glad that nobody was hurt.”
“I am too, but I still feel so horrible about
all of it.”
“Why?”
“Well, even though he tried to kill all of us,
I still think he had a valid point. After all, we
came here and slaughtered his people and...”
“...that’s why you and your mom don’t
celebrate Thanksgiving.”
“Exactly...” “Uh...Angel? H-how
did you know that?”
“Um...I...well, I...heard Buffy tell Giles
when I was in his extra bedroom...uh...avoiding
Buffy.”
“In his...how long were you actually here?”
“Well, actually...three days.”
“Three days? I...”
“Willow?”
“Willow?
“Wil...”
“Three days. Three days and I had to
bump into you in a coffee shop? Three days and
you couldn’t find enough time to let me know that
you were here...”
“You didn’t just ‘bump into me’, Willow.”
“I...huh?”
“Nobody just ‘bumps into me’, Willow, not
unless I allow them to.”
“Oh. That’s true...with you being a...
...and all. You know, I told Giles that
you needed to brush up on your stealthy-skills
but...oh...*Oh!*”
“I wanted to see you so badly, Willow.
And not just walking across your campus or
through your window. But every time I saw you,
you were with Buffy and I couldn’t let her know I
was there...”
“Oh, I understand, I guess...waitaminute...
you were looking in our window?!?”
“I wasn’t trying to...well, I was, but not like
that. I didn’t see anything I... shouldn’t...”
“Angel?”
“Hmm?”
“Why didn’t you...why...I would’ve...
liked...”
“You know why, Willow.”
“I know.” “But I still don’t have
to like it. I miss you, Angel. I miss talking to
you. I miss taking turns calling each other like
we did when you first moved.”
“I miss it, too.”
“It was so easy this summer. Even when
the semester started, I used to get such a happy,
rushing back to my room right after my two
o’clock class on Thursday, knowing that I could
talk to you uninterrupted for at least a half and
hour.”
“I didn’t mean for it to stop...”
“I know.”
“But with Cordelia working here...”
“...and me moving in with Buffy...”
“...it just got...”
“...more complex.”
“There’s been a bazillion times I just
wanted to pick up the phone and call you,
especially when...”
“...Oz left?”
“How did you...?”
“Giles told me.”
“Then you know...”
“...about him leaving to find himself...and
the other werewolf?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s been very worried about you, you
know.”
“Oz?”
“No, Giles. So have Xander and...”
“...Buffy? They sure have a
funny way of showing it.”
“What do you mean?”
“They think I don’t know, but I do. How
could I miss it?”
“Miss what?”
“All of it! They way they roll their eyes
when they think I’m not looking, or the fake
cheerful smiles they plaster on their faces whenever
I walk into the room, like they want to pretend that
everything is going to be all right...that my statute
of limitations on mourning is over.”
“It still hurts, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it still hurts, dammit! I feel like
I just had a part of me removed but nobody wants to
have to deal with it. They all want me to get over
it, to pretend like ‘oh, okay, I’m fine now’ because
I’m a drag to be around. Well, I’m sorry if I
interrupt Buffy’s quest for the college-life or yet
another of Xander and Anya’s sexual marathons or
even Giles’ ‘man-of-leisure’ lifestyle. It’s just
not fair! I’ve been there for all of them when
they’ve had their hearts broken and now that it’s
happened to me, they’re all too busy... ”
“...to be the friends that you deserve for
them to be?”
“Yes!” “It just...hurt...so much.
Finding Oz...naked...with *her* after they
obviously...and he didn’t even try to deny it! Or
explain it! He just left! All I think about is
what could I have done differently? Was it me --
because I’m not a werewolf? But he was attracted
to her before he even knew, and don’t try to tell me
it was some wolfie thing. She was everything I’m
not -- a singer in a band, and beautiful, *and* she
had that whole mysterious-sexual vibe going.”
“And you think you don’t?”
“Huh?”
“You think that you’re not beautiful? That
you aren’t mysterious or sensual?”
“I know what you’re trying to do, Angel...”
“I’m not *trying* to do anything, Willow.
I’m simply stating the facts.”
“No, you’re trying to make me feel better.”
“No. I’m not telling you something to
boost your ego. I’m telling you the truth because
*I* need you to hear it...”
“...Angel...”
“No, Willow. I need to tell you how
important you are to me. As cliched as it may be,
I’ve watched you grow, Willow, from the shy
schoolgirl you used to be into the beautiful person
you’ve become...”
“...Angel...!”
“...so beautiful that I risked my soul to be
with you just *once*.”
“Angel...I...I don’t know...what to say...”
“Then let me say one more thing, since I
seem to be on a roll here. You are the only person
in this world who doesn’t *need* me or who just
tolerates my presence for one reason or another.
Do you know how proud it makes me feel to know
that you call me your friend?”
“Probably the same way I feel when you
call me yours.”
“Next time you need to talk, call me,
okay?”
“Maybe I should have, but I just thought it
would be kinda...”
“Awkward?”
“...weird, talking about Oz and me...with
you...”
“And I’ve never asked you
about Buffy?”
“Okay...so you’ve got a point. We can
commiserate.”
“I mean it, Willow. Collect, at ten in the
morning, because you had a lousy day -- I don’t
care. Just call. And don’t worry about Cordelia,
I’ll...tell her something...like a reminder that I
sign her paychecks.”
“Promise me, Willow.”
“I will, I promise.”
“Thank you, Angel.”
“For what? Remembering to be the kind of
friend that I *should* be?”
“‘A best friend with benefits’?”
“I like that.”
“It’s from a song, actually.”
“I’d like to hear it sometime.”
“Turn on the radio, then. They still play it
all the time.”
“I’ll listen for it.”
“You” “do that. Sorry about”
“that.”
“It’s four-thirty in the morning, Willow.”
“Is it really?”
“Yes.”
“I guess I should go.”
“It’s been a long day...for both of us.”
“Yep.”
“I don’t want to hang up.”
“I don’t either.”
“Good timing, somebody’s here.”
“Just a second, Willow.”
“‘Fair Cordelia’?”
“What can I say? He’s got a ‘thing’ for
her.”
“But does she have a ‘thing’ for him?”
“Hmm. I think the jury is still out on that
one, but they just might be leaning toward a
‘guilty’ verdict.”
“Tell him to run while he can!”
“That’s not nice.”
“Oh, and Cordelia is?”
“Upon occasion.”
“Well, I’d better let you go.”
“All right, but I meant what I said,
*anytime*.”
“Ditto.”
“Bye, Angel.”
“Take care.”
“I will.”
“Night.”
“Night.”
~finis~
:-)